An edge of your seat psychological thriller.
Would you trust a sociopath to catch a killer?
Addison Hunter's uncle is dead, and her job is on the line after she fails to bring in the worst serial killer she's ever encountered. Shunted from the FBI with ninety days to prove her physical fitness, Addy heads home to Solitude, Texas, to recuperate and bury the only person who really understood her. Her uncle fought tooth and nail to keep his niece out of the system and train her to fit in.
But did he choose the wrong subject or the wrong type of training?
Sheriff Silas Robert can feel an ill wind creeping in and he's powerless to stop it. Having Addy back in town brings with it more issues than he can deal with.
The townsfolk don't trust her because they don't understand her. But Silas knows there's nobody better to get to the bottom of the killings that've recently rocked the surrounding counties.
Is the best person to catch a cold-blooded killer someone who thinks the same way?

Prologue

His lips quivered at the smell of blood. He took a deep breath and
twisted the knife harder, watching the steady flow soak into the ground beneath her.

She screamed and tried to claw at his hands.

He pressed his heel on her flailing arm and leaned closer, where he could feel her body tremble. She was past being able to fight him. Such a shame. Addison Hunter was the only person who matched him in intelligence.

Her eyes rolled upwards. She blinked as she tried to focus. He silently applauded her refusal to accept her fate. Her lips moved but the only sound that came from her mouth was a labored groan. Sweat trickled down her temple despite the cold evening air.

She’d thought she was so clever—so much smarter than him. Oh, but he’d shown her. And from now on he’d be so much more careful. He’d been careless, too full of his own self-worth. He’d let her get too close and almost paid for it.

A gurgle bubbled up her throat, and watery blood dribbled from the corners of her pale, almost blue lips.

“What’s that? You have something to say?” He leaned closer, the heat of her labored breath sweet on his face. The fun he could have had. But knowing Addison as well as he did, he didn’t want to risk himself. She’d have someone close by as back up, even if she’d insisted she be the one to go in first. Part of the arrogance
he admired, but predictable as always. No time to waste, much to his disappointment.

He could see what she was going to do before the thought had cemented itself in her pain-wracked brain. She spat at him, but in her weakened condition, it wasn’t enough to score a direct hit. 
Silly girl to tease him like that when he didn’t have the luxury of reply. He wiped the bloodied drool from his throat and rubbed it onto her cheap
polyester shirt. The FBI never did believe in decent clothing. Made them so easy to spot.

“That wasn’t very nice. You’re going to pay for that, Addison.” He hated to be disrespected.
She needed to be taught a lesson. One she would never forget.

Chapter one

Three weeks later

Addison Hunter limped up the stairs
of the building her uncle’s office shared with the local sheriff and where she’d spent most of her spare time growing up. Was it really the best idea she’d had to come here before going to the house she grew up in? Confronting the past in this space probably wasn’t the ideal way to ease herself back into Solitude
and face her demons.

She paused at the top, her hand on
the rail to ease her pain-filled ascent, chiding herself for not taking her
morning dose of medication. Addy took a moment to recover before she pushed the door open and faced her worst fears. Even though coming back was her first instinct when she got the call, she hadn’t realized the impact driving into town would have on her.

Suck it up, Addy. You’re a freaking FBI agent. Why the heck should what the town thinks of you be foremost in your mind?

Because you still want to belong, that’s why.

The noise of a half dozen deputies
and telephones all competing to be heard was overwhelming but comforting. It was like she’d never been away.

The pain from her injury was nauseating and a light sweat had broken out on her top lip. She took a step back, trying to drag out another few seconds before facing the truth. The long drive had given her a welcome breather, but now it was time to face facts.

The lights were off inside Tony’s
office and the door closed. It was strange to stand there knowing that he would never summon her in there again, never ask for her ‘help’ to solve a case or give her opinion on what he should do. Their years of working together may have come to a halt when she left Solitude to further her own career, but she’d
always known he’d be there for her if she ever needed him.

