In Seconds. Brenda Novak

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      Praise for the novels of Brenda Novak

      “I felt a real connection to the characters…

       It was an exciting, intriguing read.”

      —First for Women magazine on Killer Heat

      Novak “builds her characters and plot by adding genuine and

       recognizable feelings—from angst to passion to terror and

       beyond… A great end to a wonderful series.”

      —Suspense Magazine on Killer Heat

      Body Heat “is a definite page-turner.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      “With such a heart-stopping hero and plucky heroine,

       what could I do but give this book a Perfect 10?”

      —Romance Reviews Today on Body Heat

      “Novak expertly blends romantic thrills, suspenseful chills, and

       realistically complicated characters together in a white-knuckle

       read that is certain to keep readers riveted to the last page.”

      —Booklist on Body Heat

      “Brenda Novak has written the best high-action thriller

       of 2010…. From page one I was immediately hooked on this

       fast action plot that was like solving a Chinese puzzle box.”

      —Midwest Book Review on White Heat

      With “distinctive characters and a nail biting plot, Novak’s

       White Heat is flawless and easily a Best of 2010 contender.”

      —Suspense Magazine

      “A fast-paced romantic thriller guaranteed to keep you

       entranced to the climactic end.”

      —Fresh Fiction on White Heat

      “Novak writes gripping romantic thrillers.”

      —Library Journal

      In Seconds

      Brenda Novak

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      To Larry and Gloria Morrill—

       Thank you for opening your home and your hearts.

      Dear Reader,

      Last November, when one of my best friends suggested I go with her to Montana to spend a few days with her parents, I agreed. It wasn’t like me to take the time. I have a family, tight writing deadlines and lots of travel for speaking and conferences. But I’d never been to Montana. I wanted to see it and believed it would be therapeutic to have some “girlfriend” time.

      I flew into Kalispell, which has a tiny but attractive airport, and met Dara there. I was looking forward to a quiet, scenic getaway and that’s exactly what I got. I didn’t realize that in these modern times, places still exist where there’s no cell service for miles, but I have to admit I really like the idea and hope it never changes—it stirs my imagination to think technology hasn’t completely tamed the Wild West.

      We stayed in the Chain of Lakes area, right on Crystal Lake, which was so beautiful (especially in the mornings with the mist coming off the water) it stole my breath. Even better than the scenery was being able to feel like a kid again as Dara’s parents, Larry and Gloria Morrill, took care of us with delicious food, interesting anecdotes about their family history (they now live where they grew up), research help, sightseeing trips and love. I will always remember my stay fondly—and associate that trip with this book. Not only is the story set in a fictional town I’ve placed not far from Happy’s Inn, which is a stone’s throw from their house, I started the manuscript while sitting in one of the bedrooms in their home.

      I’ve posted pictures of Crystal Lake and Libby (where Myles works) on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Brenda-Novak/120794854630624). Please go there if you’d like to see what I saw (and “like” the page). Also, I’d love for you to visit brendanovak.com, where you can sign up for my mailing list, peruse my backlist and future releases and join the many authors, readers and philanthropists who support my annual online auction for diabetes research (my son has this disease). I hold this event at my website May 1 to May 31. So far we’ve raised over $1.4 million and are continuing the fight. Here’s to a cure!

      I hope you enjoy Laurel and Myles’s story!

      Brenda Novak

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Chapter 27

      Chapter 28

      Chapter 29

      Chapter 30

      Epilogue

      1

      Pineview, Montana

      It was the murder that triggered everything. The moment Laurel Hodges—Vivian Stewart as of two years ago—heard about it, everything she’d been through, everything she’d done to escape her past, came rushing back at her. And it happened at a place where she’d felt completely safe only seconds before. She was having highlights put in her hair at Claire’s Salon, which wasn’t much of a salon, just an add-on to her friend’s small home.

      Although Claire had grown up here, Vivian had lived in Pineview only since she’d assumed her most recent identity. She’d chosen this town because it had an extremely low crime rate, it was so far from where she’d been before and it was on the backside of nowhere. She’d never dreamed the people who’d been chasing her for four years would think to look here. And it’d been a long enough stretch of peace and quiet to believe the terrible years were over. She’d left her old self behind, adjusted, established her fledgling purse-design business and begun to live again. She and her two children—Mia, seven, and Jake, nine—were finally starting to belong.

      And now, in the blink of an eye, everything they’d created here felt threatened.

      “What’d you say?” Lifting the hood of the commercial hair dryer, she leaned out so she could hear. The postman, George Grannuto, had just walked through the doors Claire had flung wide so they could enjoy the breezy June morning while she vented the fumes of the hair-coloring chemicals.

      “Pat Stueben’s dead,” he repeated, handing Claire her mail. “He’s been murdered.” His face, drained of its usual ruddy color, made him appear years older than he was. Vivian knew his exact age—fifty-five—because