Her Last Chance
Page 27
“Do the elders know anything about what might be happening?” she asked. Only twelve miles wide in places, the Wakhan Valley was a tiny finger of flat fertile ground separating some of the tallest mountains in the world—the magnificent and treacherous Hindu Kush to the south and the impenetrable Pamir Range to the north. Harsh winters trapped locals inside for seven months of the year. Wildlife was scarce and the region mercilessly inaccessible, but these people knew the land better than a visitor ever could.
“No.” His eyes shot between her and Josef. “They are scared that if the snow leopards are dead, you will blame them and they will lose their clinic.”
The Trust not only had an anti-poaching scheme, they also vaccinated local livestock once a year against common diseases, gratis. The program promoted healthier livestock and reduced the losses herders suffered to sickness, which in turn compensated for the occasional snow leopard kill. So far the scheme was working, except now they had two missing, possibly dead leopards and two tiny cubs unaccounted for.
The weight of responsibility sat like an elephant on her chest.
“Josef, run over and reassure them while Anji and I finish loading.” She held his gaze when he looked like he’d argue. The village elders sometimes struggled to deal with a woman. She didn’t mind because she loathed politics. “Be quick. We don’t have time for tea—you’ll have to make your excuses.”
It wasn’t how things were done here and she didn’t want to offend these people, but the survival of a species trumped social niceties today. Ten more minutes and they were finished packing. Anji tied the spare gasoline canisters onto the roof and made sure both big gas tanks were full. They honked and Josef jogged over and jumped into the van.
“Everything be okay.” Lines creased Anji’s leathery skin. “Inshallah.”
God willing, indeed.
She and Josef exchanged a look as Anji gunned the engine over the rough road marked only by a line of pale stones. Dust flew, stirred up by the tires, the land still soft from the thaw. They bounced over rivers, ruts and alluvial fans. Axelle craned her neck to stare at the imposing mountains.
“If the collars are working”—Josef spoke from the backseat—“there could be some crackpot in these hills picking off critically endangered animals for money. Anyone that desperate isn’t going to care if a couple of foreigners end up as collateral damage.”
They’d left some weapons with their other belongings last fall. Her father had insisted she have some sort of protection when he’d heard she was conducting her research in Afghanistan. Now she was grateful.
She glanced at Josef sharply. “Do you want to go home?”
“I’m just saying this could be dangerous.” His hands gripped the back of the seat as they bounced over a rickety bridge.
“If you want to go back you should say so now. The pilot can fly you out in the morning.” She kept her voice soft. They were almost the same age but he was her responsibility and she had no right to place him in danger. “I don’t want you thinking you don’t have a choice. I can handle this.” He had a life. He had a future. She only had her passion for saving things that needed saving.
“Ya, I run away and leave you alone in the wilderness.” Josef sat back and crossed his arms, muttering angrily.
She held back an instinctive retort. She didn’t care about being alone in the wilderness, but with this amount of ground to cover, she needed all the help she could get. “I have Anji,” she said instead. “We can get more men from the village.”
The Wakhi man grinned a gap-toothed smile, his eyes dancing. After generations of war and decades of being ignored by the government in Kabul, a few missing teeth were the least of anyone’s problems. A few dead leopards might not rank high in the concerns of government either, not with the resurgence of the Taliban, not with the constant threat of assassination, insurgents and death.
“If we find sign of a poacher we will gather men from the village and hunt him down,” the smaller man said.
Axelle nodded, but she was worried. This would be Anji’s responsibility when he finished training and was appointed the wildlife officer for this region. He needed to be confident enough to take charge of dangerous situations like this. She bit her lip. He was such a sweet little guy she didn’t know how he’d confront armed poachers. The idea of him hurt didn’t sit well. He had a family. People who cared.
Isolation pressed down on her shoulders. All she had was an estranged father and a grandfather she hadn’t visited in two long years.
Energetic clouds boiled over the top of the mountains. A spring storm was building, but it was nothing to the growing sense of unease that filled her when she thought of someone lining up her cats in the crosshairs of a hunting scope.
AUTHOR’S NOTE & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wrote Her Last Chance (originally titled Blade Hunter) as a follow-up to Her Sanctuary, but it languished on a virtual shelf for years because the publisher went bust before it was released. In response to reader pressure I finally managed to find the time this summer to edit the manuscript and get it ready for publication. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Marsh and Josie’s story. I feel like I’ve come a long way as a writer since I started my publishing journey but I hope you enjoy these two related stories. I want to thank my editor, Ally Robertson, for doing such a wonderful job and helping me improve both manuscripts.
Thanks always to my critique partner, Kathy Altman, who is not just my sounding board—she’s my sanity. And to Loreth Anne White for always being on-call for emergency tea breaks and brainstorming sessions.
