New York Times Bestselling Author

Chapter One
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Jen Williams stared up at the ceiling. She didn’t want to get up. Wanted to lie in bed all day. The last month had been hell, and she didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

Oh, she was sure to put on a happy face when she wasn’t alone in her apartment, but the truth was…she was struggling.

Growing up, she’d been bullied because of her alopecia. Kids were brutal, making fun of her thinning hair and, when it had mostly fallen out, the wigs she wore. They laughed at her lack of eyebrows, and called her names like Baldzilla, Patchy McPatcherson, and sometimes even accused her of being a skinhead. She’d known that last one was an insult even if, at the time, she didn’t understand what a skinhead was.

Her insecurities had followed her into adulthood, but she’d done her best to lose herself in her work. As a teenager, she’d discovered the joy of working with animals because they weren’t judgmental in the least. She’d volunteered at an animal shelter and decided then and there to get some sort of job where she could work with dogs.

And she had.

She was a search and rescue expert. She and her black lab, Fred, had been extremely successful at finding those who’d ended up lost. And in the last year, she’d even somehow found a group of friends who were fun to be around and, more importantly, accepted her as she was, lack of hair and all.

Unfortunately, one of the reasons Jen had recently thought she’d fallen for Nolan Colins—who she’d known as Asher—was because all those new friends were now in love…and she wanted the same for herself.

So when the first guy in ages had shown her the smallest amount of interest, she’d thrown herself into the relationship head first, without taking the time to note all the red flags.

Things like how he always had an excuse to not meet her friends, and he never invited her to his place. He seemed happy for Jen to talk about herself and her life, but rarely reciprocated. She’d even thought he was a gentleman for not pushing her to have sex, or even to make out.

But it had all been bullshit. Nolan had only been feigning interest in Jen to keep tabs on one of her friends, Kara.

In reality, he was a freaking serial killer, pissed that Kara had escaped him months before.

Once his mask was off, and he’d used Jen to trick Kara and get her back into his clutches, he’d told Jen exactly what he thought of her. And it was like being back in grade school, having people who she’d thought were her friends turn on her all over again. Except worse.

So much worse.

Every word he’d said about her still echoed in her head, even all these weeks later. She couldn’t shake them. Every time she left her apartment and someone looked at her, she imagined they were thinking all the nasty things Nolan had spewed.

Freak.

Disgusting.

Unlovable.

She had no idea how to get the voices to stop. She had a therapist she met with twice a week online, but that wasn’t helping. The woman was nice, and Jen liked her, but she had no idea what it felt like to be in her shoes.

And the guilt Jen still experienced over being the catalyst for Kara getting re-kidnapped by the man who’d hurt her so badly, who’d tried to kill her—and had almost succeeded—was overwhelming.

Kara had forgiven her. Had told her in no uncertain terms that what happened wasn’t her fault, but that didn’t change the way Jen felt.

It was her fault.

Instead of telling Nolan to fuck off and accepting her fate, she’d done as he’d ordered and called Kara, picked her up, and hand-delivered her into the hands of a killer.

Fred whined at her feet, and Jen’s gut tightened. The only reason she was still muddling through each day was because of her beloved lab. The day Nolan kidnapped Kara, he’d also cruelly kicked Fred and left him in the middle of the wilderness. But her smart-as-hell dog had found his way home, where he was found by one of her friends. The vet assured her that he had no lasting physical injuries.

Jen should’ve paid attention to the fact that Fred had never liked Nolan. She wouldn’t dismiss his feelings in the future, that was for sure. If her dog didn’t like someone, Jen would keep her distance.

“You hungry, boy?” she asked quietly, getting an enthusiastic tail wag in return.

Yeah. The only reason Jen hadn’t done something completely drastic…like take the entire bottle of painkillers tucked away in her bathroom…was her dog. What would happen to Fred if she was gone?

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Most of the physical wounds she’d suffered a month ago were healed. She’d have scars on her knees and hands from crawling over rocks and debris through the woods to the main road to get help, but it was the mental wounds that didn’t seem as if they’d ever fade.

She felt Fred shift on the bed and then his tongue swept across her cheek. Smiling slightly, Jen opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. “We don’t need a guy, right, boy? We’re good exactly how we are.”

In response, Fred licked her again.

Sighing, knowing she had to get up no matter how much she wanted to stay hidden from the world, Jen threw back the covers and swung her legs off the side of the bed. It was time to put on the mask she wore pretty much everywhere now. Pretend she wasn’t spiraling, that she wasn’t depressed, that everything was fine.

Except it was getting harder and harder to keep that mask in place when her friends seemed determined to make sure she was all right. Penny lived just down the hall, and more often than not she opened her door to say good morning when Jen passed by with Fred after taking him out for his morning constitutional. She had a feeling Penny’s daughter, Bowie, heard Fred’s tags tinkling on his collar, and she let her mom know. The little girl was blind, and her other senses had become extra sharp as a result, enough that Jen could never sneak by their door.

