Don't Look Back: The Detectives Kane and Alton Series

by D.K. Hood

Genres: Mystery; Thrillers; Crime Fiction

Synopsis

Meet the brilliant, whip-smart Jenna Alton, Black Rock Falls’ newest resident. She’s fighting her own demons, but she’ll stop at nothing to put those who hurt the innocent behind bars. An addictive short-read about how she went from an undercover police officer to the town’s most loved Sheriff.

 

He grabs at her hair, pulling hard. She doesn’t scream like he wants her to. She grits her teeth and waits for him to let go. Then she runs harder than she has ever run in her life. The sound of his footsteps behind her, and the certainty of what he will do if he catches her, is all she needs to keep going.

 

Undercover officer Jenna Alton has been with her criminal husband Michael Carlos for four years. Tonight, she brings him down. She sits in her car as the motorised gates slowly open, exposing the imposing mansion behind them. She taps on the steering wheel, faking impatience, taking in every detail of her surroundings: how many guards are on the door, who’s in the house, the exact location of the little girl she is here to save.

 

But as she tries to act normal, pulling the shopping from the trunk, something catches her eye… Her husband stands in the window of their large bedroom watching her every move.

 

She can tell by his stance that he’s suspicious. But Jenna has a job to do.

 

Tonight, as Michael welcomes his closest associates to their secluded home, Jenna will find the kidnapped girl and escape. If Michael has discovered her plans, she’s dead. She takes a deep breath and climbs the stairs…

 

An absolutely unputdownable short crime thriller from USA Today bestselling author D.K. Hood. If you’re a fan of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot, you will love this gripping read.

 

What readers are saying about D.K. Hood:

“Oh my, oh my God… another cracking story!!!… This author really deserves the title of Queen of Suspense… She had chills running down my spine and I just couldn’t stop reading. Incredibly, mind-blowingly brilliant!” B for Bookreview, 5 stars

 

“Fantastic… Totally addictive. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

“An excellent read… Had me captivated the whole way though… wow… took my breath away. All in all, a bloody brilliant book that totally deserves 5 stars.” Bonnie’s Book Talk, 5 stars

 

“Hold on to your hats for the surprise ending!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

“Phenomenal… had my heart threatening to burst out of my chest.” NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

“Whew!… Thanks for the twist…

Release date: February 8, 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

Print pages: 350

Sample

PROLOGUE

Darkness surrounded Sheriff Jenna Alton as she pressed her back against the cold brick wall. Heart pounding, she reached for her weapon to find nothing at her side, no Glock, no flashlight or phone. Empty pockets lay flat and the thin material was no barrier to the cold seeping into her flesh. Heart hammering, she edged along the alleyway. The stink of garbage from the overflowing dumpsters caught in her throat like sour milk. Terror claimed her, closing her airways and making it hard to breathe, but she must move on. Legs heavy, she dragged them, step by step to the dumpster, and climbing onto an upturned trash can, peered inside. A young girl, eyes fixed in death, her neck a bloody smile, lay tossed out with the garbage. Horrified, Jenna jumped down and pressed her fist to her mouth to contain the threatening sob. She would be next if she didn’t get to safety. Keeping to the shadows, she reached the end of the alleyway, and peered at the empty blacktop. Stores lined the road and their glass façades stared back at her like the unforgiving blackened sockets in a skull.

Grasping at the moss-covered red brick wall, she edged forward. Ahead, shadows crept toward her. The black fingers seemed to grow longer and more threatening with each step. The unfamiliar straight road vanished into a thick mist. Nothing seemed right. Where was she? What was this place? She had to keep moving. An obvious threat loomed like an entity menacing her in the darkness. Close by, running footsteps echoed down the sidewalk. They were coming for her and she couldn’t suck in enough air to breathe, let alone run. She glanced down at her sticky hands and gasped at the blood dripping from her fingers. What had happened?

One thing was for sure, she had to run. Lifting her knees, she made it across the blacktop. Gunshots rang out. Bullets slammed into the wall beside her head, sending slithers of brick deep into her tender flesh. Running past the storefronts, she turned to see a figure soaked in blood. She swallowed hard. The reflection in the window wasn’t her. Blonde hair framed a once familiar face and panic gripped her. This couldn’t be happening. The face staring back at her was the woman she’d left behind a lifetime ago: DEA Agent Avril Parker.

Jenna screamed and her throat unclogged. The next moment, someone had her by the arms, shaking her. She screamed again. It was her time to die.

“Jenna. Open your eyes.”

The familiar voice dragged her from the horror. She blinked, immediately recognizing the person beside her. Her close friend and second in command, Deputy David Kane. “Dave?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed her arms. “You had another nightmare.” He glanced at the clock. “It’s almost five. I’ll make coffee. Was it the same dream again?”

Jenna pushed her raven hair from her face and nodded. “Yeah. I need to see a shrink. I’m losing my mind.”

“You know that’s not an option.” Kane stood and stretched. “I figure it’s time to tell me the truth about what happened during your last assignment. What exactly made the US Marshals change your face and hide you here in plain sight? Once you have it off your chest, the nightmares will end or I’ll be in the dream with you, and you know darn well I’ll never allow anything to happen to you.”

