Liz Cantrell's peaceful life running the family antique shop on Hilton Head Island is disrupted when her sister Jillian marries Travis who is a little on the shady side. While Jillian and Travis are on their honeymoon, Liz receives a phone call from her sister telling her to bring their mother's antique jewelry box and the necklace that's in it to Niagara Falls. Jillian is being held for ransom by international contraband smuggler Idris Santini.
Liz is met by two federal agents as she de-boards the plane. Nathaniel Longhorn is with the Canadian Boarder Services, and Blake Fallon is a US Federal agent. Both are a part of IBETs (Integrated Border Enhancement Teams), which is a joint effort to keep crime along the border of the two countries at bay. Liz learns they are trying to take down Santini, and they enlist her help in doing so. It seems this necklace, which was a gift from Travis to Jillian, is made up of stolen uncut diamonds Santini is smuggling across the border. Liz has no choice but to help them; she's holding stolen goods. But what transpires thereafter is a harrowing experience for everyone. Can she really trust that they are interested in getting her sister back, or are they just interested in bringing down this criminal? Can she keep her heart from falling for Federal Agent Blake Fallon?
RANSOM is a fast-paced inspirational novel that is another installment in Terri Reed's Northern Border Patrol series. It is action-packed and full of suspense from start to finish. Blake is a strong, serious character who is all business. He has never met anyone quite so challenging as Liz. She's an extremely strong character who doesn't take anything at face value. The story line takes several unexpected turns that will keep you glued to the pages. RANSOM is a story about faith and trust, about revenge and redemption. Terri Reed incorporates some of her previous characters from this series and updates us on other characters as she revisits their stories. But any of these books in the Northern Border Patrol series are good stand- alones, so why miss out on such good reads?
"WE HAVE YOUR SISTER."
Liz Cantrell is terrified when she receives a call from a
man holding her newlywed sister captiveโand she's
convinced
her sketchy brother-in-law's involved. Willing to pay any
price for her sister's freedom, Liz flies to Niagara
Falls
with the ransom: an uncut diamond necklace worth
millions.
But the moment she lands, a handsome, world-weary
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent takes her into
custody.
Blake Fallon's determined to catch a ruthless
diamond smugglerโand the pretty antiques dealer trying to
save her sister could be just the break his case needs.
But
as they team up to rescue Liz's sister and trap the
criminal
mastermind, a desperate standoff will threaten everything
they hold preciousโincluding their lives.
Northern Border Patrol: Keeping the US-Canada border
safe.
EXCERPT
A crash from her sisterโs bedroom brought Liz Cantrell
bolt upright on the couch. She was alone in the apartment
she shared with her sister and had been seated with her
feet tucked beneath her, trying hard to be interested in
the movie on the television with no success. She muted
the sound and listened.
A floorboard creaked.
No way was that from the blustery January wind outside
her second story apartment.
Someone was definitely in Jillianโs room.
Alarm flooded Lizโs veins.
โPlease, Lord,โ she whispered as she fumbled to grab her
phone from her sweat pants pocket.
A thud and then a manโs deep growl jolted her into
action.
No time to call for help. She had to get out of there.
Fast. She jumped to her feet and hurried to open the
apartment door. The hinge squeaked as loud as a shotgun
blast.
Thunder rumbled through the apartment.
Not thunder, but feet. A tall figure, wearing a plastic
masquerade mask like those worn at Mardi Gras time and
dressed all in black, rushed out of Jillianโs room. He
had Jillianโs big burl-wood jewelry boxโthankfully not
their motherโs special jewelry box-- in his gloved hands,
spilling the contents of Jillianโs costume jewelry on the
floor as he ran toward Liz.
Adrenaline fueled her fear. She whirled away and ran for
the stairs leading to her familyโs antique shop, her
slippers snagging on the old carpet. The walls of the
stairwell seemed to close in on her. She hated dark,
confined spaces.
She pushed through her anxiety to scuttle down the stairs
as fast as she could. The man came after her, breathing
down her neck like a monster from a horror flick, adding
to the fear tightening her chest and constricting her
throat.
Before she reached the bottom of the staircase, the
burglar grabbed a handful of her hair. With a painful
jerk, he brought her to a halt and pushed her face first
against the stairwell wall. Pain exploded in her cheek
and radiated through her head. Would he kill her? Rape
her? She squeezed her eyes tight, tensing her body in
preparation to fight back and sent up an urgent prayer.
God, help me! Help me, please.
โWhereโs the necklace?โ her attacker growled in her ear.
His hot, stale breath made her gag.
โWhat?โ Liz struggled to process what was happening. Why
had this man broken into her home? What was he talking
about? โWhat necklace?โ
โCome on Jillian, Travis bragged to me heโd lifted it
from Santiniโs shipment to give to you. Since Travis is
so stupid to not keep his mouth shut, he doesnโt deserve
it. And neither does Santini, the pig.โ He pressed his
weight into her, his knee jamming into her thigh, his
elbow crammed into her back at the tender spot below her
ribs. โGive it to me or Iโll kill you!โ
His words beat into her, almost paralyzing her with
terror. He thought she was Jillian. What would the man do
when he realized she wasnโt Jillian but rather her
sister? Kill her then go after Jillian? She couldnโt let
that happen. She had to protect her little sister.
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