Danger After Dawn Series by Maggie Shayne

In 1987 young ATF agent Joshua Kendall was part of a raid on the Young Believers cultish compound. His bullet killed an innocent girl, and his guilt has destroyed everything good in his life ever since.But he’s about to learn that the most shattering incident of his life was a lie.Lizzie survived that raid, barely. Now (2004) she lives in rural Vermont, still hiding from the cult leader who has eluded capture all these years... moreIn 1987 young ATF agent Joshua Kendall was part of a raid on the Young Believers cultish compound. His bullet killed an innocent girl, and his guilt has destroyed everything good in his life ever since.But he’s about to learn that the most shattering incident of his life was a lie.Lizzie survived that raid, barely. Now (2004) she lives in rural Vermont, still hiding from the cult leader who has eluded capture all these years. She goes by Beth Slocum and she’s tired of looking over her shoulder, and wishes if he were coming for her, Mordecai would get it over with.Josh is sent to protect Beth and recognizes her as soon as he looks into her eyes. He’d been told she was dead—and it has colored every second of his life since. But she’s alive.Now his job is to keep her that way, and that means lying to her about who he is. If she knew, she’d send him packing. When attraction builds into desire between then, he knows he has to tell her the truth, but before he has the chance, Mordecai’s obsessive madness rains destruction on everyone Beth loves. He is determined to bring her to her knees. He wants her gutted before he she dies.Like a silver screen cliché, Beth is falling in love with her bodyguard, but she knows he’s keeping secrets. What’s between them, however, will have to wait until they’ve dealt with a madman who believes he’s on a mission from God to destroy her utterly. less

Michael “River” CorbettHas been in a locked psych unit and heavily drugged since the murder of his pregnant wife. He can’t remember what truly happened that night, only waking on the ground outside his burning house, his clothes reeking of gas, an empty can beside him. Found not guilty by reason of insanity, he’s been locked up ever since. But now someone is trying to kill him, so he has to break out of the mental ward.A hunted fugitive, all River wants is the truth... moreMichael “River” CorbettHas been in a locked psych unit and heavily drugged since the murder of his pregnant wife. He can’t remember what truly happened that night, only waking on the ground outside his burning house, his clothes reeking of gas, an empty can beside him. Found not guilty by reason of insanity, he’s been locked up ever since. But now someone is trying to kill him, so he has to break out of the mental ward.A hunted fugitive, all River wants is the truth.Cassandra “Jax” JacksonShe knows she’s putting her career on the line when she encounters this desperate stranger hiding out in the house that came with her new job, and doesn't turn him in.But there’s something in River's that convinces her to believe him. As the incoming police chief of Blackberry Vermont, she has a pretty conflict of interest. But when she looks at River, she doesn’t see a crazed killer on the run; she sees a fellow cop in trouble, and for the life of her, she can’t stop herself from helping him.Dawn JonesThe daughter of criminally insane cult leader Mordecai Young, Jax's young friend is haunted by voices she doesn't want to hear and apparitions she doesn’t want to see. But she can no longer ignore the “gift” her twisted father passed to her before he died—because unless she listens to what the dead are telling her, Jax might be doomed to join them. less