“It’s a pity Joseph Pitt didn’t live to stand trial.” Frank Sutherland wore the same look of concern Lorie had come to know and understand. What a hard job he had. She was glad Matt was only a lowly deputy, on his way to becoming a detective. Maybe Frank needed a wife like Vangie Rae, to add some lightness to his life and keep him sane.
“Now, Frank. The county will have quite enough to deal with giving Quentin, Jones and the rest of Pitt’s crew fair trials. Probably have to have a change of venue.” Matt looked as though he was glad about that.
“So Grayson Carl was Joseph Pitt’s son.” Dad shook his head. “I’d heard the drug ring in Dainger County was widespread, but I had no idea it had links to Colombia.”
Lorie linked fingers with Matt. “And I had no idea Carl had ties to Dainger County.”
“I bet you’d never have come back if you’d known, and then look at what you’d have missed!” Vangie beamed at Lorie. “And was I right, or was I right about the handsome Deputy MacGregor?”
Lorie blushed. “Now, Vangie, nothing’s settled.”
“Not yet,” Matt said, “but soon. I think we need a little more privacy before I ask Lorie what I want to ask her.” He’d told her earlier of making peace with Lorene and Owen, something that touched her heart deeply.
Lorie looked up at him and saw a gleam in his blue eyes. A shiver of pure delight tickled her to the core.
“So does this wrap up your meth-lab investigation?” Dad asked. He was sitting with a hand on Mom’s knee, since it hurt his ribs too much to try to put his arm around her.
“I don’t think so.” Frank leaned back against the sofa cushion. “We’re still looking closely at Leonard Adderson. But serving that search warrant on the Pitt Stop showed us how they’ve been fixing cars to transport drugs. At least that’s one thing we’ll be able to shut down.” Frank’s cell phone beeped, and he glanced at the text message. “In fact, someone’s just arrived who will be able to clear up a lot of your questions.”
A tap at the door sent Sandy to answer it. When Lorie saw who was standing there, her jaw dropped.
“Ms. Montoya!”
The lithe brunette who came into the room looked a bit uncomfortable, but she approached Lorie, who stood to meet her.
“Actually, it isn’t Candace Montoya.” She reached into the Coach bag at her side and pulled out a leather folder, flipping it open so Lorie could see a badge and ID. “I’m Special Agent Carmen Machada, DEA. I apologize for running out on you and not appearing at the trial, but I was in deep cover. Testifying would have blown an investigation that had been ongoing for three years.”
“DEA?” Lorie put a hand to her head. “You didn’t just leave me in the lurch, then.”
“No.” Regret crossed the agent’s intelligent face. “I did everything I could to supply information to your attorney and to make sure you weren’t convicted. I’m glad it worked.”
“So am I.”
“I’m happy to say the undercover work paid off. You shouldn’t have to worry about the cartel being out to get you anymore, Ms. Narramore.”
Relief made Lorie weak in the knees. Matt appeared at her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her upright.
“Thank you. Oh, thank you so much!”
Carmen smiled. “Just doing my job.”
Frank spoke up. “Since she helped round up the rest of the Orgulloso cartel’s California arm, Ms. Machada has been assigned as liaison to the Dainger County Sheriff’s Department. She’s going to help us find the rest of our hydra-headed monster.”
“Why, isn’t that the grandest thing!” Vangie Rae lit up. “You’re not married, are you, Miss Carmen?”
Ms. Machada looked startled. “No. Why?”
“Well, there are several handsome deputies I’ve been trying to match up with someone special—”
“Vangie Rae!” Frank roared, as the room dissolved into laughter.
*
Keep reading for an excerpt from UNDERCOVER MARRIAGE by Terri Reed.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading No Place to Run, the first of what I hope will be many novels set in my fictional county in beautiful Western Arkansas.
Books don’t happen in a vacuum, and that’s a good thing! So many things contribute to a story that sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. This one began with a blank page and one sentence during that crazy time of year known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. Once the note appeared on the page on Lorie’s desk, the rest began to take shape.
The book has undergone many changes since its first mad rush of creation, but its message remains the same: love and forgiveness are two essential things in life.
As far as I know, neither the city nor county library systems of San Diego has ever held a charity auction at the Hotel Del Coronado—or anywhere else—and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the interlibrary loan system has nothing to do with transporting illegal substances! I have the highest regard for not only the library systems and the Hotel Del, but also the Coronado Police Department and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. All of the county’s law enforcement agencies, in fact! Lorie’s dim view is colored by her experiences, and is in no way intended to make light of the fine work done by the excellent men and women in law enforcement!
If you’d like to know more about Dainger County, please visit www.daingercounty.com. You can write to me at [email protected], or c/o Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
May the Lord bless you!
Marion Faith Laird
Questions for Discussion
Lorie still feels guilty for having taken a life, even though it was self-defense. Do you think she’s right to have this feeling, even though she saved two lives? Why or why not?
