Ruthless

PROLOGUE

Spring - Early May

Veston, Minnesota

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Emily sat near the front as the ceremony started. Tears teetered on the edge of cascading down her face as she admired Elle walking down the aisle. Her dress was from a fancy designer Emily never heard of, but she expected no less. One more thing that made her envious of Elle. She knew fashion, she had confidence, she had been big time in LA as an investigative reporter.

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But she had traded that lifestyle for small-town life and, of course, because she loved Lucas Dalton. Emily couldn’t be happier for her.

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Tears pooled as Elle joined Lucas at the altar, grabbing ahold of each other’s hands, staring deeply at one another. Oh, the love and devotion. It was so beautiful. Pure happiness.

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After everything that occurred six months ago, Elle deserved all the happiness and more.

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No one could have known someone close to them could be so malicious. How Brody could kill so many women and still go to work as if he’d done nothing wrong. To serve and to protect. That was supposed to be his job. Not butchering and taking the lives of so many. He had killed eight women total, almost taking Elle’s life too.

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Then who could forget Clarence—the Trick Killer. He had wreaked havoc on Lucas and his family for far too long.

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These two deserved so much happiness.

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The tears won the war, falling with graceful abandon. Tears of so much joy.

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Maddie, Lucas’s sister, sat in the row ahead of her. She turned around. “I know. I cry at weddings too. Here, I brought tissues.”

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“Thanks. I didn’t think to bring any. I’m so happy for them.” She dabbed at her eyes, trying not to ruin her makeup.

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“Elle is gorgeous in that dress. I won’t even say how much it cost. My jaw dropped when I found out. It was worth every penny.”

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“Ladies, enough,” Jake, Maddie’s husband, whispered. “And you’re crying because you’re pregnant, sweetheart. It’s called hormones. Turn around and quit whispering.”

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Maddie rolled her eyes at Jake as she smiled at Emily, but turned around.

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The ceremony flew by. Before she knew it, Elle and Lucas were husband and wife.

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She followed everyone toward the tent set up for the reception.

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By herself.

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She thought of asking Andrew Carter to be her date, another officer that worked with Lucas and Jake. Right before she had the guts to ask him, she found out he was taking someone else. Figured. That was the story of her love life.

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She didn’t need a date. It wasn’t an obligatory thing when a person ventured to a wedding.

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It didn’t mean she didn’t want one.

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She wanted one so badly she debated asking her co-worker, and longtime friend at the gazette, Ben Haspen. Of course, right before she embarrassed herself with him too, she found out he had a date as well.

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That had been her sign. To give up. She was meant to go solo. She was leaving Veston soon anyway. There was no sense in starting something with anyone. Or giving the impression she wanted to get involved by asking them to the wedding.

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Elle and Lucas had opted for a small ceremony in their backyard. They had bought a new house together on the outskirts of town. Lots of space and lots of land. Elle had told her that Lucas said they needed the space for all the kids they would have. They argued all the time about the exact number. Lucas said four. Elle maintained two—maybe three if he was lucky.

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They had done a wonderful job turning it into a stunning ceremony and reception.

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Charming white lights hung around the outside of the tent, creating a magical entrance. Once inside, it was even more extravagant. Lights strung from the ceiling, creating an elegant ambiance. Candles were lit on the center of each table. The cake in the back, three-tiered with red rose petals sprinkled around it completed the romance swirling within the walls.

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When Elle made the decision to move to Veston, she took a position at the Veston Gazette. Emily had become close friends with her—and Maddie. She was surprised when Elle didn’t ask Maddie to be in the wedding. Even more of a surprise, they decided to have no wedding party at all. They wanted to exchange vows and then celebrate. No one made a fuss about it, except of course Lucas’s mom, Tess. Elle had always been gentle yet firm with her on what she wanted.

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Emily envied that trait as well.

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She envied so much about Elle. She had it all. While Emily felt like she was barely getting by in life.

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They had assigned seating. Emily hoped to be with Maddie, but their family filled up that table with ease. She found her place card on a table close to the front. After hearing the announcement dinner would be served soon, she grabbed a glass of wine and sat down.

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She wanted to say congratulations to the bride and groom, but they were swarmed by a sea of people. The night was still young and she planned to enjoy the party. She’d get her turn at some point.

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The chair next to her scooted out from the table and a man she had never seen before sat down.

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Her jaw almost dropped, but she stopped it before she could embarrass herself.

