When Shay Britton came to North Carolina, she had one goal: stay alive. For two years, she went about her life, keeping her head down and her contacts with people to a minimum as she hid from a stalker. Then Jake Maxwell walked into the bar where she worked and upended everything. Jake knew the moment he met Shay something was wrong. As a cop, he’d learned to spot someone hiding things. Her downcast eyes and twitchy behavior tell him she has some deep, dark secrets hiding in her pretty head. He tries to get her to open up, but she avoids him at every turn, until events out of her control force her hand. What he learns boils his blood and sets flame to a fierce desire to protect this woman at all costs, so they can build a life together. Backs against the wall, he convinces her it’s time to fight for her life, so she can live again. But what will it cost them?