She never expected her hero to be the bad boy from her past... . Or at least, Smith Sanders always believed Madelyn Lake hated him. But when the city plunges into darkness and he finds himself trapped in an elevator with the prim and ever-so-reserved Madelyn, he realizes that hate and desire can be twined dangerously close together. The simmering tension that has existed between them since they were sixteen years old explodes in a sensual frenzy that sweeps past their control. Power returns. So does sanity. They go their separate ways except...he can't get her out of his head. Madelyn is haunting him, and Smith already has more than enough ghosts dodging his steps. But he goes back to her, helpless against a desire that won't end, just in time to save her from a vicious attack. Madelyn's whole life has been a lie. A carefully orchestrated cover to protect her from the monster in her past. Only now that monster has found her once more. Protection from the past comes in a most unlikely form-the ever so sarcastic and far too sexy Smith. Former Special Ops, Smith is vicious, deadly, and, quite possibly, the answer to her prayers. Madelyn is ready to stop the killer who has taken so much from her, but she can't do it alone. She needs Smith's help-Smith and the Ice Breakers, a diverse group of hunters who excel at solving cold cases. Madelyn has spent years pretending to be someone else, and Smith is her key to finally ending her nightmare. But ending that nightmare means returning to her blood-soaked past, fighting an enemy who thrives in the dark, and putting all of her faith in Smith's callused hands. Her faith, and her heart. Because with every moment that passes, she finds herself starting to fall deeper and deeper for her unlikely hero...The bad boy from her youth is now the vicious protector who swears he will do to keep her safe.