Zero Escape

by Kendall Talbot

  Charlene raised her eyebrows. So far, meeting her family had proved deadly.

  “Please, can we sit?” Juaneta stepped back, her arms wide in a peace offering.

  Charlene indicated a pair of chairs in the corner. Juaneta sat first, and Charlene eased into the seat at her side.

  The woman was clearly distraught. Her bloodshot eyes were so red they looked to be bleeding, and her top lip quivered, along with her hands.

  Charlene didn’t fear her, not now. Not when the woman looked ready to crumble into a heap. She waited out the silence, and it was a few heartbeats before Juaneta cleared her throat and heaved out a sigh. “I am sorry. Pueblo was a good man and did not deserve what I do to him.”

  “Why did you do it?”

  She lowered her eyes, and her chin dimpled. “I . . . I . . . I thought he killed my sister.”

  Charlene shook her head. “He didn’t. It was Noah Montgomery.”

  “I know. I saw it on news. All these years I blame Pueblo, but I was wrong.” Juaneta shook her head, and a sob burst from her throat. “I didn’t mean to stab him. It just happen. I try to find him for many, many years. And one day he just there.” She looked up. “With you.” Her shoulders heaved back and forward. “I sorry. I sorry”

  Charlene adjusted on her seat to be closer and touched the woman’s shoulder. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

  Tears slipped down her cheeks as she gazed into Charlene’s eyes. “No, but I should have known. Pueblo loved Benita. He loved you. He thought you were his daughter.”

  And with those beautiful words, a sense of understanding washed over Charlene. Peter was a good man. She knew he was. Despite everything she now knew, she would forever think of Peter as her father. She reached over and placed her hand on Juaneta’s trembling knee. “Thank you.”

  Juaneta’s eyebrows drilled together, and she blinked at Charlene. “What for?”

  “For coming here to tell me. I know it wasn’t easy.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Charlene frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I should tell police.”

  “No. Please, don’t do that. You didn’t mean it. I want you to pretend it never happened.”

  “But I scared police will find me.”

  “Pfft. Trust me, the police have no clues about who you are.” Charlene was now truly grateful that Chapel didn’t have any video footage of Peter’s death.

  Juaneta stared at her, her chin quivering, tears pooling in her eyes. “Thank you.” She burst into a sob, and Charlene wrapped her aunt in her arms. They squeezed each other, crying twenty-two years’ worth of tears.

  Juaneta had suffered years of torment over her sister’s death. And her extreme guilt over her murder of Peter was enough punishment. Charlene leaned back and took Juaneta’s hands within her own. “Trust me, Juaneta, you will not be arrested. And if you are, I will deny that you are the woman who stabbed him.”

  She blinked a few times. “Really? You would do that . . . for me?”

  “Yes. Yes, I would.”

  Juaneta opened her arms and pulled Charlene into another hug. For the first time in decades, Charlene felt the loving embrace of a true relative. Tears tumbled down her cheeks as she squeezed the tiny woman to her chest.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Charlene woke in Marshall’s arms. She was still on her side, curled into the crook of his arm, and it seemed she’d barely moved all night. The steady beat of his heart was as wonderful as the warmth of his flesh on her cheek. Her mind danced around the delightful notion that she’d found her home, and she didn’t mean the walls around her. She meant the man at her side.

  Every time he looked at her, he took her breath away with his intense gaze and the desire in his eyes. When he kissed her, he seized every wrong in her world and made it right. And when he wrapped his arms around her, she knew that no matter what happened, it would still be okay.

  Her heart fluttered with love for this incredible man.

  He stirred, and she used the opportunity to slip out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she returned, he was up, and she followed the scent of coffee coming from the kitchen. “Morning.”

  He turned and smiled. “Hey, did you sleep okay?”

  She returned the grin and nodded. “I think it was the best sleep I’ve had in years. Maybe ever.”

  He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. “Me too.”

  She trailed her finger over the bandage covering the bullet wound in his shoulder. “How is it?”

  He shrugged. “My pride hurts worse.”

  “Oh, stop it.” She slapped his chest. “You’re just jealous I got to shoot him.”

  “Damn straight I am. He deserved worse.” He poured boiling coffee into two mugs.

  “He’ll get much worse in jail. They say he’ll get twenty years.”

  “If he lasts that long.”

  “Hmm. Anyway, enough talk about him. Let’s talk about us.” She wriggled her eyebrows.

  “Us?”

  “Yes. You, me, and Hoppa.”

  Marshall growled. “The mutt doesn’t form part of us.”

  With a cheeky grin, Charlene grabbed the two steaming coffee cups and headed toward the front door.

  “You’re impossible, woman.” He lightly slapped her bottom before opening the front door.

  Hoppa came bounding to her side, and despite missing a back leg, he still managed to waggle his butt like crazy.

  “In a minute.” She smiled at the dog and inhaled the delightful ocean breeze as she slipped into the bench seat on the veranda.

  Marshall sat beside her, and she handed him a mug.

  Clutching her cup to her chest, she leaned forward and tried to give Hoppa a scratch behind the ears, but the dog was so excited, he spun around and flipped his body from side to side.

