Annie Solomon - Two Lethal Lies

ONE DEADLY SIN

A book you wont want to miss. Engaging characters, a tight plot, and plenty of sizzle.

Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author

Strong emotions pack a wallop in Solomons latest romantic suspense.

FreshFiction.com

One Deadly Sin is a well-written, enthralling, and fascinating read!

BookPleasures.com

DEAD SHOT

Solomons psychologically rich romantic thriller balances grisly imagery with tender moments and is entertaining, through and through.

Booklist

A riveting and edgy romantic suspense that youll want to read in a single sitting.

BookLoons.com

Annie Solomon hooks her audience with the first spilled blood and never lets go until the final Dead Shot reckoning occurs.

TheBestReviews.com

BLACKOUT

FOUR STARS! Fantastic story! Tough, suspenseful, and we have a heroine who is even tougher than the special agent hero. Whew! Never a dull moment. Solomon has outdone herself this time, and thats not easy to do.

RomanceReviewsMag.com

Twisty and diverting, with well-written action sequences.

Publishers Weekly

Talk about edge-of-the-seat! I have never read a book with such relentless suspense A superb example of showing over mere telling of a story. I highly recommend Blackout .

Romantic Reviews Today

BLIND CURVE

4 Stars! Riveting and emotionally intense.

RT Book Reviews

A perfect ten nail-biting, intense drama that will leave you breathless with anticipation.

MyShelf.com

Annie Solomon does such an outstanding job creating taut suspense. From the very first page to the riveting climax, you cant help but be glued to the story.

RoundTableReviews.com

TELL ME NO LIES

Infused with raw emotion and a thirst for vengeance. Excitement and tension galore!

RT Book Reviews

Full of simmering emotions that lovers of romantic suspense will devour.

Rendezvous

Another success! Miss Solomons latest novel is a testament to her gift for crafting intelligent, sexy novels.

RomanceReadersConnection.com

DEAD RINGER

Just the ticket for those looking for excitement and romance.

RT Book Reviews

An entertaining exceptional emotionally taut tale offers twists and turns that kept me enthralled to the last page.

Old Book Barn Gazette

Thrilling and edgy Dead Ringer delivers excitement, suspense, and sexual tension Highly recommended.

RomRevToday.com

LIKE A KNIFE

A nail-biter through and through. Absolutely riveting.

Iris Johansen, New York Times bestselling author

Fast-paced exciting romantic suspense that the audience will relish.

Midwest Book Review

A powerful character study [Ms. Solomon] blends the elements of romance and suspense with the skill of a veteran.

TheWordonRomance.com

Like a Knife

Dead Ringer

Tell Me No Lies

Blind Curve

Blackout

Dead Shot

One Deadly Sin

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2010 by Wylann Solomon

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Forever

Hachette Book Group

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Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com .

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Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

First eBook Edition: October 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-56585-1

CONTENTS

Id like to thank Patrick McNally for his help with the legal system and Dr. Stewart Perlman, Dr. Jeanne Ballinger, and Dr. Peter Jelsma for their help with medical issues. I must extend my apologies to Dr. Perlman as well. He came up with several clever ways to do away with someone, none of which, alas, worked out for the book. All exaggerations, fictions, and mistakes are, of course, my own.

Id also like to thank Beth Pattillo, who helped pull me out when I got myself stuck in the mud of plot and character. And to Larry, who always reminds me there is a way out, even if I swear there isnt.

T he man gazed down at the body stretched before him. Shed been a pretty thing. A bit scrawny, perhaps, but with the makeup removed and her face in sleeps repose, she had the bare, otherworldly look of an angel.

Then again, he always saw his brides that way. Sisters of Mercy. Chaste, docile, patiently awaiting the intimate piercing that would join them forever.

He stroked her arm, caressing the limb from the shoulder all the way down to the wrist, watching the play of vein and artery below the soft skin. The sight thrilled himas much for its own sake as for what he knew was coming.

He tried to prolong the moment, to control his breathing and the rising excitement. Before hed learned to have power over his impulses, hed squandered the precious fluid. Even now he could wait only a few seconds. Compelled, he found the blue vein still pulsing in her arm, gently, carefully squeezed the needle in, and began the ritual. As the bags filled with the deep claret blood, his heart filled with a fevered, zealous devotion. In that moment, he would have done almost anything for the creature in front of him.

He crooned a soft hymn as he drained her. Brushed the hair back from her pale, pale skin. Sweet child. Sweet, sacred child.

There would always be things in this world that could not be explained. Just as there would always be people who tried to explain them. A bad childhood. A bad set of genes. Gods will. He smiled. Or the Devils.

But the fact was, the most important things had no explanation. Life and death were true mysteries.

But as humans, we werent just empty bottles whipped down the road by the wind. We could take action. We could spurt seed into a fertile womb or steal air from healthy lungs.

In this way we became the myth ourselves. The Creator. The Destroyer. The One Who Acts.

Not because we hate or love, but because we can.

There was no better reason for doing what he did.

Because he could. Like God, the ultimate actor.

Just as it has pleased God throughout the ages to slaughter the innocent, it pleased him to watch the life seep out of his silent sacrifice.

When it was done, and her heart had stopped, he secured her gift in the cooler, dating it carefully.

Then he kissed her serene forehead and her bloodless lips, picked up the blade, and carved out her eyes.

S ome men were born heroes. Mitch Turner wasnt one of them. Heroes, even humble ones, drew the spotlight. And the last thing Mitch wanted was attention.

But when his pickup rumbled over the old wooden bridge that cut the town of Crossroads, Tennessee, in two, the universe had other ideas. So did the eleven-year-old beside him.

Dadwait! Look!

He saw it at the same time. A small form on top of the bridge rail.

Whats she doing? Jules asked.

But it was obvious. He stopped the truck. Wait here.

But

He firmed up the order. Wait here. He dove out the door.

Julia Turner watched the girl on the bridge turn as Mitch raced toward her. For a minute, Julia stopped breathing. Then the air exploded out of her as the girl turned back to the river and did the unthinkable.

Flew into the air.

Julia gripped the dashboard, her mouth hanging open. Then her dad sailed over the rail after her.

Julia yanked off her seat belt and leaped out of the truck. In a heartbeat she was at the railing. There he was, bobbing in the water, turning in every direction. From where she was, Julia had the better view.