Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (novels to improve english txt) 📗

Heather Woodhaven earned her pilot’s license, rode a hot-air balloon over the safari lands of Kenya, parasailed over Caribbean seas, lived through an accidental detour onto a black-diamond ski trail in Aspen, and snorkeled among stingrays before becoming a mother of three and wife of one. She channels her love for adventure into writing characters who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Books by Heather Woodhaven

Love Inspired Suspense

Calculated Risk

Surviving the Storm

Code of Silence

Countdown

Texas Takedown

Tracking Secrets

Credible Threat

Protected Secrets

Wilderness Sabotage

Deadly River Pursuit

Twins Separated at Birth

Undercover Twin

Covert Christmas Twin

True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn

Chasing Secrets

Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

Deadly River Pursuit

Heather Woodhaven

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

—Galatians 6:2

To my family. Thank you for researching and adventuring with me…and understanding my need for hotels and indoor plumbing at the end of the day.

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Dear Reader

CHAPTER ONE

The Killer was just around the bend.

Categorized as Class III rapids, The Killer attracted whitewater enthusiasts to the Sauvage River. To the best of Nora Radley’s knowledge, no one had ever actually been killed by the rapids, though the name served as a warning to those who didn’t have the knowledge or experience to stay away.

Her torso twisted ever so slightly from the waist as she cut the paddle through the calm portion of the crystal-clear spring waters. The blue kayak responded immediately to her movement and changed course. The heavy snowmelt added several feet of water, which could produce newfound dangers before the official rafting season started.

This year’s examination of the river held extra importance. As acting manager of The Sauvage Run Rafting Company, Nora’s marketing efforts had been unsuccessful until Wonder Travel Magazine announced they were sending a journalist to Idaho to experience the early season’s opening weekend run. The publicity might be her only shot at getting her aunt’s business back to profitable.

She rested the paddle on top of the kayak and savored the floating sensation. The moment she was back on the river, it was like returning home, or at least what she imagined the feeling of home to be like. Her heart flooded with excitement as she rounded the bend. The roar reached her ears before she spotted the giant waves, still a good hundred yards or so in the distance.

To her left, Sandy Cape’s beach didn’t jut into the river as far as last year. Concerning but still workable. The beach served as the first stop for guests to eat lunch and marvel at the wild rapids before they ventured forth. She fought against a disappointed groan, anxious to keep going, but she had a job to do.

She maneuvered her paddle and aimed for land. A raft, on the opposite end of the beach, poked out from between two boulders. The Sauvage Run was printed in dark blue on the side. She clenched her jaw. None of the employees was supposed to take out a raft without her knowledge.

Nora gave the paddle an extra shove on the right and ramped up onto the sand.

“It’s pretty simple. All of the cash at the—”

The waves sloshed against the back end of her kayak so she couldn’t hear the rest. The voice had to belong to Dexter Miller, the sharp-edged tone a dead giveaway. She already regretted hiring him. If it turned out he was soliciting money under the table for private rafting trips when he should be in training, Nora’s patience would reach its end, even if her aunt had pushed for the hire.

She stepped out of the kayak and dragged it the rest of the way onto the sand. Just past the firepit and picnic tables, she spotted Dexter among the trees, still talking with his trademark arrogance, but she couldn’t see the other person.

“The ball’s in your court, but if I go missing then you don’t get your stuff,” Dexter said, his chin jutting upward.

What kind of racket was Dexter trying to pull? The defiance and lack of respect seemed woven in the fiber of his bones. Most of the guides were young and Nora expected a certain amount of immaturity, but Dexter was in his forties. “I have a good guess how much it’s worth,” Dexter continued. “I guarantee you won’t be able to find—”

“You got to say your piece,” a man remarked, his voice low and monotone. “Now, it’s my turn. See that over there?”

Nora squinted, trying to get a glimpse of the other man. She had a feeling she knew that voice but couldn’t place it. She continued forward, the downward pull of the sand impeding her progress. Another step allowed her to see the back of the other man through the branches. Black jacket, brown hair, average height, but nothing indicated his identity yet. Interrupting their conversation wasn’t her first choice, but she also wanted to make her presence known lest they assume she was intentionally eavesdropping.

The man lifted a gun while Dexter looked at something to the southeast. A shot rang out.

Her chest seized in a gasp. The greeting she’d been about to holler caught in the back of her throat. Dexter crumpled to the ground. The man spun, pulling up a gray camouflage mask as he turned. The sun reflected off something in his hand, probably the gun, and the blue lenses of the dark sunglasses covered the rest of his face. He raised his arm.

Nora ducked instinctively. A bullet hit a rock a foot from where she was standing. She sprinted across the shore, pumping her arms as hard as possible, despite the restrictive nature of the wet suit. Going back to her kayak, which was sitting out in the open on the sandy beach, wasn’t an option. Another shot rang out, producing an explosion of sand against her shins.

She slid as if going for home base until she was behind the largest boulder on the farthest side