Superior Collision

Colliding on the path to catch a killer... Special Agent Taylor Carrigan takes “control freak” to the extreme. Her need for structured rigidity rules her life—and her job at the FBI. She doesn’t do emotion, so when her fiancé is murdered, she doesn’t know how to deal with the internal fallout. Antioch Police Sergeant Shannon Crowley has been intrigued with the uptight FBI agent for months. When he looks at Taylor, he sees more than the mask she hides behind. She doesn’t have time for the cop who won’t quit chasing her—she’s got chasing to do of her own. Taylor admits he calms her, but he’s a distraction she can’t afford. She’s playing a dangerous game, riding the line between revenge and justice. Keeping Shannon close could give Taylor the balance she desperately needs, but it would put something more than her case in jeopardy: her heart. With so much on the line, is she capable of handling it?

This book offers state-of-the-art developments in the collision and grounding of ship and offshore structures. The topics covered by the contributions include: dynamics of vessels in collision and grounding; collision and grounding in Arctic conditions; collision and grounding statistics and measures of the probability of incidents; risk assessment of collision and grounding; measures for reduction of collision and grounding, machine learning methods for the evaluation of probabilistic collision and grounding risk; new designs for improvement of structural resistance to collisions; analysis of ultimate strength of damaged ship structures; design of buffer bows to reduce collision consequences; innovative navigation systems for safer sea transportation, collision between ships and offshore structures; collision between ships and fixed or floating bridges, collision and grounding experiments; properties of materials under impact loadings; residual strength of damaged ships and offshore structures; hull girder response of ships under severe dynamic loadings. The book is aimed at naval architects, marine engineers and scientists. The ICCGS conferences aim to present state-of-the-art methods for analysis and design against collision and grounding of ships, collisions between ships and icebergs, offshore structures, bridges, submerged tunnels and waterfront structures. Previous conferences were held in: San Francisco, USA in 1996; Copenhagen, Denmark in 2001; Tokyo, Japan in 2004; Hamburg, Germany in 2007; Helsinki, Finland in 2010; Trondheim, Norway in 2013; Ulsan, South Korea in 2016, and Lisbon, Portugal in 2019. The Proceedings in Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering series is devoted to the publication of proceedings of peer-reviewed international conferences dealing with various aspects of ‘Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering’. The Series includes the proceedings of the following conferences: the International Maritime Association of the Mediterranean (IMAM) Conferences, the Marine Structures (MARSTRUCT) Conferences, the Renewable Energies Offshore (RENEW) Conferences and the Maritime Technology (MARTECH) Conferences, and the Collision and Grounding of Ships and Offshore Structures (ICCGS) conferences. The ‘Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering’ series is also open to new conferences that cover topics on the sustainable exploration and exploitation of marine resources in various fields, such as maritime transport and ports, usage of the ocean including coastal areas, nautical activities, the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources, the protection of the marine environment and its resources, and risk analysis, safety and reliability. The aim of the series is to stimulate advanced education and training through the wide dissemination of the results of scientific research.

Secrets shape relationships... Special Agent Lee Dawson has secrets. Secrets that forced her from Dallas to New York City in disgrace two years ago. Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, Nate Crane, visits New York and witnesses the brutal murder of a friend. When Lee is assigned to the investigation, her personal and professional lives collide. She can’t avoid the man she ditched six months ago. She’s the one Nate can’t stop thinking about. The one he let get away. He’s determined to get her back, no matter what she thinks she wants. Being a witness in her case puts them close—and Nate intends to keep it that way. After Nate’s attacked at a safe house, Lee knows there’s a leak – a dirty FBI agent working with the human trafficker her unit has been hunting for years. Can Lee protect her witness and resist the heat between them or will she succumb to her desires and throw them both into danger?

The last thing Andi needs is a cocky FBI agent... Badboy FBI agent Cole Lucas always gets his man. So when the unthinkable happens and one gets away, Cole grits his teeth and hunts the human trafficker all the way to Antioch, Texas, where he collides with Detective Andi MacLaren. Cole doesn’t do small towns and he doesn’t get involved with women he works with, but Andi tempts him in ways he doesn’t want to acknowledge. Two murders, her partner shot and leading the investigation on her own, the last thing Andi needs is a cocky FBI agent that sees her as no more than a tagalong. As a widow and single mother, she’s used to being on her own. When Cole gets stuck without a place to stay, crashing on her couch puts them in dangerous territory. Attraction and passion bring Andi to a place she left behind when her husband died. Her three-year-old son quickly wiggles his way into Cole’s heart, and he starts contemplating things—family, love—that he’d never planned for himself. Can being forced to work together make them stronger or will their differences jeopardize their case and their hearts?

Vowing to protect her has nothing to do with feelings. Detective Pete Crane catches a new shooting case and considers it business-as-usual. But when the lead witness is the Chief of Police’s fiery assistant, he never anticipated she’d challenge him—personally and professionally. Little do they know, the shooting she and her grandmother witnessed was anything but random. Thrown together, their attraction sizzles, even though she’s squarely in the hands-off zone. She makes him break every rule in his little black book. Nikki Harper has been attracted to Pete since they met two years ago. Witnessing a brutal shooting throws her into a stigma that’s always been her greatest fear: a victim. She has no choice but to accept his protective custody and let him help save her and her beloved grandmother. Can Pete protect his witness and solve the case, while fighting the intense heat with Nikki?

A one night stand can’t possibly mean forever... Detective Jared Manning met his match at a bar. After a night of passion, she flees his bed without so much as a note. Problem is, now he can’t find her. Kindergarten teacher, Melody Nash doesn’t do one night stands. Embarrassment gets the best of her and she lies about her name. When they collide at her school, Mel resists his pull. She won’t risk her heart on the obvious playboy, even though she can’t stop thinking about ecstasy in his arms. Stress engulfs Jared’s personal and professional lives. His brother is at the center of the joint case he and his partner are working in cooperation with FBI. He puts his job on the line when he fails to share his blood relation. Complications he doesn’t need, considering the FBI agent on the case is convinced his brother killed her fiancé. Balance is the name of the game. Can Jared save his brother and convince Mel they’re meant to be together?