Forgotten Secrets

by Robin Perini

  I am donating 10 percent of the royalties I receive from this novel to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of my mother, my father, and all those who support them as they travel this difficult road. The Alzheimer’s Association’s vision is a world without Alzheimer’s, and I pray for that day.

  To that end, I have created the #1MemoryChallenge, an awareness and fund-raising campaign. This effort encourages the sharing of special memories before they are lost as well as support of the Alzheimer’s Association and its good work. You can find out more about my personal story and the #1MemoryChallenge at http://act.alz.org/goto/1MemoryChallenge or at www.facebook.com/1MemoryChallenge.

  If you have a friend or loved one who is facing Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, it can feel like a lonely battle. Please consider contacting the Alzheimer’s Association (or a similar organization) for assistance, and please support the association through your time or donations.

  You are not alone.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This story has been a labor of love, and those who know me well recognize the joy and the challenges in bringing this book to life. To you all, I thank you.

  Jill Marsal, literary agent extraordinaire—your support and faith never cease to amaze me. I couldn’t travel this road without you.

  Charlotte Herscher, editor—your supreme patience, kindness, and insight made this book what it is today, and I will be forever grateful.

  Tammy Baumann, Louise Bergin, and Sherri Buerkle—your talent, honesty, and astuteness humble me. I couldn’t ask for better critique partners or more giving friends.

  And to my generous beta readers: Janie Crouch, Ruth Kaufman, Jane Perrine, and Sharon Wray. You are awesome, gifted, and talented, and I value your unique perspectives and perception more than you will ever know. You know where to find me!

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you for reading Forgotten Secrets. I hope you enjoyed it! If you’re interested in my other novels, the Montgomery Justice series—In Her Sights, Behind the Lies, and Game of Fear—is available. (Keep reading for an excerpt from Game of Fear at the end of this book.)

  If you’d like to know when my next book is available or have a chance at special information and giveaways, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.RobinPerini.com.

  You can connect with me on my website at www.RobinPerini.com, on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/RobinPerini, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RobinPeriniAuthor.

  If you enjoyed reading this story, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too.

  Lend it. Please share it with a friend.

  Recommend it. Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.

  Review it. Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it.

  Authors are nothing without readers. I thank you all for taking this journey with me.

  BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS

  1.Riley Lambert is an FBI special agent attached to one of the FBI’s behavioral analysis units. She chose this career because of her sister’s abduction.

  a. How did Riley’s past impact her choice of career?

  b. How did Riley’s past impact her character?

  c. Did you find Riley a believable character?

  2.What do you think the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the following characters are:

  a. Riley Lambert

  b. Thayne Blackwood

  c. Doctor Cheyenne Blackwood

  d. Helen Blackwood

  3.Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States. In Forgotten Secrets, the hero’s grandmother lives with the disease.

  a. Do you know anyone who lives with this illness?

  b. What insights did you gain about the disease from how Gram was portrayed in the story?

  4.A series of flashbacks takes the reader through the day of Madison Lambert’s abduction.

  a. What insights did you discover about the heroine’s relationship with her sister?

  b. Did you find these scenes distracting, illuminating, or both, and why?

  5.Madison Lambert chose not to escape to protect the other children whom the villain had kidnapped. What did you think of her choice? What else could she have done? What would you have done?

  6.Which scene in the book did you find:

  a. The most suspenseful?

  b. The most unexpected?

  c. The most emotional?

  d. The most memorable?

  READ ON FOR AN EXCERPT FROM ROBIN PERINI’S GAME OF FEAR

  The whir of the circling Bell 212 helicopter rotors echoed through the cockpit. New Mexico’s Wheeler Peak, barely visible in the dusk, loomed just east, its thirteen-thousand-foot summit laden with snow. Deborah Lansing leaned forward, the seat belt straps pulling at her shoulders.

  Far, far to the west, the sun was just a sliver in the sky.

  “It’s almost dark, Deb. We have to land,” Gene Russo, her local search and rescue contact, insisted.

  “The moon is bright enough right now that I can still see a little, and we have the spotlight. Those kids have got to be here somewhere!”

  Deb squinted against the setting sun; her eyes burned with fatigue. They’d been at it for hours, but she couldn’t give up. Not yet.

  “All the other choppers have landed, Deb. This is too dangerous. Besides, do you really think your spotlight’s going to find a snow-covered bus on the side of the mountain with all these trees?”

  “Five more minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

  A metallic glint pierced through a thick carpet of snow-packed spruce.

  “There! I saw something.” Deb’s adrenaline raced as she shoved the steering bar to the right and down, using the foot pedals to maintain control.

  “Holy crap, Lansing. What are you doing?” Gene shouted, holding on to his seat harness. “You trying to get us killed?”

