âItâll be dark soon.â
Isabella cast her eyes upward, where the first hints of fiery gold touched the horizon, and set flame to her auburn hair.
âAll the more reason to put some miles between us and our new friend,â Jacob replied.
She glanced back toward the cavern and the swept-bare sand between them. The black helicopter could return at any moment.
Jacob turned to assess the back exit of the cavern, toward the low, rocky escarpment. He tried to picture the land as heâd seen it in those last few minutes before the crash. His mental map, along with what he remembered from the flight charts, said that if they headed west and slightly north, a stiff three-day hike would bring them to civilization.
And between the crash site and civilization?
He would deal with the hit man as best he could. Capture him if lucky. Kill him if necessary.
Whatever it took to keep Isabella safe.
For Kim Nadelson,
an editor who knows how to make a story sing.
Though sheâs tried out professions ranging from cleaning sea lion cages to cloning glaucoma genes, from patent law to training horses, Jessica is happiest when sheâs combining all these interests with her first love: writing romances. These days sheâs delighted to be writing full-time on a farm in rural Connecticut that she shares with a small menagerie and a hero named Brian. She hopes youâll visit her at www.JessicaAndersen.com for info on upcoming books, contests and to say âhiâ!
Jacob (Bullseye) PowellâThe sexy ex-Special Forces airstrike pilot is now a Big Sky bounty hunter and a confirmed bachelor. But does an old college flame have the power to change that when she finds herself in danger?
Isabella GrayâThe no-nonsense Secret Service agent is all about her dutyâ¦until her protectees are abducted and she is forced to turn to the one man sheâd hoped never to see again.
Louis CooperâThe U.S. Secretary of Defense will not negotiate with hostage takers. Or will he?
Boone FowlerâThe head of the Montana Militia for a Free America has no problem with kidnapping Cooperâs familyâ¦or killing an interfering Secret Service agent.
Hope CooperâWhen she and her twin daughters are abducted, Louisâs wife has only survival on her mind.
King Aleksandr of LunkinburgâThe despotic ruler of a small former Soviet bloc country has no apparent ties to Boone Fowler and his men.
Prince NikolaiâDenounced by his father for his patriotic ideals, the prince finds an ally in Louis Cooper, until the Secretary abruptly reverses his position on sending troops into Lunkinburg.
Lyle NelsonâAfter Isabella shoots him in the leg, Lyle wants revengeâthe more painful, the better.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Early September in Montana was chill and damp, like fear.
Derek Horton paused at the dark, rocky opening and a shiver crawled down his back. Itâs just the drizzle, he told himself, but it was more than that.
The mouth of the abandoned mine beckoned with the promise of safety, of supplies and a place where the eight fugitives could light a small fire undetected. But the darkness beyond seemed to shift with something else.
A tall man with slashing scars on his face, a scruffy beard and his hair drawn into a warriorâs ponytail paused at Derekâs side. âProblem?â
Derek shook his head quickly, lest Boone Fowler think him weak or disloyal to The Cause, both of which could be fatal. âNo problem. Just taking a quick breather.â
âWell, take it inside.â The leader of the Montana Militia for a Free AmericaâMMFAFAâjerked his head at the six men strung out in a quiet line behind him. âWe need to get out of sight. Those bounty hunter bastards might not be looking in the right places yet, but you can bet theyâre looking.â
Booneâs command overrode Derekâs dislike of the cavern they had hidden in since their escape from The Fortressâthe Montana State Penitentiary. He stepped through the gaping rock maw, into the strange warmth the cave seemed to ooze like sweat.
Rough hands grabbed him the moment he crossed into darkness.
Derek shouted and struck out, but missed. His brain shouted, Bounty hunters!
âGet in here, all of you!â a man shouted. âNow!â
His accent was clipped and foreign. Not the bounty hunters, Derek realized as dark-clothed men swarmed around Boone and the others.
Something far worse.
âLet me go!â Panicked, Derek thrashed, then gargled when his captor tightened the arm across his throat, cutting off his breath. His vision grayed, but not before he saw that the others had been similarly subdued.
Boone stood in the center of the small cavern, hands held away from his sides. Two black-clad figures held automatic weapons on him, according him the respect of a leader. Six other ninja types surrounded the remaining MMFAFA members. Derek saw Lyle, Booneâs second-in-command and the hothead of the group, spit at one of the gunmen.