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The Sharpest Edge
Stephanie Rowe
ON THE EDGE OF DANGERIt was the fight of Kim Collins's life and she had the scars to prove it. Even with prison bars between her and her assailant, the horror of his attack was crystal clear. Released on parole, his vow for revenge spurred her to put distance between them.Taking refuge three thousand miles away, she thought the threat was gone. However, when too many unexplained "accidents" started to occur around her, Kim had no choice but to put herself in the hands of Sean Templeton–the fiancé she once jilted. As a cop, he was sworn to protect her, keep her safe. Yet with all the old emotions still between them, did Sean present a bigger threat…to her heart?
Something glittered at her in the middle of the bed. Something small and shiny.
Kim began to tremble. Slowly this time, she pulled the sheets and mattress pad back, the blood from her hand leaving bright red streaks on the flowered cotton.
Now she could see it.
The tip of a shiny metal blade, sticking up from her mattress. Pointed and sharp, the rest of the knife was hidden from view, buried deep inside the mattress.
But she didn’t have to look. She knew what the knife would look like. She knew the blade would match the scars on her thigh.
She dropped to her knees, staring at the steel tip. Then she yanked the cell phone off her waistband, dialed Sean’s number, hit send and grabbed the gun off the nightstand.
She would be a victim no longer.
The Sharpest Edge
Stephanie Rowe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For Amanda, who makes our family better by joining it.
Acknowledgments:
Thanks, as always, to my wonderful agent, Michelle Grajkowski, for always encouraging me to spread my wings and believing in my ability to pull off the impossible. And to my talented editor, Wanda Ottewell, for refusing to give up on me. And to JR, for believing in me every step of the way. And a special thanks to my brother, Ben, for freaking out at Squam Lake that night, thinking there was a bear on the roof. You inspire me! Here’s to many more such memories at the new abode. And to my parents: every success I have today is because of the foundation you gave me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A lifelong reader of romance, Golden Heart winner Stephanie Rowe wrote her first novel when she was ten, and sold her first book twenty-three years later. After experimenting with a legal career, she decided wearing suits wasn’t her style and opted for a more fulfilling career entertaining herself and others with stories of romance, humor and, of course, true love. She currently shares her household with two dogs, two cats and her own hero. When not glued to the computer or avoiding housework, she can be found on the tennis court, reading, or inviting herself over to her mom’s house for dinner. You can reach her at www.stephanierowe.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Kim Collins—Ten years ago, to save herself, she left the man she loved. Will his reappearance in her life finally destroy her?
Sean Templeton—A cop who has returned home, determined to start a new life free from the pain of his past.
Jimmy Ramsey—A man with one thing on his mind: payback.
Max Collins—Will he awake from his coma, and what secrets will he reveal if he does?
Helen Collins—She will do anything to save the man she loves.
Allan Haywood—How far will he go to protect Kim?
Didi Smith—Will her access to inside information be enough to save others, or will it make her a victim in this deadly game?
Chief Vega—Will his loyalty to his staff make him blind to the real threat?
Tom Payton—Is the marina assistant’s innocent persona legit?
Will Ambrose— A front-desk attendant who may not be what he seems.
Garth McKeen—A cop with either an agenda or not enough experience. Which is it?
Eddie—Does the old harbormaster know more than he should?
Contents
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
Chapter One
I will come for you.
Kim Collins bolted upright in bed, adrenaline spiking. What was that? A whisper in the wind? Or her imagination? A premonition of a future soon to be hers? The promise of a man whose only goal was to kill her?
I will come for you.
Her heart pounded in her chest, filled her ears, bruised her ribs.
He was here. She knew it.
She frantically searched the dark bedroom, her gaze darting back and forth, trying to cover every inch at once. She dipped into the moon’s eerie shadows, double-checking the location of each item. Nothing amiss. Even her suitcase still lay open on the floor, half-unpacked after her arrival from California two days ago. All was quiet.
Except the six-inch scar on her thigh.
It throbbed with pain. Pulsed with fear. Ached with ugly reminders.
But the room was silent. The house was still.
Relax, Kim. It’s another nightmare. Nothing in the room had moved since she’d gone to bed. See? She was imagining things.
