A home invasion leaves one man dead. Can the KCPD track down the killer before anyone else is murdered?
Detective Nick Peyton lands a homicide case involving stolen property. He finds himself with the tedious task of visiting pawn shops, showing photos of jewellery and other missing items. When he meets store owner Rob Hewlett, Nick suddenly feels like this is the best job he’s ever had.
Nick and Rob share an immediate attraction and act on it without much thought. With his mind on other things, Nick exchanges only the most basic information with the hot stud who has captivated his heart and soul. He soon comes to realise how little they know about each other and that, sometimes, secrets can be deadly.
General Release Date: 12th September 2014
“He’s dead?” The distraught widow’s eyes rolled back in her head as she crumpled to the floor.
Detective Nick Peyton scooped her up before she hit. Calling over his shoulder, “A little help here,” he glanced around for the nearest chair.
A uniformed officer who appeared to be about twelve—and very green around the gills—joined him. “Is she okay?” He seemed flustered and unsure what to do.
“Here.” Nick’s partner Laura Evans positioned herself on the other side of the woman, helping him ease her onto the sofa in the spacious living room. She eyed the boy in blue. “She just found out her husband is dead, for Pete’s sake. No, she’s not okay. Get her a glass of water, please.”
He stammered, “I—uh—I’m not supposed to touch anything until CSI gets here.”
Nick turned to the young officer. “Very carefully open a cabinet, get a glass, and bring Mrs Wilson some water. If they find your prints when they dust, we’ll vouch for you.”
“Yes, sir.” He hurried off.
Laura smirked. “What a noob.” She tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind one ear.
“We were all new once.” Nick shrugged. He remembered his first homicide case as a patrol officer. It wasn’t something most cops forgot. He expected the kid would feel the same way, whether or not this was his first. Judging by his expression, it very well might be.
He returned with a glass of water, his face still a mask of concern.
“Thanks,” Nick handed the drink to his partner and read the kid’s name tag. “Jones. Good job. Go wait for CSI by the front door, will you?”
“Yes, sir.” Obviously relieved to be dismissed, Jones hurried away.
“Mrs Wilson?” Laura patted the widow’s cheek. “Have a sip of this.” She held the glass to the woman’s mouth.
A small drink, then she opened her eyes. She glanced around warily. “What happened?”
Nick moved in front of her. “It appears to be a home invasion, ma’am.” He eyed the woman, fiftyish, matronly, with a shade of blonde hair that could only come from a bottle. Terror-filled eyes. He needed to tread lightly. “I know it’s a rotten time, but I need to ask you a few questions.”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Your husband was home alone?”
“Yes. I was in Springfield with my mother. She just had surgery, so I spent a couple of nights.”
He jotted notes on a small pad. “When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“Last night, around nine o’clock.” She sniffed. “How was he killed?”
Nick inhaled. This part of the job is the worst. “He was shot, Mrs Wilson.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Did he—suffer?”
He hesitated, then offered, “No, I’m sure he went quickly. He probably didn’t feel a thing.”
The woman’s sniffles turned into choking sobs. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Let me help you.” Laura assisted the widow as she stood, and followed Mrs Wilson down the hall. She made a face over her shoulder at Nick.
He smiled and mouthed, “Thanks.”
“Nice having a female partner,” someone said from behind.
Nick turned to see the Medical Examiner, Abigail Walters. “Sometimes. Other times we butt heads, ‘cause she can be a real pain in the ass.”
“Like you can’t?” Abby smirked.
Feigning shock, he placed a hand over his heart. “What? Me?”
“Yeah, yeah. Choirboy, I know your type. So where’s Dixon today? I thought he’d catch this case.”
“Dix took off for a couple days. His son’s getting some kind of commendation from the Marine Corps, and he wanted to be there.”
She nodded. “Nice.”
He thought about her question, and furrowed his brow. “You don’t think I can handle this? I realise Laura and I are the newest detectives in the homicide bureau, but both of us have years of experience on the force. We didn’t get our badges out of Cracker Jack boxes, you know.”
“I never thought you did.” A smile flickered across her face. “But you just lied to that woman. How do you know her husband went quickly? Are you a doctor now?”
He glanced towards the hall and back at Abby. “What would you have had me tell her? Well, ma’am, your husband lay on the floor alone and gasping for hours before he finally died.”
She bowed her head slightly. “Of course not. I’m just letting you know that I won’t falsify the report. If my findings are different from what you just told her, she may read about it if she requests a copy.”
He shrugged. “So sue me. I suspect she won’t remember much of today when asked about it later. This whole event will be one long, bad nightmare.”
Jenna Byrnes could use more cabinet space and more hours in a day. She'd fill the kitchen with gadgets her husband purchases off TV and let him cook for her to his heart's content. She'd breeze through the days adding hours of sleep, and more time for writing the hot, erotic romance she loves to read.
Jenna thinks everyone deserves a happy ending, and loves to provide as many of those as possible to her gay, lesbian and hetero characters. Her favourite quote, from a pro-gay billboard, is "Be careful who you hate. It may be someone you love."
You can find Jenna on Facebook.
Jenna Byrnes - Character interview
What is one thing your storyteller got right?
The instant attraction between me and the man I now share my life with. From the first moment I walked into Hewlett Pawn, I fell into a deep case of lust with one of the owners, Rob Hewlett. His eyes, his lips, his long ponytail…my mind did not want to stay on the case I was working. In fact, and I’ll deny this if you repeat it, but I probably got a little distracted from my case because of the immediate attraction Rob and I shared.
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Jenna Byrnes - BTSe mag post
Music as Inspiration
I’ve always gotten great inspiration from listening to music, often times when I’m in my car driving from one place to another. I’ll hear a line of a song and something strikes me, and soon a story is fleshing itself out in my mind. I can’t wait to get home and jot down my notes.
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