Clutch & Shift (Burnout #2)

AmaraI’m the daughter of a well-respected St. Louis detective.Everyone saw me as just his kid, and when he died, I was pitied.I left St. Louis to heal from the pain the city brought me, but two years ago, I came back and joined the SLPD as a detective, my father’s shadow looming over me.On my first night back in town, I made a lust-filled mistake, one that would haunt me forever.Now, I’m investigating a string of kidnappings. I know in my gut they’re somehow connected to Oasis, the city’s street racing hub run by three ruthless men—including Leon Torrance, the bane of my existence.Leon is beautiful, but he’s covered in sins that even a priest would run from. He has warned me to stay away, but I can’t get myself to listen.When the mayor’s son-in-law is brutally murdered, my eyes are on Oasis.My chief told me to forget about the kidnappings, to find the killer instead, but that’s not how I’m wired. I’m not going to stop until I find those kids.The last thing I expected was Leon Torrance offering me help.An ex-con and a detective working together? Sounds like a fairytale.Except we both know this won’t have a happy ending.LeonI’m a man with a dark past—that’s no secret.In fact, it’s tattooed on my face, a reminder of the deal I made to get my freedom.That was ages ago, and I should be over it, but how can I be over it when that’s all the nosy detective sees when she looks at me? I’m not a man to her–no, I’m a criminal.There isn’t much history between us–just a night in the shadows filled with pleasure. It should mean nothing to me–to her.I thought I could forget her, and it would be a lot easier if she’d stop poking around Oasis.There’s already too much going on, and we didn’t need Amara Harrison’s shiny badge getting in the way.For weeks, she’s been snooping around Oasis, and when the mayor’s son-in-law is found brutally murdered, she wants to dig deeper.We–I–can’t let her do that. If she finds out about the Bratva, about how we keep things running, Oasis will be lost–and it’s my fucking home.I’ve just gotten my family back, and once the Bratva is taken care of, we can finally rest easy.Detective Harrison is a thorn in my fucking side—a stunning, determined thorn that needs to be plucked.When I show up at her door, warning her to stay away, though, I see something in her eyes I can’t turn away from. Instead of intimidating her, I offer to help, in exchange for leaving Oasis alone.There’s only one problem: I can’t forget how fucking good she felt in my arms.