Until he wasn’t.

She swallowed and gripped the car
keys tight, using the pain as they dug into her palm as a distraction. It shouldn’t be Tony who was dead. He worked a low-risk job as a small-town private investigator who searched for missing children, cheating husbands and people who wrote bad checks. She was the one who’d come close to catching a killer.
While she almost lost her life in the process, Addy was still alive. Tony was not. It hardly seemed fair that he never got to retire and grow old.

She looked through the door of the
sheriff’s office once again, taking in the hive of activity. Comparing the two offices only made the hollow feeling in her gut intensify. Addy did what she did best in situations she couldn’t control: she analyzed what she saw, categorized each person, and catalogued what they were doing. It was a habit she’d learned when she struggled to fit in, and it’d served her well in her years as an FBI agent. Now she couldn’t turn it off. It kept her firmly grounded in a world where she didn’t fit. The world that didn’t understand her.
The world that would label her a sociopath given the chance.

The label had a negative ring to it,
as if she was dangerous, untrustworthy, or devious. Addy was none of the above.
She was honest, hardworking, and trustworthy, Tony had made sure of that. He’d instinctively known what her little quirks were and taken her under his wing when her father wouldn’t or couldn’t cope. Training her to be like everyone else even if she couldn’t feel the same way. At least she fitted in when the world
was watching. Bitterness coated the back of her throat. If only they spent time inside her head, they might realize it wasn’t that bad. But who needs friends anyway?  Certainly not her.

“Addison.” The voice came from behind her. She whirled around and gasped at the pain in her thigh as she came face to face with Silas Roberts. They’d been good friends once, but that was before she’d left Solitude.

“Silas.” Her voice sounded strained,
even to her own ears.

He reached for her, pulled her against his chest, and held her close. Tension and pain tightened her shoulders, but she didn’t try to get away from him. She froze instead, tolerating the closeness. Silas, of all people, understood her and made allowances for her short
comings. At least, he had back then. Now things were different. She was no longer the unsure, gangly teenager she used to be.

When he let her go, he looked into
her face, the smell of his familiar aftershave soothing. “I’m so sorry. I know how close you were to Tony.” Genuine concern reflected in his warm brown eyes. Silas had always been a considerate person, full of warmth and honesty.

“Thank you. I still don’t quite
believe it. I look at the office and wonder why he isn’t there like he always was.”
Something foreign fluttered in her stomach at the thought.

“I know. I keep glancing at his door
too.” Silas rubbed a hand down her arm in that way he used to do, as if his touch could make her feel better. Normal even. “I’m sorry.”

 “Yeah, me too.” Only now, she noticed Silas was wearing the law enforcement uniform of the county sheriff. He must’ve finally moved back home from Dallas. Good for him. He was small town, born and
bred. “Do you have time to go over it with me? I heard it was you who found him.”

“Sure.” He put a hand on her arm,
walked her away from Tony’s door, and into the sheriff’s department. She ignored the inquisitive gazes coming from his staff as they gave up all pretense of work and did her best to walk normally. 
He gently pushed her toward the back of the room where the sheriff’s
office was. “Coffee?”

“Thanks.” So Silas was now in charge. She might have guessed he’d end up applying for that job when his
father retired, leaving the Dallas police force behind him. Moving to the city might’ve gotten him away from his father, but it would’ve been uncomfortable for him in the big city. Something she could understand better than most people.

She walked into his office. Typical Silas. No clutter, just the phone and his logbook with a pen sitting beside it. Even his filing cabinet was clear.

Addy took the chair in front of his
desk, twisting it around so she could see the door. An old leather and oak
affair that had seen better days, it was comfortable and for that she was
grateful. It gave her a chance to rest her leg without being obvious.

He stuck his head out the door and
called, “Cookie, coffee, please. For two.”

Her mouth opened before she could
hold herself back. “Miss Cook is still here?”

