The Guardian — Marliss Melton

When a highly esteemed prisoner-reintegration program falls under suspicion of being a terrorist training ground, the Taskforce sends Special Agent Jackson Maddox undercover to investigate. Going by the name Abdul, Jackson fits right in, until his cover is threatened by a sexy journalist taking his picture. If his mission weren't so critical, he wouldn't mind being the object of her fixation. But when he confronts her, the hot-as-hell bombshell denies before slipping through his fingers. To his astonished dismay, she returns the very next day.

Crime journalist Lena Alexandra refuses to be chased away. One of the parolees at Crossroads murdered her sister a decade earlier and got away with it. Determined to send the killer back to jail, Lena secures a job at a nearby convenience store and sets about interviewing parolees for a book she's allegedly writing. Her objective -- to use her astute interviewing skills and stunning sex appeal to get the killer to confess. Dangerous plan? Yes, but not even the gorgeous ex-con named Abdul can derail her, not even when she finds out who he really is.

As the summer nights heat up, Jackson's probe reveals startling evidence that could endanger the nation's capital. He can't battle his desire for Lena and subdue a fanatical leader at the same time. And Lena can't corner her sister's killer as long as an undercover FBI agent persists in trying to protect her. As peril looms for both of them, Lena and Jackson must learn to trust each other with their secrets . . . and their lives.