One thing I knew for sure: murder was a messy business.

I made a few career-ending decisions as a Special Agent with Homeland Security. My days with the Secret Service were behind me, a legacy mired in controversy that I wore like shrapnel. Someone decided to step on it when I stuck my neck out to help a single mother locate her wayward teenage daughter. Caught between justice and doing what's right, I go with my gut — and it might get me killed.

When an old friend called to tell me her parents were dead, someone murdered a sitting U.S. District Court Judge and her husband, little did I know I'd get caught up in the nightmare. Now, I'm in over my head, digging too deep into the dark and seedy background of the D.C. Metro area. Someone wants me dead. Someone's already tried to kill me. And I got to show for my hard work was a lot of bruises, a few cracked ribs, and a concussion. I'm too close to the murders, too caught up to know when I've stepped over the line.

Calling in favors comes with costs. I'm under the gun, and burning bridges with people I thought were my friends. It turns out the only people to count on are sometimes strangers. I know I'm getting close. Finding the murderer might get me arrested, or it could get me killed. Secrets were never part of the Secret Service, and I'm not afraid to find the truth even if justice is broken.