Sun Storm
The Gathering Storm, Book 1
By
Marlow Kelly
Genre: Romantic
Suspense
Dr. Marie Wilson
is a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough. She has come to Montana on the
eve of a blizzard to prove her small, portable solar panel can generate
electricity even in the harshest environment. But when four men invade her
remote cabin with plans to kill her, she knows she’s in trouble.
Ex-Special
Forces soldier, David Quinn, has had enough of danger and death. All he wants
is to be left alone on his Montana acreage to pursue his dream of being a
beekeeper. But when his old mentor convinces him to help retrieve a stolen
solar panel, he thinks it will be a simple job. But the moment he sets eyes on
Marie, he knows their assignment is all kinds of wrong.
Together, they
escape. Chased by a businessman with unlimited resources, a gunman and a
corrupt police force, they are thrust into the frozen Montana landscape. Can a
cynical soldier and a naive scientist learn about love and trust in order to
survive?
A crack of splintering wood and
the door crashed open. Marie jumped to her feet, her heart pounding. A scream
lodged in her throat as four men burst in, filling the tiny space. She raced to
the fireplace and grabbed the poker.
A handsome blond-haired man led
the way. He was so good looking he could be an actor. He had a square jaw and
wore a well-tailored leather jacket. Even his fair hair was perfectly trimmed.
Two burly men followed, both with dark, short-cropped hair. They could be
twins. Their thick bodies and the way they swung their arms reminded her of a
pair of gorillas. They also had the same flattened nose and malicious, small,
dark eyes. They moved to the back of the room near the sink. The last man had
unkempt, long, sandy-colored hair. He wore a crumpled, hooded camouflage jacket
and baggy gray pants. A long scar ran across one side of his face, starting at
his ear and running through his beard, parting it with a jagged white line. He
didn’t say a word. He simply nodded at the poker in her hand and shook his
head, silently telling her to drop her weapon.
Sensing that any attempt to fight
him would be futile, she let it fall to the ground. “You can take the money. I
don’t have—”
“Shut up,” the handsome blond
barked. A vein on his forehead bulged as he scowled.
Her heart hammered against her
ribs. She prayed they would take what they wanted and leave.
Handsome stepped in front of her
and placed the barrel of his handgun between her eyes. “Tell us where it is.”
“What are you doing?” The man
with the scar strolled over and stood next to her. In her peripheral vision,
she could make out his intense, pale, lifeless eyes.
He leaned close to her face so
his warm breath touched her cheek. “This is all wrong.”
A small squeal emanated from her
throat. He was too close. Too scary. Killer. The word rang through
her mind. The scar, those dead eyes, and his demeanor gave the impression of a
lethal, terrifying man.
“What do you mean? Our intel is
good.” The vein on Handsome’s forehead throbbed to life.
With one finger, Killer nudged
the pistol away from her head. “First, how can she tell us where it is when she’s
too frightened to talk?”
Handsome shrugged, revealing a
smile with perfect white teeth.
Marie released a huge breath. She
needed to do something, but couldn’t focus, couldn’t form a coherent thought.
“Second,” Killer continued, “what
do we really know about this situation?”
Handsome sneered. “You were in
the army. You know how it is. We don’t make the decisions. We follow orders.”
“And what exactly are our
orders?” Killer asked, his voice low and calm.
“We’re to retrieve what was
stolen and eliminate the girl.”
There
had to be a misunderstanding. She was a scientist, not someone who
needed to be eliminated.
After being
thrown out of England for refusing to drink tea, Marlow Kelly made her way to
Canada where she found love, a home and a pug named Max. She also discovered
her love of storytelling. Encouraged by her husband, children and let’s not
forget Max, she started putting her ideas to paper. Her need to write about
strong women in crisis drives her stories.
She is an
award-winning author, and a member of the Romance Writers of America.
Thanks for hosting Sun Storm
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