"Readers, meet Ryan Lock - a tough-guy hero for a new age.

" - Gregg Hurwitz, Sunday Times Bestseller (You're Next, The Survivor)"This series is ace. There are deservedly strong Lee Child comparisons as the author is also a Brit, his novels US-based, his character appealing, and his publisher the same.

" - Sarah Broadhurst, The BooksellerFresh from an undercover mission inside Pelican Bay Supermax prison in Northern California, close protection operative Ryan Lock and his business partner, Ty Johnson, are in Los Angeles, tasked with protecting a young Hollywood actress from an abusive movie star boyfriend who refuses to accept that their relationship is over. But as Lock knows only too well, and Ty is about to learn, keeping someone safe from harm can be harder than it looks, and damage can come in unexpected forms.

This short story can be read separately from the rest of the Ryan Lock series, as can each full-length novel. For readers following the books in order, the events described here take place between the second book in the series, Deadlock, and the third, Gridlock.

"This is a writer, and a hero, to watch.

" - Geoffrey Wansell, The Daily Mail"Black's style is supremely slick.

" - Jeremy Jehu, The Daily Telegraph"The pace of Lee Child, and the heart of Harlan Coben.

" - Joseph Finder, New York Times Bestseller (Paranoia, Buried Secrets)"..locks you in, and loads up the tension.

" - Simon Kernick, Sunday Times Bestseller (Relentless, Siege)