The biggest shout-out of appreciation goes to my husband and children who put up with the day-to-day minutiae of me being a writer. And to readers who have made my dreams come true!
DEAR READER
Thank you for reading Her Last Chance. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Toni Anderson is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Romantic Suspense. A former marine biologist, Anderson traveled the world with her work. After living in six different countries, she finally settled down in the Canadian prairies with her husband and two children. Combining her love of travel with her love of romantic suspense, Anderson writes stories based in some of the places she has been fortunate enough to visit.
Toni donates 15% of her royalties from Edge of Survival to diabetes research—to find out why, read the book!
She is the author of several novels including Dark Waters, Dangerous Waters, The Killing Game, and Edge of Survival.
Find out more on her Amazon author page or her website. Or sign up to her email list to receive up-to-date information on new releases, exclusive offers and prizes.
REVIEWS
DARK WATERS
(International best-selling book)
“In this action-packed contemporary, Anderson (Dangerous Waters) weaves together a tapestry of powerful suspense and sizzling romance.” —Publishers Weekly.
“The pacing in this book is superb. The tension really never lets up … I never felt there was a good 'stopping point' in this book, which is probably why I was reading all night.” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
DANGEROUS WATERS
(National best-selling book)
“With a haunting setting and a captivating cast of characters, Anderson has crafted a multifaceted mystery rife with secrets. Readers will have to focus, as red herrings abound, but the result is a compulsively engrossing page-turner.” —Romantic Times (4 Stars)
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p; “A captivating mix of suspense and romance, Dangerous Waters will pull you under.” —Laura Griffin, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author
“With vibrant writing, a cast of damaged, captivating characters and a plot that's deliciously diabolical, Dangerous Waters will have you mesmerized from page one.” —HEA USA Today
THE KILLING GAME
"I'd recommend this to any romantic suspense reader looking for a unique, intricately woven story that will really touch you." —Peaces of Me (5 Stars)
"Realistic scene descriptions, endangered species, and plenty of spies made this a sure fire hit in my reading collection." —SnS Reviews (5 Stars)
EDGE OF SURVIVAL
“... more substance than one would expect from a romantic thriller.” —Library Journal Reviews
“Edge of Survival is without a doubt, one of the most exciting, romantic, sexy stories I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year and I will definitely be looking for more by Toni Anderson.” —Blithely Bookish (5 Stars)
“Sensual, different; romance with a bit of angst, just how I like them; Edge of Survival is a romantic suspense not to be missed.” —Maldivian Book Reviewer's Realm of Romance (5 Stars)
“Whoever thinks a story concerning a woman who does fish research would be boring hasn’t read Edge of Survival!” —Book Lovers Inc. (5 Bookies)
STORM WARNING
(Best Book of 2010 Nominee —The Romance Reviews)
“Storm Warning is an intense, provocative paranormal romance with a suspenseful twist...This is a book that I am unquestionably adding to my keeper collection.” —Night Owl Reviews (TOP PICK)
“It is exactly the way I like my romantic suspense novels to be.” —The Romance Reviews
“The plot is full of suspense and some pretty incredible plot twists. ... will have you on the edge of your seat.” —Coffee Time Romance & More
SEA OF SUSPICION
(Best Book of 2010 Nominee —The Romance Reviews)
“Deeply atmospheric and filled with twists and turns, Sea of Suspicion kept me flying eagerly through the pages.” —All About Romance
“Sea of Suspicion is one heck of a book! The twists, turns, passion, and many colorful characters give Ms. Anderson’s novel a delightful edge.” —Coffee Time Romance
“Set along the coast of Scotland, Sea of Suspicion is a riveting story of suspense and the depths and heights of human character.” —The Romance Reviews
HER SANCTUARY
“Her Sanctuary is a riveting fast-paced suspense story, filled with twists, turns, and danger. As the story flows seamlessly between the protagonists and antagonists, the tension rises to fever pitch. Just when you think you know the good guys from the bad, Anderson provides a surprising twist, or two.” —Night Owl Romance (TOP PICK)
“Suspenseful, riveting and explosive, this reader absolutely loved this story.” —Fallen Angel Reviews (5 Angels)
“Ms. Anderson presents us with one fantastic story that has me wanting more.” —Romance Junkies (4.5 Blue Ribbons)
“For a fast paced, enjoyable read filled with secrets and surprises, Her Sanctuary will fill all your expectations.” —Romance Reviews Today
“Don’t miss out on Eliza and Nat’s tale. They are just waiting for you to join them in the modern wild west of Montana.” —Loves Romances Reviews
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Excerpt from HER SANCTUARY
Excerpt from THE KILLING GAME
Author’s Note & Acknowledgments
Call to Action
About the Author
Reviews
Table of Contents
email list
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Excerpt from HER SANCTUARY
Excerpt from THE KILLING GAME
Author’s Note & Acknowledgments
Call to Action
About the Author
Reviews