Read an Excerpt From Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Taylor Lee

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She’s a go-it-alone detective. He’s a psychiatrist and FBI profiler. A serial killer brings them together. In more ways than one.

Tyra Stone is the lead Major Crimes’ detective in the city’s busy police department. Beautiful, brash and a declared loner, cooperation isn’t part of her vocabulary. When four young girls go missing, Tyra is convinced their cases are linked. The discovery of the brutally murdered body of one of the girl’s convinces her that the others will soon be found.

Deacon Walsh, has more degrees than any one man should. A former special ops physician, psychiatrist and now FBI profiler, the stunning Black agent has spent a year tracking the serial killer of four Colorado girls. When the trail goes cold, a brutal murder of an Albuquerque girl with all the marks of his victims, convinces Deacon his killer is responsible.

Mathis Cross, the Albuquerque police commissioner, and Deacon’s former special ops buddy, as well as the police chief, are eager to have the consummate agent take over the case. The only person who is decidedly not eager is the lead detective. When her chief puts the interloper in charge of their combined cases, Tyra is determined not to concede.

Unfortunately, in addition to being brilliant, Deacon is also charming. And to Tyra’s dismay, as accomplished a lover as he is an agent.

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is the second standalone book in The Olive or Twist Saga steamy romantic suspense series. If you like smart characters, tough-talking cops, and scorching passion, then you'll love Taylor Lee’s sizzling thrill-ride.

Buy Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door to get hot under the collar today!

Excerpt:

 

“You are not going to believe this!”

Tyra frowned at her best friend, Gracie D’Amico, now Mayor D’Amico and in private life, Mrs. Mathis Cross. She’d tried to excuse herself from the “girl gab,” pleading a hideous headache and fatigue. But Gracie had been adamant that they simply had to meet because she had huge news. What Tyra hadn’t said to Gracie and Zoe Hamilton, Albuquerque’s most beautiful ADA and the third member of their inseparable trio, was that she was consumed with grief. She’d spent most of the day dealing with the crime scene. After she’d documented her findings and sent them to the chief, she’d made a private visit to the morgue. Even though she’d examined the body at the site, she had to see what the ME had discovered.

Dr. Rapson had been kind. “C’mon, Tyra. I’ve had her for less than an hour and haven’t begun to examine her. Look, I know what you are like, Detective, and this has to be a challenging crime. From my initial synopsis, it’s as vicious an assault as I’ve seen in all of my years. That said, I’m going to be frank. You look like hell, young lady. Not that I blame you. But knowing how personally you take your victims, I want you to get some rest. She’ll be here in the morning and by then I’ll have preliminary findings.”

Tyra knew the medical examiner was right. If she looked half as bad as she felt, home and the neck and shoulders of a bottle of Glenfiddich were her destination. Until she received Gracie’s all-caps text indicating that she simply had to join them at the Olive or Twist. At that point, she knew there was no way she could blow off the command appearance. In fact, she decided maybe her better angels were stepping in. A little company wouldn’t hurt. Particularly since her best friends would understand if she was quieter than usual. Not taking any chances and being the first of her trio to appear, she appealed to Oliver to make her the strongest martini on record and do it fast.

“Oh good, you’re here, Tyra, and you’ve already started. Here comes Zoe. Give us a chance to order our drinks and then I will tell you my truly amazing news.” After Oliver ensured that they were all served, promising Tyra he’d be back with a refill whenever she was ready, Gracie turned to them. “First of all, thank you for coming, but I truly do have news. And it affects you, Tyra. It has to do with the González girl, whose body you found yesterday.”

Tyra was certain her frown was apparent when Gracie reached for her hand. “Honey, please understand, if anyone knows how torn up you about the horrible things that were done to that young girl, it is Zoe and me. That’s why I think my news might help you.”

“Enough mystery, Gracie. Frankly, I can’t imagine anything that has happened that might be considered ‘good news,’ but please tell me.”

“It’s quite serendipitous. Mathis came to my office today ecstatic. One of his Delta Force buddies dropped in on him seemingly out of the blue but for a very specific reason. Mathis hadn’t seen Deacon Walsh, make that Agent Deacon Walsh, for nearly six years.” Taking a sip of her martini, then apparently seeing Tyra’s deepening frown, she quickly added, “Agent Walsh came to Albuquerque because he is interested in your case.”

“What do you mean in my case? More to the point, interested how?”

Clearly taken aback at Tyra’s sharp response, Gracie struggled to explain. “Honey, I know how frantic you have been about the González girl and how devastated you are that she was so brutally assaulted. But apparently Agent Walsh thinks that she might be linked to a rash of serial killings that he has been investigating in Colorado.”

Not able to hide her shock, Tyra gasped, then rose to her feet. Placing her hands on the table, she faced her startled friend. “How? What . . . I don’t understand. What could some asshole Fibbie—from another state no less—know about my case? And why the hell am I finding out about this interloper from you, Gracie?”

For the first time Gracie looked concerned. “Oh my goodness, I hope I’m not speaking out of turn. I assumed the chief had tried to reach you because he was meeting with Mathis and Agent Walsh late today.”

Remembering that she’d received a couple of “get your ass over here” texts from her boss, Tyra forced herself to be less antagonistic. “Uh, yeah . . . the chief did try to reach me, but I told him I was beat and would check in later tonight. Then you insisted that I come here . . . ”

“Tyra, please know how sorry I am. I never should have gotten in the middle of this. It’s just that wait until you see this guy. He is beyond beautiful.” Meeting Tyra’s angry scowl but seeing Zoe’s clear interest, Gracie plunged ahead. Swallowing hard, she quizzed them. “Okay, tell me who is the most gorgeous black actor in the world today?”

“Shemar Moore?” Zoe ventured. “Or maybe Idris Alba? Denzel Washington?”

“Yes, yes, and yes. But have you ever seen Boris Kodjoe?”

“The Australian-Ghana dude from Soul Food and Grey’s Anatomy?”

“Yes, that’s the one!”

Tyra couldn’t keep from asking, “You mean this Fibbie agent looks like that? Shemar Moore or Kodjoe? He’s . . . black?”

Gracie glanced across the bar, then a huge smile lit her face. Blowing out a relieved sigh, she was enthusiastic. “See that tall, dark, gorgeous hunk of a man coming in the door with Mathis and Chief Drake? That, girlfriends, is none other than Agent Deacon Walsh!”