âIâll stay the night,â he said in a gruff voice.
Sarahâs lips parted to mouth the word âWhat?â
âI said Iâll stay the night.â
She shook her head, her mind racing. She grabbed her Palm Pilot and wrote, âNo.â
âLook, Sarah, you may think this was a random burglar, but I donât. Think about it. That story came out about you overhearing a kidnapping, and someone breaks in to your apartment and attacks you all in the same day. Too coincidental for me.â
Fear seeped back inside her, chilling her to the bone. âBut you donât need to stayââ
âYou donât have to be afraid of me, Sarah.â He cleared his throat. âI know I was out of line earlier, and I told you it wonât happen again. But I will keep you safe.â
Sarahâs heart fluttered. Heâd keep her safe from danger, but who would protect her from him?
Silent Surrender
Rita Herron
Rita Herron is a teacher, workshop leader and storyteller who loves reading, writing and sharing stories with people of all ages. She has published two nonfiction books for adults on working and playing with children, and has won the Golden Heart award for a young adult story. Rita believes that books taught her to dream, and she loves nothing better than sharing that magic with others. She lives with her dream husband and three children, two cats and a dog in Norcross, Georgia. Rita loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at www.ritaherron.com or P.O. Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092.
Sarah CutterâA deaf woman who has lived in silence for twenty years regains her hearing only to hear the terrifying sounds of a womanâs desperate cry as she is being kidnapped. When she tells the police her bizarre story, she suddenly finds herself running for her life and facing the biggest fear of allâlosing her heart to her protector, Adam Black.
Adam BlackâA jaded cop who must accept Sarah Cutterâs bizarre story and protect her life in order to find his missing sister, but can he protect himself from falling in love with the tempting but vulnerable woman?
Denise Black HarleyâAdamâs missing sister is a doctor on the verge of a brilliant discovery that could help mankindâor get her killed.
Russell HarleyâDeniseâs estranged husband has hard feelings about the separation, but is he bitter enough to seek revenge?
Sol SantenelliâSarahâs godfatherâhe saved her life once and loves her more than anythingâor does he?
Charles CutterâSarahâs fatherâa research scientist who murdered his own wife and almost killed his daughter twenty years ago so he could sell his secret discovery to a foreign governmentâbut is everything as it seems?
Robey BurgessâA nosy reporter who is onto the story of a lifetimeâwill he break the story in time to earn his fame or die trying?
Arnold HughesâThis former military man and the CEO and cofounder of the research park was a close friend of Sarahâs fatherâor was he?
To Denise OâSullivan,
for asking for something differentâ¦hope you enjoy.
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
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
July, 1981
A loud explosion rumbled through the house. Five-year-old Sarah Cutter clutched her tattered blanket to her chest and tried not to cry. She hated thunderstorms. Especially lightning.
Suddenly the walls erupted into flames and she screamed.
âThereâs a bomb!â her mother yelled. âRun, Sarah, get out!â
Sarah bolted off the sofa, dashing toward the kitchen and her mother, but another loud explosion rocked the floor beneath her, and she stumbled and fell. Glass and wood shattered around her. Jagged shards stabbed her face and arms, and flames shot into the doorway in front of her.
âMommy, help!â
Smoke stung her eyes, so thick it billowed around her, clogging her vision. Then her motherâs blurred figure staggered into the doorway, flames eating at her clothes. Sarah stretched out her arms. But instead of grabbing her, her mother shoved her backward. âRun, honey, get out! Now!â
Another boom tore through the house, and the roof collapsed on top of her mother, sending blood trailing down her forehead. Tears streamed down Sarahâs cheeks. She had to save her mother. She crawled forward, but heat scalded her knees, and glass slivers jabbed her palms. The fire was gobbling the wood floor, hissing like a monster!
More wood splintered and rained down, pelting Sarahâs body. She covered her head with her hands and searched for her father. She saw him through the window. He was outside. He would save them!
But another board smacked her temple and pain exploded in her head. Then silence came, as swift and jarring as the darkness that sucked her into its big dark hole.