This morning was no different. Except it wasn’t Penny who opened the door to her apartment, it was her husband, Pyro.

Jen blinked in surprise. She tried hard to avoid any of the Night Stalkers…the hotshot helicopter pilots Penny and all the rest of her friends were in love with. Because being around the team was…painful. Not because they were bad guys, or because she was afraid of them.

But because of Roman.

She didn’t like to admit it, but one of the reasons she’d jumped into a relationship with Nolan so fast was because of Roman “Edge” Aldrich.

He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man…but he didn’t seem even remotely interested in her. Which hurt more than she could express. So Nolan’s charming words and attention had been like a balm to her aching heart.

Now, seeing Pyro and the other pilots brought back not only the memories of what happened to Kara because of her, but also the painful indifference of the man she’d been enamored with since the moment they’d met.

“Morning,” Pyro said softly.

“Hey.”

“You good?”

Jen wanted to snap that no, of course she wasn’t good. She was a fucking mess. But as always, she put a fake smile on her face and nodded. “Yup.”

“Heard about the find you and Fred had earlier this week. That missing hiker…impressive.”

“Thanks.” Jen wanted him to skip to the point. He didn’t stop her for idle chitchat. And she wanted to get this over with, so she could return to her apartment and hide out once more.

“You’ve been avoiding Edge.”

Even hearing his name made yearning spread throughout Jen’s body. But she ruthlessly pushed it down. “I’ve been busy.”

“Bullshit.”

She winced.

“Look, I know you and Fred are in high demand, but you’ve still got time to reassure your friends that you’re okay. We’re all worried about you. And you’ve been responding to Penny’s texts—and I’m assuming the others’, as well—with one-word answers.”

Jen stared at him, not sure what he wanted her to say. He wasn’t wrong. But it took too much mental energy to try to have a conversation via text with her friends. She’d been letting their calls go to voicemail, as well.

“Can I be blunt?”

No. She didn’t want him to be blunt. She just wanted to go back to her apartment, lock the door behind her, and shut out the world. It was safer to be by herself. Easier. Less painful to not have to worry about anyone else.

But she shrugged. He was going to say what he wanted to say whether she agreed or not.

“Edge’s ex-wife is a total bitch. Always has been. When they were married, she wanted to be in charge of his life, nothing he did was ever good enough, and she couldn’t stand that the Army had such a big hold on him. She wanted him to quit, actually. Wanted him to get some nine-to-five office job. Which would’ve killed him in less than a year. He would’ve hated it, as all of us would. He was born to fly. He’s a damn good pilot.

“But he also believed in the sanctity of marriage. He did everything in his power to give Trinity what she wanted and needed. But in the end, thank God, he realized pretty quickly she was never going to change. That he’d never be the kind of man she needed or wanted. So he divorced her—and she fought him every step of the way. Even now, with the divorce behind him for over three years, she’s still harassing him. That’s why he hasn’t dated anyone, Jen. Instead, he’s put all his energy into flying.”

Jen stared at Pyro as she soaked in every word he was telling her. She knew Roman had an ex, and that she wasn’t nice, but she’d had no idea things were as bad as Pyro was insinuating.

“Edge staying with you in the hospital twenty-four seven after you were found…that seemed to flip a switch in Trinity. As bad as she was before? She’s even worse now. She hasn’t moved on, claims she still wants Edge. But he wants nothing to do with her.

“The point is—he was protecting you, Jen. That’s why he never asked you out. Why he still hasn’t. Because he knows that bringing any attention to you would be a bad idea with his crazy ex still in the picture. But that doesn’t mean he’s not worried about you. That he doesn’t ask about you every single day…if I’ve seen you, how you look, if you’ve been eating, how Fred’s doing.

“So, I’m asking as a friend—please return his messages. Please talk to him. He’s lost weight. Can’t focus at work. He’s sick with worry over you. That Trinity will somehow get to you. But most importantly, he’s worried about how you’re coping with everything that happened. We all are. But we didn’t sit next to your bedside for two days straight, holding your hand, talking to you. Only Edge did that.”

Something subtle sparked inside Jen. Anger toward Roman’s ex for sure, but there was also a bit of…

Hope?

She wasn’t sure. But for the first time in weeks, she definitely felt something other than anxiety and the overwhelming guilt that had been weighing on her so heavily.

“I’m sure Fred is hungry, so I’ll let you go. But tonight, we’re all going to Anchor Point for dinner after work. We’re meeting around quarter to six or so. We’ll save you a seat…just in case.”

With that, Pyro nodded at her, then backed into his apartment and closed the door.