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They lived in a small town. Not small enough where she knew everyone, but small enough to know not many fine catches lived here. And the ones she did know held no candle to this man.

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Drop dead gorgeous.

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He had thick dark-brown hair, swooped back in a graceful arc. Chocolate-brown eyes that mesmerized her. A smooth beard that she wanted to touch and a chiseled jaw that begged to be kissed. Her mind conjured all the romance novels she’d ever devoured and erased the ridiculous thought of how it always made her giggle when she read that. Especially when he had a beard too. Chiseled jaw? No such thing.

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Wrong.

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So very wrong.

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This man had it and she wanted to press her lips to it.

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God, and his smile. It made her want to melt to the floor.

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Then she flinched when she realized he was staring in return, his sweet lips curved up in a delicious grin.

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“Hi. I’m Keith Tomlison. I’m a friend of Lucas and Jake.”

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Right. Stop gawking.

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“Hi,” she squeaked, then cleared her throat. “I’m Emily Garder. I’m a friend of Elle...and Lucas...and Jake...and Maddie.”

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Could she sound more ridiculous? Yep. She needed to talk as little as possible.

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His hand was warm and soft when she made contact. She didn’t want to let go. The tiny tingles going off were delicious. She had never felt that before. Maybe she was having a medical emergency. That had to be it. A small heart attack or something.

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He slid his hand out before she could embarrass herself further.

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“It’s nice to meet you, Emily. You work at the Veston Gazette with Elle, right? I think I remember Lucas mentioning your name once or twice. Good things, of course.”

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And here she was ruining all those good things said about her.

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“Yes, I do. How do you know them?” Because no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn’t place his name.

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“Oh, I met them—gosh—about two years ago when we caught Clarence Owens in Neptune. I work for the FBI. We became friends despite the circumstances.”

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“Oh, yeah, that’s hard to forget. But I guess working in the FBI you see that a lot.” Well, duh. Of course he did.

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“Unfortunately, I do. But I love my job. Helping people and putting the bad guys away. That’s what matters.” His lips widened into another bright smile that bespoke how much he meant everything he said.

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She loved his smile. It made her insides go all mushy.

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Why in the world did Elle put her at this table? She was going to go nuts sitting next to this gorgeous man all night. She didn’t even know what else to say to him.

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“That’s good. That’s what matters.” Ugh, she did not repeat what he said. She took a sip of wine to stop herself from speaking.

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“It was a nice ceremony. Have you been up to meet and greet the bride and groom yet? I tried, but there were so many people around them. I thought this was supposed to be small.” Rich laughter surrounded her, making her stomach flutter.

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“Elle couldn’t help herself. She didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. But no, I haven’t. I figured I would after the meal. She’s gorgeous in that dress. I love it.” Emily turned toward the bridal table to admire it once again.

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“She is beautiful. Lucas is a lucky man. Where’s your lucky man?”

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Her eyes rounded, surprised by the question. “Oh, I don’t have a date. I came by myself. Not all women need a man.” And stop talking. You don’t need to sound like a bitch.

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“That’s true,” Keith said with the striking upward tilt of his lips she loved.

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At least he didn’t appear to be offended.

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“Well, I’m happy to be sitting next to you. You look gorgeous as well.”

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Emily felt her cheeks bloom hot as she glanced away from his penetrating stare. He was being kind. She knew she wasn’t unattractive, but a man like him, dressed like James Bond himself, would never end up with a simple, small-town girl like her.

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Words continued to fail her when another good-looking gentleman walked up and slapped Keith on the shoulder but looked at her. “Damn! I guess you’re taken for the night. My partner just called dibs.”

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Keith rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He can be very annoying sometimes. I know he’ll be quite annoying tonight. I was giving you a compliment.”

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“Don’t lie, Keith. You were hitting on her. It’s okay, I’ll back off. Help me find another sweet-looking woman here though.” He held out his hand toward Emily. “I’m Owen Stones. I work with this handsome fellow here.”

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She shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

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“Please ignore him. He’s always this obnoxious. Stop talking, Stones,” Keith said through clenched teeth, then threw her another alluring smile.

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She didn’t know what to say, so she opted to take another sip of wine.

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“You live here, Emily?” Stones asked as he sat down next to Keith.

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“I do.”

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“Oh, good. So you can help me with who’s available and who’s not. I don’t sleep with married or taken women, you know what I mean.” Stones looked at her deadpan, then shot out a mischievous grin.

