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CHAPTER ONE

FROZEN PELLETS OF sleet carried by the icy March winds stung Lieutenant Margaret Peterson’s face The late snowstorloved hand Margo held her coat closed at her throat The other hand, ungloved, remained in her pocket as she hurried to her new car parked in the lot across from the bar At 1:00 am the streets were dark with low to the beautiful pearl color of her Lexus

Closing out a bar wasn’t new for her; usually at ti sized up by hungry aret, a wo at the bar this ti sexier, softer, more vulnerable--the opposite of her kick-ass cop persona

But right now, she was both soft woe she needed to convey with the ability she’d honed

For lean infor thee, domination and some sick, sexually inspired discipline

If the wo, well then, she’d leave thee? She wasn’t a hypocrite; she believed in consenting adults doing as they pleased

But abducted women? Abused women?

The first young lady who’d come to them had been disoriented, confused and so incredibly scared The bastards had grabbed her, blindfolded her and taken her to a vacant building, where they’d forced her to star in an underground pn o Maybe they’d let her go because they knew they’d be cleared out by the time anyone would find their location

And maybe, just maybe, they had planned to only do one video But like ot a taste of their perversion, they wanted reat pleasure in bringing down criminals, but she had a very special, deep-rooted red-hot hatred for men who sexually radation, thethat could happen to a fe of it Fury rivaled the cold, heating her from the inside out with molten hatred

Eventually, one way or another, she would crack this case and annihilate the ones responsible--or die trying

Hanging in local bars--the very locations where the woeted--had seeh the holidays, she had spent several nights a week on the proithout a single nibble

Others had given up The captain believed the bastards had either shut down or o sensed they were still around And then, just last week, a woman showed up at the station Bruised, traumatized, hysterical, she had barely escaped

That aret was deternited but routine investigation, she kept her eyes and ears open while trolling the "less respectable" bars

Nothing new in that, really

Being a feh-as-nails notoriety co And with her particular tastes

"You shouldn’t be out here alone"

Before she could register that deep voice as soo had her coat open, her loaded Glock in her hand

The weapon didn’t faze him

Tall and handsome and far too carefree, he stared into her eyes Even in the di sleet, she saw his crooked s hours in a classless bar amid nasty drunks had less impact on her tension than Dashiel Riske’s half ser off the trigger "Stupidyou in the dark?" He stepped closer and, un hand aside, put his fists in the lapels of her coat and pulled it closed against the blustering wind The position had his hands near her brsts--and caused her heartbeat to stall "Would you shoot h to discern a threat before firing "But Iliberties, he slid his hands up and under her collar to draw her closer "Is that forthcoled his face down to hers "Should I duck for cover?"

"No" If he weren’t so warm, she’d have pushed hi seriously--ed on with sensual confidence born fro at the bars with her, specifically Rowdy’s bar, Getting Rowdy, the closest to where the worabbed He’d adequately allowed her to use him as a prop in her scam With Dash, she could pretend to be an easy drunk and easier prey

Even though she’d sometimes sat on his lap, kissed his neck or ear--even felt him up--other women had come on to hi their ruse

But she hated evenup

When she’d started to feel jealous, she knew she had to cut him free

At first he’d objected, but then the holidays had co the sick fks responsible

"What are you doing here, Margo?"

After a glance around, she tucked the Glock 40 back into the specially designed inside pocket of her coat, where she also kept another fully loadedhere?"

"I vote we sit in your car out of this ice stor to death, so Margo turned and, with a touch of her hand to the driver’s-side handle, released the autolock Sliding into the leather seat, she pushed the keyless ignition button Dash walked around the hood and folded his big body into the passenger seat The small, sleek car fit her perfectly But Dash’sher almost smile

"You can move the seat back," she told him

"Thanks" He adjusted it, which allowed his a few inches

The interior felt like abeen in the dark, bitter cold She turned up the heater, set the climate control for both heated seats and relocked the doors

"New ride?"