Alligator Blood by India Vane

Sonnet Franklin has never been the daughter her mother wanted. While Gloria Franklin dreamed of an ambitious beauty queen turned perfect housewife, Sonnet found solace in fantasy novels instead. But despite decades of tension, when Gloria is diagnosed with dementia, Sonnet doesn't hesitate to move back home to care for her.

One evening, after a long shift at the hospital, Sonnet returns to find her childhood home empty and her mother missing. An overwhelming panic sets in, but it's not just fear that awaits her - it's an armed and dangerous stowaway in her backseat with everything to lose.

Clifton has gambled his life away, owing more money than he can ever hope to repay after a disastrous night at the poker table. With his brother behind bars for a failed scheme, Clifton is desperate to come up with the cash fast. When his car is taken as collateral, he spots an opportunity in the form of a petite redhead in scrubs, alone in the dark - a risky chance that just might be his way out.

At every turn, they're bound to each other in a never ending game of cat and mouse where nothing is ever what it seems. Through it all, Sonnet and Clifton must find a way to save each other, and the love that's worth more than any wager he's ever made.