***This is a new adult contemporary novel and contains sexual content and graphic language. It is not intended for young adult readers.***

A tattoo gets them in trouble… He will get them out.

After years of cultivating an undercover identity, Brody West is finally off the case and free to live a life of his own. All that time spent in the company of criminals and killers left him a little jaded… and with an identity crisis. He isn’t sure who he is anymore, or who he wants to be.

To give him time to think, he takes a few days off to go fishing. On his way out of town, he makes a routine stop at the bank and finds himself flirting with the girl behind the counter.

But his flirtation is cut short when criminals burst into the bank and shoot her right before his eyes.

In attempt to administer first aid, Brody reveals a tattoo on his back. A mark that will drag him and the girl into the kind of situation he was trying to get away from. But he can’t walk away because he’s the only thing capable of keeping Taylor alive and bringing down the guys who shot her—guys who are seriously dangerous.

Excerpt

Copyrighted by Cambria Hebert

I wasn’t going to let her be punished for the bad luck that I was at her window when the bank was held up.

I would protect her.

And I would bring these fuckers down.

The symbol on my back gave me an automatic in. The badge attached to my real name gave me the authority to do what I thought was necessary. These guys thought they were getting an ally.

They were wrong.

I glanced out the window, noting we were heading out of downtown Raleigh and traveling into one of the nearby towns. The driver played it smart, not driving erratically, not drawing any kind of attention to the van. He obeyed all the traffic laws and stayed within the speed limit.

A minivan was a good choice because it looked like a mom car, not a criminal mobile. Cops probably wouldn’t look twice at it unless it was driving at unusual speeds.

Plus, it had room in the back for all the stolen money.

A million questions bounced around in my head. I wondered where we were going. How long they planned to drive. What their plans were now. But I didn’t ask because crew members always played it cool. They always acted like they had things under control. If I started acting fidgety, nervous, or questionable, it would not be good for me. Or Taylor.

I glanced down to find her looking at me. Her green eyes were tight with pain and they latched onto my face as if the only thing anchoring her to consciousness was me.

I felt the weight of her green-eyed stare like an anvil around my neck. I swallowed, trying to get some air past the tight feeling closing my throat. Usually in these situations, the only person I had to look after was myself.

And if I were honest, then I would admit the reason I made such a good undercover cop was because I didn’t really care much about what happened to me. They always say the most dangerous man is a man with nothing to lose. Well, that’s me. For years I lived by that code. For years I put myself in death’s path, pushing the limits, stepping over the boundaries between right and wrong.

It always paid off.

Yet as Taylor’s emerald eyes watched me, I felt the chains of responsibility wrap around my chest. Suddenly, I had someone to worry about that wasn’t me. Suddenly, the thought of losing the way she held on to me as if her life depended on it seemed like a very big thing.

“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice a little harsher than I intended.

Eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “You’ll see.”

“She needs medical attention,” I bit out, not caring if I sounded challenging.

Her slim, cold fingers wrapped around my forearm. The impulse to cover her light, cold grip with mine was strong, but my arms were supporting her body and I couldn’t risk taking away that support.

“You’re gonna be okay,” I told her, keeping my voice as low as I could.

Her fingers tightened around my arm.

Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com

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