Kansas City’s latest serial killer suspect has just been released on a technicality. Can the homicide detective and the ADA work together to recapture the criminal?
KCPD Homicide’s newest detective, Jed Hyatt, apprehends a drug addict wanted for the gruesome murder of a local real estate agent. The man as much as admits the pretty woman isn’t his first victim. Before Jed has a chance to question him, the suspect’s lawyer gets him released on a technicality. Shocked and frustrated, Jed butts heads with the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case, Brody Carpenter. Brash but sexy as hell, Brody lashes out at Jed for sloppy police work. He suggests the officers keep digging, and bring him any information they can uncover. In private, Brody’s interested in another type of ‘under the covers’ activity. Jed’s intrigued but concerned because the men are so different, yet Brody insists opposites attract. In a race to solve the case before anyone else is hurt, Jed discovers in a terrifying way that his actions have consequences, sometimes very dire ones.
General Release Date: 8th December 2015
“Freeze, police!” Detective Jed Hyatt raised his gun and pointed it at the figure in black slinking down the alley.
The man leaped behind a dumpster and just as quickly, a bullet whizzed past Jed’s ear.
To Jed’s right, his partner, Detective Will Rainey, returned a barrage of gunfire. “KCPD, you stupid motherfucker! Throw down your weapon and come out with your hands up.”
“Kiss my ass!” The man shot off another round.
Breathing heavily, Jed and Will pressed their backs against opposite sides of the alley wall and looked at each another. “You’re surrounded, Vega,” Jed called back. “And you’re already in a lot of trouble. Don’t make things worse for yourself.”
“Two cops make me ‘surrounded’?” Their suspect scoffed. “I haven’t been this scared since Hostess went bankrupt and stopped making Twinkies.”
Will took aim and fired two more shots at the dumpster. “I’ll give you a fucking Twinkie…”
The wail of a siren pierced the air, followed by another. Jed glanced toward the open end of the alley and breathed a sigh of relief. With the far end closed off the guy wasn’t going anywhere, but backup never hurt. He motioned to the SWAT commander, who acknowledged the perp’s location as his team moved in.
“Last chance to come out, shit-for-brains,” he yelled at the suspect.
The man jumped out, firing haphazardly until his gun was empty.
A SWAT sniper took aim and lightly grazed Vega’s shoulder, and their suspect fell to the ground.
Jed ran to him and kicked the fallen gun away. He glanced at his partner, who’d come up behind him and pulled out his handcuffs. “Crazy son of a bitch,” Jed muttered. He holstered his own gun and dragged Vega up by his good arm.
The man howled. “Ow! I’m shot! I need an ambulance!”
Examining the wound, Jed could barely see any blood. “You’ll live.” He grabbed Will’s cuffs and secured Vega’s hands behind his back.
“You’re hurting me! Police brutality!” he shouted. “I need a doctor!”
“You don’t need a freaking doctor, Vega.” Will lifted the man’s gun with a pen through the trigger guard to keep fingerprints intact. “A Band-Aid at the station will fix you up. Then you’ll get a nice ride to the big house. Three hots and a cot, courtesy of the good people of Missouri.”
Jed tugged the hood of the man’s sweatshirt down and exposed long, filthy black hair. The perp’s eyes were wild and bugged out. “What are you on, man? You stoned? You could have killed somebody.”
“Somebody else, you mean,” Will added.
“Yeah.” Jed sighed. They had a phone tip, backed up by an eyewitness who’d implicated Tony Vega in a particularly gruesome rape and murder of a local real estate agent, but besides the witness’ statement they didn’t have much else. Yet. The murder had shocked and frightened the public, hearing the woman had been attacked in a vacant house where she was ostensibly meeting a potential buyer. When they’d gone to question Vega at a bar he frequented the man had bolted, but hadn’t gotten far. Jed was actually surprised they’d apprehended him so easily.
He shoved Vega toward the ambulance at the end of the alley. “Somebody else is right. We’ve already got you for the murder of Natalie Wymer.”
“I don’t know nothin’ about no murder.” Vega attempted to squirm out of his grip.
“We’ll have plenty of time to refresh your memory. We have pictures and everything, including DNA. I’m sure you’ll get off reliving crime.”
Vega looked at him, spittle trailing down his chin. “Which one was Natalie? Oh, I bet she was the redhead.” He smiled and licked his lips. “She was nice.”
“Jesus, Vega. How many women were there?”
The man shrugged and gave a sickening smile. “Lost count.”
His stomach turning, Jed transferred the prisoner to a patrol officer and waited to retrieve his partner’s handcuffs. The sooner he’d passed this one off the better. “Read him his rights, boys.”
The cop in back cleared his throat and stepped out to the side. She was an attractive brunette with her hair pulled into a knot under her cap.
“Oh, sorry…” Jed sought out her name tag. “Mantle.” He realized it looked like he was checking out her breasts and he glanced up quickly.
She shot him a look but it didn’t seem too fierce. “No problem, Detective.”
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.
Reviewed by Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews
For a story that’s 103 pages long, a lot is packed in. The case reads like it’s an episode on the TV and it certainly doesn’t drag. Much like Brody and Jed between the sheets, there is action here...
Read more reviews
Reviewed by Inked Rainbow Reads
I really enjoyed this book. Byrnes was able to hold my interest when it came to the mystery and I only figured it out just before the reveal comes in the story. I love when that happens....
Read more reviews
Jenna Byrnes - All Romance feature
In my house, we like them big—the bigger the better, nice and full, thick…and green. You knew I was talking about Christmas trees, right?
Thirty-five years ago I received an engagement ring for Christmas, the second best present I’ve ever gotten (except for my kids, but I had to work for them!)
Read more
View all news
£1.99 Buy Now
Add to Wishlist
Read a Sample
Send as a Gift
Available in:
epub, mobi, pdf 
