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The Heart of a Killer

Book One in The Killer Series



October 18, 2011

Mira

ISBN-10: 0778312593

ISBN-13: 978-0778312598

Subgenre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

No one said coming home would be easy. But for Dante Renaldi, it's murder.

Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags from twelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder—corpses bearing the brutal trademark he's seen only once before—on the worst night of his life.

The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw Dante Renaldi, they were in love. Now, he's part of the connection to a string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault Anna only survived thanks to him.

More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante. But as the bodies and the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the man she owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?



EXCERPT

The Heart of A Killer

© 2011 by Jaci Burton

Anna looked down the street, then up. This wasn't going to happen to her again. She'd suffered the most incredible fear she'd ever known. Nothing would ever scare her like that again.

"I don't know what kind of game he's playing, but I'm not joining in."

Crime scene techs showed up. Anna directed them to the flowers and card. They photographed and bagged the evidence. Anna had them wait outside and directed them to check for footprints and fingerprints while she unlocked her front door.

Dante put on a pair of gloves and nestled in right by her side.

"You aren't coming in with me."

"You'll have to arrest me to stop me, because for all we know he could be inside waiting for you, and you've got nobody backing you up."

"And you aren't a cop."

His deep blue gaze bored into hers as he lifted the Glock and pointed it inside the house. "Trust me when I tell you I know how to use this gun. Either call for backup or let me go in with you."

Her teeth hurt from grinding them. She nodded. "Fine. Stay behind me and do exactly what I say."

She caught the slight lift of his lips. "Yes, Detective."

She waited for the techs to dust and lift prints from the doorknob, then turned the knob and nudged the door open with her foot. Light streamed in from the gauzy curtains in her dining room, making it easy to see inside the living room.

"Nothing looks out of place," she whispered to Dante. "I'm moving inside."

She felt Dante on her left flank as she stepped in, her gun pointed slightly down, her finger poised on the trigger. She made a sweep left, then right, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. While she moved to the right, Dante swept to the left, opening the closet door while Anna headed into the kitchen.

Once they cleared those areas they went together down the hall and checked the two bedrooms and bathrooms.

Everything was clear.

"Nothing's been touched. Nothing even looks like it's been moved even an inch. He wasn't inside."

"Or he's good at putting things back in place."

She sighed. "I'll let the techs in and have them dust for prints, but I don't think he was in here. I'd know."

"Yeah? How would you know?"

"Instinct."

He nodded. "That I understand."

"I'm going to have to give my captain an update on all this. This sucks."

"First you need to get some sleep. There are dark circles under your eyes."

He reached out, swept his thumb across her cheekbone.

His touch sent shock waves through her body. Unprepared, she took a hasty step back and stumbled. Dante caught her with his arm wrapped around her, tugging her against him, which only made things worse. He was warm—solid, and not at all what she wanted.

This was all too much.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." She jerked away from him and turned around, headed outside to the techs and led them into the house.

While they worked making a dustbowl out of her entire house, she contacted her captain and left him a message, letting him know about the flowers and card, then told him she'd give him a full report when she came on duty again.

Dante kept his distance, but she felt his gaze on her, as warm as his touch.

She didn't like the familiarity, the sense of closeness he wanted when she knew so little about him.

She had too many questions. Like why he had a gun and he'd swept through her house like a cop who knew what he was doing. Those were answers she was going to get from him.

He moved in next to her. "I know you're tired. And the tech guys are done now, so you can get some sleep."

She looked up and realized the CSU team had packed up and were leaving, shutting the door behind them. She hadn't even noticed.

"Okay, good."

She walked to the door and waited. He came toward her and stopped in front of her.

"If you'd like, I can stay."

"Stay and do what?"

His lips curled, and warning bells rang. She'd walked right into that one. She really was tired. "I don't need you to stay."

"He could come back."

"If he does, I can handle it."

Dante surveyed the double dead-bolt lock on her door. "I guess you're secure."

Anna felt anything but secure at the moment, especially since she was leaning against the door and Dante was about a quarter of an inch away from her, all that testosterone sending her libido firing in a way it hadn't since…

Since the last time they'd been alone together. She'd been full of raging teen hormones back then, which she sure wasn't now.

Now she was a competent adult capable of taking care of herself, yet here he was, trying to act as if she was in need of saving.

She hadn't needed saving in a long time. These days she saved herself.