Fatal (Force)

Written for those wondering about the "memorable" one-night stand between Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano that took place six years before Fatal Affair opens! Get all the details of Sam and Nick's unforgettable night together in this 14,000-word novella. You might want to keep a fan and some ice water handy because this story is H-O-T.

Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career-and her confidence-after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O'Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and she's assigned to the case. Things get complicated when she has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O'Connor's friend and chief of staff…and the man she had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can't afford-especially when the bodies keep piling up.

Standing over the body of a Supreme Court nominee, Lieutenant Sam Holland is hip-deep in another high-profile murder case. That she was one of the last people to see Julian Sinclair alive only complicates things even more. With her relationship with Senator Nick Cappuano heating up, they're attracting a lot of unwanted media attention and blinding flashbulbs. The pressure is on for Sam to find Sinclair's killer, but a new lead in her father's unsolved shooting puts her in unexpected danger. When long-buried secrets threaten to derail her relationship with Nick, Sam realizes that, while justice can be blind, mixing romance with politics has the potential to be fatal.

Lt. Sam Holland and her team are plunged into another complex case that at first seems routine. But as Sam tugs on the threads of the investigation, she uncovers a deep, dark Washington secret that threatens the careers of some of the government's highest-ranking officials. Racing to catch a killer before he can strike again, Sam and her fiancé, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, attempt to plan a wedding while her colleague Detective Tommy "Gonzo" Gonzales faces life-changing news.

With the week of their wedding finally upon them, Washington, D.C., Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her fiancé, Senator Nick Cappuano, are at odds. In the aftermath of a tragic loss, they struggle to reconnect as the big day draws near, and their work keeps pulling them apart. When a new clue in a cold case surfaces, Nick asks Sam not to take any foolish chances before the wedding and to leave it alone for the time being. Sam agrees, but she can't let it go entirely and winds up trapped in an explosive situation. Then an unwelcome visitor from her past threatens her future happiness. With trouble at every turn, will Sam survive long enough to walk down the aisle?

Back from their honeymoon, Senator Nick Cappuano and D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland are ready for some normalcy after the whirlwind of their wedding, but someone has other plans for them. When Sam discovers wedding cards containing thinly veiled death threats, she's not sure if she or Nick is the target. Already on edge, Sam and her team start investigating a series of baffling murders. The victims are well-liked with no known enemies, and the murders are carried out in a clean and efficient manner. Unable to find a clear motive for the deaths, she feels like she's chasing her tail. With no obvious connection between the victims, Sam soon suspects that she may be the ultimate prize in the killer's clever game. When the danger starts to hit a little too close to home, she has two goals: find the elusive murderer and live long enough to enjoy her happily ever after.

In the wake of a White House aide's wife being found beaten to death, with their one year-old daughter taken, Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is put in charge of the case-and forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives, as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father's resurrects old hurts-a distraction Sam cannot afford. As Sam's investigation heats up, so does Nick's political career-and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed, and lies prove fatal?

D.C. is recovering from angry riots after one player's mistake blew the D.C. Federals' chance at the World Series, and Lt. Sam Holland is determined to unravel the twisted web of motives behind the star center fielder's death. Was it a disgruntled fan, a spurned lover, or a furious teammate? While Sam digs through clues, her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, fights for his political life in the final days of his reelection campaign as financial irregularities threaten his future. It's a distraction Nick can ill afford with Sam in the midst of another high-profile murder investigation and both of them trying to help their adopted son, Scotty, cope with the murder of a ball player he admired. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Sam must root out the truth before another mistake proves fatal.

Washington, D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, have been looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with their son. But any thoughts of a restful holiday are dashed when Sam and Nick return home to a gruesome scene: her seventeen-year-old niece Brooke, barely conscious and covered in blood on their front stoop. With lines between personal and professional blurring in this emotionally charged, deeply personal case, Sam is relying on Nick more than ever for support. But when suspicious images from the night in question appear on social media, Sam begins to wonder if her niece is telling her everything she knows about what really happened. And when Nick questions her tactics-and her ethics-as she races against the clock, Sam will need to decide how far she's willing to go to prove Brooke is a victim, not a murderer. "Each book is an absolute thrill ride with not only whatever investigation Sam and her faithful fellow police officers, but also the emotional journey she takes with Senator Nick Cappuano." -Cocktails and Books

As a new year dawns in the capital city, dual scandals rock the Metropolitan Police Department-and Lieutenant Sam Holland is right in the middle of them. Chief Farnsworth is catching heat for the way he handled a recent homicide investigation, and Detective Gonzales is accused of failing to disclose an earlier connection to the judge who decided his custody hearing. When Gonzo's fight for his child turns deadly and he has a shaky alibi, Sam must defend two of her closest colleagues. All while her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, settles into his new office at the White House. Nick begins to wonder if the president is using him for a political boost, and his worries mount over a complication in the plans to adopt Scotty at a time when Sam is being put through the wringer by the always-rabid D.C. press corps. As the evidence against Gonzo piles up, Sam suspects someone is gunning for her-and her team.

