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Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR JANICE CANTORE
  3. Map of Rogue’s Hollow
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  6. Epigraph
  7. PROLOGUE
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. EPILOGUE
  62. 1
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

The hose wound off the spool and Harp stopped a short distance away from the tree. Tess got out of the vehicle and followed Harp’s lead, helping to draw out hose on this end. Tess felt the heat of flames and struggled to breathe amid the swirling smoke. She pulled the mask that was around her neck up over her mouth and nose.

“Open that water valve,” Harp ordered, coughing and nodding toward a lever.

Tess did as instructed, switching on the water, and the hose plumped, charged with water.

Harp pointed at the closest flames as Tess helped her pull the water line along.

Her eyes burned, and her lungs felt as if they’d burst. She wondered if the two of them could survive before the C-130 made its appearance and dropped its load. She did something she was very rusty at but was working on, trying to remember what her father had taught her years ago and what Oliver was trying to reteach her . . . She prayed.

4

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

Ice looked around him at the mess accumulated after the party last night. Granted, the house was no palace to begin with—it was a boarded-up foreclosure the man he was looking for had broken into a week ago—but now it looked as if a bomb had exploded. Along with the beer cans, half-finished drinks, and half-eaten pieces of pizza, partygoers who hadn’t made it home slept here and there. There were two on the couch, several on the floor, and a couple in the corner. From the smell, someone had vomited somewhere, but he wasn’t looking for that.

He was here to clean up a mess, though not the vomit, stale pizza, and discarded cups and plates. This wasn’t Ice’s normal gig. His was the con, the smile, the look, the story that strung the merchandise along. But something had happened that pulled him away from his normal job, and now he needed to solve a problem, a worthless employee, someone who had double-crossed him. Ice’s partner had called, explaining that this man had poached the merchandise Ice had provided.

Ice drew in several deep, calming breaths to tamp down his anger, knowing he shouldn’t act on emotion. There was no room for mistakes, and acting emotionally led to mistakes. This was business. He’d procured a young girl for his partner and passed her to a middleman. The middleman was to move her right along, and he hadn’t done that. He’d violated the terms of his contract, and Ice would mete out justice.