Easy Prey
HUNTED BY THE ENEMYWhen she's attacked by animal traffickers in the zoo she's been brought on to rehabilitate, Elise Tanner begins to doubt the wisdom of returning home after decades away. Especially because her self-appointed protector is US Marshal Jonah Rivers. Jonah isn't just the brother of her dead husband. He's the man who's consumed her dreams for far too long. Jonah needs to come to terms with Elise's long-held secrets—including the fact that he's now uncle to a teenager. But Jonah and Elise have more pressing matters: conquering the dangerous forces around the zoo before they fall victim to them…
Читать Easy Prey онлайн беплатно
HUNTED BY THE ENEMY
When sheâs attacked by animal traffickers in the zoo sheâs been brought on to rehabilitate, Elise Tanner begins to doubt the wisdom of returning home after decades away. Especially because her self-appointed protector is US Marshal Jonah Rivers. Jonah isnât just the brother of her dead husband. Heâs the man whoâs consumed her dreams for far too long. Jonah needs to come to terms with Eliseâs long-held secretsâincluding the fact that heâs now uncle to a teenager. But Jonah and Elise have more pressing matters: conquering the dangerous forces around the zoo before they fall victim to themâ¦
âElise.â
She pointed behind him. Jonah turned but couldnât see what she was trying to show him. Did she even know it was him? A guttural noise emerged from her throat.
âEMTs will be here in a minute.â He could hear the ambulanceâs siren, close enough it was probably turning from Hancock onto the road that led to the zoo.
Her mouth moved, her lips forming a word he didnât understand.
âElise, I donât know what youâre saying.â What had happened to her? This woman on the floor was nothing like the vibrant woman heâd known. She was dressed for a safari, but the zoo was a wreck. No one should even be here.
âElise.â
Her face reddened. Her mouth moved again, and she managed to say, âBomb.â
Jonah understood that word. He grabbed up his flashlight and spun to shine it in the direction sheâd pointed. Taped to the underside of the grimy desk, it was no bigger than the lockbox for a handgun.
He swiped Elise from the floor, lifting her tiny body easily. He burst from the office door into the night, vaulting the steps.
The building behind them exploded in a boom and a rush of flames.
LISA PHILLIPS is a British-born, tea-drinking, guitar-playing wife and mom of two. She and her husband lead worship together at their local church. Lisa pens high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily-ever-after, and she understands that faith is a work-in-progress more exciting than any story she can dream up. Lisa blogs monthly at teamloveontherun.com, and you can find out more about her books at authorlisaphillips.com.
This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
âPsalms 119:50
To the wild animals that live in my house.
Thanks for making every day messy and smelly and fun.
Contents
First day on the job, first day back in her hometownâand Elise Tanner had no idea what to expect. The evening cast shadows in the corners between the portable buildings that housed the zooâs offices. The treatment and feed centers were now broken-down shells of buildings across the expanse of intersecting concrete pathways from the empty enclosures. The fifty-acre zoo looked menacing even in its disrepair.
Beside her, Eliseâs seventeen-year-old son, Nathan, switched the flashlight app on his phone and held it up, shining it around the zooâs entrance.
âNice place.â He flicked the hair out of his eyes and looked at her, his gaze wide at the state of the zoo. âIâm gonna go look around.â
She smiled, sharing his impression of a facility that might have been impressive before it was completely flooded out. At least, impressive for a tiny zoo in a small town. âBe careful.â
He would be, she knew that. Nathan had lived his whole life in a wild animal sanctuary surrounded by tigers, bears and even a manatee. He got along better with creatures than people most of the time, but she couldnât help worrying. Who knew what state the zoo was in beyond the entrance area? Most of the buildings had been condemned.
They probably should have waited until tomorrow to look around, but curiosity had gotten the better of her and it wasnât totally dark. What was the point in sitting around their hotel rooms when they could check the place out? After all, fixing it up was the reason they were here.
Elise climbed the wooden steps to the office. It was late, and theyâd been driving most of the day. She felt every one of her forty years tonight.
The stairs swayed, the rickety wood threatening to collapse under her extra fifteen poundsâthe ones her best friend said were all in her head. Everything here had been drowned under dirty water that had risen higher than anyone expected. It was no wonder the stairs were almost rotted out.
The infrastructure of the zoo had been woefully outdated even before the water, but the destruction that occurred was beyond imagining. Trees downed, and fences washed away. Enclosures had been completely ruined. The water quality in the lake didnât bear thinking about, and the zooâs old, blind tiger had gone missing weeks before and had not been seen since. Fortunately the animals had been transported out of town in the initial evacuation.