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“Stop it, Stones. You’re scaring her.” Keith leaned toward her, enough so his friend wouldn’t hear. “Please ignore him. I am so sorry.”

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“Is he always like this?” Emily whispered, mere inches from his mouth. God, what she wouldn’t give to lean in until their lips were touching.

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“Yeah, he is. He likes to have fun. He’s kidding.” His gaze trailed to her lips as if answering, “Yes, lean in. Keeping going.”

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“Hey, strangers. It’s great to see you guys.” Jake appeared out of nowhere by their table.

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Keith shot away from Emily, standing up to give Jake a hug.

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Moment was over.

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“It’s great to be here. It was a beautiful ceremony. I’m happy for Lucas.”

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“Yeah, Elle’s pretty wonderful.” Jake walked over to Stones, giving him a hug too. “You’re not picking on Emily, are you? Keith has told me stories before.”

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“I’m a lover of all women. He staked his claim on her and I backed off. I merely asked her who’s available in the room tonight. Maybe you know,” Stones said with a devilish twinkle in his eyes.

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“Leave the women alone in this town, Stones, you may never leave.” Jake laughed, then looked at Emily. “Ignore him. He’s full of hot air.”

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“That’s what I tried to tell her.” Keith glared at Stones, but he smirked in return.

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“Well, hey, I see your food coming. I’ll leave you to it. I’ll come back later and we can chat.” Jake left for his own table.

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Their food arrived and Stones toned down his attitude. The rest of their table occupants sat down, which happened to be Emily’s co-workers at the gazette. She assumed that’s why Stones cooled it because he realized he was surrounded by reporters—even if they were small-town ones.

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The night flew by. Emily said hi to Elle and Lucas, mingled with other people as well. She met Jake’s friends from New York: Jo, Jason, Rider, and Junelle. Exchanged numbers with Jo and Junelle as well since she’d be a New York resident soon. She danced a bit, drank a bit, and was having a great time.

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Her feet ached after a while, so she made her way back to the table.

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She sat down. Keith was by her side less than a minute later.

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“Great party. Are you having fun?”

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“I am. My feet are killing me. Heels.” Emily laughed. “Guess I should get used to them. Elle said her best weapon was her outfits. Dress to impress. Dress to arm.”

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“What do you mean? What are you dressing to impress for?”

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“Oh, I’m moving to New York City in a week. It’s all because of Elle. You know she used to work for the LA Chronicle.”

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“Yeah, I remember Lucas telling me that.”

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“Well, she knows someone who works at the New York Chronicle and got me in the door. I always wanted to venture out and make it as a big-time reporter. It’s nothing big. I’m going to be sort of like an intern, but it’s my foot in the door.”

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“Congratulations.” Keith hesitated. “I live in New York. It’s where my apartment is anyway. We travel a lot for work, so I’m not there all the time.” He pulled his wallet out and grabbed a card. Then he snatched a pen from the table, writing on it.

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“Here. This is my personal cell on the back. Call me anytime. For any reason. You need to talk, you need a friend, you wanna see the sights. I’m your man.”

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She took the card, staring at it as if it would vanish out of thin air at any moment. How sweet of him.

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“Thanks. That’s nice of you. I appreciate it. It’s kind of scary leaving a small town in Minnesota for the Big Apple.” Emily stared at the card. “I do appreciate it.”

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“You’re welcome. A friend of Lucas and Jake’s is a friend of mine.” He stood up and held his hand out. “I know your feet are killing you, but would you like to dance? Just one?”

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Emily looked at him, not willing to let this opportunity go by. Sore feet? Not anymore. “I’d love to.”

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CHAPTER 1

Fall - Mid October

New York City

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Emily sat back in her chair and sighed. It had been a rough day. She had written three different versions of the news piece her editor, Tom Calhoun, wanted, and he didn’t like any of them.

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This was harder than she originally thought. She didn’t regret her decision coming to New York, and she wasn’t ready to give up yet.

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She was a good writer and knew it. What she lacked was confidence. More times than not, she changed her pieces to what she thought they wanted when it wasn’t what she wanted to say.

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She was being dumb and she knew it.

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Part of her problem was listening to some of the other people here. They gave advice like some people popped pills. It wasn’t always good advice either. Clearly, as her latest article was ripped into pieces in front of her. “This is garbage, Emily. Write me something good or get the hell out of here.”

