Jamie Craig

Hotshot defense attorney James Scott always follows his gut -- even when it tells him an obviously guilty man is a victim himself. Homicide detective Owen Duke doesn't have time for gut feelings -- he lives by logic and evidence. And all the evidence tells him that Scott's client is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a young ballerina.<br><br>Scott, a notorious media darling, is willing to risk his reputation and his career on the kid's innocence. But his undeniable charm is not enough to save his client's life. He needs Owen Duke, a man who stands for truth and justice, even if the detective hates Scott and his gut feelings.<br><br>What's supposed to be an open-and-shut case quickly becomes a quagmire of lies, murder, and rotting corruption. Suddenly, instead of being a thorn in Duke's side, James Scott is the only person in San Francisco the detective can trust. As the attraction between them deepens, they race to save an innocent man, but can they save their own hearts in the process?

Pas de Deux

“And you have Metcalf to thank for alerting us to which room you were in.”


“How do we know Finch was even the one who found us?”


Duke zeroed in on the ruddy face of the lone dissident. Abbott. Almost as bad as Metcalf, though in different ways. Abbott was the one always looking for the angles, ready to cover his own ass at the first sign of trouble. He’d hoped putting them on the same team would force Metcalf to play smarter or risk Abbott’s wrath, but apparently, that strategy hadn’t worked.


“Because I said so,” he replied. More than one set of eyes lowered at his unblinking gaze. Duke maintained the silence for a few seconds longer to drive his point home. “Now, clean up and get out. I expect full reports on everything that happened today in my email by the end of day Friday.”


Chapter 3