PROLOGUE

“Would you stop worrying?”Poppy Campbell held her cell phone against her ear as she walked. “I’ve told you a million times, Cam, Denver is a perfectly safe city.”

“Uh…hellooo… They’ve had two active serial killers there this past year alone. And those are ones we know about.”

Camryn Tate—her best friend since childhood—had a point. Not that Poppy was about to admit it.

It probably would have been smarter to catch a cab or use one of those driving service apps. But according to the GPS on her phone, the club her fellow nurses had invited her to was only five blocks from her new apartment.

A very doable walk.

“Okay, but to be fair, only one of those killers was recently active,” Poppy quickly pointed out. “The other guy only escaped from the federal prison, but then he turned himself back in a few days later.Withoutclaiming any new victims. So he doesn’t really count.”

“Oh. Well inthatcase, I guess you’re right.” Cam’s tone oozed of sarcasm. “There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for me to be concerned about my friend…myfemalefriend…walking around Denver by herself after dark.”

Smirking, Poppy rolled her eyes as she glanced at the businesses running along both sides of the street. In search of the nightclub where she’d made plans to meet her new co-workers, she studied the multitude of windows and signs until she spotted her destination.

“Hang on. I’m going to switch over to FaceTime.” Ending the call, she redialed her friend so Cam could see with her own eyes that she was, in fact, fine.

“There’s the club. See?” She held the phone out in front of her for her friend. “It’s that one right up there.” Poppy pointed to the red neon sign with glowing letters spelling out the word ‘Sin’. “As you can see, it’s only like a block away, which means in about two minutes I will no longerbealone.”

“Why didn’t you just Uber there? It would’ve been faster and safer.”

“Safer?” Poppy chuckled. “So let me get this straight. You want me to get into a car with a stranger, but Lord forbid I walk a few blocks from my apartment down a well-lit sidewalk toward a well-known club?” She shook her head. “Besides, between last month’s move and the long hours I’ve been putting in at the hospital, it’s been forever since my ass has seen a treadmill.”

“Your ass is just fine, Pop.” Cam gave her an incredulous look. “Just like the rest of you.”

Yes, well…they’d have to agree to disagree on that one. Not that Poppy considered herself to be fat. But having been blessed with her grandmother’s hips and thighs, she had to work damn hard to keep her curves toned.

Hence tonight’s five-block walk in her fitted white tank top, black cropped blazer, skinny jeans, and black ankle boots with three-inch heels.

Shifting the thin strap of her small purse a bit higher on her shoulder, Poppy continued walking with a purpose. “Thank you,” she offered her sweet friend. “But I’m definitely feeling the effects of skipping out on my regular workout routine. I did join a gym today, though. It’s not too far from work, so it’ll be easy to just stop by there after my shifts. I’m starting Monday.”

For some reason, starting any sort of new routine mid-week drove her crazy.

“Just be careful. Those places are crawling with steroid-driven guys looking to hook up.”

Cam’s overzealous assessment made Poppy laugh. “It seriously amazes me that you don’t have like six ulcers by now.”

“I’m serious. Life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. People suck, and sometimes life does, too.” Cam’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Pop. I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer or make you think your being in Colorado is a mistake. I just want you to be careful. Denver isn’t like Atchison.”

Poppy’s friend made another good point.

According to the most recent census, the population of Atchison, Kansas—where both women had grown up—was less than eleven thousand. Denver, on the other hand, was over seven-hundred thousand. Still…

“I get that, and I appreciate your concern, Cam. Really, I do. But I’ve been here for four weeks, and nothing even remotely bad has happened. In fact, everyone has been incredibly nice. Besides, my travel contract at the Shock Trauma Center is only for a few more months. After that, I’ll most likely be back in Atchison working urgent care until I find another travel gig I’m comfortable with.” She side-stepped a puddle of water pooled in a dip on the sidewalk. “In the meantime, you’re still planning on coming next week to visit, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good.” Poppy stepped off the sidewalk’s edge onto the rough pavement of an alleyway separating the two blocks. “Hey, listen. I’m almost to the—oh!”

Her ankle twisted to the side as the sole of her right boot landed on a loose rock she hadn’t seen. Nearly toppling over, Poppy instinctively threw her arms out to her sides to keep from falling.

The purse hanging from her right shoulder slid down, the strap catching in the crook of her elbow. At the same time, the phone in her other hand went flying into the alley’s entryway on her left.

Poppy’s gaze flew in that direction just in time to see it land with a cringe-worthy thud before skidding toward a nearby dumpster. Having regained her footing, she brushed some wayward hair from her face as she instinctively looked in all directions.

Luckily there was no one else around to witness the embarrassing moment.