  He didn’t understand. The bird knew exactly what Deb wanted, and she didn’t leave people behind to die. Not after Afghanistan. She had enough ghosts on her conscience. She tilted the chopper forward and came around again, sidling near the road toward Taos Ski Valley, where the church bus had been headed before it had vanished.

  She dipped the chopper, scouring the terrain with the spotlight. A metallic flash pierced her gaze once again. “Gene, did you see that? Just south?”

  The gray-faced spotter shook his head. “No, I’m too busy trying not to puke all over your windows.” He swallowed deeply and adjusted his microphone. “Could you fly this thing steadily for a while?”

  She sent him a grimace. “Sorry. I really think I spotted something. I had to go closer. I didn’t want to miss it. I need to swing by one more time. Really look this time, OK?”

  Gene groaned. “Deb, I know you’re used to Denver terrain, but you can’t treat the Sangre de Cristo Mountains this way. These gullies and drafts can buffet a chopper, especially in some of the gorges. Your lift will disappear, and you’ll fly into the mountain.”

  A peak rose toward them, and Deb pulled up on the collective control stick. The Bell followed her lead easily, but the sun was gone now. The near-total darkness made flying treacherous. The moon was the only thing making the deadly terrain remotely visible outside the spotlight’s range.

  “At least there aren’t Stingers or RPGs shooting at us,” she said.

  Gene shot her a look. “You were in the military?”

  “Flew rescue missions,” Deb said. She shifted the steering bar. “I know I saw something down there, too. I’ve got that buzz. Come on, baby,” she urged the chopper.

  Below, a blanket of snow covered a valley peppered with spruce, fir, and pines. The frigid temperatures, blowing snowdrifts, and icy roads had made the ground search difficult.

  If Deb couldn’t find them tonight . . .

  “Return to base, Search Ten.” The order crackled over the radio. “It’s too dark. We’ll continue tomorrow.” />
  “Negative,” Deb said. “I have a possible.”

  “This is Search Command. Give us the location. We’ll add it to the coordinates to check first thing in the morning.”

  “By morning, those kids might freeze to death,” Deb said. “If it’s them, the least I can do is drop supplies.” She flipped off the microphone.

  “Uh, Deb,” Gene said. “They can pull your license for this.”

  She shifted in her seat. “I know. Keep an eye out. I’m going in as close as I can.” She rounded another hill. “Come on, baby, come on,” Deb begged the machine.

  She skirted the tops of the trees directly next to the road, flying a lot closer than was sane. Suddenly, down the slope, a hint of dark blue appeared. She hovered, sweeping the area with the searchlight. The beam glinted off broken glass and chrome. Several figures stood on and near a big school bus, waving. Others lay on the ground, some suspiciously still.

  “Damn it,” Gene said in a stunned tone. “You were right.” He radioed in the location and stared at her, his expression awestruck. “You’re good.”

  “I was lucky,” she said.

  “No, that was dogged determination. You just wouldn’t give up. You might be crazy, Deb Lansing, but you’re a hell of a chopper pilot.”

  All-too-familiar guilt twisted inside her. “I have my moments.”

  She hovered over the downed bus, and Gene dropped blankets, first-aid supplies, and food. Below, figures scrambled to the drop zone.

  Banishing the haunting image of the desperate soldier she’d been forced to leave behind from her mind, Deb turned to Gene. “I can land in that valley we passed earlier. It’ll be tight, but if there are any kids seriously injured, we may be able to transport some of them to the helicopter with the sled.”

  “What the hell. You’ve already pulled off one miracle tonight.” Gene grinned. “Go for it.”

  Deb eased down the control stick and, with careful precision, her feet adjusted the back rotor. Just as she was guiding the helicopter down, another glint of silver reflected in the spotlight, far enough away from the bus that it wasn’t likely to be debris from that wreck.

  “Do you see that reflection?” she asked. “Is it another vehicle?”

  Gene peered through the windshield. “I don’t know. I saw something, though. I’ll call in the position for that, too. They can check it later.”

  The chopper touched down, and Deb jumped to the snow-packed ground, ignoring the cold around her. For now, she had people to save. As Deb and Gene yanked out the sled to transport the wounded, two men ran toward her, one with his forehead caked with dried blood.

  “Please, we need help. Some of the kids are hurt badly. They need a hospital.”

  Deb scanned the inside of the chopper. How many could she fit and safely make it back? If she left equipment behind, she could carry someone extra. Her boss would be furious she’d taken the risk, but she’d worry about her job later.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Photo © 2013 Kyle Zimmerman

  Internationally bestselling and award-winning author Robin Perini is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes adventures with a love story sure to melt their hearts. A RITA Award finalist, she sold fourteen titles to publishers in less than two years after winning the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award in 2011. An analyst for an advanced technology corporation, she is also a nationally acclaimed writing instructor and enjoys competitive small-bore rifle silhouette shooting. Robin makes her home in the American Southwest and loves to hear from readers. Visit her website at www.robinperini.com.