Hostage Negotiation
MANY WOMEN WENT MISSING OUTSIDE MYSTIC GLADES. SHE ESCAPED.When he took the job, Zack Scott heard about the horrors waiting in the swamp. So when Kaylee Brighton dashed into the road like the devil was on her tail, the new police chief gave her a safe place to recover. Imprisoned for months, Kaylee could lead Zack to her captor. Though Zack swore to protect her, only Kaylee knew the darkness that awaited them if she returned. She couldn’t begin to understand what drove Zack, but she knew the importance of having him by her side. Because it wasn’t enough for Kaylee to have escaped. Now it was time to take back her life.
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Many women went missing outside Mystic Glades. She escaped.
When he took the job, Zack Scott heard about the horrors waiting in the swamp. So when Kaylee Brighton dashed into the road like the devil was on her tail, the new police chief gave her a safe place to recover. Imprisoned for months, Kaylee could lead Zack to her captor. Though Zack swore to protect her, only Kaylee knew the darkness that awaited them if she returned. She couldnât begin to understand what drove Zack, but she knew the importance of having him by her side. Because it wasnât enough for Kaylee to have escaped. Now it was time to take back her life.
Kayleeâs frightened sobs had awakened him.
Heâd grabbed his gun from beneath his pillow and bolted upright in one smooth motion, sweeping his gun back and forth, seeking out whatever had scared her. Then sheâd thrashed and moaned again, and heâd realized there werenât any bad guys hiding in the shadows of their hotel room. The bad guys were hiding in the shadowed recesses of her mind.
His heart had clenched in his chest at how terrified and pale she looked as the nightmare gripped her. So heâd put his gun away and leaned over, ready to shake her awake. But the moment heâd whispered her name and then placed his hand on her shoulder, sheâd stilled, then rolled over to face him with a smile on her face, fast asleep.
Heâd pulled his hand back and studied her beautiful face, watching her expression to make sure the nightmare was really gone.
LENA DIAZ was born in Kentucky and has also lived in California, Louisiana and Florida, where she now resides with her husband and two children. Before becoming a romantic suspense author, she was a computer programmer. A former Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award finalist, she has won a prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in mystery and suspense. To get the latest news about Lena, please visit her website, www.lenadiaz.com.
Cast of Characters
Zack ScottâThe new chief of police in Mystic Glades, Florida. When a killer sets his sights on a beautiful stranger, Zackâs first Mystic Glades case may become his last.
Kaylee BrightonâAll this young woman wanted was a relaxing vacation. Instead, she was abducted and had to fight for her life. Now sheâs back, forcing past her fears to help Chief Scott find another missing woman. But the killer has other plansâfor Kaylee.
Cole LarsonâCollier County Sheriffâs Office deputy, Cole is assisting Zack in setting up the new Mystic Glades Police Department.
Mary WatkinsâShe disappeared in the Everglades and has never been seen again. Was she the victim of the Ghost of Mystic Glades? Or have the Glades become home to a very real killer?
Sandy GonzalezâRuns Aventuras Travel Agency based out of Miami. She planned and arranged the vacation package for Kaylee. But then Kaylee was abducted. Does Sandy blame Kaylee for the negative impact to her agency?
Rick CarlsonâA rookie deputy with the Collier County Sheriffâs Office. This is Rickâs second career, and heâs one of the first to volunteer to help with the search. Is that because he truly wants to help? Or is there another, more sinister, reason for him wanting to be involved?
Jasper CarrawayâThis Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer is abducted by the same man who abducted Kaylee. Will he escape? Or will he become the killerâs next victim?
Thank you Allison Lyons and Nalini Akolekar.
This book is dedicated to some awesome family members who cheer me on and keep me goingâDenise, Estelle, George, Jaime, Jennifer, Isabelle, Laura, Letha, Lisa, Mavis Marie, Michelle and Sean. I love you all.
Contents
The campfire crackled and cast eerie light and shadows on its young audience, their faces rapt with attention, eyes big and round as the storyteller wove his tale. Sitting on the opposite side of the fire a few feet away from the children, Mystic Glades Chief of Police Zack Scott and his friend, Collier County Detective Cole Larson, waited for the story to be over so they could escort their young charges back into town.
Just fifty yards away, beneath an alligator-shaped sign on an archway, was the entrance to the eccentric, quirky town of Mystic Glades. Hidden deep in the Florida Everglades, several miles from the section of I-75 known as Alligator Alley, the town was home to a couple hundred residents. Downtown consisted of one long dirt and gravel street with wooden clapboard one- and two-story businesses lining both sides. And in front of the buildings was a wide, wooden boardwalk.
The whole setup screamed âSpaghetti Western,â an image that was enhanced by the fact that many residents wore firearms either holstered in plain sight or hidden in their pocketsâa dangerous tradition that Zack was determined to change. But so far he wasnât getting much traction, the argument being that the residents needed their guns because the snakes and alligators outnumbered them a hundred to one.
