CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Michael Landis—A former military man, he now owns a state-of-the-art security company. Little does he know that his ex-wife is about to break in to his heart.

      Brianna Kent—She’s being stalked by a dangerous man and her only hope is to seek help from her ex-husband. He might be able to protect her from her stalker, but who’ll protect her from him?

      Lawrence Cunningham—Brianna’s colleague seems to have a little more than a professional interest in her.

      Simone Twardzak—Brianna’s secretary doesn’t just answer the phone and schedule appointments.

      The Stalker—He’s always watching. He’s always listening. But soon that won’t be enough.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter One

      Brianna Kent bolted upright in bed, her chest pounding. Was the noise she heard a dream or was someone prowling around her apartment? Her hand trembled as she brushed back the sweat-dampened hair from her face. Too terrified to turn on the light, she froze, listening. But all she heard was her thudding heartbeat and the terrifying silence of her bedroom.

      Nothing would come from huddling with fear in her bed, imagining all sorts of things. She tossed back the covers, swung her feet to the floor and forced her brain to think.

      Only a fool would break into a full-security apartment building with burglar-alarm warnings plastered at every window and door. Still, if she didn’t check out the noise, she’d be awake until the clock radio blared to life in a few hours.

      She slipped into her white terry-cloth bathrobe, then opened the drawer of her bedside table. Taking the 9 mm snub-nosed Beretta from its case, she slipped the weapon into her hip pocket. The revolver hung heavily against her thigh, a grim reminder of the peril that came with her career. But she knew how to deal with threats. Although she hated guns, she’d learned to handle a weapon. The sharpshooter award above the fireplace proved it.

      She clutched the lapels of her robe and creaked open the bedroom door. Peering into the narrow corridor, she was surprised to find the living room at the end of the hall brightly lit.

      Damn. How could she have forgotten? Nora was sleeping over before flying out of JFK in the morning. Brianna, herself, had left the light on for her. Feeling like a fool to forget her aunt’s visit, she almost laughed with relief. Worry and lack of sleep were playing tricks on her mind.

      Tightening the belt of her robe, she headed for the kitchen. Nora was probably unable to sleep and heating a glass of milk.

      As Brianna crossed the blue-carpeted living room, her gaze caught the corner of a large envelope peeking out from beneath the front door. Her stomach clenched as recognition brought her to full alert. The manila envelope was identical to the three others that had been slipped under her office door in the last two weeks.

      For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. He knows where I live!

      She forced back the fear as her hand found the cold steel inside the pocket of her robe. Something had awoken her.

      Dear God! Maybe he’d picked the lock and was in her apartment. Her gaze flew to the heavy security chain still attached to the wall.

      Get a grip, Brianna. The door is locked from the inside. You and Nora are perfectly safe. And this time, he’d made a mistake. Whoever did this apparently didn’t know that security cameras covered the apartment corridors and would have caught him on video.

      She dashed to the telephone on the desk. Her hands trembled as she fumbled the receiver from the hook, then tapped in the number for Apartment Security.

      After one ring, a man’s deep voice answered. “Security. Collins here.”

      “This