Allison Brennan - Kiss Me, Kill Me

Praise for Love Me to Death

A world-class nail-biter Brennan is in the groove with this one.

New York Times bestselling author L EE C HILD

This pulse-ratcheting romantic suspense from Brennan delivers intense action, multifaceted characters, and a truly creepy bad guy. [A] fast-paced, engrossing read.

Publishers Weekly

Twists and turns in this dark drama make it creepy and compelling in the extreme!

RT Book Reviews (starred)

Praise for Original Sin

Brennan shows a deft command of all things both normal and otherworldly in crafting one of the best tales of its kind since Dean Koontz and Stephen King were still writing about monsters. There is no shortage of those here and the result is a new genre classic.

The Providence Journal

Praise for Fatal Secrets

A master of suspense, Brennan does another outstanding job uniting horrifying action, procedural drama and the birth of a romancea prime example of why shes tops in the genre.

Top Pick, RT Book Reviews

A fast-paced, action-packed romantic suspense.

Romance Junkies

Praise for Sudden Death

Brennan knows how to deliver.

New York Times bestselling author L ISA G ARDNER

This very satisfying read presents loads of action that keeps the pages flyingand makes one wonder how much is pure fiction and how much of it could really happen.

BookLoons

Praise for Tempting Evil

Tempting Evil is an old-fashioned potboiler in all the right ways, chock-full of tried and true hallmarks of the genre.

The Providence Journal

B Y A LLISON B RENNAN

Kiss Me, Kill Me
Love Me to Death

Original Sin
Carnal Sin

Sudden Death
Fatal Secrets
Cutting Edge
Killing Fear
Tempting Evil
Playing Dead
Speak No Evil
See No Evil
Fear No Evil
The Prey
The Hunt
The Kill

Kiss Me, Kill Me is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Ballantine Books Mass Market Original

Copyright 2011 by Allison Brennan
Excerpt from If I Should Die copyright 2011 by Allison Brennan

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B ALLANTINE and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

This book contains an excerpt from If I Should Die by Allison Brennan. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

eISBN: 978-0-345-52547-5

www.ballantinebooks.com

Cover design: Scott Biel
Cover photo: Andreas Kuehn/Stone/Getty Images

v3.1

For Toni McGee Causey

Thank you for your unconditional love,
support, and friendship,
above and beyond the call of duty

Writers write in a vacuum, spending hundreds of hours writing (and rewriting) that we sometimes forget that after the book is done, there are many people involved in making that book the best it can be. Editors, the art department, sales team, marketing team, copy department, production, and more. I particularly want to thank, as always, my editorial teamCharlotte Herscher and Dana Isaacson. I am so blessed to have you both.

Other amazing people at Random House: Kate Collins, Scott Shannon, Gina Wachtel, Kelli Fillingim, and the production team. And Linda Marrow, who bought my first book for Ballantine. Without her continuing support, this sixteenth novel wouldnt exist today.

My agent, Dan Conaway, who must have been a diplomat in a previous life, deserves much credit for his support and advice.

One of the best things about being a writer, other than the love of writing, is talking to experts across the country about their passion while learning in the process. I particularly want to thank Nathan Kensinger, photographer and journalist, for his amazing online photojournal. I spent many hours reading articles and viewing pictures, enhancing my love of New York City. Nathan also answered numerous questions about the many abandoned buildings and warehouses around the city. I took some liberties with his information. If youre interested in some of my inspiration, visit his website at: kensinger.blogspot.com.

A special thanks to Diane Lind for her wealth of information regarding tracking cell phones and identifying phone numbers. Also Wally Lind and his group of experts at Crime Scene Writers for answering numerous and odd questions about decomposition, missing persons, and jurisdiction. Any errors are mine alone.

The Sacramento FBI Citizens Academy, which has been a continuing source of information and inspiration for many of my books, deserves a shout-out, particularly retired SAC Drew Parenti and media representative Steve Dupre, who always found time for my questions. I also want to thank the FBI Training Academy at Quantico for the time and information they shared during my tour in 2009. I hope to return later this year for further research.

A warm thank-you to Kirsten Benton, who won the use of her name in this book at the Helping Hands for Hank fund-raiser. The real Kirsten is nothing like the fictional character; only the name is the same!

And lastly, my family. My husband, Dan, for keeping the house functioning, bringing me Starbucks in the morning, and adjusting to my intense writing schedule. My mom for her attempts to keep me organized and being my number one fan and promoter. And my kids, for putting up with my deadlines and the haphazard meals that go with them. I am so proud of you all, and I love you.

I also want to thank Teena Maness for her help with parole and probation issues in this book and the previous book!

The deafening music thundered through the warehouse, drowning out the howling wind outside and the raucous crowd that had gathered in this desolate spot in Brooklyn after midnight.

Any other night, Kirsten would be going wild on the dance floor until she collapsed from exhaustion or was whisked away by an unknown guy for anonymous sex that left her feeling both exhilarated and ashamed. For months, shed lived for these weekends, complete freedom, the chance to be someone else, but tonight she just wanted to go home.

What home? You dont belong anywhere.

The pounding music made her feel sicker than what she was drinking. She knew better than to drink from the bar, but shed been so thirsty, and she needed something to take the edge off. Shed built up a tolerance for most of the drugs that flowed with the spiked punch, and she always brought her own water. Maybe it was her nerves, or the fact that Jessie had sounded so strange, that set Kirsten on edge. She wasnt even supposed to be here this weekend, but Jessie had begged her to come. And where was she, anyway?