  “Settle down, boy.” As if he knew what she’d said, Hoppa spun around twice and then curled up at her feet.

  The sun pierced a few clouds on the horizon, coloring them gold and orange, and the ocean was only just beginning to turn from black to blue. “I could look at this view all day.”

  Marshall groaned. “Are you sure?”

  She turned to him, frowning. “What does that mean?”

  He cocked his head. “From what you’ve told me, you don’t like to stay too long in one place.”

  She tugged her lips into her mouth, trying to hold back a smile that wanted to burst from her lips. “Would you like me to stay?”

  He swept his hand toward the view and grinned. “If you could handle the pressure.”

  She took his mug from him, placed both cups on the floor, then climbed up to straddle his lap. Gently curling her hands over his shoulders, she drove her fingers through his hair. A lovely sigh of contentment whispered off her tongue. “I would love to stay.”

  He guided his hands around her back and touched his lips to hers, and she melted into his embrace. His kiss was gentle on her lips but brutal on her heart, and as their tongues met in a delicious dance, Charlene knew she’d found the man of her dreams.

  When he pulled back, she fell into his vast, emerald-green eyes. “I love you.”

  He reached up to cup her cheek, and she leaned into his palm. “I love you too.”

  THE END

  Dear Reader, thank you for following Charlene and Marshall’s incredible quest for the truth. I hope you enjoyed Zero Escape.

  Are you ready for another action-packed adventure?

  Keep turning the pages for more thrilling books by Kendall Talbot, including the other stand-alone books in Kendall’s Maximum Exposure series; Deadly Twist and Extreme Limit.

  Or you could download your next thrilling adventures in the Maximum Exposure series right now if you wish. All Kendall’s books are free in Kindle Unlimited.

  Here’s the link to DEADLY TWIST: https://amzn.to/2wGudP9

  Here’s the link to EXTREME LIMIT: https://amzn.to/3b8OEDa

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sp; P.S. For authors, reviews are like finding gold after a long hard treasure hunt. . . they’re priceless. It doesn’t need to be much, just a quick star rating and maybe a couple of words saying what you loved about my book. Here’s the link to Zero Escape where you can write a review if you wish: https://amzn.to/2VcgUPX

  Thank you and happy reading,

  Kendall Talbot

  DEADLY TWIST

  An ancient Mayan Temple. A dark family secret. A desperate fight for survival.

  When a mysterious ancient Mayan temple is discovered by a team of explorers deep in the Yucatan jungle, the world is entranced. But Liliana Bennett is shocked by the images sweeping the headlines. She’s seen the temple before, drawn in detail, in her late father’s secret journal.

  Now, the explorers at Agulinta aren’t the only ones digging up secrets. Liliana is consumed by the mysteries surrounding her father’s sketches and, refusing to believe she’s out of her depth, she heads to Mexico, determined to see the temple for herself.

  To reach the heart of the jungle, she’ll have to join forces with Carter Logan, a nature photographer with a restless heart and secrets of his own. But a journey to Agulinta means battling crocodiles, lethal drug runners, and an unforgiving Mother Nature.

  Lost and alone, they stumble upon something they should never have seen. Liliana’s quest for answers becomes a desperate race to stay alive. Will Agulinta be the key to their survival? Or will Carter and Liliana become victims to the cruel relentless jungle and the evil men lurking within?

  Deadly Twist is a gripping action-adventure novel with a dash of romance, set deep in Mexico’s Yucatan Jungle. It’s a full-length, stand-alone Maximum Exposure novel previously published as Out of Reach.

  Download Today at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2wGudP9

  EXTREME LIMIT

  Two lovers frozen in ice. One dangerous expedition.

  Holly Parmenter doesn’t remember the helicopter crash that claimed the life of her fiancé and left her in a coma. The only details she does remember from that fateful day haunt her—two mysterious bodies sealed within the ice, dressed for dinner rather than a dangerous hike up the Canadian Rockies.

  No one believes Holly’s story about the couple encased deep in the icy crevasse. Instead, she’s wrongly accused of murdering her fiancé for his million-dollar estate. Desperate to uncover the truth about the bodies and to prove her innocence, Holly resolves to climb the treacherous mountain and return to the crash site. But to do that she’ll need the help of Oliver, a handsome rock-climbing specialist who has his own questions about Holly’s motives.

  When a documentary about an unsolved kidnapping offers clues as to the identity of the frozen bodies, it’s no longer just Oliver and Holly heading to the dangerous mountaintop . . . there’s also a killer, who’ll stop at nothing to keep the case cold.

  Will a harrowing trip to the icy crevasse bring Holly and Oliver the answers they seek? Or will disaster strike twice, claiming all Holly has left?

  Extreme Limit is a thrilling action-adventure novel with a dash of romance set high in the Canadian Rockies. It’s a full-length, stand-alone Maximum Exposure novel previously published as Out of Mind.

  Download Today at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3b8OEDa

  LOST IN KAKADU

  Surviving the plane crash was lucky.

