Guilty as Sin (56 page)

“I know you took a bit of a beating in the press before,” he said at her continued silence, “but you don’t have to worry about how you’ll be portrayed.”

What, like they could somehow turn the mistress of a notorious criminal—who, among other things, had twisted her testimony to help send an innocent man to death row and stood numbly by while half a dozen women were butchered—into a heroine for justice? “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

She hung up and immediately unplugged the phone in case Greg Fitzhugh decided to call back, then realized she’d forgotten to ask him where he’d gotten the number.

You should have changed your name.
Not for the first time, Talia questioned her decision not to change her identity. Jack assured her that as long as they held up their cover stories, he could create a cover for them that was all but bulletproof.

Everything in her had rebelled at the idea. David Maxwell had nearly taken everything from them. She wasn’t going to let him take their identities. Most importantly, it wasn’t fair to force Rosie to live this lie with her.

And deep in her heart, Talia didn’t feel like she deserved to disappear into anonymity. Her own bad choices had gotten her into trouble, and part of her penance was living with that truth. For better or worse.

This, she supposed, was the worse part.

Nothing to do but move past it. What was done was done, and unless she wanted to turn her and Rosie’s lives upside down all over again, she had to accept reality: If a person was motivated to find Talia Vega, there wasn’t much to keep them from tracking her down.

Where Authors Give You the Inside Scoop

Dear Reader,

I can’t believe we’ve already dug into case five of the Faces of Evil—REVENGE.

Things are heating up here in the South just as they are in REVENGE. The South is known for its storytelling. I can remember sitting on the front porch in an old rocking chair and listening to my grandmother tell stories. She was an amazing storyteller. Most of her tales were ones that had been handed down by friends and family for generations. Many were true, though they had changed through the years as each person who told them added his or her own twist. Others were, I genuinely hope, absolute fiction. It would be scary if some of those old tales were true.

Certain elements were a constant in my grandmother’s tales. Secrets and loyalty. You know the adage, “blood is thicker than water.” Keeping family secrets can sometimes turn deadly and in her stories it often did. Then there were those dark secrets kept between friends. Those rarely ended well for anyone.

Jess Harris and Dan Burnett know a little something about secrets and I dare say in the next two cases, REVENGE and the one to follow, Ruthless, they will
understand that not only is blood thicker than water but the blood is where the darkness lurks. In the coming cases Jess will need Dan more than ever. You’re also going to meet a new and very interesting character, Buddy Corlew, who’s a part of Jess’s past.

Enjoy the summer! Long days of gardening or romping on the beach. But spend your nights with Jess and Dan as they explore yet another case in the Faces of Evil. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

I hope you’ll stop by www.thefacesofevil.com and visit with me. There’s a weekly briefing each Friday where I talk about what’s going on in my world and with the characters as I write the next story. You can sign up as a person of interest and you might just end up a suspect! We love giving away prizes, too, so do stop by.

Enjoy the story and be sure to look for Ruthless next month!

Cheers!

Dear Reader,

One of the highlights of my childhood was the New Mexico State Fair. Every year, my daddy would give me a whole ten dollars to spend there. Since I learned early on what would happen if you gorged on turkey legs and
candy apples before you hopped on the Tilt-a-Whirl, I always went to the midway first. After a couple hours of tummy-tingling thrills, my friends and I would grab some food and head over to the coliseum to watch the cowboys practice for that night’s rodeo.

Sitting in the box seats high above the arena, I would imagine that I was a princess and the cowboys were princes performing great feats of agility and strength in order to win my hand in marriage. Of course, I was never interested in the most talented cowboys. My favorites were the ones who got bucked off the broncos or bulls before the buzzer and still jumped to their feet with a smile on their face and a hat-wave to the crowd.

It was in this arena of horse manure and testosterone that a seed was planted. A good forty years later, I’m happy to announce that my rodeo Prince Charming has come to fruition in my newest contemporary romance, FLIRTING WITH TEXAS.

Beauregard Cates is a cowboy with the type of smile and good looks that make most gals hear wedding bells. But after suffering through a life-threatening illness, he has no desire to be tied down and spends most of his time traveling around the world… until he ends up on a runaway Central Park carriage ride with a sassy blonde from Texas.

Jenna Jay Scroggs is a waitress who will go to any length to right the injustices of the world. Yet no matter how busy her life is in New York City, Jenna can’t ignore the sweet-talkin’, silver-haired cowboy who reminds her of everything she left behind. And when her hometown of Bramble gets involved, Beau and Jenna will soon be forced on a tummy-tingling ride of their own that will lead them right back to Texas and a once-upon-a-time kind of love.

I hope y’all will join me for the ride. (With or without a big ol’ turkey leg.)

Much Love,

Dear Reader,

A few months ago, my editor put me on assignment to interview Avery Price. Little did I know that Avery would end up being the heroine of my latest book, LOOKING FOR TROUBLE. I got such a kick out of following her journey that led her to Trouble, Wyoming, and into the arms of Noah McDermott, that I jumped at the opportunity to revisit with her. What better way to spend my afternoon than having a heart-to-heart with the woman who started it all?

We settle on the patio of her home in the breathtaking Wyoming foothills. After getting seated, Avery pours me a glass of homemade lemonade.

ME:
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I know how much you value your privacy.

AVERY:
(Takes a sip of lemonade, then sets her drink
down.)
Privacy is overrated. And I should be thanking you for making the drive out here.

ME:
It’s nice to get out of the city every once in a while. Plus it’s beautiful out here. I can see why you chose this place.

AVERY:
I’d say it chose me.
(Her lips tilt up in a wry little smile.)
I actually didn’t plan on staying here at first. But anonymity is something anyone can find here.

ME:
Is that why you left Denver?

AVERY:
(Pauses a moment.)
If I wore a pair of heels that were too high, it got commented on in the society pages. No one cares about that kind of thing here. It’s refreshing to be able to be my own person.

ME:
That’s definitely a tempting way of life. Your family must miss you terribly, though. Are you planning on being an active part in your father’s campaign?

AVERY:
I’ll always support my father no matter what he does, which he’s almost always successful at. No matter what happens with the race, he’ll always have the support of his children. But I’ve had my fill of the public eye. That life suits my parents and brother just fine. I think I’ll leave the campaigning to them.

ME:
That’s right. Your brother, Landon Price, is one of the biggest real estate developers in Denver. Are you two close?

AVERY:
We grew up pretty sheltered so the two of us were really all the other had. I’d say we’re closer than your average brother and sister.