He’s hostage to his past. Betrayal and death haunt former British Special Air Service captain Lachlan Mackay after a disastrous mission in the mountains of Afghanistan ends his military career. His job with an American firm, LAI, gives him the opportunity to topple a powerful warlord, avenge the dead, and free himself from the crushing guilt of trusting the wrong woman. His new colleague, a petite redhead with wide hazel eyes, seems determined to breach his defenses. He knows better than to trust her, but he craves her light to chase away his shadows. She has a secret that could destroy him.

Sophia Russo’s dream job as LAI’s new director of legislative affairs takes a dangerous turn when she learns someone at the company may be trafficking weapons to an Afghan warlord. She agrees to spy on the prime suspect—the enigmatic and dangerously attractive head of global security, Lachlan Mackay. The man she’s secretly nicknamed the “Hot Scot.” Despite the mounting evidence against him, Sophia sees the pain Lachlan tries to conceal, and her heart refuses to believe he’s a criminal. But to save Lachlan, she may have to betray him. The past won’t stay dead.

When Sophia comes to Lachlan with shocking information about his division, he reluctantly joins forces with her to unearth the truth. His vow to keep his hands off her goes up in flames when he realizes someone from his past is using her as a pawn in a dangerous game. To save them both, Lachlan is forced to do the one thing he swore he’d never do again—trust a woman with his life and his heart.