Trust is fragile, forgiveness harder still. But love? Love might be the one thing strong enough to finish the mission they never got to complete.

 

Brodhi Kane once trusted Marnee with everything—his heart, his future, and most of all, the military working dog he called family.

But when a fire ripped through the base kennel, killing his partner and exposing a theft of narcotics from the veterinary clinic, everything changed. Marnee vanished, accused of the unthinkable, leaving Brodhi to grieve betrayal and loss in equal measure.

 

Seven years later, Brodhi has traded combat zones for mountain rescues, training search and rescue dogs and their handlers with Nighthawk SAR. He’s buried the past—or so he thought—until a local community fundraiser brings him face to face with Marnee…alive, unrepentant, and standing next to a six-year-old girl with eyes that look a hell of a lot like his.

 

Marnee never wanted to disappear, but after witnessing a brutal crime tied to a powerful enemy, she had no choice. Forced into witness protection, she sacrificed everything—including Brodhi—to protect the child she carried. Now that the danger has passed, she's trying to build a new life by running an animal sanctuary and saving broken creatures—herself included.

 

But when the truth finally comes out, and the enemies she once fled come back for blood, Brodhi and Marnee are forced to confront the lies, secrets, and heartbreak of their past, and work together to survive. Trust won’t come easy. Forgiveness even harder. But some bonds—like those forged in fire, loss, and love—just won’t stay buried.

 

This time, Brodhi’s not letting her go.