The Aegis Network: The Everglades Division Series by Jen Talty

In Calusa Cove, the past doesn’t drown. It hunts. Bradford “Buddy” Ballard left the FBI to build a quieter life in Calusa Cove, working for the Aegis Network far from the chaos that nearly broke him. But peace is hard to hold onto when a Jane Doe turns up in the Everglades—her injuries too familiar, her story too close to the one that’s haunted him for the last few months. He tells himself it’s just another case. The truth is, it feels like the past has finally found him... moreIn Calusa Cove, the past doesn’t drown. It hunts. Bradford “Buddy” Ballard left the FBI to build a quieter life in Calusa Cove, working for the Aegis Network far from the chaos that nearly broke him. But peace is hard to hold onto when a Jane Doe turns up in the Everglades—her injuries too familiar, her story too close to the one that’s haunted him for the last few months. He tells himself it’s just another case. The truth is, it feels like the past has finally found him. Fallon Reeves, a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer, knows these waters better than anyone. Fourteen years after her best friend disappeared, the swamp still whispers questions she can’t answer. The discovery of the Jane Doe rips those old wounds wide open, and working beside Buddy—steady, complicated, impossible not to feel—makes it harder to keep her balance. Heat, danger, and desire twist through every clue they uncover, pulling them closer to something they can’t name—and a threat that’s been waiting in the dark for both of them. less

In the shadows of Calusa Cove, the past doesn't sleep—it waits. Trent Mallor has spent years convincing himself he's finally steady—running his gator farm, keeping his head down, and honoring his late mother's wish that he stop taking reckless chances. He's a man clawing his way toward peace after a lifetime of close calls. But when strangers start trespassing through the Glades and one of his gators turns up dead, that fragile calm shatters... moreIn the shadows of Calusa Cove, the past doesn't sleep—it waits. Trent Mallor has spent years convincing himself he's finally steady—running his gator farm, keeping his head down, and honoring his late mother's wish that he stop taking reckless chances. He's a man clawing his way toward peace after a lifetime of close calls. But when strangers start trespassing through the Glades and one of his gators turns up dead, that fragile calm shatters. His father died two decades ago after stumbling onto something powerful men wanted buried—or so Trent's always believed. Now someone wants his land, and they're willing to dig up old graves to get it. Every instinct he has says this isn't just about acreage. It's about what his father knew—and what Trent was never supposed to find out. Dovelynn Quinn knows trouble when it calls, and Trent Mallor has always been exactly that. When he turns to her for help, she tells herself it's just another job: assess the threat, keep him breathing, don't get attached. As part of the Aegis Network, she's trained to see patterns in chaos—but nothing about Trent Mallor follows the rules. The closer they get to the truth, the harder it is to tell where the danger ends and desire begins. less