In Desperation
Eleven-year-old Tilly Martin is dragged from her suburban bedroom. Her mother, Cora, pleads for mercy but the kidnappers are clear: if they don't get their $5 million back in five days, Tilly dies. If anyone contacts police, Tilly dies.Journalist Jack Gannon's estranged sister, Cora, disappeared without a trace decades ago. Now she is frantically reaching out to him for help. Cora tells him about the shameful mistakes she's made–but she guards the one secret that may be keeping her daughter alive.A twenty-year-old assassin, haunted by the faces of the people he's executed, seeks absolution as he sets out to commit his last murders as a hired killer.In the U.S. and Mexico, police and the press go flat out on Tilly's case. But as Gannon digs deeper into his anguished sister's past, the hours tick down on his niece's life and he faces losing a fragment of his rediscovered family forever.
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Praise for the novels of Rick Mofina
âTaut pacing, rough action and jagged dialogue feed a relentless pace. The Panic Zone is written with sizzling intent.â
âHamilton Spectator on The Panic Zone
âThe Panic Zone is a headlong rush toward Armageddon. Its brisk pace and tight focus remind me of early Michael Crichton.â
âDean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author
âMofinaâs on top of his game, pulling together a wickedly complicated plot with great skill and assurance. Genuinely chilling.â
âRT Book Reviews on The Panic Zone
âVengeance Road is a thriller with no speed limit! Itâs a great read!â
âMichael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
âA gripping no-holds-barred mysteryâ¦lightning pacedâ¦with enough twists to keep you turning pages well into the wee hours. Vengeance Road is masterful suspense.â
âAllison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author
â[A] well-crafted and timely thriller.â
âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on Six Seconds
âSix Seconds should be Rick Mofinaâs breakout thriller. It moves like a tornado.â
âJames Patterson, New York Times bestselling author
âSix Secondsâ¦grabs your gutâand your heartâin the opening scenes and never lets go.â
âJeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author
âA great thriller.â
âLee Child, New York Times bestselling author, on Six Seconds
âOne of the leading thriller writers of the day.â
âPenthouse magazine
âA lightning-paced thriller with lean, tense writing⦠Mofina really knows how to make the story fly.â
âTess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author, on A Perfect Grave
This book is for
Lou Clancy, who gave me my first job as a reporter.
Contents
DAY 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
DAY 2
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
DAY 3
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
DAY 4
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
DAY 5
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Acknowledgments
1
Phoenix, Arizona, Mesa Mirage
Cora Martin was propped against two pillows in her bed when she heard a faint noise and put her book down.
Was that Tilly?
Her daughter was asleep down the hall.
No, that sounded like it came from outside.
Cora listened for half a minute. Everything was quiet. She dismissed the noise as a bird or the Bannermansâ darned cat. The clock on Coraâs night table showed the time: 12:23 a.m. She returned to her book. After reading two pages she began drifting off when she heard another strange sound.
Like a soft murmur. This time it came from a far side of the house.
What the heck is that?
Cora got up to investigate, groaning. She had to go to work in a few hours. She needed to get some sleep.
Wearing only a cotton nightshirt, she padded down the hall to Tillyâs door. It was partially open, as usual. Her eleven-year-old daughter was asleep on her stomach. One foot had escaped from the sheets. Cora moved to her bedside, adjusted it then took in the room: Tillyâs stuffed toys, posters of Justin Bieber and Coraâs favoriteâthe drawing of two happy stick figures holding hands, titled Mommy & Me.
Cora smiled.
Soft light painted Tillyâs face. She was more than a beautiful child to Cora; she was her lifeline, her hope and her dream.
I love you more than youâll ever know, kiddo.
She stroked Tillyâs hair, then went to check the rest of the house. Cora had rented the small, ranch-style bungalow at an amazing rate from a widowed Realtor who didnât hide her maternal fondness for single working moms and their daughters.
Cora checked the front and back doors then the windows in each room. Nothing was amiss. She reconsidered what sheâd heard. It had kind of sounded like someone walking around the house.
She thought of calling the police but pushed it aside for now.
Should I go outside?
It would be better to check the alarm system. She went to the console on the wall to inspect the indicator lights. Cora wasnât afraid to check the yard. This was Mesa Mirage, almost hidden among the larger east valley suburbs of metropolitan Phoenix. Mesa Mirage was a tranquil community of retirement villages and golf courses. It didnât have its own police department, but it was served by the County Sheriffâs Office, supported by volunteer posses and was safe.
Almost crime-free.
Everything was in order, according to the light sequence of the alarm system. Good. Cora was thirsty. Sheâd get a drink in the kitchen then crawl back into bed and sleep.
Finishing her water at the sink, she touched her fingers to her lips. She had forged a good life here and she would do anything to protect Tilly.
