Don’t Keep Silent Read online

  Praise for Always Look Twice

  “This is a gripping romance and mystery that will keep readers turning pages.”

  Parkersburg News & Sentinel

  “Elizabeth Goddard has done it again! So many spectacular lines and scenes throughout this book make it a can’t-miss for romantic suspense readers.”

  Write-Read-Life

  “Before opening this book, brace yourself. Elizabeth Goddard has a knack for leaving you breathless while stealing your heart at the same time.”

  The Suspense Zone

  Praise for Never Let Go

  “Never Let Go is a unique and intriguing romantic suspense that will have your heart racing. Goddard’s fast-paced storytelling combined with emotional depth will keep you guessing until the very end.”

  Rachel Dylan, bestselling author of the Atlanta Justice series

  “From the riveting opening to the satisfying conclusion, Never Let Go is a stellar beginning to what promises to be a thrilling romantic suspense series.”

  Susan Sleeman, bestselling and award-winning author of the White Knights series

  “Fast-paced and suspenseful, Never Let Go lives up to its name. It grabs you by the throat from the first page, takes you through riveting twists and turns, and doesn’t let go until a powerhouse ending. Goddard has a lethal way with words and characters. She’s an author to watch—and love!”

  Ronie Kendig, bestselling author of The Tox Files series

  “A twenty-one-year-old cold case, arson, murder, romance . . . I couldn’t put Never Let Go down until ‘The End,’ and then I wished for more.”

  Patricia Bradley, winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice Award

  “Wow! Never Let Go has everything I want in a romantic suspense novel. Heart-pounding action, a second-chance romance, and a frightening cold case that won’t let you put the book down until the very last page.”

  Lisa Harris, bestselling author

  “With deception at every turn, danger behind every door, and a romance that was and could be again, Goddard has crafted an edge-of-your-seat experience with Never Let Go that hooks readers from the first page and holds them tight until the satisfying and surprising conclusion.”

  Lynn H. Blackburn, award-winning and bestselling author of the Dive Team Investigations series

  Books by Elizabeth Goddard

  UNCOMMON JUSTICE SERIES

  Never Let Go

  Always Look Twice

  Don’t Keep Silent

  © 2020 by Elizabeth Goddard

  Published by Revell

  a division of Baker Publishing Group

  PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

  www.revellbooks.com

  Ebook edition created 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  ISBN 978-1-4934-2311-8

  Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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

  To Jonathan—

  I adore how much you love the Lord, your devotion to him, and the way you answer his call to spread the good news, never fearing what others might think as you kneel to pray in the middle of a busy hospital or, when at the grocery store, ask a complete stranger if you can pray for him. You were born to do what others fear doing. Stand firm. God is with you.

  Contents

  Cover

  Endorsements

  Half Title Page

  Books by Elizabeth Goddard

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

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  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

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  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

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  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  58

  59

  60

  61

  62

  63

  64

  Acknowledgments

  A Preview of Book 1 in the Rocky Mountain Courage Series

  About the Author

  Back Ads

  Back Cover

  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

  for the rights of all who are destitute.

  Speak up and judge fairly;

  defend the rights of the poor and needy.

  Proverbs 31:8–9

  Where there is much light, the shadows are deepest.

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  Prologue

  Rocky Mountains

  Northwest Wyoming

  Had we never met, you and I, then you never would have loved me. I never would have returned your love.

  And now look at us. I’ve caused you trouble. Brought you pain. All I wanted to do was protect you. Please forgive me.

  Please know that I love you.

  Loved you.

  Her identification stripped, she signed her full name and added her address for good measure. She tucked the note into her jeans, her last words—if it came to that—meant to give him closure.

  Her abductor thought that by hiding her here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by this frozen world, she would be trapped.

  For the average person, that was true.

  With no internet or communication devices, she couldn’t cause more trouble. In this rustic getaway cabin meant for the privileged, she’d been left with only what was required to sustain her life until he arrived. He knew from experience her capabilities and vowed he wouldn’t underestimate her again.

  B
ut all the same, he’d miscalculated.

  Glancing through the small window, she took in the deep snow surrounding her and made her own calculations. He didn’t understand that she would rather face certain death—woman versus nature, as it were—than face him. She wouldn’t come out of that meeting alive, so her chances were better out there on the frozen lake surrounded by millions of acres of pristine, snow-blanketed mountain wilderness.

  Considering how the cabin had been richly furnished, she was surprised that more work from local artists didn’t grace the walls. The only art was the immaculate carving in the cedar logs—a surprisingly accurate depiction of a popular geothermal pool titled Morning Glory Pool—but she couldn’t use that in her escape or for a weapon. Maybe the décor had been removed for her stay. Still, some things remained or had been overlooked—like the vintage snowshoes used as sconces—and that had given her hope.

  All I need is an ounce.

  After removing the snowshoes from the wall, she layered old newspapers underneath her clothes for added warmth. Then she grabbed some wool blankets from the closet and a Nordic-style comforter from the bed. Travel would be cumbersome and slow. The longer she could last out there, the better. Nonetheless, she would probably die from exposure.

  But at least her death would be on her own terms.

  She clenched her jaw. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let him win.

  Blowing out a long breath, she forced the tension from her muscles. Unfortunately, she’d had to wait until the two men who’d been tasked with guarding her had left on the snowmobiles—the only way to get in or out of this winter getaway. That meant darkness would drop on her world within the hour.

  Her watchers had not considered her a “flight risk,” as they called it. After all, without adequate protection, who would trek into the frozen mountain wilderness during the day, much less at night?

  That had been the minions’ first mistake. All she’d needed was one.

  She drew in a quick breath and opened the door. Bitter cold whipped around her, sending snow into the small dwelling and stinging her cheeks.

