Marilyn Pappano - Killer Smile

Booklist Also By Marilyn Pappano Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Extract About the Publisher Killer Smile Killer Secrets Detective Defender Nights with a Thief Bayou Hero Undercover in Copper Lake Copper Lake Encounter Copper Lake Confidential Christmas Confidential “Holiday Protector” In the Enemy’s Arms Copper Lake Secrets Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Title Page Killer Smile Marilyn Pappano www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-07952-5 KILLER SMILE © 2018 Marilyn Pappano Published in Great Britain 2018 by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental. By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher. ® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries. www.millsandboon.co.uk Version: 2020-03-02

Introduction “There was a prowler at my house last night, Tash,” Daniel said quietly. “Also, we have a witness who says he’s seen a guy watching you.” Natasha’s muscles froze, leaving her unable to breathe or process his words. She didn’t feel the trembling in her hands until she saw rings spreading across the surface of her coffee. Daniel’s right hand took her left, and she reflexively grasped it, squeezing tightly, focusing all her energy on maintaining contact with the one person who’d always, always made her feel safe. “You went out there by yourself? Knowing that RememberMe wants to—” She finished with a gesture of her left hand, unable to put it into words. The mere thought of the danger she’d brought into Daniel’s life could break her heart and her spirit. “I wasn’t alone. I had my weapon.” He laid his free hand on the pistol snugged on his belt. “You know I never leave home without it.” The small smile that touched his mouth was reassuring, but Natasha couldn’t stop the ominous words in her head. Her stalker was here in Cedar Creek, and he knew where Daniel lived, and he wanted him dead...

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Extract About the Publisher , I read somewhere that the song “Every Breath You Take” by The Police is widely considered by women to be one of the great love songs. In fact, quite a few of my female friends agree. While I like the song, I also think it’s very, very creepy. The composer himself, Sting, called it “sinister” and says it’s about “surveillance and control” in an interview with The Independent in 1993. Just goes to show how different perceptions can be. A woman meets a man in a social situation. She smiles and says, “Nice to meet you.” He hears, “I’ve waited all my life for you.” She shakes his hand. He feels the promise of forever. She pleads, “Leave me alone.” He understands, “Please don’t ever leave me alone.” Perceptions. It had been a while since I’d done a stalker story, and I’ve always wanted to write my own runaway bride, too. I already knew Detective Daniel Harper, from Killer Secrets, was going to be the hero, so I added one commitmentphobic heroine (Daniel was third on Natasha’s list of jilted fiancés) and one freaky psychopath and set them on a course that would alter, threaten or even end their lives. And I had a lovely time doing it. I hope you have a lovely time reading it. Marilyn Pappano

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

When Daniel Harper was a kid, he had decided on two career options for the future: he would become the President of the United States, and in his first term, with his great wisdom, foresight and people-pleasing skills, he would solve the country’s problems once and forevermore.

Or he would become a doctor—not the medical kind; he had an aversion to sick people and preferred to avoid their spores when at all possible—and by the time he was thirty, he would discover a little known gene that, with slight manipulation, would cure all of humanity’s ills.

Instead, he became a cop.

In Cedar Creek, Oklahoma, with a population of twenty-five thousand—comprised of farmers, ranchers, cattle people and horse people; country folk and city folk; sports fans, foodies and good ol’ boys; stubborn men, stubborner women and pretty young things; cowboys, Indians, oil people and church people; winemakers, meth makers and troublemakers.

And beset by the most diverse weather he’d ever experienced, everything from drought to flood to blistering heat and subzero freezes, windstorms, hailstorms, ice storms, tornados and, lately, earthquakes that made his home state of California look like a slacker.

Life in Los Angeles hadn’t prepared him for this.

A snort ahead of him drew his attention to his fellow detective, Ben Little Bear, standing on the first of the six broad steps that led into the Cedar Creek Police Department. “You gonna stand there and soak up a little more water? Isn’t stepping in the puddle enough for one day?”

Daniel scowled at Ben, then at the water that had collected in the low spot in front of the steps from the downpour that didn’t appear to plan on stopping anytime soon. He knew the low spot was there. Knew it filled with water with the lightest sprinkle. Knew because he’d worked there five years, and because he’d stepped in it on the way out two hours ago. The water had finally drained from his shoes and his feet had stopped squelching with every step, and now...

Still scowling, he climbed the first step, shook the excess water from his shoes and his trouser legs, pulled his raincoat closer and swore mildly. His father cussed like the proverbial sailor and had made him cringe more than a few times as an impressionable kid. Now, at thirty-one, he rarely said anything harsher than damn himself.