Risa turned to hand Nikki her bouquet. Her sister had changed a lot over the past fourteen months, and not in a way Risa would have guessed. The afraid, naïve girl had grown into a chain-smoking party animal, once she’d been released from jail, but Risa doubted that image had anything to do with the real woman underneath.
But Nikki had insisted she was okay, that she needed to live her own life, that Risa needed to live hers. And so Risa had respected that. She couldn’t go from nearly ignoring the girl to controlling her life, after all. That their relationship existed, even though they lived half way across the country from one another, was a miracle in itself.
Risa looked out over Lake Loyal. Nikki’s parole had forced Risa and Trent to put off Chesapeake Bay until their honeymoon and move their wedding to Wisconsin. A sacrifice Risa made gladly.
Sacrifice became her, Trent had teased. But it really wasn’t that. She had everything she’d ever wanted. She would gladly give back from now until the end of time. Especially to those she loved.
Satin and organza, lace and crinoline rustled around her, drowning out the excited beat of her heart. In all the years she’d loved Trent, all the years she’d wanted to marry him, she’d always focused on the romance of their honeymoon or the bliss of their life together. She’d never given a lot of thought to their wedding. But even if she’d spent most of her life planning the details of this day, it couldn’t be more perfect.
And she couldn’t be happier.
Turning back to Trent, she looked into his eyes, which twinkled with the same brilliance as the summer sun reflecting off the lake. He joined his hands with hers.
It hadn’t been easy for them either, at first. They’d spent a lot of time talking, opening up, learning to trust one another all over again. But Trent had been true to his word. He hadn’t shut her out, not once. They’d talked problems through, figured things out together. And even if neither she nor Trent was completely healed yet, they were on their way. To health. And to a wonderful life together.
Risa wasn’t naive enough to believe she wouldn’t carry the scars of what she’d been through. She had only to look down at the thin whitish line that the Sabrina neckline of her wedding gown hid from view to know that recovery—hers, Trent’s and Nikki’s—would be a long road. But they would make it. She wouldn’t let it be any other way.
Ed Dryden had lost the battle. And the war. He was safely behind bars at the Supermax prison, and he would never terrorize innocent women again.
Unfortunately, Gordy Young was serving his own sentence, though not at the Supermax. Authorities had found the money Ed Dryden had paid him for assisting with the escape, money that had come from Farrentina Hamilton. Gordy had donated it to an organization working to end violence against women. Gordy Young was a good man, down deep. But in the end, a victim of his own hatred and need for vengeance.
And speaking of hatred and vengeance, a card had arrived at Risa’s soon-to-be-sold home just yesterday. A generous wedding gift from none other than Detective Dan Cassidy, along with an apology. His behavior toward her had been nothing personal. He’d been angry at the world and determined to catch Dryden.
They’d also received gifts from Detective Mylinski, Special Agent Subera, and Chief Schneider. Schneider was even attending the wedding, tagging along as Oneida Perkins’s plus one, doing his own recovering after his injuries from Ed Dryden’s knife.
She pushed Dryden and the others from her mind. She wasn’t about to waste time thinking about the past on her day. Not when she was marrying the man she loved. The man she had always loved.
“I take you, Risa Madsen, to be my wife,” Trent’s voice lowered, husky with emotion.
A shiver chased over Risa’s skin. Tears obscured her vision. She opened her eyes wide to prevent the drops from winding their way down her cheeks. She couldn’t let herself cry. Her makeup would smear, ruining the pictures. And she wanted the photographer to snap lots of pictures. Because she wanted to remember this moment forever.
“To join with you and to share all that is to come. To give and to receive, to speak and to listen…”
Trent’s voice cut through her thoughts like a laser. His promises to her. His promises for the future. Give and take. Speaking and listening. And she knew that was what their lives would be. That’s what they would make them.
“…to inspire and to respond…”
She watched him through misty eyes. Eyes filled with tears of joy. Tears that washed away the hurt and fear and misery. Tears that refreshed, renewed, reclaimed.
Just as the tears that shone in his.
“…to be loyal to you with my whole life and with all my being, from this time onward.”
Eddie
Eddie reclined on his bunk, hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling as if it was a movie screen.
No, better.
He might be back in the hole, but he only had to close his eyes and he could see everything that had happened in the time he was out.
He could hear the screams.
He could smell the blood.