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It was a cutthroat business.

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Elle had warned her, and yet, she had decided to make the leap to the big time anyway. She had Elle to thank for it, getting her in the door with some of the connections she had.

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She shadowed some of the reporters—that would let her. She wanted to be the best she could be, and she didn’t think she could do that without learning from some of the best.

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New York was a beautiful city and she loved it. She wasn’t ready to leave. The ambiance, the people—even if some were rude—the energy that flowed around her. New York City was amazing. The lights at night were magical. The street musicians she would pass on the street, talented. It had been scary at first, but she learned and she adapted. She didn’t regret it once.

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She might’ve grown up as a small-town girl, but she was determined to transform into a big-city woman.

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Emily cleaned up her desk, hating to leave it cluttered. She shut down her computer and grabbed her jacket from behind her chair. It was mid-October and it got chilly at times. It was nothing like the cold bite of Minnesota air, but chilly nonetheless.

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She put her arm into one sleeve, about to put the other arm in, when she felt someone grab her jacket from behind. “Here. Let me help.”

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Emily turned around to see Paul holding her jacket, waiting for her to slide her other arm into the sleeve.

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“Thanks, Paul. Are you done for the day?”

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“Yeah. It’s been one of those days. Some crazy stories coming in. I heard Calhoun gave you a hard time today. You okay?”

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Hard time today? Try like every day.

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“I’m fine. I can handle it. That’s the way it is here, right?”

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“You’re doing a great job, Emily. Everyone thinks so.”

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“I wouldn’t say everyone. Stacy doesn’t seem to like me much. I saw her smirk as I passed by her desk walking back from Calhoun’s office. I swear she goes out of her way to see my misery.”

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“Stacy doesn’t like anybody. She’s all about herself. I wouldn’t put much stock into what her opinion is. I like you,” Paul said with a grin.

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“I know, you’re a great friend, Paul. I appreciate you taking me under your wing for so many things. I’d be lost without you.” Emily reached down to the bottom drawer to grab her purse.

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“Hey, Finnigan’s has happy hour until eight tonight. Do you want to grab a drink?”

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“Thanks for the offer, but I’m pretty beat. I’m going to go home and veg on the couch if you don’t mind. How about Friday night?”

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“Yeah, Friday sounds good. I’ll walk with you to the subway.”

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They rode the elevator together, and Emily couldn’t help but smile and wave to Hank at the security desk, who happened to be getting ready to leave himself. She was used to greeting people everywhere she went in Veston, so it was a habit she found hard to break in the city, despite not everyone always returning her greeting. Hank always had a friendly expression ready for her.

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They made their way out of the building, right in the heart of Rockefeller Center, and made their way to the subway entrance for the orange line. Emily loved this area and would have swooned over living close to work, but she wasn’t rich yet. There was no way she could afford to live in Manhattan. She had found a nice little apartment in Brooklyn. It was border-line crime infested, but it was cheaper than most other places. She figured if she could survive two serial killers from her small-town in Minnesota, she could survive the big city of New York.

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And oh, boy, New York had their crime.

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Even the New York Chronicle had had their very own serial killer, Chuck Moren. She’d heard the stories of how he had raped and then murdered his victims.

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What a small world too.

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Because he’d tried to kill Detective Victoria Johansen, who happened to be best friends with Jake Anders. Who happened to be married to Maddie Dalton, who was the sister of Lucas, who had recently married Elle. A very small world. She’d met Jo, Jason, and a few other friends of theirs that also lived in New York at Lucas and Elle’s wedding. Jo had been so kind to her, telling her if there was anything she needed to just call.

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She’d had no idea the ordeal Detective Johansen—or Jo as most everyone called her besides her husband Jason—had gone through. Even if she had known, she would’ve never asked her about any of it. There were limits to when she wanted juicy details.

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But she heard plenty at the chronicle about it. It came up from time to time, despite it happening over two years ago.

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She waved a small goodbye to Paul and headed down the subway steps to the platform. Emily swiped her metro card and made entry through the turnstile. She made her way to the B orange line, making sure it said downtown. It took her a while not to get confused about what way she was going. She got lost a few times going uptown when she should have been going the opposite way. She saw more of the city that way, so she hadn’t been irritated. Plus, it was a great learning experience. Now, after six months, she felt like a pro—although, she had her moments when she had to secretly pull out a subway map and gloss over it to double check.

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She stood waiting for the express subway, glancing up at the screen that told her she had three more minutes to wait. It was pretty busy, the traffic of people flowing as usual. She rarely found it deserted.

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Her train finally came toward her and settled right in front of the growing crowd. The doors opened and people flowed in and out. As she made her way past the exiting people, a slight chill rushed across her body.

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She glanced behind her, yet saw nothing out of the ordinary, then ran through the doors before they closed on her. She took a seat, thankful one was available, and took a deep breath.

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Then another breath.

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And another.

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No matter how many breaths she took, her hands shook as she clutched her purse.

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This wasn’t the first time she felt eyes on her.

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For the past three weeks, every time she went somewhere—whether it was work, home or play—she felt as if someone was watching her. Following her. She would always glance around looking for the person, never seeing anybody paying attention to her.

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She thought about telling someone, but always refrained. Who would she tell anyway? What could they do?

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She was being silly. It was all in her mind. No one was following her. It was a big city and a lot of people around her all the time. It had to be someone doing what she did. People watching.

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She mentioned it once to Windy if she ever felt like someone was watching her. Windy laughed so hard tears had streamed down her face. “Girl, people love watching me. They always want to know if I’m crazy or just that cool.” She never brought it up again to Windy.

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Windy lived down the hall from her apartment. They’d become fast friends when Windy helped her bring her groceries inside her place after one of her bags ripped in the hallway. Emily had tried to thank her and steer her out the door when Windy plopped down on her couch and said, “Nice digs. We should be friends. I can see we’ll get along great.”

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Windy claimed to have some psychic abilities where she could sense people’s auras. She said Emily’s aura was green—loving and caring—while hers was blue. She insisted it meant they would be perfect friends. She always meshed well with greens and blues. Emily thought she was crazy but decided to go with it. Windy was a force to be reckoned with, and she wasn’t going to change. She always wore wacky outfits and dragged Emily out to different nightclubs, insisting that she had to experience each one. As if nightclubs were the essence of living.

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Wishing for Windy right in this very moment, as she would be able to calm her racing nerves, she glanced around. Normal everyday people sat waiting for the ride to end like her. No one seemed to be paying attention to her and yet—her heart beat out of pace as if someone couldn’t peel their eyes off her.

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She couldn’t wait for the ride to end, and when it did, she rushed out of the train so fast, she almost knocked down a sweet old woman, who turned out not to be that sweet.

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“Watch it!”

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Emily murmured an apology and kept on her way. She walked, half-running—not caring how she looked to anyone—as she made her way the four blocks to her apartment. She shuffled through her purse, looking for her apartment key, wondering why she didn’t have it out already. When she found it, she shoved it into the hole and opened the door as fast as she could, slamming it closed behind her.

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She ran to the elevator, pushed the up button, the doors opening a few seconds later. The elevator door closed and her anxiety decreased a notch.

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She leaned against the wall as she made her way to the fourteenth flour.

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The ride was quick, as usual. The long jaunt down the hallway took forever. She had the last door at the end of the hallway. She passed Windy’s door, praying it wouldn’t open. Windy would make her go out or something, and she wasn’t in the mood for it.

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Emily stopped at her door, unlocked it, and stepped inside.

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Before she turned on the light, the oppressive feeling like she had at the subway station returned with a vengeance. She couldn’t explain it or figure out why, but the air felt different.

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Someone had been in her apartment.

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She slammed the door shut and raced back down the hallway. The elevator ride down wasn’t as quick as the ride up.

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Not sure where to go, she plopped down on the dilapidated bench that management had yet to replace.

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What was wrong with her?

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She should’ve at least checked her apartment out. A funny feeling wasn’t enough to call the police.

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But she had one person she could call.

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He was sort of the police.

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Keith Tomlison.

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FBI agent.

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He had given her his number six months ago when they met at Elle’s wedding. He said to call her for anything since he also lived in New York. She never did as she had been scared to do so.

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Emily and gorgeous men did not mix well.

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No doubt he had meant it in a kind gesture, and she hadn’t wanted to look like a fool with her simple small-town ways.

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Right now, she didn’t care how foolish she looked. The thought of entering her apartment terrified her. She wouldn’t be able to step a foot inside until someone searched it first.

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She opened her purse, unzipping the small pocket where she held his card. She always kept it with her in case she ever felt brave enough to call him. With trembling hands, she pulled it out along with her phone. She dialed his number and prayed for him to answer.