Jenna chewed on her fingers and then nodded. She trusted him implicitly. “Okay, but this is going to take some time, and you’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”

 

ONE

FOUR YEARS AGO

Carlos Vineyard, California

DEA Agent Avril Parker flattened her back against the wall and peeked around the corner of the building. Ahead, almost hidden in the shadows, guards patrolled the area with M4A1 Carbines. It seemed overkill for the protection of a shipment of wine. After overhearing a fragment of conversation about tightening security and hearing trucks arriving in the middle of the night over the last three days, she’d decided to find out what was happening. It might be the breakthrough she’d been waiting for, the evidence she needed to take down the cartel. Heart pounding, she pulled her woolen cap down tight to conceal her blonde hair and dropped to crawl through the bushes. This building was used for storing barrels of wine and was an unusual place for the pickup of a consignment. Carlos Winery sold its wine in bottles and the secrecy surrounding the blending of the fine wines made the idea of selling barrels of the precious aged nectar ludicrous. As the doors slid open, she pressed her binoculars to her eyes and blinked in astonishment as, beyond the rows of stacked casks, a wall slid back to display a brightly lit room filled with people wearing hazmat suits and working on stainless steel benches.

Her attention went to the trays of a glistening ice-like substance, recognizing it at once as crystal meth. Workers moved plastic bags filled with the drug from the table to a line of barrels. Once packed, they sealed the barrels and marked them on the side using a special stencil. As they filled each barrel, it was loaded onto a truck. It was the proof she needed. She raised her camera and zoomed in. The high-resolution images could be enlarged without distortion but getting closer to take pictures of the main players would seal the deal. At this angle, all the men in suits had their backs to her and she dashed across open ground to the next building. Panting more with fear than overexertion, she hit the ground and rolled onto her belly. The camera clicked, taking the shots she needed, but if anyone looked her way, they’d discover her.

As one truck left, another rumbled up and backed slowly to the entrance. The headlights swept the area, including her hiding place. She flattened against the damp earth, too frightened to breathe. Being married to Michael Carlos meant nothing to her safety. He and his father, Viktor, were ruthless and unforgiving. If they found her spying on them, there’d be no mercy. The lights moved again as the truck backed closer to the entrance and shadows bathed her.

Voices and desperate pleas came from inside the building, the sound coming to her as crystal clear as if from an amphitheater. Accusations of theft of the product and threats of the consequences. There would be no mercy for this man. She lifted her head as two men dragged a beaten man from inside and tossed him at the feet of her husband. Trembling in horror, she held the camera to her eye and kept taking photographs. The way Michael spoke to the man and then spat on him terrified her. It was the voice of a psychopath, unfeeling and brutal. Panic gripped her as Michael calmly pulled out a pistol, twirled a suppressor onto the muzzle, and calmly shot the man in the head. Not one person reacted, as if blowing out a man’s brains was common practice. After a short discussion, his henchmen dragged the body across the lawn and tossed it into a pit right outside the bottling plant. The cement trucks were due at six the next morning to fill the foundation of a pergola to be erected for visitors to enjoy on wine-tasting tours. Teeth chattering with shock, Avril froze as one of the workers, hosed down the area, washing away all traces of blood. Men seemingly oblivious to the murder right in front of them worked swiftly using forklifts to lift barrels tied to pallets onto the truck. The guards and Michael constantly scanned the grounds as if they knew she lay watching them.

As ants crawled over her, Avril remained motionless until the truck moved again, laden with casks, hiding millions of dollars’ worth of drugs on their way to the street hustlers. She rolled over and stared at the stars, trying to process the enormity of what she’d seen. It had been her mission to uncover Carlos’s operation, and she’d hit the jackpot. It had been so well hidden for so many years and, having the winery, the business offices, and residences encapsulated inside a restricted estate, it was as secure as Fort Knox. The fenced vineyards extended over the surrounding picturesque hills, and the grapevines had workers tending them year-round with loving care, but the mysteries surrounding vintner Viktor Carlos’s secret blend, including the buildings containing the massive stainless steel vats, the specially treated oak barrels, and the extensive cellars holding thousands of bottles of wine, were kept as secure as gold.

During her time at the winery, she’d watched and listened for any hint of the drug business, but no one ever mentioned a word. Ready to give up and be evacuated from the mission, she’d overheard Michael mention the word shift in relation to the workers. She’d not been aware of any shift workers and made sure to watch the staff coming and going a little closer. Where the extent of the workforce had been working hadn’t been an issue until now. In her job arranging winery tours and dinners for the guests, she had access to the computer system. In the files, she’d found less than half the workforce she’d seen arriving each morning on the books and decided to follow up. She swallowed hard. Luck must have been on her side to stumble over a meth lab on the way to Michael’s office.

The end to the mission loomed ahead of her like a guiding light. It had been tough, fighting through the suffering of Michael’s constant abuse, all the time acting the doting wife. He treated her like property and enjoyed making her suffer. ...