Matt has had trouble forgiving his ex-fiancée and the friend with whom she betrayed him. Even though he has moved on and thinks he’s over the betrayal, it has affected his ability to trust women. Do you think this is a normal reaction, or has Matt carried it too far?
Even though Lorie is being threatened, she has trouble trusting anyone in law enforcement. How would you react in her situation?
Lorie left San Diego and returned to her roots in Western Arkansas because of the constant harassment after her acquittal. If you were in her situation, would you move or stay and try to fight?
Illegal drugs are a problem in Dainger County. Are they a problem where you live? If so, how much of a problem, and how does it affect you personally?
Neither Lorie nor Matt wants to be attracted to each other. Are they justified in their reaction? If so, who do you think has the better reason to want to avoid a romance, Lorie or Matt?
Supervisor Pitt has a thriving legitimate business and attends a church, and yet he is leading a double life as a drug lord and Nazi sympathizer. Do you think it is possible for him to make peace with God? Why or why not?
In 1974, when Pitt’s first wife was killed, Colombia was the scene of much unrest and political turmoil. How much do you think this affected his mental state, to lose his wife, and to believe his son was also dead?
When Lorie is recounting the details of her case to Matt, she tells him the woman whose life she saved never showed up at the trial. What effect do you think this had on Lorie?
Matt chose to go into law enforcement rather than become a rancher like his brothers. Do you think this was a wise decision or not?
When Matt’s fiancée dumped him after he refused to turn down his scholarship to the University of Louisville, do you think she was just using that as an excuse? Why or why not?
Lorie is constantly forced to face her fears and deal with the harassment and increasing danger. In her situation, would you let fear overcome you, or would you find a way to deal with it? If so, how would you deal with it?
Lorie believes she can trust Supervisor Pitt because he helped her get her job. Do you think that Lorie was easily fooled, or was P
itt very good at hiding his true colors?
When Lorie regains consciousness in the back of the ambulance, she immediately looks around for something to use as a weapon. What would you do in her situation? What tools would you choose for your escape?
Matt and Lorie each pray as their situation unfolds. Do you think the story would have had the same ending if they had not prayed? Why or why not?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.
You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.
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ONE
U.S. marshal Serena Summers entered three-year-old Brandon McIntyre’s room with a packing box in hand. Her heart ached for the turmoil the McIntyre family had recently suffered. Danger had touched their lives in the most horrible of ways. A child had been kidnapped.
But thankfully Brandon’s older brother had been rescued by the joint efforts of loving parents and the Marshals Service.
Serena paused, taking stock of the signs that the McIntyre family had once lived in this home. Little clothes spilled out of the dresser, as if the furniture had burped. Toys were scattered across the floor, tiny land mines to avoid. A toddler-size bed, the sheets and covers thrown back as if Brandon had recently awoken—and now the bed waited for the tiny body to once again claim slumber.
But the child wouldn’t be back. At least not to this house.
The McIntyre family no longer lived in Houston. The U.S. Marshals Service had moved them for a second time when their location had been compromised.
Only a few people within the service knew where Dylan, Grace and the kids had been relocated.
Serena and her partner, Josh, were among them. It was their job to pack up the family’s belongings and forward them through a long and winding path to their final destination. The McIntyres had been spirited away and deposited in paradise. Or as close to it as the U.S. Marshals Service could get them. Hawaii, to be exact.
Carefully picking her way around stuffed animals, train pieces and Legos, Serena went to work, gently folding clothing and stacking them inside the box. Her chest ached with empathy for the family that had almost been destroyed by the illegal activities of Dylan’s boss, Fred Munders, and his thugs.
Mr. Munders, a wealthy and well-connected lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri, had been implicated in several murders and in the illegal operation of a baby-smuggling outfit run through the adoption agency his wife, Matilda Munders, founded.
The only problem was the marshals and the FBI had found no hard evidence with which to shut Munders and the adoption agency down.
The word of several thugs and Dylan McIntyre, who worked as an attorney in Munders’s law firm, Munders and Moore, wasn’t enough to indict. The evidence Dylan had collected against his boss had disappeared from within the Marshals Service’s district offices, apparently stolen by someone within the service itself.
Serena’s fingers curled with anger around the tiny tennis shoe in her hand.
So many deaths, so many lives thrown into chaos.
The thought that someone she worked with, trusted, could have stolen the evidence and could have been leaking information to the bad guys sent Serena’s blood to boil.
If her brother were alive, he’d know how to compartmentalize the anger and pain gnawing at her day in and day out.
But Daniel was gone. Murdered.
A sharp stab of grief sliced through her heart. Followed closely by the anger that always chased her sorrow.
She tossed the shoe in the box and abruptly rose. Restless, she moved to strip the bed. She had to keep busy, keep her mind occupied, or her emotions would overwhelm her. Something she refused to let happen. She needed to stay professional. She needed to keep up the front that her world hadn’t collapsed with her brother’s death.
“Hey, you okay in here?”
