Hunting a ruthless enemy, revisiting her darkest fears
Forced marriage to a Russian gangster left Kit Danilenko
with PTSD. Now she devotes all her time to taking down organized crime. When
Kit is paired with undercover agent Luther Darby on a covert mission, she's
wary of the attraction simmering between them. Their work requires trust,
though, and Kit and Luther forge a connection—fragile and tentative, but unlike
anything she's ever known. Can it withstand the haunting threats of mobsters on
their trail?
This book hooked me from the first chapter, and didn't
let go until I turned the last page. Kit escaped from the abuse of a forced
marriage to Russian Organized Crime leader Vadim Valensky. At the same time,
she found a way to help the Silver Valley PD take him down for his sex-and-drug
trafficking crimes. In the two years since then, she divorced him, dealt with
her PTSD, and took a job with SVPD and Trail Hikers using her language skills to
continue the fight against ROC. Her latest assignment involves working with
Trail Hikers agent Luther Darby to find two ROC members intent on resurrecting
the local ROC then listen in on their plans.
As an FBI agent and then a Trail Hikers agent, Luther spent
years going after ROC. After his last op, his determination became personal as
well as professional. The last thing he wanted was to be paired with a civilian
who wasn't even allowed to carry a weapon.
Luther and Kit got off to a rough start. Kit didn't
appreciate Luther's lack of belief in her abilities, and Kit stirred up some
unpleasant memories from Luther's past. Sparks of attraction added unexpected
complications. Neither one is interested in a relationship. Kit felt zero
interest in men after her time with Vadim, and she's not sure she can trust the
feelings Luther causes. After the betrayal Luther experienced from the last
woman he cared for, getting involved with another work-related woman is not an
option. He's determined to stay unencumbered for as long as he works
undercover.
I liked seeing the relationship between Luther and Kit
develop. The more time they spend together, the closer they get, settling into
a friendly partner role. The attraction between them continues to grow while
each of them fights the yearning to get closer. An unexpected attack brings out
Luther's protective instincts and Kit worries that she's put him in danger. When
the operation ends, both must decide whether to take a risk. I wanted to shake
Luther for walking away despite his feelings. I loved the ending as he realized
the future he expected was no longer what he wanted. I loved his big moment and
Kit's response.
The book had a double-barreled suspense story going on.
The main one followed the story arc of the last several books, the partnership
of the Trail Hikers and the SVPD as they worked to shut down the East Coast
ROC. The remaining two leaders intend to reestablish the ROC's hold on the
area, though each harbors plans of their own that are mutually exclusive. We
get a look at the interactions between the two bad guys as each tries to get
the upper hand. An unexpected twist ends up putting Kit in danger. I was on the
edge of my seat as she took on the bad guys and won (with a bit of help).
The second story involved Kit's past coming back to haunt
her. Her ex-husband's adult son wants her, not just for himself but also to use
as a bribe to get back into the ROC. From her feelings of being watched to his
attempted kidnapping of her in the woods, I couldn't wait to see how it turned
out. I was glued to the pages as I saw Kit's struggle and her fear for Luther. I
loved seeing Kit's response to the danger and Luther's confidence in her.
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