Setting this book in Paris taught me something. And I think Kayla learned the same thing.
It wasn’t just about revenge anymore. It was about what we’re willing to lose for the people we love.
I wrote this story years ago, but that train scene still gets to me. It came from a moment in Jerusalem when someone I trusted disappeared into a large crowd, and for a few seconds, I didn’t know if I’d find him again. The fear was instant. I felt completely alone and panicked.
That sudden sense of desperation is what I wanted Kayla to feel on the train back to Paris.
When I chose Paris for No One to Trust, the second book in the Kayla Walsh trilogy, it wasn’t just about the setting. It was about where Kayla was in her life.
In the first book, she begins at her lowest point. She’s grieving the loss of her parents, waking from a long coma, and unsure if she’ll ever regain the life she once had. Even the simplest things feel out of reach.
And then there’s Martin.
He starts as her physical therapist, the one who helps her take her first steps back into the world. From helpless in bed to a wheelchair to a walker and finally to a cane.
At first, she depends on him because she has to. But somewhere along the way, that dependence shifts into something deeper. Friendship. Trust.
By the time the danger escalates, when the antagonist makes it clear Kayla is no longer safe, everything changes again.
She isn’t the woman who woke up helpless. She’s trained. Determined. Willing to fight for answers about her parents.
And Martin sees it. He knows the danger is his, too, and he steps beside her. That’s where the foundation of their relationship is built. Not on rescue, but on respect.
Still, it’s often the smallest moments that reveal the most. Like when this big, strong man did a perfect Elvis Presley impression. Or the way he refuses to leave her side, even when everything he’s built is destroyed in an instant.
Those moments matter, especially to Kayla.
So when I moved them to Paris in the second book, I needed a place that could hold all of that—history, beauty, danger, and love. Paris gave me that. It’s where they follow clues tied to Kayla’s earliest years, a time she doesn’t remember, but that shaped everything that came after.
And it’s where their relationship finally becomes undeniable. There’s a moment on a bridge that symbolizes love where Kayla and Martin finally say what they’ve been holding back. That’s where they share their first kiss.
But if you’ve read my books, you know I don’t let things stay easy for long.
On the train back from uncovering a major clue, Martin is attacked. Kayla watches him fall. In that moment, her strength, her purpose, even her sense of control shatters again.
Because love changes the stakes. It’s no longer just about justice for her parents. It’s about him too.
She’s sure she saw him move before he disappeared into the distance. That single flicker of hope is what drives her forward. She’s alone, desperate, and determined to find him.
And she does. He’s alive, but critically injured. She’s forced into another impossible choice. Time is running out. She has to leave him behind to follow the next lead. To keep going before it’s too late.
Paris—known worldwide as the city of love—teaches Kayla that her journey isn’t just about revenge anymore.
It’s about love.
And love will cost her.
Thank you for being part of this journey with me, through every stage of it.
Karen
P.S. Martin’s story doesn’t end in Paris.
If you’re not there yet, you can continue the journey here.