It was nothing but a dream.
Or, rather, a nightmare.
Kim pushed her hair off her face, her fingers twisting in the wet strands, damp from the humidity and the fear. The sweat of terror. Too real. Too often. And now…she was having those dreams almost every night.
The knife.
The blood.
Her scream.
The overwhelming terror of impending death.
And that sickening smile he’d given her when they’d escorted him out of the courtroom for his six-month stay in prison, his thin lips forming his promise: I will come for you.
Yesterday, she’d gotten the call from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Jimmy Ramsey was out on parole. She’d known he would be getting out. She’d been preparing for it by taking a leave of absence so she could get out of town, but nothing had prepared her for the shock of knowing he’d been released. Free to pursue her. And he was coming for her. She knew it.
“Stop it!” She hugged her pillow to her chest. He was probably three thousand miles away, stalking her in L.A., clueless that she was hidden away in the Maine woods, right? Her best friend, Alan Haywood, was watching her apartment and he’d call her as soon as Jimmy was spotted.
Everything was under control.
Besides, Jimmy wouldn’t travel across the country just to stalk her.
No, but he’d travel that far to kill her.
If he realized she wasn’t in L.A., he might remember hearing about the family resort in Maine and decide to see if she was out here. He’d pull out his credit card, mosey on over to the airport, grab a last-minute ticket and then he’d be here…
Argh! She closed her eyes and pressed her palms to her eyelids, trying to expel the thought from her head. Deep breaths. Inhale for five counts. Exhale for eight counts.
A distinct thump sounded above her head and she lurched off the bed. She landed on her feet, her fists balled and her breath heaving, dread paralyzing her for an instant. Then she shook it off and raced for the open windows. She yanked them shut, locked them and jumped back. Her hands shook, her skull ached where Jimmy had smashed it and her legs threatened to give out.
The scrabbling on the roof continued. Little thuds and scratches, faster now.
Dammit. She wasn’t ready to die. She hadn’t been before and she wasn’t now.
She grabbed the phone, but her fingers were shaking too much to hold on to it. It clattered to the floor. She dove for the handset and dialed 911. The operator answered, her calm, detached voice so wrong for the intensity of the situation.
“1370 Birch Road. There’s an intruder! Please send someone. Hurry!”
Kim jumped away as the wall nearest her began to shake. He was climbing down the side of her house! She heard a thud on the ground and fresh panic surged over her. Was he planning to break a window and come in the ground floor?
“There’s an officer in the area. He should be there in about three minutes.”
“Thanks.” Kim hung up just as the operator was telling her to stay on the line. As if that would help if Jimmy came through her window wielding a knife. Stay away from me or this operator will kill you. Uh-huh. Yeah, that’d work.
The phone rang and she jumped.
The operator calling back?
Or was it Jimmy phoning from her front step? Laughing at her fear? Mocking her? Counting down the seconds she had left to live? No, thanks.
She let it ring.
The police would be there in three minutes.
That was all the time she needed to buy herself.
She kicked her bedroom door shut.
No lock.
A scrambling noise from outdoors spurred her into motion. She ran to the end of her dresser, wedged her back against it and pushed with all the strength her trembling limbs could provide. With a protesting shriek that made her own hackles rise, the bureau screeched its way across the wood floor, a mournful sound that made cold fingers of fear close around her spine.
The creepy wail didn’t end until she had the dresser jammed safely in front of the door. The taut silence was barely a respite as she stepped back to inspect her work.
Not enough. He could still get through.
She ducked into the attached bathroom, grabbed the lid off the back of the toilet and hoisted it over her shoulder, taking up a post by the side of the door. If he stuck his head in there, she’d brain him with the porcelain. It wasn’t a gun, but it was heavy and hard. She wasn’t going down without a fight.
Kim strained, listening for the sound of breaking glass or splintering wood. Or the ominous thud of footsteps on the stairs.
Silence. Not even a noise from the side of the house anymore. She took a deep breath. Maybe it hadn’t been Jimmy. Maybe it was a really fat raccoon. Or even a bear.
Or maybe she was deluding herself right now. Maybe she’d been yards away from the man who wanted her dead.