  Getting out alive would be a miracle.

  Crashing into an ancient Australian wilderness is pretentious socialite, Abigail Mulholland’s worst nightmare. She survives the accident with two complete strangers; however, things go from bad to downright hellish when rescuers never come. As she battles to live in an environment that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, Abigail finds herself also fighting her unlikely attraction to Mackenzie, a much younger man.

  Mackenzie Steel is devastated by his partner’s death in the crash, the only person with whom he shared his painful past. Now, as he confronts his own demons, he finds he has a new battle on his hands: his growing feelings for Abigail, a woman who's as frustratingly naïve as she is funny.

  Fate brought them together, but they’ll need more than luck to escape Kakadu alive. Could the letters of a dead man hold the key to their survival?

  Lost In Kakadu is a gripping action-adventure novel set deep in Australia’s rugged Kakadu National Park. WINNER of the Romantic Book of the Year in 2014, this full-length, stand-alone novel is an extraordinary story of endurance, grief, survival and undying love.

  Download Lost in Kakadu today and settle in to read all night long.

  Download on Amazon today: https://amzn.to/2WjjbJp

  TREASURED SECRETS

  His secrets are tearing them apart.

  But the truth may get them killed.

  When Rosalina left Italy to pursue her culinary dreams, she didn’t expect heartbreak to be on the menu. Archer Mahoney is the man of her dreams—handsome, wealthy, and filled with adventure—except for the recurring nightmares he refuses to talk about.

  Archer has spent a lifetime hunting for lost treasure, but his own buried past now threatens to destroy his future. Each night he relives the horrific dive that claimed his father’s life twenty years ago. But the events of that day, and the truth surrounding the golden medallion he found on the dive, are mysteries he can’t solve alone.

  When Rosalina shockingly connects the medallion to the stained-glass window of an ancient Italian church, she believes it may be the key to mending the ocean between them. But some treasures are buried in blood, and a deadly priest will stop at nothing to keep a nefarious secret contained…

  Treasured Secrets is a thrilling action-adventure novel with a dash of romance. If you love your romance, high on the suspense, this is for you.

  Download on Amazon today: https://amzn.to/2n0aMLZ

  “Treasured Secrets is a cross between an Indiana Jones movie and National Treasure. I was hooked from the first sentence to the last.” - ★★★★★ AusRom Today.

  DOUBLE TAKE

  A crime of love. The chance of a lifetime.

  Jackson Rich is at risk of losing the love of his life, and he’ll do anything to save her. Even if it means robbing a bank. So it’s time to call in a few favors from his old gang because they owe him. Big time.

  Gemma’s spent her entire life doing the right thing. Now doing the wrong thing could be the best decision she’s ever made, if she’s brave enough.

  When Detective Steel gets a tip-off of a planned heist, he doesn’t know where the robbery will be. Only that it’s going to take place during the famous horse race that stops a nation—the Melbourne Cup. And when it goes down, he’ll be ready.

  Except what happens next, only one of them sees coming. And for the others, it’s suddenly no longer about the money. It’s about retribution.

  A fast-paced, stand-alone crime thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page, from award-winning, bestselling author of thrill-seeking fiction, Kendall Talbot.

  Download on Amazon today: https://amzn.to/2HorJ9R

  What readers are saying about DOUBLE TAKE:

  “This story is so well planned and well written, it was as if it had actually happened! I was riveted to my chair while reading the twists and turns. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.” ★★★★★ Multi-Mystery fan.

  Also, by Kendall Talbot

  Deadly Twist

  Extreme Limit

  Zero Escape

  Treasured Secrets

  Treasured Lies

  Treasured Dreams

  Double Take

  Lost in Kakadu

  My new series – Waves of Fate – will be released in 2020. If you sign up to my newsletter you can follow my journey to publication where you can help with fun things like naming characters and giving characters quirky traits and interesting jobs. You’ll also get my book, Breathless Encounters for free. Here’s my newsletter signup link if you’re interested: http://www.kendalltalbot.com.au/newsletter.html

  About the Author

  Kendall Talbot is a thri
ll seeker, hopeless romantic, virtual killer, and award-winning author of stories that’ll have your heart thumping from action-packed suspense and steamy bedroom scenes.

  Kendall has sought thrills in all 42 countries she’s visited. She’s abseiled down freezing waterfalls, catapulted out of a white-water raft, jumped off a mountain with a man who spoke little English, and got way too close to a sixteen-foot shark. When she isn’t writing heart-thumping suspense in exotic locations, she’s enjoying wine and cheese with her crazy friends, and planning her next thrilling international escape.

  She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her very own hero and a fluffy little dog who specializes in hijacking her writing time. Meanwhile, Kendall’s two sons are off making their own adventures – look out world.

  Kendall’s book, Lost in Kakadu won the acclaimed title of Romantic Book of the Year 2014, and her books have also been finalists for Best Romantic Suspense, Best Crime Novel, Best Continuing Series, and Best New Author.

  Drop into Kendall’s website sometime: www.kendalltalbot.com.au

  Check out her crazy life on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KendallTalbotBooks