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    Ransom in Rio
    Ransom in Rio
    Ransom in Rio
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Ransom in Rio

    By Theresa Lynn Hall

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    About this ebook

    Private Investigator, Braden McCoy wants nothing more than to finish out the week doing a little fishing from his boat. The ex-special ops vet enjoys his peaceful life and loves his new career. He's learned to put his past behind him and enjoy his blessings. Until a mourning redhead walks into his office and changes his plans. Lexi Ramos always knew her family was dysfunctional. Until the sudden death of her brother, she never knew exactly how much. Consumed with questions surrounding his accident, she seeks the help of a private investigator. What starts out as a murder investigation in Cozumel, quickly crosses borders and escalates into a race against time to save them both from Brazilian kidnappers, who somehow know more about her family secrets than she does. Lexi soon realizes that life comes with a price.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWhite Rose Publishing
    Release dateJun 9, 2017
    ISBN9781611169140

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      Book preview

      Ransom in Rio - Theresa Lynn Hall

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      Ransom in Rio

      Theresa Lynn Hall

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

      Ransom in Rio

      COPYRIGHT 2016 by Theresa Lynn Hall

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      eBook editions are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. eBooks may not be re-sold, copied or given to other people. If you would like to share an eBook edition, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

      Contact Information: [email protected]

      All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version(R), NIV(R), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

      Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

      White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Ventures, LLC

      www.pelicanbookgroup.com PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

      White Rose Publishing Circle and Rosebud logo is a trademark of Pelican Ventures, LLC

      Publishing History

      First White Rose Edition, 2017

      Electronic Edition ISBN 9781611169140

      Published in the United States of America

      Dedication

      Thank you to my sweet husband for sharing his many travel experiences with me so that I can use them in a book. Thank you to my family and friends who continue to support and encourage me in all of my writing endeavors.

      1

      Her worst nightmare had come to life.

      Now, the fear of what she would do if it ever happened was over, but the loss of her brother came with a burden she hadn't foreseen. It left her to deal with her family alone. To carry the legacy. To protect the empire. To convince everyone to believe the lies.

      He was always so careful, she muttered to herself as she drove.

      Snow had started falling as the last Amen was said at the cemetery. The heavy white powder made the pale yellow lines on the road fade in and out of sight. Lexi tugged her sweater tighter around her body with one hand and gripped the steering wheel with the other. The funeral had drained her of what little emotional strength she had left. It was crazy, but several times throughout the day she'd found herself picking up her phone to see if Jace had messaged her. He used to text or call every day. Silly stuff sometimes, like never walk the dog with no shoes on. Once he'd texted that he had the hiccups.

      I just can't believe he’s gone. Lexi glanced at her friend. She didn’t expect Kristy to say anything. Nothing she could say would make the pain go away.

      Jace had been the perfect big brother, Lexi’s best friend. From an early age, they learned that sticking together in a dysfunctional family was their only hope. One thing Lexi knew for certain was that Jace wouldn’t leave her here alone. He would not have put himself in danger for a stupid fishing trip. His chance to break free of their crazy family was finally around the corner. He'd just bought his girlfriend an engagement ring. They had plans to move to New York as soon as the wedding was over. Now he was gone. None of it made any sense. Why was she the only person who could see that something was wrong with ruling the cause of death as accidental?

      Lexi brushed at her red hair with a careless hand and caught a glimpse of her swollen, blue eyes in the rear view mirror. She hardly resembled her brother at all—a fact that had always bothered her, but she’d never questioned it the way Jace had. He had always asked where he'd gotten his blonde hair.

      Lexi, why don’t you stay with me tonight?

      The sound of Kristy’s voice startled her. I'm sorry. I’m really out of it. She smiled and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Thank you for everything. You’ve done more than enough for me over the past few days.

      You know I’m always here.

      I know. She swallowed hard. Kristy…

      What’s wrong?

      I can’t stop thinking...I just don’t think this was an accident. It couldn’t be. Jace didn’t even like to fish. He wouldn't charter a boat to go fishing in Cozumel. He liked nice restaurants, museums, theaters. Not fishing. And then there’s the fact that he didn’t take Selena with him. He always had Selena with him. Why doesn’t anyone else seem to think this is odd?

      I don’t know. Now that you bring it up, Jace wasn’t much of a risk-taker.

      "Exactly. The strangest thing is that Selena said he told her he would be back in an hour. He only left for one hour. Who charters a fishing boat for only an hour?"

      Did Selena tell you why he didn't take her?

      She didn't say, and I didn't want to ask her a lot of questions. Not yet.

      Kristy nodded. I saw her today. She’s really not handling this well.

      No one is. She pulled into Kristy’s driveway. It was a relief to be off the snowy roads.

      No matter how she looked at this, her brother’s death could not have been an accident. Somehow, she would prove that he didn’t drown on a fishing trip. She would prove Jace was murdered.

      ****

      Going back to work hadn’t been easy. Jace’s empty office was a constant reminder of her loss. Somehow, she’d made it through the first day and knew her brother would be proud of her. Now that she was home, a hot bubble bath and early bedtime sounded like a great ending to a long day.

      She stopped at the mailboxes. It had been days since she’d checked her mail. Unlocking the box, she frowned when a manila envelope fell to the concrete. She groaned as she bent to pick it up. All the stress and lack of working out was beginning to take its toll. As her eyes scanned the writing on the front of the envelope, a chill raced down her spine, and her free hand flew to her mouth to stifle the guttural sound working its way out. She stared at her name scribbled in blue ink.

      In Jace’s handwriting.

      Her keys fell from her hands and jingled against the sidewalk. She fought to steady herself as she studied the postmark. It was dated this Thursday. A day after his funeral.

      Lexi scrambled to pick up her keys and unlock the door. She stumbled inside and fell into the nearest chair. Her vision blurry with tears, she studied the handwriting. Touching her name, she traced the L.

      Oh, Jace… she whispered.

      She pulled open the envelope, reached in, and pulled out a flash drive. Was that it? No note? No explanation?

      A flash drive? She ran to the bedroom, slid into the black leather office chair at her desk, and flipped open her laptop. She stared at the small piece of plastic as she waited for the computer to boot up. Her hand shook as she plugged it in.

      Ten minutes later, she stood staring into the bathroom mirror gripped by nausea. She covered her face with a cold, wet towel. Her worst fears were coming true. And she needed help.

      ****

      Brayden McCoy picked up the remote and flipped the channel from the basketball game to the local news. He stared at the pile of folders on his desk and yawned. After finishing his last case, he was definitely ready for a break. A few days off throwing a lure from his boat would be a great way to finish out the week. At thirty-seven, he was finally in a good place. It had taken him years to get here, and he wasn’t about to take it for granted.

      Brayden… He winced at the barely audible sound of his name.

      If he’d said it once, he’d said it a hundred times. Darla, you have to talk louder. I can’t hear you from in there.

      Darla appeared at his office door. She was the best secretary he’d had in the past five years, even if she couldn’t make a sound louder than a kitten.

      Mike called and said he’s got a friend who needs your help.

      Really? Well, tell him in a week I’ll get back to him. I’m going fishing.

      He said he knew you’d say that and to call him anyway.

      Brayden groaned. All right. I’ll call him. He picked up the phone and dialed his brother. As soon as the ringing stopped, he spoke. Hey, Darla said you called. What is it? He didn’t hide his agitation.

      "Yeah. Listen, I need a favor.

      Be brief. There’s a fish out there waiting for the other end of my fishing pole.

      "My friend, Kristy, called me. Her

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