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  PRAISE FOR KAREN ROSE’S PREVIOUS NOVELS

  I CAN SEE YOU

  “Spine-tingling… Rose keeps the action popping.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Top Pick! A top-notch and diabolically clever suspense tale and a tender love story to boot. Definitely one for your keeper shelf!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A terrific whodunit… a great poignant work… Karen Rose is gaining a well-deserved reputation for great romantic suspense thrillers; her latest winner, I Can See You, is a super Minneapolis police procedural that also showcases the double-edged sword of online communities.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A hair-raising climax. For romantic-suspense fans who don’t mind some edge, or thriller fans.”

  —Booklist

  “Compelling… if you like creepy, gripping mysteries, romantic leading men, and brainy leading ladies, you will enjoy I Can See You.”

  — Examiner.com

  “Skin-shivering suspense and a poignant passion between two vulnerable people combine in this lethally good read.”

  —BookPage

  “I loved it! Read it! Races into overdrive… with many fascinating twists and turns, and I couldn’t put it down… A great read, and a complex love story between two people who should be bitter but have decided to take the risk to trust, as the scars that bind Eve and Noah also heal them.”

  — TheReviewBroads.com

  “Complex, chilling, and intense romantic suspense… Rose’s greatest strength has always been her astute gift at getting into the heart and soul of her characters. Eve and Noah rank among her best… Rose is equally meticulous about getting into the head of her antagonists.”

  — BookLoons.com

  “Will chill you to the bone… With deeply drawn characters and a twisted plot, I Can See You will snare you in its clutches, leaving you breathless and eager for more. The suspense sizzles. It builds and builds until you think you might come apart at the seams before the climax crashes down around you. Karen Rose is probably the best romantic suspense author in existence, and she proves it once again with the unpredictable and unsettling I Can See You.”

  — NightsAndWeekends.com

  KILL FOR ME

  “Rose juggles a large cast, a huge body count, and a complex plot with terrifying ease.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Gritty and thrilling… A page-turner from the get-go.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Stupendous… an exhilarating thriller… filled with action from the onset and never slows down.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  SCREAM FOR ME

  “Intense, complex, and unforgettable.”

  —James Patterson

  “Cold chills, hot thrills, and characters that come alive… Rose is a master of romantic suspense.”

  —Allison Brennan, author of Killing Fear

  “Blistering, high-octane suspense that never lets up.”

  —Karen Robards, New York Times bestselling author

  “Strong and sexy… truly frightening.”

  —BookPage

  “Memorable… page-turning.”

  —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

  “Mesmerizing. Fabulous suspense. Masterful writing.”

  —Betina Krahn, New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage Test

  “4½ Stars! Terrifying… Rose is a force to be reckoned with!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A first-rate, top-tier thriller… loudly announces that there could well be a new thriller sheriff in town.”

  —Lorenzo Carcaterra, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepers

  COUNT TO TEN

  “Takes off like a house afire… There’s action and chills galore in this nonstop thriller.”

  —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author

  “Rose cranks up the heat in more ways than one… Emotional subplots, engaging characters, and a string of red herrings will keep readers hooked.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  YOU CAN’T HIDE

  “This novel is, in a word, riveting.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “An immensely enjoyable read… that will have the reader glued to the pages from beginning to end.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “[Karen Rose] is the queen of murder and suspense… just terrific!”

  — RomanceReviewsMag.com

  NOTHING TO FEAR

  “A pulse-pounding tale that has it all: suspense, action, and a very hunky private investigator.”

  —Cosmopolitan

  “4½ Stars! Top pick!… Filled with heart-stopping suspense and graphic terror… In the pantheon of horrific killers, [this one] surely ranks near the top.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A tense, chilling suspense.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Sets pulses pounding and pages turning.”

  —BookPage

  “Riveting… A caring women’s advocate heroine, a determined, gritty hero, and a diabolical villain drive the plot of Rose’s riveting story.”

  —Library Journal

  I’M WATCHING YOU

  “TOP PICK! Terrifying and gritty.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “The suspense unfolds right up to the last page.”

  —Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

  “Action-packed… a thrilling police procedural romance.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “It’s perfect… Love the characters, loved the side stories. It doesn’t get any better than this!”

  —Romantic Review

  HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

  “Heart-racing thrills… showcases her growing talent… readers will… rush to the novel’s thrilling conclusion.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Terrifying and gripping.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  DON’T TELL

  “As gripping as a cold hand on the back of one’s neck… and tempered by lovable characters and a moving romance.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A definite page-turner that never lets up until the last page.”

