To save the woman he loves he has to let a killer walk free. Annabelle Englewood's life is crumbling around her. Her entire family is slaughtered, she's accused of committing the crime, and the detective working the case is making her feel things she doesn't want to feel and challenging her belief that she is unworthy of being loved. Her fears are intense, as is the compulsion to push everyone away, and if she can't break their hold then she won't just end up alone but dead. Detective Xavier Montague knows better than to get involved with a woman in a case he's working. Especially one who is so emotionally vulnerable. And yet, against his better judgment, he's drawn to Annabelle, but this forbidden attraction will force him to confront the darkest time in his life. If he can't let go of the past and finally look to the future then he will leave the woman he's falling for alone and vulnerable to a violent psychopath. ** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **