Only the Hunter

Some obsessions protect. Some destroy. The hardest part is knowing which is which.

I've spent years keeping Evie Thompson exactly where she belongs — at a distance. She's Scott's little sister. Five years younger. The one woman I've never let myself want out loud. I've watched her build a career chasing the worst of humanity through federal courts, checked in on her through her brother more times than I'd ever admit, and told myself that's enough.

It's not enough.

When Scott raises the alarm and KOAN sends me to assess the threat against her, I'm ready for the job. What I'm not ready for is Evie — sharper than ever, running a buried human trafficking investigation off the books, and fully aware of my surveillance within twenty-four hours. She doesn't just catch me. She confronts me.

And something I've held in check for years stops cooperating.

Now I'm not watching from a distance. I'm in her space, her investigation, her orbit — and every day makes it harder to remember why I ever stayed away. She's relentless, brilliant, and infuriating, and the way she looks at me when she thinks I'm not paying attention has rewritten every rule I made for myself.

But the threat is real and escalating. Whoever buried her case has reach that moves inside federal agencies. Her witness is dead. The sabotage is getting bolder.

I will dismantle anyone who comes for her.

The problem is Evie doesn't want protecting. She wants a partner.

Giving her what she actually wants might cost me every wall I've ever built.

Only the Hunter is the fifth Sinful State novel. Return to the world of KOAN — where the line between protecting someone and wanting them has always been the most dangerous place to stand.