Adding a well-known athletic type, such as British rugby star, Stuart Reardon, on the cover was not needed but does confirm that the men in the First Force are ready and able to tackle...anything...
Well, almost anything...
When somebody comes after your family and murders your wife... that makes for an entirely different reaction to the situation!
His ears were tuned in to the sounds on the street. He heard the police cruiser pass every hour on the hour. Good--as long as
Gunner didn't decide to try anything on the quarter or half hour.
He turned over to watch Laura sleep. His gut twisted. He didn't want to leave his family. He needed to stand by to keep guard over them. Gently, he pulled the blanket over Laura's shoulder then he slid from the bed, grabbed his gun from the floor, and crept from the room.
This would be the third sweep of the house he had performed for the night. Stealthily, he padded down the hallway. Dim slices of moonlight seeped through open doorways to light his way toward Lil's bedroom. Ever so carefully he twisted the door knob to open the door to peek in. Lil was asleep in the middle of her bed with her arms wrapped around her purple unicorn pillow pet. She had kicked off her blanket.
Jack made his way to the bed to ease the blankets over her. Lil sighed, snuggling into the warmth of the blanket. Smiling Jack checked the time on Lil's Sesame Street clock radio next to her bed: 4:00 AM.
~~~
Into the Crossfire:
First Force Series
By Cindy McDonald
It's not uncommon for a criminal to plan revenge when they get out of jail... and Gunner was no different... Except, he was one mean, nasty, biker gang leader that was already back to doing all the things he had done to get sent to jail! Now here's the thing, while Jack's boss told him that Gunner was out, he also told him he was scheduled for another assignment! Only promising that the police would make extra pass-bys at their home while he was gone. What?! Gimme a break! Well, Jack felt the same way as I and most other people would, he couldn't leave his family alone and in potential danger! He walked into his boss' office and declared he was taking all the vacation leave that was due him...
A great idea...but, unfortunately, Gunner already had his plan set and scheduled! And it was fast, vicious and unpreventable...
Having the leader of the First Force Security group living next door may seem a little contrived, but that thought is only a blip as you get into the story. The secretive neighbor had become a friend of the family and even little Lil called him "uncle..." BTW, when I saw curly hair and the rest of the description for Lil, I could not think beyond one little star, even though she's not of this generation! LOL
Too bad, many individuals may never know the pleasure Shirley Temple brought to so many people in her movies. In any event, the presence of Lil is a major character, in my opinion, as she serves to soften the hearts and bring a breath of light-hearted humor and love to this strong, silent, team who fight for good and justice...
They decided to let everybody think that all three were killed in the fire that Gunner and his team had started at Jack's home. Fortunately, several of Walt's team were staying there at the moment, but even they couldn't get over and into their house until it was too late. They patched up Jack as best could be done on site, verified that his wife was dead, and found Lil upstairs
"Uncle Walt!" she cried out through a cough. She reached her arm out to him, but Walt shot his hands out in front of him. A great idea...but, unfortunately, Gunner already had his plan set and scheduled! And it was fast, vicious and unpreventable...
 |
| Smitty eddied out of his backpack to rummage through it. "We've gotta hurry. Everything's on fire." He nodded toward the living room. The couch was aflame. The carpeting and the cabinetry in the kitchen was hissing with tiny flames devouring them...Smitty rolled Jack over. His shirt was saturated in blood as was his face. Quickly, he ripped Jack's shirt open to find a gaping hole in his side that was pumping a steady stream of blood. "He's bleeding out," Smitty said. He retrieved a packet of Quick Clot from the backpack, ripped it open with his teeth and dumped it over the wound. "We've got to get him outta here. Quick, find something to carry him in, a tablecloth maybe." He pressed a gauze bandage over the wound. ~~~ |
 |
| Walt appeared at the doorway of the kitchen... "Did you find the child?" "No," Grant called back. The woman is dead. The man isn't good." At that moment, they heard a scream. "Daddy!" Lil shrieked from upstairs. "Daddy, I'm scared!" ~~~ |
Too bad, many individuals may never know the pleasure Shirley Temple brought to so many people in her movies. In any event, the presence of Lil is a major character, in my opinion, as she serves to soften the hearts and bring a breath of light-hearted humor and love to this strong, silent, team who fight for good and justice...
