"Very good! What a smart girl you are?" she praised the child.
The road was busy with villagers, nodding at her and her daughter as they passed. Some called out greetings. Sierra was only too happy to reply in the villager's native tongue. They would smile at the child through the maize of dust that seemed to constantly cling in the thick air and cloying heat...
Sierra broke through her contemplation, "Mommy. Who are they?"
She turned toward the west end of the village to see a cloud of dust rising over the huts like a furious tornado coiling into the town. Engines revved, men were yelling in Spanish, but she'd couldn't understand their words, and that's when the shooting started...Sierra screamed.
She whipped Sierra into her arms and hurried into the busy, trying to find a way to safety...
She grabbed the handle of the thatched door, except she was yanked backward by her braid. Landing on her back, she lay in the dust, coughing, trying to catch a breath, trying to see through the miasma of grime, when her daughter was snatched from her arms by a tall man wearing a black scarf. He dragged her, kicking and screaming, up the short steps into the hut...
"Sierra!" Rayne shrieked into the dark. "Sierra! My God, Sierra!"
In frenzy, she jumped to her knees. With her fingers spread wide, Rayne swept her hands over the bed searching for her daughter when strong arms enveloped her. She couldn't breathe. She pulled, pushed and punched to escape the grip of the horrible man who killed her daughter and husband and took her hostage, Esteban Rojas.
Then a voice spoke softly to her, pressing his mouth into her saturated hair. "Shhh, easy now," he said, rocking her to and fro. "Shhh, it's okay, Rayne. It's okay, you're with me, Jack..."
~~~
Into the Dark:
The First Force Series
By Cindy McDonald
Whew, it's been awhile since a story has kept my emotions riding a roller coaster as this story took me--from flashback nightmares of horrible past scenes, into sexy bedroom scenes, into adorable interaction with a special child, and on into heart-throbbing thrills as the action becomes dangerous. It's certainly not fast-paced reading because McDonald reigns control over what she throws her readers into! We might slow down to enjoy the romantic scenes as the two main characters openly begin to express their feelings for the other. Then, see the triggers begin which throws in flashbacks and emotional loss for both of those characters! I believe this is my favorite by Cindy McDonald!
Cindy has certainly become one of my favorite authors having been a spotlighted author for her Unbridled Series* (links shown below for the week she spent here as a guest blogger or via my reviews of her books). Then she began a new series, The First Force Series and blasted into the Thriller genre full-steam ahead. First was Crossfire, then To The Breaking Point. and Into the Dark is the third in this series. Do check out my reviews of the first two books and you will begin to get the flavor of the series characters. Especially Jack and
Lil, his daughter, who were main characters in a previous book and now join Dr. Rayne Lee, who is now spotlighted.
Lil, his daughter, who were main characters in a previous book and now join Dr. Rayne Lee, who is now spotlighted.
Remember Jane Seymour as Dr. Quinn? I thought of her to play Rayne because of her personality as well as credentials... Dr. Rayne Lee serves as the doctor for the First Force team. She is also a relative of the team leader and has made her residence in the mansion that serves the group...
Rayne joined the team after her husband and daughter were killed while they were in Peru, both serving as doctors to the local residents and beyond. Rayne was kept and remained for seven months to be the sex slave of the guerrilla leader that had destroyed their camp there until rescued by First Force. Now that past has raised ugly actions for Rayne!
Two different missions arrived for the team. While two men went to guard a potential candidate for government appointment, Rayne began to get telephone calls from a young girl who claimed to be Sierra...her daughter, thought to be dead.
Rayne and Jack were just now beginning to share their feelings about the other when the calls started. And once they'd shared them, things moved very fast!
Rayne leaned against the wall, crossing her arms under her breasts to admire his tight rear...she couldn't stop the desire that was driving the curl of her lips. She reached her hand out to him. Accepting her hand, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her neck, her right ear lobe, nibbling his way across her delicate jaw to her lips. Spellbound, she hopped up, wrapping her legs around his torso, pressing her tongue into his mouth, wanting nothing more than to be as close to this man as she could possibly get. In a silky voice, she whispered, "I want you, Jack. I want you now..."
"You have way too many clothes on, and I have way too little patience," he said in a husky tone...
Not only did they result in flashback nightmares for Rayne, they also resulted in Rayne being afraid to share them with Jack, because it sounded so crazy to claim her dead daughter was calling her. The first call was so short and was difficult to hear clearly; Rayne quickly assumed that it was a wrong number or maybe the girl's name had been Sarah rather than Sierra which was an unusual name. Slowly, however, Rayne continued to wait for calls, knowing that she would never be satisfied if she didn't follow through checking. Then, with quick thinking, she obtained a program to record on her phone and was able to present a full conversation in order to seek help from First Force.
Two different missions arrived for the team. While two men went to guard a potential candidate for government appointment, Rayne began to get telephone calls from a young girl who claimed to be Sierra...her daughter, thought to be dead.Rayne and Jack were just now beginning to share their feelings about the other when the calls started. And once they'd shared them, things moved very fast!
"You have way too many clothes on, and I have way too little patience," he said in a husky tone...
~~~
There really was a little girl calling. She and her mother had been captured and held as prisoners and Patrizia was forced to work quickly to speak English without any accident. She knew that not only was she and her mother probably going to die, but that the calls she'd been making to Dr. Rayne Lee would probably cause the death of her as well! But no matter how she felt, there was really no choice--the men holding her captive threatened her and her mother continuously with death...
The characters created for this book are strongly defined and readily able to carry a series for a long time. I'm already match-making for two characters in this book to ultimately fall in love and it would really be a fun book to read! Cindy, I'm sending my idea telepathically as I write! LOL No matter what happens personally with the team members, readers will definitely know that this team is so fine-tuned that they are capable of handling missions like no other group in other books. They are unique, personally driven by their past and extremely well-trained and experienced in what they do. Kudos to McDonald... I love how she is handling and developing this series!
Sooooo, if you know the song being played above, you should be able to guess my hint of how this fantastic book ends! Really enjoyed this one and recommend it highly!
GABixlerReviews
For 26 years Cindy's life whirled around a song and a dance--she was a professional choreographer. She taught ballet, jazz, and tap. During that time she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. Most recently, she has retired to write her novels. She resides with her husband and Cocker Spaniel, Allister on their Thoroughbred farm know as Fly By Night Stables near Pittsburgh. To learn more about her book series' and to read excerpts from her upcoming books, please visit her website: www.cindymcwriter.com
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2014/04/spotlighted-author-cindy-mcdonald.html
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