Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)
Rebecca Zanetti
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes dark paranormals, romantic suspense and sexy contemporary romances.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day – or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.
Find Rebecca at www.rebeccazanetti.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RebeccaZanetti.books or on Twitter @RebeccaZanetti.
Just some of the reasons to fall for Rebecca Zanetti’s powerful romances:
‘Action packed, thrilling, and heart-stopping romantic suspense at its best’ Harlequin Junkie
‘Zanetti pulls together a heady mix of sexy sizzle, emotional punch and high-stakes danger in this truly outstanding tale’ Romantic Times
‘A fast-paced, action-packed thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time’ Fresh Fiction
‘Rebecca Zanetti had me from the moment I read the description . . . I could barely breathe, let alone set down the book . . . you’ll want to add Rebecca Zanetti to your must-read list too!’ The Best Reviews
‘Plenty of action, lots of steamy romance and even a few moments of laughter and tears . . . I was on the edge of my seat until the very last chapter’ KT Book Reviews
About the Book
Run for your life . . . And don’t look back.
Paralegal Zara Remington is in over her head. Helping out a friend has put not only her job but her life in jeopardy. Zara needs help from someone she can trust – she just doesn’t expect it to be the mysterious PI who recently appeared in her life.
Ryker Jones has problems of his own, including recovering from his investigative agency’s recent brutal loss of a client. He wants to keep Zara at arm’s length – and protect her from the reality of what he’s running from.
But when danger arrives on Zara’s doorstep, Ryker can’t walk away. He might be the only one who can save her – if his deadly past doesn’t catch up with them first . . .
For more addictive romantic suspense look out for the rest of the titles in the Blood Brothers and Sin Brothers series. And for thrilling passion played out against a dangerous race for survival, look for the titles in The Scorpius Syndrome series: Mercury Striking, Shadow Falling and Justice Ascending.
This one is for my editor, Michele Bidelspach, who finds a way with each book to bring out the good stuff, probably by writing “more emotion here” three billion times during edits. Thank you for the hard work and insights! I’m a much better writer because I have the good fortune to work with you, and I’m very thankful you’re in my life.
Acknowledgments
I’m delighted we are writing a spin-off series for those Sin Brothers, and I hope readers enjoy this new band of lost and wounded men. This series found a wonderful home with Grand Central Forever, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with so many wonderful, talented, and hardworking people.
Thanks to Michele Bidelspach, Beth de Guzman, Amy Pierpont, Leah Hultenschmidt, Jodi Rosoff, Michelle Cashman, Elizabeth Turner, and Kallie Shimek from Grand Central Forever for the hard work, and thanks to Dianna Stirpe for the awesome copy edits.
A big thank you to my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, who does an amazing job across the board. Thanks also to Liza Dawson and the Dawson gang for the hard work and support.
Thanks to Jillian Stein, Minga Portillo, Marquina Lliev, Rebecca’s Rebels, Writerspace, and Fresh Fiction for getting the word out about the books.
Thanks also to my constant support system: Gail and Jim English, Debbie and Travis Smith, Stephanie and Don West, Brandie and Mike Chapman, Jessica and Jonah Namson, and Kathy and Herb Zanetti.
Finally, thank you to Big Tone for being Big Tone. I love you. Also, thanks to Gabe and Karlina for being such great kids. I love you both!
PROLOGUE
Twenty years ago
Ryker never figured he’d find sunshine in hell. He looked up at the shining ball in the too-blue sky. How could it be warm and sunny here? At twelve years old, after spending most of his life in a series of orphanages with a few foster homes thrown in, he knew hell was more of an abstract idea than an actual place.
Some people just ended up there and stayed.
Sure, some of the foster homes had been nice, but he’d been ripped out of those quickly. He’d escaped from the other ones and ended up back in orphanages.
But this place. Oh, this place was something special. Whatever he’d done in a past life to deserve this must’ve been really bad. A dark need to fight back, to hurt the adults running his life, slithered inside him, and it wasn’t the first time, so he probably deserved hell.
But something told him the younger kid fighting the three bullies on the edge of the dirt field didn’t deserve this beat down. Or maybe Ryker was just tired of the wrong guys winning every time. North Carolina sun shone down, pretty but not strong, illuminating the scene as the new kid fought hard and fast. And dirty.