Fred pulled her down the hall toward their door, and Jen followed, deep in thought. Once inside, she scooped out Fred’s food and leaned against the kitchen counter, staring sightlessly into space as he ate his breakfast.

She barely remembered her hospital stay…but one thing she did remember was the sound of Roman’s voice. It was a constant in her head. She didn’t understand the words at the time, but just knowing he was there had kept her from flying into a million pieces. And when she’d been discharged, he’d brought her home, and even stayed at her apartment that first night, hovering, making sure she felt safe, that she was all right.

But she was still afraid to believe his vigil at the hospital, and the fact he continued to check on her, was anything more than obligation on his part. After all, the other guys all had girlfriends or wives. It would’ve been weird for any of them to stay at the hospital, or to check on her all the time.

Hearing Pyro say that Roman wasn’t doing well, however, that he was struggling with his own issues…that made Jen worry about something other than herself for the first time in a month. And she was ashamed that she’d been so self-absorbed. True, she’d been through something awful. But so had Kara. And all her other friends. And none of them had sunk into a pit of despair the way Jen had.

Then again, they all had amazing men at their sides to help them cope.

Jen had no one.

She sighed, realizing that wasn’t exactly true. She’d blocked out the very people who could help her the most. Who could relate to what she’d gone through and knew what she was feeling. At least some of it.

Thinking of everything Pyro had said, and everything her friends had suffered in the last year…Jen suddenly felt ashamed of the person she’d allowed herself to become. All the crippling feelings were still there, and likely would be for a long time…but she was alive.

Maybe she was ugly. Maybe she wasn’t a woman anyone wanted to be with intimately, but at thirty-two years old, she’d gotten this far in life all on her own. So why not the next sixty years? She didn’t need a partner. Being single didn’t mean she was somehow “less than” anyone else. It gave her more freedom in a lot of ways, really.

Realizing she needed to figure out how to move on with her life, to not let the feelings of inadequacy and guilt and despair pull her down any further than they already had, Jen made a decision. She’d go to Anchor Point tonight. Make an effort to see her friends a bit more. She wanted to know how Laryn was doing with her pregnancy. She was due soon, and Jen really did want to meet the babies. She wanted to have more girls’ nights with the ladies. Wanted to be there to support them when their men were deployed.

But most of all…she wanted to help Roman in some way. He might not want to be in a relationship with anyone, but she still hated hearing how awful his ex was being, even after all this time. She had no idea if there was anything she could do, but if at all possible, she wanted to repay Roman for his kindness. For being there for her when she was in the hospital.

For the first time in days, Jen realized that making the decision to meet up with everyone tonight made her feel…lighter. She was still uneasy about being in public, but she’d make herself go anyway. Because her friends had been nothing but supportive. It was time she stopped making everything about herself and made an effort to rejoin the world of the living.

Starting with her own apartment.

Looking around, Jen winced at the amount of dirty dishes, then thought of the mound of soiled laundry piled up in her room. Her therapist had been encouraging her for a while now to get back into her old routines…including keeping her home clean and uncluttered.

Taking a deep breath, Jen walked over to the sink and turned on the water.

Baby steps. She could do this.

Well aware that if tonight went wrong, she’d end up back in bed, thinking about that bottle of pills once more, Jen was even more determined to get back to the woman she once was. Before her world had been ripped out from under her.

But what she was mostly thinking about was Roman. How she could help him. What might get his ex to back off. Because three years was a damn long time to put up with bullying. Jen knew that better than most—and Roman Aldrich was too good of a man to have to deal with that shit.

He stayed away to protect her… now he’s done letting her face the world alone.

After months of pining for a man who didn’t want her back, Jennifer Williams, vulnerable and lonely, fell victim to a predator. Now, having barely survived his vicious attack, the search-and-rescue expert has mostly healed…physically. Mentally and emotionally, she still suffers, hiding from a brutal world that’s mistreated her since childhood because of her alopecia. So if she’s not working, she’s in her apartment, her only company her beloved search dog. Avoiding all calls from her friends…and especially from Roman, the handsome pilot she’s always wanted but can never have.

Army Night Stalker Roman “Edge” Aldrich has wanted Jennifer from the moment they met. And he stuffed those feelings down deep, because with an obsessed ex-wife making his life hell, Jen was safer far, far away from him…or so he’d thought. Instead, his inaction left her vulnerable to a killer. Now the brave, beautiful woman is suffering, and Edge is done letting his ex dictate his actions. He’s going after what he wants—Jen. He’ll prove that her condition doesn’t stop her from being the most stunning woman he’s ever known, inside and out.

But if either of them think his ex is going away without a fight, they’re wrong. If she can’t have Edge for her own? Then she’ll do anything to take him down—literally and permanently.

**Keeping Jennifer is the 6th and final book in the Rescue Angels Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

Keeping Jennifer

Nov 10, 2026