They’ve been warned to stay away,
But they won’t be deterred that easily.
To halt construction of a casino on Yaqui land, ranger Jolene Nighthawk plants damning evidence. But she’s caught by her ex Sam Cross, a Border Patrol agent with his own interest in the land…and Jolene. There may be bodies beneath the desert, victims of a murderous cartel. As Jolene and Sam investigate, they find that theirs may be the next bodies hidden in the Arizona sand.
“You’re going to use the discovery of the bones to launch an investigation into that construction area as a possible burial site for those missing people.”
“Exactly.” He shook out his uniform shirt and hung it on the back of a kitchen chair. “It won’t carry the same weight as a sacred site, but it will definitely cause delays in the construction.”
“Does that mean you’re not going to tell anyone that I dropped those bones there?”
“Why should I? The interruption you caused will give me some time to poke around that land. Then when forensics discovers the bones are...whatever they are, I’ll have another reason to halt the project. Maybe I’ll make a similar discovery in Paradiso as we did south of San Diego.” He put his finger to his lips. “And you won’t tell anyone about my plans, either, right?”
“My lips are sealed.”
He stuck out his hand. “Then we have a deal.”
“Deal.” She curled her hand around his, her smooth flesh sending tingles up his arm.
BURIED SECRETS
Carol Ericson
Carol Ericson is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than forty books. She has an eerie fascination for true-crime stories, a love of film noir and a weakness for reality TV, all of which fuel her imagination to create her own tales of murder, mayhem and mystery. To find out more about Carol and her current projects, please visit her website at www.carolericson.com, “where romance flirts with danger.”
Books by Carol Ericson
Harlequin Intrigue
Holding the Line
Evasive Action
Chain of Custody
Unraveling Jane Doe
Buried Secrets
Red, White and Built: Delta Force Deliverance
Enemy Infiltration
Undercover Accomplice
Code Conspiracy
Red, White and Built: Pumped Up
Delta Force Defender
Delta Force Daddy
Delta Force Die Hard
Red, White and Built
Locked, Loaded and SEALed
Alpha Bravo SEAL
Bullseye: SEAL
Point Blank SEAL
Secured by the SEAL
Bulletproof SEAL
Her Alibi
Harlequin Intrigue Noir
Toxic
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Jolene Nighthawk—A member of the Yaqui tribe, Jolene wants to halt construction of a casino on Yaqui land in the desert. Her father was murdered on that land and she wants answers. But when her former lover shows up looking for answers of his own, he throws her plans and her heart into turmoil.
Sam Cross—He’s a Border Patrol agent on a mission to discover the burial ground of some missing people—and to win back the love of his life, Jolene Nighthawk, but he soon discovers that his two goals are intertwined and accomplishing one might lose him the other.
Wade Nighthawk—Jolene’s cousin is a mover and shaker within the Yaqui tribe, but when his self-interests trump the interests of the tribe, it results in murder.
Melody Nighthawk—Wade’s sister may have some personal challenges, but that doesn’t stop her from discovering secrets about the casino’s construction...secrets that put her life in danger.
Tucker Bishop—He winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time and pays with his life.
El Gringo Viejo—This notorious drug supplier has been identified and is on the run...or is he?
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Excerpt from Last Stand Sheriff by Tyler Anne Snell
Chapter One
The dark clouds barreled over the Catalina Mountains, and the skies opened. The rain pelted the highway, steam rising from the scorched asphalt. The first monsoon of the season had hit the Sonoran Desert with a vengeance, gleefully dousing the hot, thirsty landscape.
Jolene slammed on the brakes of her truck, her back wheels fishtailing for a few seconds. She pounded one hand on the steering wheel and shouted. “Learn to drive!”
She couldn’t risk getting into an accident right now, not with her cargo. Her cell phone rang from the console, and she glanced down at the display showing her cousin’s name before answering and switching to speaker.
“Hey, Wade. What’s up?”
“It’s Gran.”
“Gran, if you’re just going to keep borrowing Wade’s phone, why not let me get you one of your own?”
“I don’t know why I just can’t get my old phone back.” Gran clicked her tongue. “This is not progress.”
Jolene twisted her lips. “Landline phones were discontinued on the reservation, Gran. They figured everyone had a cell phone.”
“They figured wrong.” She coughed.
“Are you still congested?”
“It’s nothing. I called to find out when you were coming over. Wade told me you left town for a few days.”
Her pulse picked up speed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Does something always have to be wrong? I just wanted to visit with one of my favorite granddaughters. Where did you go?”
Jolene took a sip of water from the bottle in her cup holder. “I was in... Phoenix, visiting friends.”
“Rain’s rolling in.” Gran sighed. “I felt it in my bones two days ago.”
“It’s already hit up here, confounding all the drivers from out of state. I’m just south of Tucson, so it’s following me down to Paradiso.” She cranked on her defroster. “It’s going to be a good soaking.”
“Well, you keep track of those weather patterns more than I do.” Gran sniffed and said something to someone in the background—probably Jolene’s cousin Wade. “There have been a few changes in town since you left.”
Jolene rolled her eyes. Gran loved to gossip. “In two days? I doubt that, Gran.”
“You know that young Border Patrol agent, Rob Valdez?”
“Pretty face, pumped-up arms? Yeah, I know Rob.”
“He’s off the market.”
“What market would that be, Gran?” Jolene clamped her mouth closed against the laugh bubbling against her lips. She knew exactly which market Gran meant.
Gran huffed out a breath. “The marriage market, Jolene. He and some young woman left on an extended vacation together.”
“A vacation? You’re kidding. That seals his fate right there. He might as well attach
