He can't keep his distance... Ex-cop Sam Petrie had been warned. He knew that getting involved with the McCloud brothers' affairs would run his life right over a cliff. But one look at the fearless, beautiful young trouble magnet, Svetlana Ardova, the McCloud clan's precious protégé, just drove that sage advice right out of his mind. Now, with his police detective career derailed, he finds that Sveti is putting herself in the crosshairs once again, on a potentially deadly trip to Italy. So he offers himself up as her bodyguard. What could possibly go wrong? She's afraid to be touched... Sveti's trauma runs deep. Rescued by the McClouds and their friends from ruthless organ pirates, her tireless crusade against human trafficking has made her a target for criminal scum around the world, but it doesn't faze her, since she doesn't really fear death. The only thing that does faze her is Sam Petrie. The smoldering hunger in his dark gaze makes her feel vulnerable, naked. Incredibly alive. Then a fresh attack against her sends Sam into hyper-protective mode. In that forced proximity, Sam and Sveti can't resist the blistering heat that flares between them. But now they're moving in on an explosive secret-one that could either redeem them or destroy them...and their lethal opponent will not rest until Sveti is silenced forever...