The Perfect Witness - Katie Mettner (HI #2203 - Mar 2024)

Series: Secure One (Book 2)
 
She's the key to the whole case.
All he has to do is keep her alive to testify.
 
Protecting the key witness in a high-profile trial is security expert Cal Newfellow's top priority. But keeping Marlise alive becomes a test of courage and will when they're attacked and forced into hiding. Battered but not broken, Marlise also has a mission: to put a dangerous criminal behind bars forever. That means trusting a man battling his own demons. The man sworn to help her heal…and survive.
 
Terrific continuation of the Secure One series. This book picks up about eighteen months after Going Rogue in Red Rye County. The Madame and her husband are about to go on trial, and Marlise and Mina are the key witnesses. Because the Madame's second in command, the Miss, is still on the loose, Cal and Roman take extreme measures to keep the women safe. The story begins with a rush as they are attacked on the way to their court appearance. The intensity is off the charts as Cal and Marlise race to escape their determined pursuers.
 
With the trial on a two-week pause because of the attack, Marlise, Cal, and the others are determined to find the Miss and capture her. Marlise and Mina will never be safe unless they do. I was glued to the pages as the team from Secure One threw everything they had into their search. I could feel their frustration at the lack of usable information and their hope when Marlise confessed to having some evidence - if only she could retrieve it. That hope gets a boost with the arrival of another one of the women from Red Rye and the information she brings with her. The tension ramped up as they closed in on the Miss's identity and location, and desperation led to a risky plan. The final confrontation kept me glued to the pages as Marlise and Mina faced their worst nightmare. The ending was terrific, with an unexpected twist in the epilogue.
 
I loved watching the development of Cal and Marlise's relationship. Cal was protective of Marlise from the moment they rescued her, and that hasn't changed since then. He isn't just protective, though; he also encourages and supports her as she heals. Cal has feelings for her but refuses to acknowledge them. A past trauma has caused him to wall off his feelings, and he refuses to risk loving again. I loved seeing the changes in Marlise. In the time she has been at Secure One, she has become more confident. She's worked with Cal on self-protection and found a place cooking for the group. There are still hints of vulnerability, but being close to Cal gives her confidence. She loves him but is convinced that her past makes her wrong for him. I loved watching her stand up to his overprotectiveness and insist on being an active participant in capturing the Miss. The danger of the final confrontation finally breaks through the barriers keeping them apart. I loved Cal's big moment at the end.