Best Mystery Novels

Five years ago, I faked my death in a yacht explosion just to escape my ruthless, controlling husband, Gerald Sinclair. Now, I have returned to Boston as the new Dean of Medicine at St. Jude Hospital. My only goal was to secretly check on my seven-year-old daughter, Cassidy. But what I saw shattered my heart. She was locked inside a heavily guarded VIP suite like a prisoner, so psychologically broken that she was standing on a windowsill, ready to jump. Gerald's armed security team treated the hospital like a military base, forcing her to swallow heavy psychiatric pills. When she managed to escape through the air ducts and collapsed into my arms in the courtyard, her small, feverish body trembled violently. "No! I don't want to go back to the white room!" She begged me, crying in terror. But because my identity was a secret, I could only watch helplessly as Gerald's security chief tore my own child from my embrace and locked her back in the cage. I didn't understand why Gerald would rather destroy our daughter's mind than let us go. Was his twisted obsession and need for control worth driving his own flesh and blood to the brink of death? Now, my cover is blown. Gerald just received the message that I am alive, and he is flying back in a blind rage, freezing my accounts and locking down the entire city to trap me. But he forgot one thing. I am no longer the helpless wife he backed into a corner. This time, I am taking my daughter back.

I signed a strict Non-Disclosure Agreement to be the secret girlfriend of Clemente Whitaker, the wealthy heir and finance chairman at our university. But while he kept me hidden in the shadows, a campus gossip app exposed a photo of him wrapping his custom suit jacket around a fragile high-society ballerina at dawn. When I ignored his calls, he publicly humiliated me by vetoing the funding for my architecture project to punish me. Later, he pinned me against a dark stairwell wall, kissing me desperately and begging me not to leave him. But the very next second, terrified that someone might see us together, he coldly pointed down the concrete steps. "Take the stairs down to the basement and go out through the loading dock back door. No one will see you." Looking at the heavy, vintage diamond bracelet he had given me, I finally realized the bitter truth. It was breathtakingly expensive, but it was two sizes too big. He never even bothered to learn my wrist size. He just bought something shiny to keep his dirty secret quiet while he publicly protected another woman. I unclasped the heavy diamonds and dropped them into the dark bottom of my bag. Next Friday is the biggest architectural gala in New York, and I am going to walk in as a free woman.

On our third anniversary, I found out I was pregnant with Alpha Graves's heir, a miracle for my wolfless body. But when I went to the Grand Hall to share the news, I found him tenderly holding his "dead" first love, Davina. He declared I was just a useless placeholder to appease his grandmother and prepared to sever our mate bond. He immediately moved Davina into our estate and ordered our marriage portrait torn down. He treated me with absolute cruelty, forcing a toxic herbal brew down my throat that could kill my unborn pup, and even watched coldly as a rival Alpha physically harassed me at a dinner. The entire Pack mocked me as a soon-to-be Rogue, while Graves used his Alpha Command to trap me. "If you dare leave before I officially complete the Rejection, I will make your home Pack pay." I gave up my entire life and my design empire to be his devoted wife, only to be thrown out like garbage the moment his true love returned. If he ever found out about the Lycan heir growing inside me, he would surely lock me away and tear my child from my arms. I won't let him destroy us. I secretly destroyed the pregnancy report and called my best friend. I am accepting his Rejection, taking my baby, and returning to the top of the fashion world as Sloane Todd.

Chapter 1 The blindfold slipped over my eyes, and the world went black just as his deep voice brushed my ear. "Relax, little spy. Let us show you what The Veil really is." My heart slammed against my ribs. The masked party in the Brooklyn warehouse had been loud with moans and music only seconds ago. Now everything narrowed to the heat of three bodies surrounding me in the private room. Strong hands guided me backward until my thighs hit the edge of a leather bench. Fingers-long and confident-traced my collarbone, then dipped lower, brushing the swell of my breasts through the thin black dress. I sucked in a sharp breath as cool ice suddenly pressed against my neck, melting instantly against my flushed skin. A second set of hands slid up my thighs, pushing the hem of my dress higher, exposing lace panties already damp with traitorous arousal. "Who are you?" I whispered, even as my nipples tightened painfully. The man behind me chuckled low, the sound vibrating through my chest. "Tonight, we're the ones asking questions." The ice trailed down between my breasts, leaving a wet path that made me shiver. Then warm lips replaced it, sucking gently on the sensitive skin just above my bra. A soft moan escaped me before I could stop it. My hands were gently pulled behind my back and secured with something soft-silk, maybe. The restraint wasn't tight, but it sent a rush of heat straight to my core. Another hand-rougher, more commanding-cupped my ass and squeezed. "So responsive already," the voice murmured, approval thick in his tone. "Good girl." The praise hit me like a drug. My knees weakened. I hated how much I loved it. The ice moved lower, circling my navel, then lower still until it pressed against the lace covering my clit. I gasped, hips jerking forward involuntarily. The cold burned deliciously against my swollen flesh. Fingers hooked into my panties, pulling them aside. Hot breath ghosted over my exposed pussy right before a warm tongue replaced the ice, licking one slow, torturous stripe from entrance to clit. "Oh fuck-" My head fell back against a hard chest. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me upright as the tongue between my legs circled faster, sucking lightly. Pleasure coiled tight in my belly. My thighs trembled. I was supposed to be gathering evidence, not melting under their touch. But God, the way they played my body-like they already knew every secret I'd never told anyone-made my mind spin. The man behind me pinched my nipple through my dress, rolling it between his fingers. "Let go, beautiful. We've got you." I came hard, sudden and shocking, a cry tearing from my throat as waves of pleasure crashed through me. My legs gave out completely, but they caught me, holding me between their bodies as I shook. The blindfold stayed on. My breathing was ragged. Then a calm, authoritative voice cut through the haze. "Take it off." The silk was removed. Three devastatingly handsome men stood before me-tall, powerful, radiating raw dominance. The one with icy blue eyes and sharp features stared at me like he could see straight into my soul. The playful one with warm brown eyes and a dangerous smirk licked his lips slowly. The third, broad-shouldered and intense, watched me with barely restrained hunger. The blue-eyed man tilted his head. "Your real name isn't Elena Voss, is it... Nova Kane?" My stomach dropped. They knew. Before I could speak, the door to the private room clicked shut behind us. The blue-eyed man stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "We have a proposal for you, little journalist. One that involves a 90-day contract... and your complete surrender." My pulse thundered in my ears as his fingers brushed my still-sensitive clit, making me jolt. "Or we can ruin your career right now."