Alex Aaro should have known better than to get embroiled in the McCloud crowd's wild adventures. He knew damn well it was a surefire way to get his life blown all to hell. Never let down your guard... Alex Aaro keeps the world at arm's length. It's the only way to protect himself from the Arbatovs, his dangerous Mafiya family. He ran away when he was sixteen, but when he learns that his Aunt Tonya, the only family member he ever trusted, is dying, he has to see her one last time. Things are tough enough without his friend Bruno Ranieri calling, demanding that he help some woman friend of Bruno's wife who's gotten her sorry ass into trouble. Being in Brooklyn already, he happens to be closest, lucky him. Aaro didn't expect her to be so damn pretty. But he's not surprised by the violence that engulfs them as soon as he finds her. That's just how life goes for him. The sting of a needle... Nina Christie is terrified when Helga, an old family friend shows up outside the battered woman's shelter where she works, babbling in Ukrainian, and sticks Nina with a needle full of God knows what. Then Helga collapses, giving Nina no explanation. Suddenly a ruthless crime syndicate is trying to destroy her, and all that stands in their way is the grim, inscrutable Alex Aaro, that tall, rock-hard, flint-eyed, stunningly gorgeous slab of manhood who makes her heart race and her breath catch. There's no time for any of that, with their enemies hard on their heels...but Aaro and Nina can't resist the scorching desire that flares between them, even as they scramble to solve the puzzle and outmaneuver their pursuers before it's too late... Praise for the Novels of Shannon McKenna... "Edgy, erotic, and breathtaking." -New York Times bestselling author, Maya Banks "An erotic romance in a suspense vehicle on overdrive...sizzles!" -Romantic Times "McKenna expertly stokes the fires of romantic tension." -Publishers Weekly