MOVING TARGETS
After stumbling on a drug operation, Alice Wilde races through the woods as bullets whiz past, using her skills as a wilderness guide to elude her pursuers. But she doesnât stay safe for long once one of the armed men recognizes her...and starts stalking her. When the sheriff asks her to guide his men and photojournalist Griffin Slaterâher ex-boyfriendâto the crime scene, though, she canât refuse. Alice knows Griffinâs just there for a story, but after the two of them are separated from the rest of the group, heâs the only person who can save her. And with someone willing to do anything to hunt them down, Alice must put aside their past if she wants to survive.
Griffin looked through the lens of his camera, zoomed in. His gut soured at what he saw.
âLooks like thousands of plants.â
He could make out over forty rows with maybe a hundred plants each. Millions of dollarsâ worth of marijuana. But dread settled in his gut at the massive number of guards. He could sense that something was about to go south.
âCan I look through it? See what youâre seeing?â
Alice had already seen some of it when sheâd stumbled on it, but obviously not the vastness. âSure, but youâre not going to like it.â
He handed over his superzoom camera. âDid they have that many guards when you were there?â
âI mean, men chased me. Weapons fired offâI couldnât tell how many, just that there were a lotâbut now it looks like...it looks like...â
âA war zone.â Packed with armed guards ready to kill.
Their little reconnaissance mission was a mistake. They shouldnât be here. Shouldnât have brought Alice. Then a manâs shadow fell over him and Alice. Griffin didnât miss the silhouette of the assault rifle.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Wilderness Reunion, the final book in the Wilderness, Inc. series. I hope you could relate to Alice and Griffin on some level. Part of the reason for this story is I wanted to raise awareness of the devastation thatâs being inflicted on public lands in our beautiful country. Not only are illegal marijuana farms catastrophic to the land, the wildlife and water, but theyâre dangerous to people, especially nature enthusiasts as you see in this story.
In Aliceâs case, her world was turned upside down. Sheâd been minding her own business when she stumbled into some bad newsâshe was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Have you ever been affected by othersâ mistakes or âbad businessâ? I know I have, and though those mistakes are not anything remotely similar to the illegal marijuana farm in this story, peopleâs bad choices have disrupted my life at times, and even changed it in big ways. Thereâs nothing I can do about other peopleâs actions, but for myself, I must realize how all my choices in life affect others.
Regarding our decisions, we canât know what will happen down the road, but we can always prayerfully consider our choices, and trust the One to lead and direct our path. Like Psalm 5:8 says, âLead me, Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemiesâmake Your way straight before me.â
My prayer for you today is that no matter the trouble you stumble into in life, that you allow the One to direct and guide you out of it, to protect you and lead you.
I love to hear from my readers. You can connect with me on my website, ElizabethGoddard.com, where youâll find links to my social media pages and you can also sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Bookbub!
Many blessings!
Elizabeth Goddard
ELIZABETH GODDARD is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels and novellas. A 2011 Carol Award winner, sheâs a double finalist in the 2016 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and a 2016 Carol Award finalist. Elizabeth graduated with a computer science degree and worked in high-level software sales before retiring to write full-time.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
âMatthew 10:26â27
To Daddy. I pray for His strength, peace, love and joy as you embark on your new adventure.
Acknowledgments
Every day I wake up and thank God that He blessed me with such an amazing jobâthe dream job of making up stories. With God everything is possible. A journey taken alone wouldnât be nearly as fulfilling, so God has added many deep-thinking writer friends, brothers and sisters in the faith, to my life. You know who you are. I couldnât walk this writing road without you.
ONE
Danger could lurk behind the beauty. She should know that better than anyone.
Slathered in insect repellent, Alice Wilde and her client had already hiked for three days into the Oregon mountains filled with bald eagles, waterfalls and huge, winding treesâoaks, pines and junipersâwhile they did their best to avoid poison oak.