The Insider: A Coastal Conspiracy and Romantic Suspense Thriller. Black Tide Society Trilogy, #2

She has spent nineteen years exposing secrets. Now someone is using her to uncover one. Investigative journalist Vivian Hart thought the biggest story of her career was behind her. The corruption she spent years chasing has been exposed. The guilty are paying the price. For the first time in her life, she should be moving on. Instead, she receives a photograph taken inside her own apartment. A photograph of her desk.
Her notes. Her investigation. Taken from a place no stranger should ever have been able to stand. Pinned to the image are three chilling words:You're not finished. When Vivian turns to security specialist Julian Cross-the man who notices everything-she discovers something even more disturbing. The intruder didn't simply evade one of the most sophisticated surveillance systems on the coast. He understood it.
He knew exactly where Julian would leave a blind spot. Because he thinks the same way Julian does. As a relentless storm gathers offshore, Vivian and Julian are drawn into a dangerous hunt for a ghost from Julian's past-a brilliant watcher who has spent years mastering the art of remaining unseen. But the deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes that someone isn't trying to stop Vivian's investigation.
Someone is steering it. Someone wants her to find something buried beneath decades of secrets, lies, and carefully constructed power. And someone is willing to sacrifice anyone necessary to make sure she gets there. Surrounded by the fiercely loyal Black Tide family and pursued by enemies who understand them far too well, Vivian and Julian must uncover the truth before a deadly conspiracy reaches its endgame.
But as trust deepens into something neither of them expected, they face a question more dangerous than any secret:How do you protect the people you love when the greatest threat may already be sitting at the table?Filled with gripping suspense, unforgettable characters, slow-burn romance, shocking revelations, and the powerful bonds of found family, this atmospheric coastal thriller delivers a story of loyalty, sacrifice, and the courage to stand together when the storm finally arrives.
Because some wars aren't fought to win. They're fought to protect what matters most.