To repay a debt, resourceful receptionist Catherine Montague has been living a lie, but her secret betrayal eats at her conscience. She knows what she has to do to reclaim her life, but revealing the truth could mean losing everything, including the agent she's fallen in love with. For sexy ex-SEAL Max Sawyer, hunting killers gives him a sense of fulfillment he never would have found if he'd followed the path that was his birthright. However, when his latest mission goes horribly wrong, releasing a hardened criminal in Max's hometown of San Antonio, Texas, it'll take all of his charm to convince the beautiful and resilient Catherine to serve as a buffer between him and the painful ties from his past.Amid a manhunt, the re-emergence of a serial killer, and the activity of an organized crime ring known as the Circle, Max and Catherine may be the only ones who can set things right again. That is, if Max can forgive Catherine for her deception before a killer claims her. But, is mercy a risk he's willing to take?