Beth is still reeling from the murder of her beautiful sister Paige – a hit ordered by ‘El Escorpion’, the notorious cartel leader she has relentlessly pursued for the last six years in her role as DEA agent.
Reunited with her lover and undercover agent Torres, who is now her husband, and raising their adopted daughter Alejandra, she should be happier. But her role in Paige’s death eats away at her, as does her final fling with her old partner Patterson, which she has hidden from Torres…
So when truths are exposed, Beth and Torres’ fierce passion turns into an embittered battle. Beth’s only desire now is to track down El Escorpion once and for all. But will her search for justice cost her everything?
The Firing Line trilogy:
Blurring the Line
Holding the Line
Twice in a Lifetime
Dirty Little Secrets
Crossing the Line
Kierney Scott
HQ
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First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015
Copyright © Kierney Scott 2015
Kierney Scott asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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E-book Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9781474035552
Version date: 2018-07-23
KIERNEY SCOTT is originally from California, but moved to Scotland to enrol in the PhD programme in Educational Research at the University of Edinburgh. Four days after she arrived, she met her husband, who persuaded her it would be more fun to get married than to write a thesis. After the birth of her daughter she decided it was time to go back to school, but soon she discovered all she wanted to write was romance novels. She admitted her literary proclivities to her husband, who promptly bought her a laptop and told her to start writing her book.
When she is not writing, you will probably find her at a spinning class or baking (read eating) cupcakes. Her butter-cream icing is legendary, if only in her mind. If you want her recipe, or you just want to chat, you can contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at Kierney Scott @Kierney_S
For my sisters
Emily, every day I am amazed by your strength and resilience. I am so proud to be your sister.
Erin, my small but mighty baby sister, no one circles the wagons like you.
I love you both. Thank you for being mine.
Contents
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
The process was very civilized now. So streamlined, just a simple form filled in and emailed to the warden. No months of waiting for background checks and clearance any more.
Beth still remembered the day her mom’s clearance came in. Ruth Thomson’s eyes brimmed with tears, but she smiled wider than Beth had seen in months. The next Saturday, Ruth woke Paige and Beth up before dawn. The black sky was speckled with yellow stars and the red haze of Central Valley fog.
It was an adventure, Ruth told them. And it was. They walked ten blocks in the dark, to get the bus to Folsom, Ruth carrying Paige and Beth clutching her Cabbage Patch doll to her chest like the prize it was. She didn’t even mind that the doll’s previous owner had taken out the red string braids and colored its face with blue permanent