Barbara Freethy - Silent Run

Praise for the novels of Barbara Freethy

Silent Run

Hooked me from the start and kept me turning the pages through all the twists and turns. Silent Run is romantic suspense at its best. JoAnn Ross

Barbara Freethy writes romantic suspense that delivers on all countsa terrific love story, and suspense that begins to build on the first page and doesnt let up until the last. I could not turn the pages fast enough. Mariah Stewart

Played

An exciting page-turner.... This top-notch author delivers top-notch thrills. Romantic Times (42 stars)

Reading this story was almost like going on one of those spooky rides as a kid: You expect something to happen, you think you know where it will occur, and then something jumps out at you from an unexpected area. Mystery News

Taken

Terrific and twisty intrigue makes this novel choice reading.... An amazingly gripping, fascinating mystery! Romantic Times (42 stars)

Another crowd-pleasing page-turner in the first of a tricky romantic suspense series. Publishers Weekly

Romance sizzles between the wary protagonists in this riveting page-turner. Library Journal

Dont Say a Word

Barbara Freethy at her best! Carla Neggers, author of Dark Sky

Dont Say a Word has made me a Barbara Freethy fan for life! Diane Chamberlain, author of The Bay at Midnight

Dark, hidden secrets and stunning betrayal... potent and moving suspense. Freethys storytelling ability is top-notch. Romantic Times (42 stars)

All She Ever Wanted

A haunting mystery... I couldnt put it down. Luanne Rice

A suitably eerie atmosphere. Publishers Weekly

A gripping tale of romantic suspense.... BarbaraFreethy is a master storyteller. A fascinating blend of romance, mystery, and suspense. Dont miss it! Romance Reviews Today

Golden Lies

An absolute treasure, a fabulous, page-turning combination of romance and intrigue. Fans of Nora Roberts and Elizabeth Lowell will love Golden Lies. Kristin Hannah

A rich and compelling tale. Library Journal

Summer Secrets

Barbara Freethy writes with bright assurance, exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the excitement of blue-water sailing. Summer Secrets is a lovely novel. Luanne Rice

Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it allromance, adventure, and mystery. Booklist (starred review)

An intriguing, multithreaded plot, this is an emotionally involving story... sure to please Freethys growing fan base.... Like Kristin Hannahs novels,[it] neatly bridges the gap between romance and traditional womens fiction. Library Journal

Further praise for Barbara Freethy

In the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer, gifted author Barbara Freethy creates an irresistible tale of family secrets, riveting adventure, and heart-touching romance. Susan Wiggs

A fresh and exciting voice in womens romantic fiction. Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Superlative. Debbie Macomber

If there is one author who knows how to deliver vivid stories that tug on your emotions, its Barbara Freethy. Romantic Times

Other Novels by Barbara Freethy

Summer Secrets

Golden Lies

All She Ever Wanted

Dont Say a Word

Taken

Played

Table of Contents

ONYX Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Onyx, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright Barbara Freethy, 2008 All rights reserved

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ISBN: 1-4295-9996-0

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

publishers note

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

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks go to Andrea Cirillo and Annelise Robey at the Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency for always providing such great support and inspiration. I also appreciate the many hours of brainstorming, lunches, chocolate, and Starbucks coffee shared with Candice Hern, Carol Grace, Bella Andre, Monica McCarty, Tracy Grant, Jami Alden, Anne Hearn, Kate Moore, Lynn Hanna, Barbara McMahon, and Diana Dempsey. I couldnt have done it without them. Also thanks to the Fog City Divas, who help keep me up to date on everything happening in the world of books, at www.fogcitydivas.com.

Prologue

Large raindrops streamed against her windshield as she sped along the dark, narrow highway north of Los Angeles Shed been traveling for over an hour along the wild and beautiful Pacific coastline. Shed passed the busy beach cities of Venice and Santa Monica, the celebrity-studded hills of Malibu and Santa Barbara. Thank God it was a big state. She could start over again, find a safe place to stay, but she had to get there first.

The pair of headlights in her rearview mirror drew closer with each passing mile. Her nerves began to tighten, and goose bumps rose along her arms and the back of her neck. Shed been running too long not to recognize danger. But where had the car come from? Shed been so sure that no one had followed her out of LA. After sixty miles of constantly checking her rearview mirror shed begun to relax, but now the fear came rushing back.

It was too dark to see the car behind her, but there was something about the speed with which it was approaching that made her nervous. She pressed her foot down harder on the gas, clinging to the wheel as gale-force winds blowing in off the ocean rocketed through the car, making the driving even more treacherous.

A few miles later the road veered inland. She looked for a place to exit. Finally she saw a sign for an upcoming turnoff heading into the Santa Ynez Mountains. Maybe with a few twists and turns she could lose the car on her tail, and if her imagination were simply playing tricks on her, the car behind her would just continue down the road.