Excerpt: 'Minutes to Kill' by Melinda Leigh

Melinda Leigh shares an excerpt from her new release, Minutes to Kill, book two in her Scarlet Falls series.

About the book (courtesy of Montlake Romance):

After corporate attorney Hannah Barrett tries—and fails—to stop a kidnapping in Vegas, she can't shake the haunting image of the terrified young girl she couldn't save. She tells herself that a visit to her hometown in Scarlet Falls could be a welcome distraction. But soon, Hannah realizes the kidnappers have all the info they need to track her every move. And when chilling e-mails about the victim appear in her inbox, it's frighteningly clear what happened in Vegas has followed her home.

Eight months after a terrible family tragedy, Hannah turns to Detective Brody McNamara once again. Brody is eager to help, though he's embroiled in the investigation of a brutal murder. But the closer they work together, the stronger their feelings grow…and the more they stand to lose when two seemingly unrelated, but equally deadly, cases collide.

Melinda sets the scene for us …

Melinda: While on a business trip to Las Vegas, corporate attorney Hannah Barrett tries and fails to stop the kidnapping of a young woman. Hannah is haunted by the memory. She returns to her hometown to recuperate from a concussion sustained in the attack. But going home awakens difficult memories and emotions that Hannah has been avoiding most of her life. When she receives e-mails that appear to be from the victim, she turns to Detective Brody McNamara, the cop who handled her brother's murder eight months before. Brody is also the one man who just might tempt Hannah to make peace with her past.

EXCERPT

"Tell me why you slept with your gun." Brody covered her hand with his. For a few seconds, the contact was good, solid, and grounding. His touch tempted her to return the intimate gesture. Then the weight of his hand grew heavier and heavier until she felt trapped. Brody was a good man, but she was not staying in Scarlet Falls.

She pulled her hand out from under his, got up, and moved across the floor to refill her mug. Distance. She needed a larger personal boundary. Ten feet of kitchen wasn't enough. Brody waited, his features steady with patient determination.

"I received another e-mail."

Brody's body went rigid. "When?"

"Late yesterday. Same message."

"And you're just telling me now?"

"I forwarded it to the detective in Vegas. Untraceable, just like the first one." Hannah's control slipped. "I can't get that girl's face out of my head. She needed help, and I failed her."

Brody was on his feet and in front of her in two strides. He took her by the arms. "You can't take responsibility. You tried to help her, at great risk to your own safety. Most people would have run the other way."

"Maybe if I'd have run away, I could have gotten help."

"No." He gave her a light shake. "You can't go back and second guess your decision. At the time, you made the call based on the information you had in front of you. That's all anyone can be expected to do. It's too easy to question your actions with the benefit of hindsight." His face went grim. Clearly, Brody had his own demons. "Besides, you just said it two minutes ago. You had no options. You couldn't toss her to her assailant and run for it."

"I didn't have time to think. I just reacted." Hannah met his eyes. "The end result is the same. He dragged that poor girl away, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it."

"Hannah, you did your best."

"It wasn't good enough." Hannah pulled out of his grip and turned away. She went to the window and stared out into the yard. Two robins hopped across the back lawn. One shoved its beak into the damp grass and ripped a worm from the turf. Its body flailed until the bird ate it in two gulps. A shudder rippled from Hannah's torso to her bare feet. The pretty scene faded, and she pictured Jewel being yanked from the rental car, her arms pinwheeling, small fists landing useless blows on her attacker's shoulders, the girl's terror palpable even to a stunned Hannah.

She rubbed her arms. "Do you think those e-mails are really from her? That she's reaching out for help?" If she was, her time was running out.

"Why would she contact you and not the police?"

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense." Hannah covered her mouth with a fist. "But it feels like I'm letting her down all over again."

"Do you do this all the time?"

"Do what?" She glanced over her shoulder.

Brody's arms were crossed over his chest, and his gaze had sharpened. "Not allow yourself to be human. Try to shoulder the weight of things that aren't your fault."

She turned back to the yard. The robin moved on, its hunger not sated by one slender earthworm. Predators never stopped hunting.

"Some things are out of your control." The harsh edge to Brody's voice made her want to ask him what terrible event from his past had been out of his control. Who or what had put the pain in his eyes?

"I know that. Doesn't mean I have to like it." There would be more girls at risk, Hannah knew, all because she hadn't seen that SUV coming.

Find out more about Melinda Leigh and her books at melindaleighauthor.com.