Trapped
Mom, I need your help. Please call– That's it. The call cuts off in midsentence. No static. Nothing. Just an overwhelming silence.Long Island single mom Jane Hartley is frantic when her sixteen-year-old daughter, Kelly, a survivor of childhood leukemia, disappears from her bedroom one night. To Jane's frustration, the police believe that Kelly ran off willingly with her boyfriend, Seth. Unaware that her daughter even had a boyfriend, Jane soon discovers that Seth is no boy. He is an adult– a man who, after meeting Kelly on the Internet, took the teenager on one thrill-seeking ride after another. From motorcycles to skydiving, Jane's little girl has been hiding some dangerous secrets.Like mother, like daughter.Adamant that Kelly is not a runaway but, rather, is being held against her will, Jane hires ex-FBI agent Randall Shane to follow the trail of her missing child. But every step brings them closer to a cold-blooded predator lurking in the shadows… coiled around Jane's shameful secret… waiting to strike.
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Sheâd been thinking about Brody and suddenly she was seeing him.
And hearing him.
It wasnât possible. She was in shock. And pain. Her shoulder hurt like the devil. That was it.
She flashed the light again, being careful to keep it away from his eyes. The manâs body was long and lanky, with narrow hips and a flat stomach. Nice wide shoulders. Strong chin.
Oh, no. She knew that chin.
âBrody?â she said, her voice squeaking.
Said chin jerked up and she caught the full impact of his hazel eyes. He looked her up and down and, even knowing that it was so dark that he couldnât be seeing much, it had her wanting to run and hide. Thirteen years. And it felt as if it were yesterday.
âEvening, Elle,â he said, his voice sounding strained. âI guess this just proves that no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse.â
As a child, BEVERLY LONG used to take a flashlight to bed so that she could hide under the covers and read. Once a teenager, more often than not, the books she chose were romance novels. Now she gets to keep the light on as long as she wants, and thereâs always a romance novel on her nightstand. With both a bachelorâs and a masterâs degree in business and more than twenty years of experience as a human resources director, she now enjoys the opportunity to write her own stories. She considers her books to be a great success if they compel the reader to stay up way past their bedtime.
Beverly loves to hear from readers. Visit www.beverlylong.com, or like her at www.facebook.com/beverlylong.romance.
Elle VollmanâWhen her small plane crashes in the Amazon jungle, Elle must team up with Brody Donovan, the fiancé she ran away from thirteen years earlier. It would be too much to expect his forgiveness, but can she count on his help when it becomes apparent that a madman is determined that sheâs never going to make it out of the jungle alive?
Dr. Brody DonovanâWhen the plane crashes, Brody is able to render medical aid. But he canât stop his own blood pressure from rising when he realizes that heâs stranded in the Amazon jungle with Elle Vollman, the only woman heâs ever loved. Is he willing to risk his heart one more time?
Leo ArroulâHeâs been Elleâs friend for years and she trusts him. Will he cross Jamas by helping Elle and Brody escape? Or is he already on Jamasâs payroll?
Captain RamanoâHe does a masterful job landing the plane in the jungle, but does he know more about the engine trouble than heâs willing to share? Would he have deliberately crashed his own plane?
T. K. JamasâHeâs a predator of young girls, luring them into the world of human trafficking. He will stop at nothing to ensure that Elle never testifies against him. But is the love he has for his mother his one vulnerability?
FelipeâHeâs T. K. Jamasâs right-hand man but he has his own reasons for capturing Elle and Brody. To what lengths will he go to ensure that they cooperate with his plans?
MariaâSheâs a nurse and appears loyal to Jamas. Have Brody and Elle underestimated her ability to help or harm them?
For my father, who was sent to Colorado before he shipped out for WWII.
He learned to ski and fell in love!
Contents
Brody Donovan moved in his seat, trying to discreetly stretch his long legs. The pretty young woman across the aisle smiled at him.
âLong flight, huh?â she said.
Long, late and the last twenty minutes, bumpy as hell. He glanced at his watch, judging the amount of time heâd have between connecting flights. âYes,â he said politely, and promptly closed his eyes.
He didnât want to engage in any conversation. He wanted solitude. For the next ten days, he planned to enjoy the quiet and forget about the bang of roadside bombs, the sting of metal fragments and the despair of the damaged bodies that heâd been patching up for years. He intended to forget about war and to pretend that everybody could just get along.
His destination of choice involved a little backtracking, but he was okay with that. A direct flight out of Miami into BrasÃlia, the capital of Brazil, then a smaller plane to take him an hour north to a place where the sand was white, the water blue and the rum cold.
He had a place to stay, courtesy of his friend Mack McCann. Payback, his friend had said for Brodyâs assistance in saving Hope Minnowâs life. After hearing that Brody had a trip to South America in mind with no particular destination, Mack had been quick to call in a few favors and suddenly Brody had a beach house in Brazil waiting for him.
Peace. A brief interlude before the real world and its real-world responsibilities pressed down upon him. It wasnât as if he was dreading the next step. San Diego, with its three hundred days a year of sunshine and mild temperatures, wasnât something to bitch about. And he was joining one of the leading orthopedic practices in the country. It was just that...
