Jon Land
Description
Review
"Maintaining a quick narrative pulse, Land (
The Walls of Jericho) builds an engaging story around the drama of three damaged souls, and even
...
avoids preaching on the nobility of physical challenge; this fine, small page-turner is just right for the season." -
Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Jon Land is the
USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, over ten of which feature Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong. The critically acclaimed series has won more than a dozen awards, including the 2019 International Book Award for Best Thriller for
Strong as Steel. He is also the author of
Chasing the Dragon, a detailed account of the War on Drugs written with one of the most celebrated DEA agents of all time. A graduate of Brown University, Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island and received the 2019 Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award for his lifetime of literary achievements.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Hope Mountain
ONE
CHAPTER ONE
"How long has this been going on?"
Jen turned toward her brother in the Jeep's passenger seat.
"I want an answer, all right?" Matt continued, sounding considerably older than his fifteen years.
Jen swung back to the road and glimpsed the red light above her. She hit the brakes and heard the grinding screech in the last instant before the eighteen-wheeler barreled through the intersection and struck the Jeep Cherokee broadside. It spun across the road like a top, twisting and turning until the passenger side wrapped around a telephone pole in a shower of glass and steel.
Jen didn't remember much after that. There was the blistering bang of the air bag inflating, followed by the taste of blood in her mouth and the odd feeling that her teeth seemed to have shifted. Her vision was blurred and her head ached horribly. It hurt to breathe and something heavy was pressing against her chest. She managed to look down and saw that the heavy object was the steering wheel wrapped in the billowy shape of the deflated air bag.
I'm trapped ... .
Regaining awareness was like being reluctantly stirred from a deep sleep. She fought it every step of the way, preferring the dark to the reality around her.
A soft moan drew her gaze to the passenger seat. For an instantshe saw no one and was disoriented enough to believe she had been alone in the car. Then she glimpsed her brother Matt slumped against the seat back, shrouded from the face down by the floppy remnants of the air bag on the passenger side.
There were people at the smashed-in window on the driver's side by then, urging her to stay calm, not to move. But Jen tried to shimmy herself free and stopped when a surge of agony like hot lightning cut into her pelvis. She shrieked in pain and a man by the window smashed the remaining glass aside and plunged his hand through to press against her shoulder.
"Let go of me!"
"Don't move. Please. You shouldn't move."
"
My brother! Help my brother!"
Jen thrashed to free herself, groping futilely toward Matt, coming up short. More hands jabbed through the window to hold her down. Jen fought them and her pelvis exploded in pain again.
The sound of sirens came next, picking up cadence as they drew closer. Jen closed her eyes, and when she opened them the firemen were surrounding the Jeep. The hands upon her now were those of paramedics. One of them spoke comfortingly to her before trying to cover her face with something heavy. Jen flailed and stripped it free. A fireman angled a Jaws of Life apparatus that looked like a huge pair of mechanical pliers to Matt's side of the Jeep. Once again the hands joined in against her. Jen's face and body were covered again and the rest of her held firmly in place.
The sound followed while she continued to struggle, a sound like an engine idling followed by a quick rev and a
pop! as the Jaws of Life separated the passenger door from the Jeep's frame. The hands restraining her let up enough for Jen to shake f
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