Cape Diablo shimmered on the horizon, a lush emerald-green gilded by the dying light. For a moment, as the sun hung suspended in a painted sky, the island seemed bathed in gold. A glowing sanctuary that beckoned to the weary traveler.
As they approached the island, the sky deepened and the water turned dark, as if a giant shadow had crept over the whole area. It was a strange phenomenon, a trick of the light that seemed too much like an omen.
Carrie couldnât seem to shake off a gnawing fear. The place seemed so wild and primitive. As the boat drifted silently toward the pier, she became aware of a dozen sounds. Water lapping at the hullâ¦the startled flight of an egretâ¦an insect buzzing near her ear.
And, in the distance, a scream.
Amanda Stevens is the bestselling author of over thirty novels of romantic suspense. In addition to being a Romance Writers of America RITA>® Award finalist, she is also the recipient of awards in Career Achievement in Romantic/Mystery and Career Achievement in Romantic/Suspense from Romantic Times BOOKclub. She currently resides in Texas. To find out more about past, present and future projects, please visit her Web site at www.amandastevens.com.
Carrie BishopâSearching for her friend on Cape Diablo resurrects an old demonâ¦and awakens a long-dormant passion.
Nick DracoâHis secret threatens Carrieâs search for her childhood friend.
Tia FalconâA runaway bride who escaped to Cape Diablo after leaving her fiancé at the altar. Now sheâs disappeared.
Trey HollingerâA jilted groom with an explosive temper.
Nathaniel GloverâThe monster who abducted Carrie and Tia when they were adolescents. He was never apprehended.
Ethan StoneâA mysterious stranger who lives in the upstairs apartmentâ¦and never shows his face.
Alma GarciaâShe has lived in isolation on Cape Diablo for thirty years.
Robert CochburnâAn ambitious attorney with a taste for the finer things in life.
Zeke TrawickâHis supply boat is the only way on and off the island.
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
The body would start to smell soon.
I should have dumped it in the swamp right after it happened, but I was too afraid of being seen. Even on Cape Diablo, eyes were everywhere. I could feel them on me now as I lay naked in the dark. Grabbing a blanket, I pulled it over my feverish skin and tried to ignore the trickles of sweat that slid down my temples and ran back into my hair.
I hadnât slept in days. Squeezing my eyes closed, I willed myself to succumb to the exhaustion, but it was no use. My mind raced with fragmented images. Iâd killed someone, but I hardly remembered the act at all. Rage had blinded me and by the time I emerged from that terrible haze, the body lay at my feet.
I could still smell the blood even though Iâd scrubbed the walls and floors until my hands grew raw. It had taken me a long time to get everything cleaned up, and then I wrapped the body in several layers of plastic and tried to forget what Iâd done. Told myself I wouldnât dwell on it.
And I hadnât until now. But tomorrow was Tuesday.
The supply boat ran on Tuesdays. Any visitors to the island would likely come then.
The driver would drop off provisions and passengers and wouldnât return until Friday. That would give me three whole days. Three days in which there would be no way off the island. No communication with the outside world. No one to stop me from doing what had to be done.
That was why Cape Diablo was so perfect for someone like me. A person could disappear out here and never be heard from again.
Carrie Bishop clung to her cap as the supply boat headed due west, into the sunset. Just minutes from Everglades City, civilization ended and the topography became a vast no-manâs-land of sparkling channels that wound for miles through dense mangrove forests and swampy grass flats.
Once the refuge of pirates, the area had now become a sanctuary for modern-day smugglers bringing drugs, guns and humans across the border. Lawless and primal, it was the perfect place for a runaway bride to disappear.
Which was undoubtedly why Tia had fled to the islands after leaving her soon-to-be groom at the altar, Carrie decided as a wave bounced her up off the seat. Tia hadnât wanted anyone to find her, especially her ex-fiancé, a handsome executive with an explosive temper.
Carrie wouldnât have thought to look for her here, either, if not for the postmark on her letter. Known as the Ten Thousand Islands, the area could be extremely inhospitable to anyone without a good map, a GPS device and a can of heavy-duty bug spray.
Thank goodness sheâd been able to hitch a ride on the supply boat, Carrie thought. She would never have been able to find the island on her own.
Although being miles from nowhere at the mercy of a complete stranger wasnât exactly her idea of a fun day. And the driver had certainly done nothing to put her at ease. When sheâd met him earlier at the marina, heâd snatched the money from her hand with barely a grunt, his manner so abrasive that Carrie might have had second thoughts about climbing aboard if the attorney whoâd leased Tia the apartment hadnât been at her side.