Page 1

Chapter 1

Kierra

The man across the street is coming straight toward my building.

Oh, God.

I step closer to the window, pressing one trembling finger against the blinds.

He's huge.

Tall, broad shoulders, black boots, faded jeans, and a leather vest over a dark shirt. Tattoos cover his arms, disappearing beneath his sleeves.

His light brown hair is a little too long, and even from up here, I can make out the hard line of his jaw.

He's handsome.

Seriously, Kierra?

Someone is trying to kill me, and my brain picks this moment to appreciate a good-looking man.

I swallow and look at his hands.

Empty.

That doesn't mean anything.

He could have a gun tucked beneath that vest. Another strapped to his ankle.

Hell, looking at him, he doesn't even need a weapon. He looks like one.

My stomach twists.

Six months ago, I took on a wrongful-death lawsuit. Today, I'm hiding in a borrowed office, watching a man who looks like he could snap my neck without spilling his coffee.

All because Aaron Mercado couldn't keep his mouth shut.

His brother David had been at a nightclub with friends when he stepped outside and stumbled onto a drug deal gone wrong. He was shot dead behind the building.

Aaron hired me to sue the company behind the club, convinced somebody there was responsible for what happened.

Then he went on television and announced that someone had witnessed the murder.

Without consulting me.

That witness was Thomas, who agreed to speak to me on the condition that I kept his identity confidential. The poor man was terrified, and I couldn't blame him.

I kept his name out of our public filings and contacted the detective handling the case.

I thought we were being careful.

Then Aaron disappeared eight days ago.

His car turned up in a parking lot. Wallet inside. Phone on the passenger seat.

No sign of him.

Two days later, someone called my office.