He could feel the power.
Risa thought she’d hurt him. But she didn’t know about hurt. Not yet. But she would. They all would. The entire fucking world.
Nothing had changed. Not really. The police could throw him back in prison. The court could uselessly tack extra lifetimes to his sentence. And the people outside could shove him out of their minds until they forgot him completely.
But no one could take his fantasies away. His attention to detail. His planning for the future.
Eddie had a good brain. He was a winner. A fucking king. And he had ways of reaching out into the world, of controlling his future.
And when the time was right, he would be back. They could count on it.
SMALL TOWN SECRETS
The smallest towns have the most to hide…
Thank you for reading LETHAL, the first book in the Small Town Secrets series. If you enjoyed the book, please consider writing a review on Amazon.com and Goodreads to let other readers know about the series. Authors are nothing without readers, so if you like the books, please help spread the word!
Small Town Secrets is a series of ten novels. Each a standalone story, they all explore the larger world of Val Ryker, sharing settings and characters that are found in the Val Ryker series. Each novel is a complete story, and the series doesn’t have to be read in any sequence. However, if you prefer reading in chronological order, you can find it here.
To find out about each new Ann Voss Peterson story as they are released, sign up for her newsletter here.
WITNESS
(Small Town Secrets, Book 2)
A Child Witness
When Assistant District Attorney Dillon Hale’s eyewitness to a murder is killed right before trial, he has no choice but to let a killer go free… until he learns the man’s young daughter saw the whole thing.
A Frightened Mom
Jenna Schettler will do anything to protect her daughter from the same fate her ex-husband suffered. That includes keeping her eyewitness testimony secret. When Dillon discovers the killers are after the little girl, he vows to save daughter and mother… even if it means losing his heart to them.
A No-Nonsense Cop
Police detective Val Ryker (Pushed Too Far, Burned Too Hot, Dead Too Soon) recently moved to small town Wisconsin to escape the stress of Chicago. But instead of peace, Val discovers chauvinism, corruption, and a little girl marked for murder. It’s up to Val to find answers, before it’s too late…
A child who saw the unthinkable.
A lawyer determined to uncover the truth.
A mother who will stop at nothing to save her daughter.
A cop who holds the key to it all.
WITNESS by Ann Voss Peterson
Sometimes one hero isn’t enough…
Books by Ann Voss Peterson:
VAL RYKER SERIES
Pushed Too Far
Burned Too Hot
&
nbsp; Dead Too Soon
Buried Too Deep (release date TBA)
Short novels featuring Val Ryker:
Watched Too Long (with J.A. Konrath)
The School
CODENAME: CHANDLER thrillers, by Ann Voss Peterson and J.A. Konrath!
Hit
Exposed
Fix (with F. Paul Wilson)
Naughty
Flee
Spree
Three
Rescue
SMALL TOWN SECRETS (to be released in 2017 and 2018)
The smallest towns have the most to hide…
Lethal
Witness
Forbidden
Kidnapped
Guilty
Stolen
Malice
Captive
Frantic
Vicious
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS (to be released in 2017)
Manhunt
Fugitive
Justice
Short Stories:
Babe On Board (with J.A. Konrath)
Wild Night Is Calling (with J.A. Konrath)
About the Author:
ANN VOSS PETERSON is the author of over thirty novels and has millions of books in print all over the globe. Winner of the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award and a Rita finalist, Ann is known for her adrenaline-fueled thrillers and romantic suspense novels, including the Codename: Chandler spy thrillers she writes with J.A. Konrath and her own thriller series featuring small town Wisconsin police chief Val Ryker.
A creative writing major in college, Ann worked all manner of jobs after graduation, ranging from grooming show horses to washing windows, and now she draws on her wide variety of life experiences to fill her fictional worlds with compelling energy and undeniable emotion.
She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her family and their border collie. Visit Ann at www.AnnVossPeterson.com, and check out the behind-the-scenes research that goes into her books. To hear about new releases and discounted books, and win the occasional prize, sign up to receive Ann’s newsletter and follow her on Facebook.
Copyright:
Lethal
Portions of this novel were previously published under the title Accessory To Marriage.
Copyright © 2002, 2017 by Ann Voss Peterson
Cover and art copyright © 2016 by Carl Graves
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.
February, 2017
Lethal (Small Town Secrets Book 1) Page 21