TRAPPED AT SEA
In an instant Kathryn Brooksâs idyllic transatlantic cruise turns to terror. Itâs hard to believe someone has it out for her, yet chandeliers donât explode on their ownâand her best friend has gone missing. But Secret Service agent Sam West vows to protect her as every corridor poses a threat and any stranger may be an assailant. With the shipâs security providing little assistance, Kathryn puts her trust in Sam. Yet losing her own life is no longer her only fear. As she and Sam strive to stay a step ahead of the enemy, Kathryn worries that by caring for Samâ¦sheâs put a target on his back, as well.
Hot tears spilled down her face as she thought of Sam, how he would take all of this on himself. But it was her fault. She shouldnât have gone with the man.
She wouldnât.
She stopped, turned toward her assailant, the barrel of the gun near her eye.
He didnât want to kill her here. Knew heâd be caught.
âMove!â he growled, and a door above them slammed open.
âKathryn!â
Sam. Coming down the stairs!
The man yanked her back, hand fisting painfully in her hair, gun pressed to the side of her head.
Footsteps echoed, fast along the metal steps. Sam turned the corner, weapon drawn.
He met Katâs eyes, and she wondered if this would be their last moment together.
SARA K. PARKER
was raised in central Maryland and spent many childhood hours with her nose in a book or a pen in hand. The youngest of five children, she longed to grow up, and began pursuing a writing career at the age of fifteen. That year, her first poem was published in a Christian magazine, and Sara has continued to weave her faith into most of her writing. Sara holds an undergraduate degree in journalism and a masterâs degree in writing. She and her husband stay busy with four children, three dogs and a cat in a suburb near Houston, Texas. When sheâs not writing or wrangling children or animals, Sara spends her time teaching piano, reading, reorganizing or experimenting in the kitchen.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.
âIsaiah 42:16
To my mom and dad, Shirley and Edward Porter.
I still remember opening that electric keyboard one glorious Christmas morningâthank you for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams.
To my husband, Nate, who never doubted, tirelessly helping with kids and housework so I could write. I love you, and I couldnât have done this without you.
To my sister, Shirlee McCoy, a critique partner who tells it like it is until weâre laughing so hard weâre crying. You said Iâd get here, and you believed it. Thank you.
And to God, who orchestrated it all.
ONE
Someone had been in her stateroom.
Blue sapphire organza spilled out of the opened garment bag in Kathryn Brooksâs closet. She hadnât touched it since the day theyâd set sail, when sheâd carefully hung the gown alongside her other performance attire. Kat was meticulous about her work clothes, had to be, considering their hefty price tag. She never would have left one of her bags open. Especially not the one holding her Jovani gown, the one her dad had bought for her.
So, who had opened it?
The question gripped her and wouldnât let go.
She checked the zipper along the edge of the white casing, found it intact. She glanced around the room.
Everything else looked just the way sheâd left it when sheâd gone to the gym. The bed had been made, though, and a towel folded into the shape of a monkey hung from the ceiling. Johannâs doing.
She still felt funny about the special treatment, but her agent had insisted on requesting a room with a balcony, a steward and all the perks that vacationing travelers enjoyed.
It was how a world-renowned concert pianist traveled, Becky Landry had told her. âIn style.â
Kat unhooked the gown from its hanger and carried it to the bed, laid it out atop the white down comforter. Traced the seams, checked the hem. No harm done.
Perhaps her cabin steward had just been curious. If it happened again, sheâd have a word with him. She chided herself for her paranoia.
She needed to get a handle on that. Ever since the fire, sheâd been battling anxiety.
Rooming with her best friend had been the perfect antidote. During the day, Morgan was the best kind of companyâfunny and adventurous, always dragging Kat out of their room to explore new ports and socialize with passengers. And during the quiet hours of the night, Kat was never alone. But Morgan had disembarked for a family emergency four days ago, leaving Kat right back in the very place sheâd sought to escapeâalone with her thoughts.
The room was stuffy. She left the gown and opened the glass balcony door, stepped out to the railing. Hot wind assaulted her, mid-July sun beating down without mercy. She welcomed the heat, its warmth on her face, the pungent saltiness of the seaâall reminders that she was alive. Just three months ago, sheâd wondered if sheâd ever feel the sun again, see the crisp blue sky, inhale the scents of summer.