">
It’s been four years since Armando Torres disappeared. He was DEA agent Beth Thomson’s best undercover recruit – and the best lover she ever had.
In the time since he left, she has forced herself to move on. So when news reaches her that Torres is dead, she isn’t expecting the wave of emotions that overwhelm her. It’s a gang hit, and there isn’t much of a body left to identify. But when she visits the morgue, her horror soon turns to disbelief at what she finds.
With notorious gang leader El Escorpion still evading capture, her mother’s health deteriorating, and her daughter starting school – can Beth recreate the passion from her past, even when her whole world is changing?
The Firing Line trilogy:
Blurring the Line
Coming soon: Crossing the Line
Twice in a Lifetime
Dirty Little Secrets
Holding the Line
Kierney Scott
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
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.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2015 ISBN: 9781474032773
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
This one is for all my lovely girlfriends who sat and listened to me jabber on about Torres like he is a real man…that I am having a very steamy affair with.
Silvia Stevenson – All I need to do is mention I am having an off day and you bake me a cake. You really are the best friend a girl could ask for.
Ruth Colley – You are hands down the best neighbour ever. You are also the naughtiest English Rose ever, but I am saving that for another story.
Fiona Wilson – Everyone should read and laugh as much as you.
Yvonne McDougall – You make me LOL for real. And thanks to you I now know how to launder drug money to fund arms deals and other nefarious things. My CV thanks you.
Elizabeth Barbour – If Torres ever comes to life, he is all yours. I think you’re one of the few women I know who could handle AND appreciate him.
And last but never least, this book is for my mom, there are too many reasons why, so just because…
Contents
Book List
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
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
About the Publisher
4 Years ago
He had missed something and Beth was in danger because of it. His gut twisted at the thought. Martinez’ computer had been seized: Torres had taken it himself last time he was in Bogotá. There was nothing on it other than the pictures Martinez had taken of Beth at the diner. There had to be something else, something he had missed: something that would tell them why Los Treintas had killed one of their own. Martinez had been gutted like a fish, his tongue and eyes cut out. Beth had thought