Breakpoint

Table of Contents

“The plot is riveting, the characters sizzle, and the ending will blow you away. Not only do the pages singe with passion, but they detonate with heart-stopping action. Trust me, you do not want to miss
Crossfire
. But keep in mind, once you pick it up, it’s impossible to put down.”

—Fresh Fiction

“[A]can’t-put-down-forget-the-housework-cereal-for-dinner book. The chemistry between Quinn and Cait screams off the page and practically singes your fingers. . . . Make room on your keeper shelf for this one.”

—Romance Junkies

“A page-turning mix of danger, suspense, and passion.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Iris Johansen.

“JoAnn Ross weaves a tapestry of terror like no other author does. You can feel hearts beating in overdrive. . . . You can taste the terror in this seaside village. No author can put words together and tell a story like Ms. Ross.
Freefall
is a romantic thriller that sizzles with passion and danger. The story is a page-turner leading up to an ending you must read to believe. What an incredible story!”

—Fresh Fiction

“An intense thriller . . . the perfect edge-of-your-seat mystery. JoAnn Ross is one author who delivers and will most definitely blow you away.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Ross kicks off a searing new trilogy by delving deep into the damaged souls of her two protagonists. Not only does this story follow the trail of a dangerous killer—it also focuses on the strength of purpose required to rebuild shattered lives. All the patented Ross sizzle and drama make [reading] this time well spent!”

—
Romantic Times

“Sizzles with the sensuality and danger fans of her romantic thrillers have come to expect.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“A page-turner that plunks the reader down in post-Katrina New Orleans and makes the changes real and immediate. . . . Hop on the Ross Express for a lightning ride.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Linda Howard

“A spellbinding read. . . . I was blown away.An amazing author and this latest story proves it, once again.”

—Fresh Fiction

“[A] great love story with all the thrills and chills that will have the readers coming back for more.”

—Fallen Angel Reviews

“Spine-chilling . . . a good mix of suspense and romance.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“[A] suspense thriller with richly drawn characters, a powerful story and a heart-stopping ending.”

—Fresh Fiction

“Seamlessly plotted. . . . Ross keeps the heat on right to the last page.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Singes the pages . . . a strong story, rich in characterization.”

—Fresh Fiction

“Dynamic . . . fast-paced, utterly engrossing.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“
Out of the Storm
sizzles! A captivating and entertaining blend of romance, mystery, and suspense.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“[An] adventurous, exhilarating story. Danger and intrigue are a constant presence. Highly passionate . . . outstanding.”

—Romance Junkies

“The best kind of romantic suspense: heart-stopping terror and a heart-tugging romance.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Skillful and satisfying.... With its emotional depth, Ross’s tale will appeal to Nora Roberts fans.”

—
Booklist

“The romance... crackles and the verbal sparring keeps the narrative moving along at an energetic clip . . . delightful.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“[A] hot, steamy . . . page-turner.”

—A Little Romance

“[T]ouches of humor nicely relieve the suspenseful nature of the intriguing and intricately plotted tale. Bravo!”

—
The Paperback Forum

Also by JoAnn Ross
Available from Signet

SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
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First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, July 2009

Copyright © The Ross Family Trust, 2009

All rights reserved

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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eISBN : 978-1-101-12894-7

To our military men and women who put themselves in harm’s way around the world so the rest of us don’t have to. Especially MA3 Keith Danalewich, PFC Jason Burk, and from our own family, Specialist Kyle Elliott, and Sergeant Patrick Flory—who, as I write this, is serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. Also to all the families awaiting their loved ones’ safe return home.

In memory of David Elijah Steele, another American hero who tragically died too young in the deadliest helicopter crash involving working forest firefighters in U.S. history.

And, as always, to Jay.

Acknowledgments

Another heartfelt thanks to the fabulous team at NAL, who make writing such a joy, especially my extraordinary editor, Laura Cifelli, who went above and beyond the call of duty for this book.

Thanks also to all the military men and women who were kind enough to answer my questions on various blogs, message boards, and e-mails, particularly submarine Lieutenant Commander Kevin Schultz, who proved a wealth of information about Naval Station Pearl Harbor. And his dad, who generously took the time to weigh in on Tiger Cruise details. Any mistakes or creative liberties I’ve taken are entirely my responsibility.

The Afghan mountains had never been Tech Sergeant Dallas O’Halloran’s favorite part of the world, even before he’d had the bad luck to be on a Chinook shot down by an insurgent RPG not far from here.

But he’d survived that experience, and it wasn’t like he got to choose the missions. Nor did he have any control over the torrential rain that was pounding down like bullets, causing rivers to overflow their banks, creating mudslides, and turning the ground he was slogging through into a quagmire.

An Air Force combat controller, he was accustomed to operating at the sharpest point of the spear. The CCT motto was, “First in, last out,” and since Hollywood didn’t make movies about them, like they did those showboat SEAL frogboys or Delta Force hotshots, very few civilians knew they existed.