This is the first book in the Stand and Protect series, followed by Nico's Guilt and Spy Play. Detective Luke Manning falls in love with one of his material witnesses, Shannon Murphy, while hunting a serial killer. The perpetrator leaves a trail of bodies along the way, while perfecting the art of murder, saving Shannon for his final masterpiece. 

Stand and Protect synopsis: As a child, feisty little Shannon Murphy was forced to shoot a deranged man at her school, with the gun of a dead police man, in order to save the life of her best friend, Jill. The resulting trauma and media coverage eventually transforms her into a shy young woman, who is prone to panic attacks. She changes her name and moves from New York to Texas in a desperate attempt to run from her past. Shannon takes a job as a leasing agent at a luxury apartment community, where staff and residents are horrified by the murder of a beautiful young woman who lived there.

Detective Luke Manning goes undercover in an attempt to solve case. The last thing he expected was to start falling for one of the material witnesses, causing animosity among the girls in the office of the Sherwood Village community. The jealousy and tension may be one of the reasons no one realizes the maniac is hiding among them in plain sight. 

As the body count continues to grow, so do the sparks between Luke and Shannon, which further infuriate the deranged perpetrator. Luke and his partner, detective Nico Tribiani, soon uncover clues that suggest Shannon may be the killer’s ultimate target. What they don’t know is the secret of Shannon’s past.