They decided to let everybody think that all three were killed in the fire that Gunner and his team had started at Jack's home. Fortunately, several of Walt's team were staying there at the moment, but even they couldn't get over and into their house until it was too late. They patched up Jack as best could be done on site, verified that his wife was dead, and found Lil upstairs
"No, Lil! Stay there! I'm coming for you!" He ripped the sleeves off his shirt. He covered his nnose and mouth with one sleeve. He could barely see through the smoky room, and his watering burning eyes. Stomping out the flames as he went, he inched his way toward her.
In a panic, Lil, still clinging to her toy, reached out to him. Walt could feel the floor giving away. It creaked and moaned as the fire fed on the beams underneath. He had to move fast. It wouldn't be long before the floor collapsed. Finally he stood next to the bed. He took Lil into his arms and whispered in her ear, "It's going to be all right. Put your face into your stuff toy, and hold onto me, baby girl."
Hiding her face into the pillowpet, Lil wrapped her legs around him. When Walt turned back toward the doorway, it was engulfed in flames. They had to get through it--it was the only way out. With his free hand, he held the fabric from his shirt over his face, dipped his head low, and proceeded toward the door. He could hear sirens in the distance --no time to wait. He ran down the hallway to the stairs. The flames crept across the staircase, the railing was completely gone. Jumping over flames he made his way to the bottom. The smoke was thick and suffocating. The flames licked up his sides and he could feel a strong burning on his forearm...
~~~
This book is full of exciting scenes of rescue. Mainly because a rogue police officer began to feed information to Gunner...
When the team left Jack's house, still burning, they drove to the secret central location for the First Force team. Walt had built a secure location when he first decided to start this work. Only one person, a doctor, was permanently in residence there. She happens to be Walt's niece, who has a background of loss as well. There are poignant scenes as she faces a little girl, who is just the age of her daughter, who was killed, along with her husband... She is a great strong character who adds much to the overall story, in support of First Force... Of course, I'm hoping for more...after all, Lil needs a woman in her life, right?
Which comes to Jack and a potential future relationship. Jack loved his wife greatly, but his personality comes through no matter with whom he interacts. He likes to joke and tease, even if he's feeling like he's near death... I think you'll enjoy watching him being bossed around by a female doctor and beautiful Lil who just wants to see her Daddy get better and demands to help, as she carries in his meals and watches to make sure he's eating!From then on, you've got nothing but more and more action as the team works to deal with a biker gang who has inside information and keeps the team moving fast to try to keep up with what is happening, including the kidnapping of one of the individuals now staying at the supposed safe house! And the additional activities in human trafficking which have been started in conjunction with another biker gang!
Second in series coming next! You have got to check out this book further! Congrats to McDonald for an excellent genre switch and I'm looking forward to keeping track of this series...and the touch of eye candy provided...LOL!
GABixlerReviews
About the Author
For twenty-six years Cindy’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005. She often notes: Don’t ask me what happened, but suddenly I felt drawn to my computer to write about things that I have experienced with my husband’s Thoroughbreds and happenings at the racetrack—greatly exaggerated upon of course—I’ve never been murdered. Viola! Cindy’s first book series, Unbridled, was born—there are four books to that series thus far. Cindy is a huge fan of romantic suspense series’, and although she isn’t one to make New Year’s resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2013 she made a commitment to write one, Into the Crossfire is the first book for her new series, First Force. People are always asking Cindy: Do you miss dance? With a bitter sweet smile on her lips she tells them: Sometimes I do. I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love my books, and I love sharing them with you. Cindy resides on her forty-five acre Thoroughbred farm with her husband near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, book trailers, and excerpts for all of Cindy’s books please visit her website: www.cindymcwriter.com
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