Deadly Fear (Deadly #1)(105)

As the door slammed shut behind him, Kenton tossed a hard grin at the man he suspected to be Louis Jerome, informer extraordinaire. “You didn’t think I’d miss our meeting, did you?”

That stopped the screaming.

“Uh, sir, you need to sit back—”

Kenton shook his head, hard, and the EMT quieted.

“Tell me what’s going on, Jerome,” Kenton said. “Tell me what’s happening with these fires, tell me why you called—”

“N-Name’s… not… Jerome.” Hoarse, either from the fire or the screaming. “Larry. Larry… Powell. Don’t know… who the… hell you are.”

Kenton’s body tensed. The words didn’t sound like a lie. Those eyes didn’t look like the guy was lying, either. And Kenton was good at finding the lies. It was a special talent he had.

Kenton reached for his phone but his pocket was empty. He must have dropped it during the fall. Dammit. He needed to run a check on this guy Larry Powell.

Because if this wasn’t his informant…

Then where’s Jerome?


He liked to watch the fire. When it danced, it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Sensual, like a lover.

The firefighters had battled his blaze with all their strength. But in the end, the fire had won—and claimed her prize.

And to make things interesting, he’d even gotten a bonus during the show. Two bonuses really. More victims.

Like the fool who’d rushed in. He hadn’t counted on that. He’d underestimated the man.

But the guy had been saved. So had the addict.

Not that they mattered. They weren’t really part of the game. Well, not yet.

But they’d tasted the fire tonight. They wouldn’t soon forget that taste. After all, you never forgot your first.

The smoke was in the wind. When he opened his mouth, he felt it on his tongue.

She came out then. Yanking off her helmet. Pacing back and forth too quickly. Ah, found my body.

She understood the game. Perhaps better than anyone else. She knew what he was doing. Did she know why?

Tonight, the firefighters had lost. They hadn’t searched hard enough. Hadn’t responded fast enough.

The dead… was on their hands. Her hands.

More bodies would come. Because when you fought the fire, you learned fast that the fire fought back.

Lora Spade liked to win.

So did he.





THE DISH


Where authors give you the inside scoop!





From the desk of Cynthia Eden


Dear Reader,



I like to be afraid. No, let me qualify that—I like the thrill that comes from being afraid, but I also like to know that I am completely 100% safe.

As a teen, I was a horror movie addict. I jumped every time a killer popped out of the darkness on-screen, and I yelled each time the foolish/brave heroine walked into the woods by herself. I loved the rush that came from watching those movies—and that same rush got to me even more intently when I read scary books. (It still gets to me!)

Fear gives you a spike of adrenaline; it makes your heart race, your breath heave; and, for the villain in my new book, DEADLY FEAR—well, fear makes his life worth living. The killer in this tale has an intimate connection with fear. He feels truly alive only when he can see and hear the real fear of others. So he sets out to turn his victims’ worst fears into reality. Oh, yes, this guy would have scared me as a teen.

But to give him a strong adversary, I created my heroine in the form of Special Agent Monica Davenport. Unlike the foolish/brave heroines from my past, Monica keeps her gun close, and she doesn’t let fear get to her. Instead, she gets into the killer’s mind.

Getting into his mind is, after all, her job. Monica is the lead profiler for the SSD—the Serial Services Division at the FBI. Her job is to track and apprehend serial killers. Fear isn’t an option for her.

But it is for me.

To learn more about DEADLY FEAR and to read an excerpt, visit my website: www.cynthiaeden.com.

Happy reading!





From the desk of Dee Davis


Dear Reader,



I read somewhere that “every character believes the story is about him.” That really struck a chord with me because I’ve had characters hijack a book completely. In my first novel, a secondary character had too much to drink and in the course of a conversation revealed the entire plot—in Chapter 3. I took his tankard away, rewrote the scene, and lo and behold—he behaved. In my third novel, a character was supposed to have a one-line walk-on and wound up stealing the show with his dramatic death scene. So experience has taught me to always keep this in mind when I write, and I offer this same advice to any budding writers out there.

As a writer, I love all my characters equally. They’re like children born from the murky depths of my imagination. But if I’m being really honest, some characters have a way of digging deeper into your heart. Tyler Hanson is one of those. Unlike some heroes and heroines I’ve written, who had to be dragged forcefully onto the page and compelled to reveal their secrets, Tyler sprang fully formed onto the computer screen almost from the minute I conceptualized her. She is strong, independent, and fiercely loyal. She isn’t afraid of anything—except falling in love. And so I knew I was going to enjoy watching as she struggled with her growing feelings for Owen and, like all of us, the shadows that haunt her past.