“Yep, sure is. I figured she’d
retire when my father did, but she decided I needed her more.” He sat on the corner of his polished oak desk and smiled at her. He was still as devastatingly handsome as he’d been the last time she’d seen him. The women of Solitude would be in heaven with Silas back home. “She’s pretty cut up about your uncle. Just
warning you.”

“Thanks.” Addy looked up as Cookie
bustled in with two mugs of coffee. She put one on Silas’s desk and turned to Addy. Tears filled her eyes as she held out the mug, her hand trembling.

Addy stood, took the mug, and tried
to give Cookie a smile. She glanced at Silas who tipped his chin in her direction.
She put down her coffee, took a halting step toward the woman and held out her arms. Tension stiffened her. Cookie launched toward her, and Addy held the woman awkwardly as Cookie burst into a fresh bout of tears. Panic rippled up Addy’s spine but she held fast.

Silas cleared his throat and gave Addy a nod of encouragement. In school, he’d been the one who had taught her some of the finer points of teenage etiquette, at least enough to make her not stand out too much. It’d been a hard time in her life, and friends had been few and far between. Even back then, she’d had the sense to hang onto what few friends she could.

“I’m sorry, Addison. Didn’t mean to
cry all over y’all like that.” Cookie pulled away and grabbed the tissues Silas held out to her, dabbing her eyes with little effect.

Addy’s smile faltered. She should
make the woman feel better, but it was finding the right words. “It’s okay. Think nothing of it. I’m sure it was as much of a shock to you as it was to me.” She took a step back and stood by Silas’s desk, self-conscious and unsure what to do next.

“So, look at you, then.” Cookie blew
her nose and dabbed at her eyes again. “Big time FBI agent. Guess you’ll be going back after the funeral eh, Addison?”

Addy glanced at Silas, uncertain how
to respond. She still didn’t know what her plans were. Her fitness had to
improve first, but she didn’t want to divulge that to anyone just yet.

“Let’s give Addy a chance to catch
her breath. It’s a shock to everyone.” Silas put his arm around his
receptionist’s shoulders and walked her to the door. “Why don’t you go and sit down with a drink while I catch Addy up on what happened? You can talk to her again soon, okay?”

Cookie glanced over at her. “Sorry.
Didn’t mean to barge into your conversation, Silas. I’m upset and not thinking straight.”

“No need to apologize Cookie; we’re
all upset over this. You go and have a seat, and I’ll talk to you soon.” He
gently pushed her out the door and closed it. Silas turned and leaned against the door frame, giving Addy a sad smile.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean for that to happen.  Cookie is pretty upset over it all, as you can see.”

“I get it, Silas. I might not be able to feel the same way, but I do understand.” She toyed with the handle on the coffee mug. “Give me the details. What happened?”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "My first time reading this author.
She describes the scenery, scenes and people in a clear and enjoyable manner.
The series of events with the animals and kids are great. Heart touching moments with laughter.
I'll order the next book to see what else happens."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Loved this book, all the characters were fabulous and I love the chase, you chase a man until.he catches you. Gorgeous. My favourite of all her books.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Great story and I enjoyed in immensely. Ms Harrison is new author for me and if all her stories are similar to this one, I look forward to adding her to my preferred authors list."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Reading about Libby & Nathan, falling in love.
How Nathan fell in love with her kids, I love how Holly started to trust Nathan after the river almost took her away, this is the best love story i have read in such a long time, plus to read how strong Libby turned out to be was amazing.

Thank you Ann B Harrison for writing one of the best stories I have ever read in a long time, I can't wait to read more in this series."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"What an enjoyable book, at one point it even made me cry!! Which is a good indicator of how much l love the characters."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"You definitely need to read this second chance romance. You will learn about Australia and the way of life there. This book draws you in to the characters and their story! You will learn about what it's like to live on a ranch in the Outback and the problems encounter by the characters in this story but also the neighbors who live there. I would recommend this book for lovers of romance. I look forward to reading more about this Country and the people who live there! I also look forward to reading more from this author. You will enjoy this book!"