Just Evil — Vickie McKeehan

The Evil  Secrets Trilogy
Three best friends grow up among the Hollywood glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills. But their childhood was far from ideal. Haunted by the dark clouds of abuse, they stand together to survive no matter what. But when a stranger shows up bent on revenge, he threatens to expose a double murder forty years in the past. The evil they've lived with for so long comes back full circle, bringing old fears and nightmares to the surface, threatening everything they hold dear. 

Just Evil
Kit Griffin has finally overcome a painful childhood at the hands of her mother, former actress Alana Stevens. No longer living in the grasp of the cold, tyrannical woman, Kit's life is finally on track. That is, until Alana is found brutally murdered on Mother's Day, pulling Kit back in to the dark horrors of her past. To make matters worse, the police consider Kit the prime suspect.

Jake Boston is an old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teen. He's fighting his own demons as a suspect in his wife's murder two years earlier. Despite his past, he's determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there's a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind.

Forced to delve into Alana's dark past, Jake and Kit uncover a forty year old double murder leading them straight to the door of a legal dynasty. They soon find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried, and eliminate the loose ends to protect their empire.