Anna J. - Gone In The Night

A childhood terror rears its ugly head in USA TODAY bestselling author Anna J. Stewart’s latest Honor Bound romance.

Psychologist Allie Hollister is still haunted by the unsolved death of her childhood best friend. She never expects her past to meet her present when a young patient is abducted and the cold case is reopened. Allie knows she shouldn’t get involved, but the child’s uncle, firefighter Max Kellan, needs her as much as she needs him.

Once, Max simply wanted to put his past to rest; now he demands nothing short of justice. As he and secretive, sexy Allie track a lethal criminal, their chemistry is an undeniable adrenaline rush. Their attraction will be put to the test when they confront their most dangerous threat yet: the truth.

Before Allie realized what was happening, he reached out, caught the back of her neck in his hand and hauled her to him.

He bent his head and covered her mouth with his in one fluid move, so fast, so effectively, her mind spun.

She moaned. Or was that him? She couldn’t be sure, but she rose up on her toes, falling into him as she matched his kiss. Every synapse fired to life as the emotions of the day—terror, panic, uncertainty—melted under Max’s touch.

When he lifted his mouth, it wasn’t by much. When she blinked open her eyes, it took a moment to focus, and as she looked at him, it wasn’t humor she saw on his whisker-roughened face, in his curious brown eyes. It was her own confusion and uncertainty reflected back at her.

He barely moved, and the heat of his fingers brushing her neck may as well have branded her as his. “Suffice it to say this is something we might need to pursue once we work our way though this nightmare.”

* * *

Dear Reader,

It’s funny how we as writers deal with the characters in our heads. Sometimes we struggle to help them become who we need them to be. Other times, the character bursts onto the page pretty much fully formed and rather demanding. Such was the case with Dr. Allie Hollister. She’s the quiet one of this trio of friends, the analytical one, and some might say the coolest of the bunch. She thinks a lot. Perhaps too much.

A difficult childhood was made worse by the murder of her best friend twenty years ago, but it was the bond she formed with Eden and Simone that helped make her the woman she’s become. Allie’s a fighter, especially when it comes to the people she cares about. When Hope Kellan, one of Allie’s patients, disappears, she finds herself at a bit of a loss. But it’s her unexpected attraction to Hope’s uncle Max that really throws her.

Allie isn’t the only person Max threw for a loop. In my preplotting notes—and pictures—I thought I knew exactly who he was, what he looked like, what his temperament would be. Max, however, wasn’t having it. The hero I’d imagined as a polished, sullen, lost soul of a hero turned into the Max who showed up—quirky, scruffy, with one of those grins that you can’t help but respond to. And Allie most definitely responds. Oh, and so did I.

For the first time in Allie’s life, aside from her two best friends, she finds she has someone else willing to fight for her—and with her. Even better? She has something else to fight for: her own happily-ever-after.

Anna J.

Gone in the Night

Anna J. Stewart

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bestselling author ANNA J. STEWART can’t remember a time she wasn’t making up stories or imaginary friends. Raised in San Francisco, she quickly found her calling as a romance writer when she discovered the used bookstore in her neighborhood had an entire wall dedicated to the genre. Her favorites? Harlequins, of course. A generous owner had her refilling her bag of books every Saturday morning, and soon her pen met paper and she never looked back—much to the detriment of her high school education. Anna currently lives in Northern California, where she continues to write up a storm, binge watches her favorite TV shows and movies and spends as much time as she can with her family and friends...and her cat, Snickers, who, let’s face it, rules the house.

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Dr. Allie Hollister rounded the circular drive of the Vandermont home and parked behind two patrol cars. This part of El Dorado Hills might be considered one of the more affluent areas of the Sacramento Valley with its mini mansions, lake views and lush acreage, but at six in the morning, the winding roads and sporadic street lamps did not make for a relaxing drive.

It didn’t help that she was suffering the aftereffects of a champagne-heavy dinner at her foster siblings’ new restaurant last night. No doubt she’d used alcohol to compensate for the fact Eden and Simone, her two best friends, hadn’t been able to come with her. Not even two cups of coffee and a painkiller put a dent in the pounding in her skull.

“Dr. Hollister.” A fifty-something uniformed deputy with wary “I’ve seen everything” eyes and a too-tight lip line strode down the paved walkway and offered his hand once she’d climbed out of her mini-SUV. “I’m Deputy Sutherland. I appreciate you coming out. When Mr. and Mrs. Vandermont weren’t able to immediately get in touch with Hope Kellan’s parents or uncle, they insisted we call you. Not the end to their daughter’s sleepover they were expecting, I’m sure.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Between her suddenly attentive mother and finding herself embroiled in the opening of the cold case concerning her best friend’s murderer twenty years after Chloe’s death, it wasn’t as if Allie slept much these days. Right on cue, her cell phone chimed. Allie glanced at another text message. Obviously she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. Compared with yet another update on her parents’ upcoming anniversary celebration—how many reminders did she need to bring potato salad?—suddenly making the trip up to the foothills didn’t seem so bad. Not that Allie was thrilled one of her most challenging patients—nine-year-old Hope Kellan—had started what Allie had planned as a quiet Sunday at home with a jarring bang. “I’m just sorry Hope’s recent proclivity to running off had to take this turn. Shall we?” She pocketed her phone, hugged her arms around her torso and wished she’d worn more than a thin sweater over her pastel-pink pedal pushers and matching tank. Her mind was all over the place these days; she couldn’t seem to concentrate to save her soul. As someone who prided herself on keeping an eye on every aspect of her life, she was not coping as well as she’d like.