UNDER SIEGE
A ruthless killer is targeting the families of soldiers in a U.S. Army colonelâs brigade. Special agent Jamison Steele, of the Criminal Investigation Division, vows to stop himâbecause this time, Jamisonâs heart is involved. The colonelâs daughter, the woman who loved and left Jamison without a word, came face-to-face with the murderer. Protecting Michele Logan means constant surveillance. And solving the mystery of the serial killerâs motive requires asking Michele the questions she least wants to answer. Questions that may lead them both into a deadly trap.
Jamison pulled a small notebook and U.S. Army pen from his coat pocket and kept his face impassive as he thought of questions that begged to be answered.
Whyâd you leave me, Michele? What happened that made you run away?
Shoving them aside, he asked, âDid you see anything out of place, Miss Logan, before you noticed the body?â
âMiss Logan?â She narrowed her gaze. Evidently she didnât understand his decision to forgo first names.
No matter how alluring Michele might be, Jamison needed to remain professional but aloof and firmly grounded in the present.
âThe room was dark...the smell of blood. IâI saw Yolanda,â she said.
âWhat happened next?â
âSomeone shoved me into the couch.â
Jamison tensed. His mouth went dry. He swallowed, knowing all too well what the killer could have done to Michele. âCan...can you describe the person?â
She shook her head. âHe struck me from behind. I never saw him, Agent Steele.â
Jamison almost smiled at her attempt to play hardball. Evidently she didnât realize heâd built a wall around his heart and added armor for protection.
DEBBY GIUSTI
is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an army brat, Debby met and married her husbandâthen a captain in the armyâat Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three wonderful army brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul. Contact Debby through her website, www.DebbyGiusti.com, email [email protected], or write c/o Love Inspired Suspense, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
âMatthew 7:24, 25
This book is dedicated to
the deployed members of our Armed Forces and to the families who await their return. To my husband, who has always been my hero. To Liz, Joe, Mary, Eric, Katie, Anna, Robert, William and John Anthony. To the parishioners at Holy Trinity who encourage me to write more stories. To the Seekers and the extended Seekerville family for your friendship and support. To Anna Adams with gratitude for our weekly meetings at Paneraâs. To Emily Rodmell, my editor, and Deidre Knight, my agent.
ONE
Angry storm clouds turned the evening sky over Fort Rickman, Georgia, as dark as the mood within the car. Michele Logan pulled her eyes from the road and glanced at her mother, sitting next to her in the passenger seat.
Roberta Logan, usually the poised colonelâs wife, toyed with the collar of her blouse and gave voice to a subject that had weighed on Micheleâs heart for the past two years. âDespite what you think, dear, you havenât gotten over your brotherâs death.â
Ever since she and her mother had left her parentsâ quarters en route to the potluck dinner, Roberta had insisted on talking about the accident that had claimed Lanceâs life. The topic added to Micheleâs anxiety, especially with the inclement August weather and the darkening night.
âArenât you the one who insists life goes on, Mother?â
âAnd it does, dear, but that doesnât mean youâve worked through your grief.â Roberta turned her gaze toward the encroaching storm. âAs Iâve told you before, you werenât to blame.â
True enough that Michele wasnât to blame for the crashed army helicopter, yet she still felt responsible for her brotherâs death. If she had visited that weekend, he never would have been on board the fateful flight.
âI donât like the looks of those clouds.â Distracted by the storm, Roberta worried her fingers. âMaybe Yolanda should have canceled the potluck.â
âAnd disappoint the wives in Dadâs brigade? You said itâs important for the women to come together socially when the men were deployed.â