WOMAN WITHOUT A PAST
Amnesia may be keeping Ella Weiss from remembering her pastâbut not from saving the little boy whoâs been her fellow prisoner the last seven years. After managing to escape her cell, all she wants is to find where little Joseph is being kept. Instead she runs straight into CIA agent Kyle Jennings. Kyle isnât sure if Ella is actually a kidnap victim or if sheâs working for the gunrunner heâs been after. One thing he is certain of is her uncanny resemblance to the wife he thought heâd buried. To save a childâs life and stop a terrorist from slipping through his fingers, heâll need to uncover the secrets of Ellaâs pastâand whether or not sheâs really the woman heâs never stopped loving.
âItâs snowing,â she said in amazement.
Some of the worry eased from his face and he smiled. Ella couldnât get over the feeling that she recognized that smile from...somewhere.
âIt is,â Kyle said in agreement.
âI canât remember the last time Iâve seen it snow. It must have been...â The memory disappeared and she closed her eyes trying to recapture it. In her heart she knew it was real and important, but it was gone.
âWhat do you remember?â he asked.
Her face creased into a frown. âI donât know.â
âItâs getting colder out. Letâs get you warm.â
They were halfway to the SUV when the sound of tires squealing close by captured her attention. A nondescript beige car with blacked-out windows charged through the parking lot straight for them.
âRun!â he yelled and grabbed her hand, all but hauling her along with him to the vehicle. Theyâd just reached the cover of the SUV when the occupants of the car opened fire.
Dear Reader,
Can you imagine being held prisoner for more than seven years without remembering anything about your past, your name or if there is someone out there searching for you? It would be so easy to give up. Lose hope. Turn your back on God, even. Yet it is in these dark times that Godâs love can be felt the strongest. In our weakness, His strength shines like a beacon, guiding us through the difficult moments in our lives.
This is the story behind my latest Love Inspired Suspense, Deadly Memories.
Imprisoned for years, Ella Weiss finds herself faced with an impossible situation. Follow through with the deadly plan created by her captors, or lose the child she has grown to love like her own.
After Ella is rescued by Scorpion Agent Kyle Jennings outside a destroyed prison compound in Afghanistan, she must decide if she will take an innocent life to save the childâs, or trust Kyle when he tells her he wonât let her down.
When we are faced with a difficult situation such as Ellaâs, we, too, have a choice to make. Trust in our own strength to get us through, or believe God will keep His promises. Letting go of our will and holding on to His can be so hard, but if we have faith in God not to let us down, Heâll be there for us just as Kyle was for Ella.
All the best,
Mary Alford
MARY ALFORD was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Soon, creating characters and throwing them into dangerous situations that test their faith came naturally for Mary. In 2012 Mary entered the Speed Dating contest hosted by Love Inspired Suspense and later received âthe call.â Writing for Love Inspired Suspense has been a dream come true for Mary.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
âJohn 14:27
To the men and women who stand on the front lines of our freedom and face down the enemy every day.
Thank you for your service.
ONE
They were coming. She could hear them arguing as they neared. After all these years, they still didnât have a clue she spoke fluent Dari.
Ella listened closely. The reality of what they said threatened to crush her. It was the last thing she expected. They were planning to kill her.
What had changed in the past twenty-four hours? Alhasanâs orders had been clear yesterday. The men were to escort her to the location. She was being transported to the United States. She had a job to do. As long as she did it, he would let her live...along with the child.
The American. Heâd visited her prison cell a handful of times, and in spite of Alhasanâs bragging, Ella believed he was the real person in charge. Heâd spoken like someone who wielded a lot of power when heâd made it clear to Alhasan that he didnât believe she would follow through with her orders in spite of Alhasanâs assurances.
If heâd ordered her death, where did that leave Joseph? She couldnât think about what might happen to the child and not go crazy, and she couldnât lose it. Josephâs life depended on it.