Serena glanced up at her current partner, U.S. marshal Josh McCall. They’d been paired to work the illegal adoption case. His six-foot-three frame filled the doorway. He’d taken off his navy suit jacket and rolled the sleeves of his once crisp white dress shirt up to the elbows. His silver silk tie was askew, and his brown hair looked as if he’d been running his fingers through it again, the ends standing up, making him appear as if he’d just rolled out of bed rather than put in a ninety-hour week. His soft brown eyes, shadowed by signs of fatigue and grief, tugged at her heart. She’d always found him appealing. But that was before. Now she refused to allow her reaction to show. Not only did she not want to draw attention to the fact that she’d noticed anything about him, she didn’t want him to think she cared.
She didn’t. Josh was the reason her brother had been alone when he’d been murdered. Instead of having his partner’s back, Josh had been out on a personal day at the time Daniel needed him, leaving Daniel on his own to chase a lead, where he was struck on the head and left to die. Alone.
A traitorous thought niggled: Daniel shouldn’t have gone off by himself. Doing so went against protocol and logic. If he hadn’t, he would still be alive. She pushed back her musings. Her brother must have had a good reason. But nothing absolved Josh of the responsibility he had to protect Daniel. They’d been best friends as well as coworkers.
Her fists bunched up the bedding. Her soul cried out with “Why, Lord?” as it always did anytime she allowed her mind to go down that road.
Turning away from Josh, she said briskly, “I’m good.”
Taking the two ends of the sheet in each hand, she spread her arms wide and attempted to fold the sheet in half. The material didn’t want to cooperate.
“Here,” Josh said, stepping all the way into the room. “Let me help.”
He reached for the sheet, his hand brushing hers.
An electric current shot through her. She jerked away, letting go of the ends as if she’d been burned. The sheet fluttered to the floor between them. “I don’t need your help.”
His hand dropped to his side. “Serena.” Josh’s tone held a note of hurt.
Inhaling sharply, Serena berated herself for not being professional. She’d allowed her personal grief and bitterness to show. She stiffened her spine, raised her chin and let out a long breath.
Keeping her voice neutral, she asked, “How’s the kitchen coming along?”
Resignation shuttered his expression. “Almost done.”
“Good. I finished the kids’ bathroom and the daughter’s room. Those boxes are ready for transport.”
“We’ll be out of here in time to make our scheduled flight,” Josh stated, his tone flat. “It’ll be good to return to St. Louis and get some rest.”
Serena’s mouth pressed tight. Rest was something she’d had little of the past year and a half, ever since her brother’s unsolved murder. Not to mention the trips to various locations around the country as she and Josh worked to track down leads on the illegal baby-smuggling scheme. Each lead only brought more confusion and chaos. They badly needed a break in the case.
Glass shattered.
Serena’s heart hammered against her ribs.
The sound came from somewhere in the house.
Josh raised a finger to his lips, indicating silence.
She nodded and withdrew her weapon from the holster at her hip. Moving in tandem, they slowly made their way down the hall toward the main part of the house. At the T in the hallway, Josh gestured with two fingers for her to go right, while he’d go left.
Dipping her chin in acknowledgment, she peeled off to enter the empty kitchen. Her pulse beat a frantic tempo.
Hushed male voices came
from the next room. At least two.
The muscles in her shoulders tightened. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. The nitty-gritty aspect of taking down the bad guys was a necessary part of the job. A part she had no qualms about performing. As a woman in a field historically dominated by men, she’d worked hard to prove herself. Just as other women in the service had done as far back as the late 1800s, when Ada Carnutt first put on the badge. Serena admired her predecessors as well as the current female director of the U.S. Marshals Service, who’d been appointed by the president. Serena would do them proud.
Skirting around stacked boxes, she made her way to the dining room just as Josh entered from the living room.
Two men stood inside the dining room and another was balanced half in, half out of the broken window on the side of the house. All three men, dressed in black, were big guys in their late twenties.
Josh yelled, “Stop! U.S. Marshals!”
The guy half inside the window dropped back outside and disappeared. One of the remaining thugs reached behind his back to whip out a .357 and aimed the pistol at Josh.
Fear burst within Serena. “Gun!”
Josh ducked behind a stack of boxes as the guy holding the gun fired in his direction. A bullet tore through the cardboard box, nearly taking out Josh’s eye, and smashed into the wall. She dove behind the love seat.
Knowing the boxes wouldn’t provide enough cover for Josh, Serena had to do something. She popped up, aimed at the intruder with the gun and squeezed off a round. The rapid beat of her heart thundered in her ears, drowning out the retort of the weapon in her hand. The bullet slammed into the guy’s leg. He screamed and crumpled to the floor. His buddy jumped through the broken window and escaped.
Serena leaped to her feet and raced around the love seat, keeping her weapon trained on the man writhing on the floor, clutching his leg. She kicked aside the gun he’d dropped.
“You okay?” Josh asked as he skidded to a halt beside her.
She nodded, her gaze searching him for injury.
Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 2 of 2: Forced AllianceOut for JusticeNo Place to Run Page 62