  Her throat constricted.

  For a moment, she reconsidered her decision. But she had no real options. She repositioned the wool blanket to cover her face, all except for her eyes, and pulled the comforter tighter around the other blankets. The layers would keep her warm but slow her down.

  The men had shoveled the snow away from the door so they could venture to their snowmobiles to fetch the man behind her abduction. Now she would use the cleared path for her escape, though no snowmobile waited to carry her away to safety. She’d have to depend on her own two legs.

  She took a step. Then another. And another. The snowshoes held and, leaving the shoveled path, she hopped on top of the white crust and kept walking. The tears streaming from her eyes could be tears of joy or pure fear, she wasn’t sure.

  The wind pushed against her forward movement as if telling her to go back, whispering certain death in her ear.

  Was she making a mistake?

  No. Death waited for her at the cabin if she didn’t leave. She eyed the frozen lake topped with many layers of white frosting. It was much quicker to cross here than to go all the way around. Nothing but mountain ranges were at her back. She wasn’t going over those.

  She wouldn’t make it around the lake before dark, maybe not even across it. If she made it across at all, then she would face miles of wilderness.

  The thought almost paralyzed her. Maybe she should go back. She glanced over her shoulder at the cabin.

  No—her only hope was out there. Another dwelling. A hunter. A snowmobiler. A forest ranger. Even a forest road. Someone else was out there. Earlier in the day, she’d heard rifle fire. A snowmobile. Another ounce of hope.

  Her kidnapper didn’t realize her drive to live.

  She took one step after another, willing herself to keep moving. Willing herself to survive. Unfortunately, with the deep snow she couldn’t be sure what she was stepping on. March could warm the ice beneath the snow cover, creating treacherous breaks.

  She plodded on, gasping for breath with each lumbering step. A half hour. An hour. Her movements kept her warm. If she stopped, she would die. She had to keep moving until she found shelter or help. The temperature dropped as night fell, but at least the moon lit her path so she could see the far shore that stretched before her.

  There is still hope . . .

  A crack resounded, and she stopped, feeling it to her bones.

  The white powder covering the sheet of ice beneath her shifted.

  And she knew how this would end a split second before the surface beneath her fell away.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Two Days Earlier

  Tuesday, 8:43 a.m.

  Denver, Colorado

  Dread warred with hope as Rae Burke shivered in the cold outside on the porch. The curtains remained drawn at the quaint home that her brother, Alan, shared with his wife, Zoey, and their adorable four-year-old daughter, Callie.

  Rae knocked again, and a moment later the door cracked open enough for her to slip inside the dark house. Her brother remained in the shadows. She flipped on lights without asking permission. Better. Now the home had become warm and cozy. Nothing seemed amiss except for her brother, the consummate professional. She’d rarely seen him in sweats.

  Rae dropped her purse on the foyer table and shrugged out of her coat. She paused to take a long look at him. Bloodshot eyes stared at her from an unshaven face.

  “You couldn’t sleep.”

  Pursing his lips, he shook his head. “Of course not. How could I?”

  “Oh, Alan.” She hugged him like only a sister could.

  Keeping a hold on his arms, she took a step back. “I’m assuming you called the police.”

  He shook her off and rubbed his neck. “Yes, I called them. Of course, they wanted to know if we’d had an argument or if this was unusual behavior for her.” He gave Rae a knowing look. Zoey had disappeared in the past, but that was before she had married Alan.

  “How long has she been gone?” Maybe Zoey had needed respite. Caring for a child with special needs could be draining.

  He glanced at his watch. “Long enough. Callie is Zoey’s world. Callie is our world.”

  Rae nodded. “Zoey never would have left her. She never would have left you, Alan. Tell me what happened.”

  “Zoey dropped Callie off at behavioral therapy at nine in the morning. Her therapist called me at one. I brought Callie home, thinking I would find Zoey had fallen asleep. That she’d been taking a nap and slept through her alarm. I called her cell and texted, but she didn’t respond.” Alan paced the open living area. Shelves filled with early readers and books on raising children with autism lined the walls. “Her car wasn’t here.”

  Deep frown lines carved into his ragged face. “Her last known cell location was here at home. But clearly, she’s not here. So her battery died or she turned her cell off. I don’t know. But I waited for her to come home or contact me. I hoped that she would return with a reasonable explanation. I called her friends. I called you. Finally, I called the police. I explained everything to them so they would understand that Zoey would never leave her daughter, but I had still given her time to get home.”

  Why hadn’t Alan called Rae sooner? Hurt skated across her heart, but she shook it off. She could easily guess. Alan had hoped Zoey would return and Rae would never need to know—she’d warned him, after all. Zoey’s disappearance could elicit an “I told you so.”

  “The only good news is that the police are taking me seriously now since she didn’t come home last night. I wanted to call you before you saw something on the news.”

  “And you asked the neighbors what they saw?”

  “Of course! What do you think?”

  She hadn’t meant to upset him. He was on edge, so she wouldn’t react. Rae moved to the kitchen to mak
e coffee. She doubted Alan had eaten. She looked in the refrigerator and found eggs. Bread for toast. Some jam. No bacon.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m cooking breakfast. You need to keep up your strength. Besides, Callie will be hungry when she—” Rae glanced around the house. “Is she at therapy or school?”

  His face darkened. “I kept her home.”

  “Won’t that mess with her routine?”

  “I’ll keep her routine the same as much as possible. This is why I can’t do anything to find Zoey!” Alan whispered the emotion-filled words. Frustration and fear poured from him. “I can’t drive around town looking for her. Callie needs me. She wants her mother. She asked for her constantly last night. Zoey was the one to read to her. I took up that honor, but Callie wasn’t happy and tossed and turned all night.”