Lieutenant Sam Holland is on leave, recovering from an attack that shook her to the core. With no case to distract her, she's trying to stay busy-even voluntarily meeting with her new White House staff. But it's not enough to keep the horrific memories at bay, and her family is worried…especially her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano. Nick is dealing with his own demons where his wife's safety is concerned, losing night after night of sleep as he works to make sure what happened that day will never happen again. The pressure is building inside the Cappuanos' marriage, and something's got to give before Nick takes the oath of office. When two college girls go missing in the midst of inauguration madness, the chief of police needs the one cop he can count on to find them and save the Metro PD from disgrace. In a case full of ugly twists and turns, Sam will have to confront her past and find her strength again…before it's too late.

As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora-sun, sand, and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career. Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his ""father"" is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh's family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep this cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and that others involved are also targets? With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam's plate is full-and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril too?

It's just another day at the office for Washington Metro Police lieutenant Sam Holland when a body surfaces off the shores of the Anacostia River. But before Sam can sink her teeth into the new case, Secret Service agents seize her from the crime scene. A threat has been made against her family, but nobody will tell her anything-including the whereabouts of her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano. This isn't the first time the couple's lives have been at risk, but when a bombshell from Sam's past returns to haunt her, she can't help but wonder if there's a connection. With a ruthless killer out for vengeance and Nick struggling to maintain his reputation after secrets from his own past are revealed, Sam works to tie the threat to a murder that can't possibly be a coincidence. And she has to get it done before her husband's career is irrevocably damaged…

Escaping DC during the dog days of summer is one of the smartest moves Washington metro police lieutenant Samantha Holland ever made. Beach walks aren't quite as romantic with the Secret Service in tow, but Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, cherish the chance to recharge and reconnect―especially with a scandal swirling around the administration. No sooner are they back home than a fatal drive-by shooting sets the city on edge. The teenage victim is barely older than Sam and Nick's son, Scotty. As more deaths follow, Sam and her team play beat-the-clock to stop the ruthless killers. With Nick facing his greatest challenge―one that could drastically change all their lives and even end Sam's career―will the mounting pressure deepen or damage their bond?

A brutal home invasion, two small traumatized survivors who may have witnessed the horror-Lieutenant Sam Holland has never worked a case quite like this. But when she steps up in a big way for the five-year-old twins, she risks her heart as much as her career. While she and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, go to battle in more ways than one for her tiny witnesses, her colleague Sergeant Tommy "Gonzo" Gonzales battles his own demons. Months of unbearable grief and despair come to a head in an unimaginable way that threatens Gonzo's status with the department and his relationship with his fiancée, Christina. With trouble both at the precinct and on the case, Sam struggles to keep her priorities straight at home and at work while trying not to lose her heart to her latest crime victims.

A peaceful morning is shattered when Washington Metro Police lieutenant Sam Holland's beloved father succumbs to injuries from an unsolved shooting while on duty four years ago. As the community rallies around Sam and her family, one thing becomes crystal clear: her father's death has turned the unsolved case into a homicide-and it's on her to bring her father's killer to justice. But the case has been cold for years…until an anonymous tip that's too shocking to believe leads Sam down a dark and dangerous path. Her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, knows if she can't solve this case, it will haunt her for the rest of her life. She'll need the strength of their bond to pull her out of the darkness before it's too late-because as the missing pieces rapidly fall into place, Sam realizes the truth might just break her all the same…and that her father's killer isn't done yet.

The story breaks as Metro PD lieutenant Sam Holland attends a dinner party with her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano: President Nelson is accused of having an affair. More shocking still, campaign staffer Tara Weber claims the president fathered her newborn son-while the First Lady was undergoing secret cancer treatment. When a high-profile murder case hits Sam's desk, she's shocked to uncover a connection to the presidential scandal. With the department caught up in its own internal scandals and the chief's job hanging by a thread, Sam questions who she can trust as her team uncovers information that clouds an already-murky case. And with calls for the president to resign getting louder by the minute, Sam needs to close this case before she finds herself living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…

A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who'd turned against her right before her untimely death. With numerous scandals still fresh within the department's ranks, Sam is asked to revisit a cold case from her first year on the job. All the while, Sam's husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, faces mounting pressure to declare his intention to run for president in the coming election, leaving the second couple feeling the strain as they endure the first holidays without their beloved patriarch, Skip Holland. As always, when things become too hot to handle on the job, Sam and Nick turn to each other for solace in the storm.