Chapters (53)
- Cover
- Endorsements
- Half Title Page
- Books by Elizabeth Goddard
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- Another Thrilling Story from the Author
- ONE
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3623-1
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
This novel is dedicated to my husband, Dan,
my most essential ally on this precarious journey called life.
I love you, Dan!
ONE
Her world was spinning out of control. Correction. Not her world—her body.
But what else could Mackenzie Hanson expect while in the grip of a colossal gyrating octopus? A cephalopod built from a jumble of plastic and metal parts, and powered by a smelly, backfiring motor. All of it quickly bolted together to be ready for patrons visiting the traveling carnival.
She imagined a tentacle flying off. How safe was she, really?
Her stomach grew queasy with the spinning and rocking motion.
Sky. People. Balloons. Asphalt. Sky. People. Balloons. Asphalt.
Over and over and over.
Mackenzie squeezed her eyes shut.
But for the brief time she’d kept them open . . .
She might have been hallucinating. Could centrifugal force cause hallucinations?
She thought she’d seen . . . No. It was only someone who looked like Julian.
Even with the mere thought of seeing him, her heart rate skyrocketed. The ride wasn’t helping. She squeezed her eyes tighter as if that would protect her from the g-force conspiring against her.
Screams erupted. Laughter too. Loud rock music pounded through her bones as her stomach dropped to catch up with her body being flung by an octopus tentacle. She clung to the safety bar that kept her secure or prevented her from escape. She hadn’t decided which.
All she wanted was to get off the giant rolling octopus.
Now!
A hand squeezed her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
That William, her friend—her date—could even speak while the ride continued spinning added to her anxiety. Mackenzie shook her head.
“I thought it would be fun.” William’s voice sounded tight. “Just hang on. It’ll be over soon.”
But the ride wasn’t over soon. In fact, it continued far too long.
Was the operator distracted? Flirting with a girl much too young for him? Had he left to use the facilities? Mackenzie recalled enjoying this crazy, exhilarating fluttering of her stomach as a kid. Things had certainly changed.