Raw Edges
RAW
EDGES
A Renegade Justice Thriller
CJ Lyons
Also By CJ Lyons:
Lucy Guardino Thrillers:
SNAKE SKIN
BLOOD STAINED
KILL ZONE
AFTER SHOCK
HARD FALL
BAD BREAK
LAST LIGHT
Hart and Drake Medical Suspense:
NERVES OF STEEL
SLEIGHT OF HAND
FACE TO FACE
EYE OF THE STORM
Shadow Ops Covert Thrillers:
CHASING SHADOWS
LOST IN SHADOWS
EDGE OF SHADOWS
Fatal Insomnia Medical Thrillers:
FAREWELL TO DREAMS
A RAGING DAWN
THE SLEEPLESS STARS
Angels of Mercy Medical Suspense:
LIFELINES
WARNING SIGNS
URGENT CARE
CRITICAL CONDITION
Caitlyn Tierney FBI Thrillers:
BLIND FAITH
BLACK SHEEP
HOLLOW BONES
PRAISE FOR NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER CJ LYONS:
“Everything a great thriller should be—action packed, authentic, and intense.” ~#1
New York Times
bestselling author Lee Child
“A compelling new voice in thriller writing…I love how the characters come alive on every page.” ~
New York Times
bestselling author Jeffery Deaver
“Top Pick! A fascinating and intense thriller.” ~ 4 1/2 stars,
RT Book Reviews
“An intense, emotional thriller…(that) climbs to the edge of intensity.” ~
National Examiner
“A perfect blend of romance and suspense. My kind of read.” ~#
1 New York Times
Bestselling author Sandra Brown
“Highly engaging characters, heart-stopping scenes…one great rollercoaster ride that will not be stopping anytime soon.” ~Bookreporter.com
“
Adrenalin pumping.” ~
The Mystery Gazette
“Riveting.” ~
Publishers Weekly Beyond Her Book
Lyons “is a master within the genre.” ~
Pittsburgh Magazine
“Will leave you breathless and begging for more.” ~Romance Novel TV
“A great fast-paced read….Not to be missed.” ~4 ½ Stars, Book Addict
“
Breathtakingly fast-paced.” ~
Publishers Weekly
“Simply superb…riveting drama…a perfect ten.” ~Romance Reviews Today
“Characters with beating hearts and three dimensions.” ~
Newsday
“A pulse-pounding adrenalin rush!” ~Lisa Gardner
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright 2016, CJ Lyons, LLC, Edgy Reads
Cover art: Toni McGee Causey, stock photo: Dreamstime
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
CJ Lyons and Thrillers with Heart registered Trademarks of
CJ Lyons, LLC
Library of Congress Case # 1-3879054761
EDGES
A Renegade Justice Thriller
CJ Lyons
Note to Readers:
Thanks for joining in on Morgan’s adventures in the Renegade Justice thrillers! This book, RAW EDGES, is a sequel to her first adventure in FIGHT DIRTY, but can be read on its own.
Morgan will be back in 2017 with a new story, ANGELS WEEP, which begins immediately after the ending of RAW EDGES.
(Want to be the first to know when new stories are coming, join us on my Thrillers with Heart mailing list at www.CJLyons.net)
A note to those who are also fans of the Lucy Guardino Thrillers: the Renegade Justice stories take place in the year between Lucy’s adventures in KILL ZONE and AFTER SHOCK.
The complete chronology for those who enjoy reading in order is:
SNAKE SKIN: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #1
BLOOD STAINED: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #2 (Morgan and Jenna are introduced as well as Clinton Caine)
KILL ZONE: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #3 (features Morgan and Jenna; Andre is introduced)
FIGHT DIRTY: Renegade Justice Thrillers, featuring Morgan Ames #1
RAW EDGES: Renegade Justice Thrillers, featuring Morgan Ames #2
ANGELS WEEP: Renegade Justice Thrillers, featuring Morgan Ames #3 (coming 2017)
AFTER SHOCK: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #4
HARD FALL: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #5
BAD BREAK: Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers #6
LAST LIGHT: Beacon Falls Mysteries, featuring Lucy Guardino #1
DEVIL SMOKE: Beacon Falls Mysteries, featuring Lucy Guardino #2
OPEN GRAVE: Beacon Falls Mysteries, featuring Lucy Guardino #3 (releases February, 2017)
If you enjoy Morgan’s adventures and want more, please leave a review!
Thanks for reading,
CJ
PS: Want exclusive content, news of special deals, and chances to win? Sign up for my Thrillers with Heart newsletter
HERE
Chapter 1
DR. NICK CALLAHAN
missed his wife. Yet, as lonely as his empty house was with Lucy and their daughter, Megan, gone to visit his parents in Virginia, Nick was glad Lucy wasn’t there. Now, for the fourth morning in a row, he ate his breakfast, showered, dressed, set the newly installed alarm, and drove to his office, a not-so-discreet unmarked police car trailing close behind.
Nothing like a psychopathic serial killer escaped from prison to help put your priorities in order, he thought as he waved to the guard at the VA’s security desk and used his ID badge to gain access through the two sets of locked doors between the main entrance and his office in the counseling center. Usually he’d be working out of his private office on a Friday, but the police—and Lucy—had convinced him to reschedule his patients to the VA, given its greater security.
It was a bit embarrassing, explaining to his clients why they had to drive to the VA for their sessions, but the majority of his patients were military and law enforcement, and to a one, they had understood. Still, he felt silly. No way in hell would Clinton Caine target Nick. Given the manhunt focused here in the Pittsburgh area and the surrounding western Pennsylvania countryside, Caine would have a lot more to keep him occupied than any thoughts of vengeance on family members of the FBI agent who’d caught him.
Nick smiled as he turned the doorknob to his office. It was a private smile usually reserved for his wife, but of course Lucy wasn’t here to see it. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. She’d caught Caine not once, but twice. The man would have to be a fool to even think of coming after Lucy or targeting her family.
“I need your help,” a woman’s voice greeted him from inside his dark office.
Startled from his private reverie, Nick jumped—and immediately covered it by stumbling to turn the light on, revealing his unexpected guest. Not a woman, a girl.
He knew better than to ask how Morgan Ames had gained access to his supposedly secure office. Morgan had an uncanny ability to be able to go wherever she damned well pleased. Part social engineer extraordinaire, part master hacker, and part cat burglar, the skills served her well when she’d been working with her father, Clinton Caine.
“Is it your father?” Nick asked, dropping his voice until he had the door closed behind him, even though no one else was here yet, not this early on a Friday morning.