  — RomRevToday.com

  ALSO BY KAREN ROSE

  Don’t Tell

  Have You Seen Her?

  I’m Watching You

  Nothing to Fear

  You Can’t Hide

  Count to Ten

  Die for Me

  Scream for Me

  Kill for Me

  I Can See You

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2010 by Karen Rose Hafer

  Excerpt from I Can See You copyright © 2009 by Karen Rose Hafer

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Grand Central Publishing

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

  www.twitter.com/grandcentralpub

  Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  First eBook Edition: June 2010

  ISBN: 978-0-446-56357-4

  To Martin, my heart.

  To Lt. Kate Czaja a
nd firefighters everywhere.

  Thank you for your courage and sacrifice.

  To Karen Kosztolnyik. Thank you.

  Contents

  Praise For Karen Rose’s Previous Novels

  Also by Karen Rose

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  About the Author

  A Preview of I Can See You

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Acknowledgments

  Lt. Kate Czaja and Fire Station 2, Charlotte County Fire and EMS, for allowing me to visit your firehouse and for answering my firefighter questions. You guys rock.

  Katrina Gibson, for her help on firefighting in cold climates.

  Ginny Czaja, for putting in a good word for me with her delightful daughter Kate.

  Julia Roper, for assistance with Latin phrases. Gratias tibi ago.

  Beth Miller and Rita Grindle, for their insight into the Jewish faith.

  Sonie Lasker, for her help with the fight scenes.

  Marc Conterato, for all things medical.

  Danny Agan, for answering all my law enforcement protocol questions.

  Robin Rue, for everything.

  Kay Conterato, Terri Bolyard, and Jean Mason for all your support.

  Cheryl Wilson and Betina Krahn for your insight and patience as I plotted this book.

  As always, all mistakes are my own.

  Prologue

  Minneapolis, Minnesota, Monday, September 20, 12:00 a.m.

  They’d shown up. He had to admit he was surprised. He didn’t think they’d had the cojones, especially the girl. Of all of them, he hadn’t thought she’d follow through.

  Four college kids, all dressed in black. Four college kids with way too much time. Two of them with way too much of their daddy’s money. If all went according to plan, a great deal of their daddy’s money would soon belong to him.

  It was rule number one of his world—if people didn’t want to be blackmailed, they shouldn’t do bad things. Rule number two—if they did bad things, they should be smart enough not to get caught. The four college kids weren’t very smart.

  From the cover of the trees the condo developer had taken such pains to preserve, he watched the four approach, while he filmed every step they took. Their faces were plainly visible in the moonlight, and although he’d bet their daddy’s money they believed they were being stealthy, they moved with enough noise to wake the dead.

  “Wait.” One of the four stopped. His name was Joel, and of the three young men, he had been the most enthusiastic proponent of their plan. “Let’s think this through.”

  Interesting. Conflict always added a little excitement. Unseen, he kept filming.

  “No waiting,” the girl said. Her name was Mary, and she was a bitch. “We agreed. All of us, Joel. This condo has got to go. We have to send a message.”

  “She’s right.” This from Eric, the so-called brains of the group. As if. “This is our one chance to make a difference to these wetlands. If we do nothing, this whole lake will be nothing but condos.” He turned to the large brute standing behind him. “The guard will be doing his outside sweep in two minutes. He’ll exit the building from the service door in the back. You know what to do. Come on, people. Let’s roll.”

  The brute was Albert, pronounced without the t. French Canadian, he was at the university on a hockey scholarship. Right wing. Hell of a checker. Albert set off around the building, obediently. His research had revealed that Albert had been quite the juvenile delinquent, back in the day. He was quite certain Albert would know exactly what to do.

  The show was about to begin. Hurry, he told himself, taking his second camera from his pack. This was his stationary camera and was attached to a small tripod which he stuck into the soft ground, positioning the lens just in time to capture Mary, Eric, and Joel entering a stairwell door on the east side of the condo.

  The door had been propped open with a rock, probably by a construction worker who’d wanted to save a little time and effort. The best security system in the world could be neutralized by lazy workers. Apparently the College Four had done their homework and knew exactly which door would be open. Kudos to them.

  Leaving his stationary camera running, he moved the way Albert had gone, arriving just as the guard exited, right on schedule. Five seconds later the guard lay unconscious on the ground. A satisfied Albert slid a small club back into his pocket.

