Trust becomes a pawn
In a life-and-death game.
Undercover agent Damon Colton needs to protect Ruby
Duarte and her daughter…and bring down her dead ex's criminal followers. When
their growing attraction blossoms into something more, the line between Damon's
real self and his alter ego is blurred. He realizes the passion he and Ruby
share is real…but when his cover is blown, their lives are exposed to lethal
threats. Will Damon be able to regain Ruby's trust and save her child?
Good book. Assigned to find out what she knows,
undercover DEA agent Damon Colton spent several months cultivating his acquaintance
with Ruby Duarte. Her dead ex-boyfriend's criminal followers believe she knows the
location of a stash of illegal arms and will do anything to get them, and the
feds want them first.
Ruby and her daughter Maya (who we met in The Secret Network) have done their best to put that terrifying time behind them. However,
Ruby lives in a near-constant state of fear as she worries that her ex's
friends will come after her or Maya. The only bright side is her growing
friendship with Damon, the bartender who works down the street.
Damon has a serious problem with his undercover
assignment. Far from being just a subject to watch, Ruby stirred genuine
feelings in him. When he reaches the point of asking her out, to draw her out
about her ex, Damon's guilty feelings surprise and disturb him. At the same
time, Ruby feels a connection to Damon that she cautiously explores. Because of
her past, Ruby doesn't trust easily, but Damon feels right to her. After a few
dates, she's ready to let him meet Maya. Maya and Damon immediately took to one
another, and seeing them interact melted my heart. This adds to Damon's unease
about his deception, especially as he attempts to push Ruby for information
about her ex. Ruby's growing feelings for Damon war with her feeling that there's
something else going on.
Things become complicated when Ruby encounters Damon in
his real life and discovers his deception. Hurt, angry, and feeling betrayed,
Ruby rips into him. Damon tries to explain, but she refuses to listen or to see
him. When the gang that Damon has worked to infiltrate pressures him to find
out what Ruby knows, his protectiveness kicks in. Now he must convince Ruby of
the danger to her and Maya and to let him protect them. I liked seeing them
work together. They spend time together, along with Maya, as they try to find
the missing weapons. Their feelings for each other grow, encouraged by their
happiness during those "family" times. However, trusting those
feelings comes hard for both Damon and Ruby. Damon doesn't trust women at all
after being badly betrayed by his fiancée, and Ruby has trouble believing
anything Damon says after learning of his deception. When everything is over,
Damon and Ruby have a chance to start over if they are brave enough to take it.
I loved the ending, as Damon puts his past behind him and has the patience to
give Ruby the time she needs. I loved the realistic look at their future rather
than the magical solving of all issues to make a happy ending.
The suspense of the story was terrific. The threat to
Ruby from Santiago and his minions leaped off the page from their first
appearance. The tension of Damon walking the fine line between his undercover
persona and his need to protect Ruby kept me hooked from start to finish. I
could feel Damon's frustration as he and Ruby searched for the weapons while
trying to keep Santiago at bay. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I
loved watching it happen.
In a life-and-death game.
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