  All caught on my tape. Albert’s family was dirt poor, so there was no money now, but there was a good chance that Albert would someday have an NHL salary ending in lots of zeroes. I can wait. Eric and Joel both had daddies rich enough to fill his bank accounts for now. As for Mary’s daddy… some paybacks didn’t require a dollar sign.

  Some paybacks are personal.

  Within another minute, Mary emerged from the side entrance and joined Albert. Both stared up at the windows, waiting.

  He waited with them, from a safe distance away. He saw the first wisps of smoke rise in the upper floors. Mary threw her fist in the air with a whispered, “Yes.”

  Minutes later there was lots of smoke, on every floor. But the side door had not opened again. Mary took a step forward, the triumph on her face turned to concern, but Albert stopped her, his beefy hand closing around her arm.

  “They’re still inside,” she said, yanking at her arm. “Let me go.”

  Albert shook his head. “Give them another minute.”

  And then the door burst open, both Eric and Joel gasping for breath. Mary and Albert ran to the wheezing boys, pulling them away from the building.

  “Goddamn idiot,” Eric snarled, jerking in huge breaths. “You nearly got us killed.”

  Joel fell to his knees, spasms of coughing shaking his body. He looked up, his eyes terrified, desperate. “She’ll die.”

  Mary and Albert shared shocked looks. “Who will die?” Albert asked carefully.

  Joel scrambled to his feet. “A girl. She’s trapped. We have to get her out.” He started to run. “Dammit,” he cried when Eric and Albert dragged him back. “Let me go.”

  Mary grabbed Joel’s face. “There’s somebody in there?” She flashed a panicked glare at Eric. “You said nobody would be in there. You said it was safe.”

  “Nobody’s supposed to be in there,” Eric gritted through clenched teeth. “Joel didn’t see anything. Let’s go before somebody sees the smoke and calls 911.”

  “She’s in there,” Joel insisted, hysterical now. “I saw her. Look!”

  As a group they looked up and he followed suit, pointing his lens upward as a collective gasp rose from the group. In that moment, he saw her, too. A girl, her fists banging on the window that had been designed to provide a view of the lake, not an escape. She was young, a teenager maybe, her mouth opened on a terrified cry they could not hear. Her fists pounded weakly now, her face pressed to the glass. Then her hands flattened against the window as she slid from their sight.

  Joel gave a final, desperate yank. “She’s going to die. Don’t you care? Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Let me go. I’ve got to get her out.”

&n
bsp; Mary grabbed his hair. “Stop it. You go back in there and you’ll both be dead.”

  Joel was sobbing now. “Then call 911. Please. Dammit, please.”

  “Listen to me,” Mary said, her voice low and urgent. “If we call 911, we all go to prison. Prison, Joel. That’s not going to happen. Stop this, right now.”

  But Joel wasn’t listening. He thrashed, trying to escape their grip like a man possessed. Behind his head, Eric gave Albert a grim nod. Albert pulled the club from his pocket and a second later Joel collapsed, just as the guard had done.

  “Let’s go,” Eric said tersely and he and Albert picked Joel up and carried him through the woods to where their car was parked.

  Mary gave a final look back, up at the now-empty window. “Shit,” she hissed, then turned and ran, passing the struggling boys to pull at the chain-link fence they’d cut on their way in. “Hurry. Shove him through.”

  Well. He lowered his camera, watching as the taillights from their car disappeared. That had been a lot more exciting than he’d thought it would be. A simple arson would have been good for years of blackmailing fun. But murder trumped arson and just about anything else. He had several clients who would agree to that.

  He quickly packed his two cameras and the tripod. Smoke was billowing into the sky and he heard the pop of glass as windows began to burst. The authorities would soon be here. And I will be long gone. Hefting his backpack, he jogged around the building to the lake side where he’d left his boat tied to the dock.

  “You there. Stop.” It was a thin, ragged cry, but he heard it. Spinning around, he found himself face-to-face with the security guard, who staggered forward, dazed. Blood oozed from the open wound on his head. Albert hadn’t hit him hard enough. The man held his radio in one bloody hand, a gun in the other. “Stop or I’ll shoot. I will.”

  Not today, Pops. Calmly he drew his own gun and fired. The guard’s mouth fell open in shock. He dropped to his knees, then collapsed for the second time that night.

  “Shoulda stayed down, Pops,” he muttered. He ran to his boat and dropped his pack inside. With a quiet roar, the motor engaged. Quickly he pulled off the ski mask he wore. If anyone saw him now he could claim he’d seen the smoke and was coming to help, versus trying to flee. But nobody saw him. Nobody ever did.