Centrae Solstice Shadows

A VanOps Thriller
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7349662-0-6
Verlag: Thunder Creek Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 400 Seiten

Reihe: VanOps

DA VINCI CODE meets TOMB RAIDER in the second exciting installment of the rare ten-time-award-winning and #1 international bestselling VanOps global thriller series.
 
A computer-app designer. An encrypted relic. Can she and the VanOps team decipher the dangerous code before extremists trigger a high-tech apocalypse?
 

VanOps has a charter to save the world from mysterious threats, and Director Bowman wants software expert Maddy Marshall to join the team. But the Aikido blackbelt isn't sure she's ready for a hazardous role that might risk the life of AJ, the nine-year-old boy she wants to adopt. When an armed Russian thief escapes over her fire escape carrying an ancient star chart, Maddy's heart drops. She decides to join her broad-shouldered boyfriend, Bear Thorenson, in a covert ops mission to retrieve the chart, as it may lead to an arcane weapon that fringe members of the Russian government will use to spark a global war.
Setting off on a mad dash to uncover the chart's celestial secrets, the VanOps team races across the globe through the bazaars of Morocco, fallen Turkish temples, and Egypt's perilous Valley of the Kings. They must fight to stay even a half-step ahead of sinister assassins. Worse, the place Maddy sent AJ for refuge becomes the enemy's testing ground, where hungry gangs roam darkened streets.
With millions of lives on the line, can Maddy and Bear rescue the boy and crack the chart's secret code?
 
SOLSTICE SHADOWS is the second novel in the fast-paced, one-of-a-kind VanOps thriller series. If you enjoy exciting edge-of-your-seat suspense by James Rollins, Dan Brown, Steve Berry, or Clive Cussler, you'll stay up late turning the pages of Avanti Centrae's 'rousing sequel.' (Kirkus Reviews.)

Global Thriller Awards Genre Grand Prize Winner - 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards

Adventure Bronze Medal Winner - 2020 Readers' Favorite Awards

An instant Barnes & Noble Nook Bestseller and Amazon #1 Bestseller!

____________________________________

'A tantalizing new series that combines historical mystery and cutting-edge science into a masterwork of international intrigue.' - James Rollins, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey
 
'Avanti Centrae is a name to watch. Powerful, evocative, gripping storytelling with characters you immediately relate to, love, or loathe.' - Ernest Dempsey, the USA Today bestselling author of the Sean Wyatt adventure series

 -K.J. Howe, international bestselling author of SKYJACK

- J.F. Penn, bestselling author of the ARKANE thrillers

'Fans of complex and highly detailed espionage and action thrillers are certain to dive right into this mixture between Indiana Jones and Dan Brown.' - Readers' Favorite - Five stars

 
SOLSTICE SHADOWS, bestselling multi-award-winner, will take you on a heart-pounding mission you'll always remember. Don't miss this wild thrill ride!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Centrae, Avanti

Leseproben

CHAPTER 4

Undisclosed Location, Atlantic Seaboard

December 18, 8:07 p.m. EST

B

ear’s feet hit the ground with a reassuring thud and he ran three quick steps, noticing with pleasure that he was hardly limping at all from his old Afghanistan-acquired leg wound. He’d just started to collapse the small parachute when his encrypted work phone rang.

He swore. It was either Maddy or Director Bowman calling, and though he was happy to talk with either, now was a bad time. Still, it must be important because they both knew he was in training tonight. While he cut himself free of his parachute, took off his helmet, and fished around in his pocket for the phone, he counted rings. He had six until voicemail. On five he answered around the gum in his mouth, a little out of breath.

“Bear here.”

“Hey.”

The sound of Maddy’s distinctive feminine voice sent a warm tingle up his spine. Almost a year and a half into their relationship and the effect she had on him was stronger than ever. He was still amazed she was finally dating him. All through high school, while he wanted her from afar, she’d only dated tall guys. On one of the rare occasions when she was single, he’d seen her after a football game at the west shore pizza joint and couldn’t find the balls to ask her out.

They’d finally gotten together sixteen months ago, and he’d been thankful every day since. With her parents dead, she spent holidays with him and his family at Lake Tahoe and they’d enjoyed some long, passionate weekends together, but sometimes he worried she’d fall for somebody else. Somebody tall. For some reason his winning ticket to the love lottery felt tenuous, like it was a coded message that would self-destruct in a blaze of smoke.

Bear struggled to control his breathing. “How’s it goin’, baby?”

“Not so great. The star chart was stolen tonight.”

That was Maddy, always getting right to the point.

“What? Stolen?”

“Yeah, somebody broke into my loft, trashed it, and got away with the star chart.”

Frowning, Bear took off his night-vision goggles. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” She hesitated. “Mostly. A bullet grazed my forehead.”

Bear’s throat constricted. “Oh my god!”

“Well, could’ve been worse. Funny how two inches can make a world of difference when it comes to bullets.”

He took a deep breath. “True. Sounds like you got lucky.”

“I did. Anyway, the cops are there now checking things out. AJ is all right, he’s in the corner reading Harry Potter. My roommate wasn’t home, the cat is her usual ornery self, but Vincent has a concussion and compound leg fracture and is in the hospital. I’m calling you from there.”

Vincent. Her ex-fiancé. Bear’s heart constricted. Why had they been together? He tried hard to sound neutral by playing up his southern drawl. “Wow. Sounds nasty. Will he be all right?”

“They don’t know yet.”

A pause. He’d heard bits and pieces about their long engagement and brutal breakup, enough to know that Maddy still hadn’t completely healed from the relationship. As he knew from when Amy betrayed him years ago, those things took time. Vincent, that tall bastard, was probably trying to win her back.

Bear decided the safest approach was to get more information. “Why don’t you tell me what happened from the get-go?”

Maddy sighed. “You remember that tonight was the night AJ was coming over for a movie and popcorn, right?”

“Sure.” He didn’t, but it wasn’t the time to disagree.

“I decided to let my aikido class out a little early because of the rain. The city is getting hammered—we even got snow for about an hour, which never happens. Anyway, a lot of parents were at the dojo already, so I let everyone go home.”

Now that the adrenaline from the jump was wearing off, the night’s bitter cold began to seep into Bear’s bones like an incoming Atlantic tide. “Good idea.” He paced, a quiet distance from the training tent.

“When AJ and I walked outside, Vincent was there with an umbrella and offered to walk us home. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of AJ, so we all headed to my loft.”

Bear released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. She hadn’t been cheating on him. “Then what happened?”

“We arrived upstairs at the loft, but when I opened the door, I saw a flicker of light inside. I was trying to see what was going on when a bullet came flying toward the door. I slammed the door just in time. We ran down the hallway and Vincent started shooting back.”

Bear’s jaw tightened. Wasn’t the guy a stockbroker or something? “Vincent has a gun?” he asked.

Maddy hesitated. “He bought one a few weeks ago.”

Bear tried to joke, but it ended up sounding like a growl. “Tryin’ to protect you?”

“Who knows? But speaking of other people, why were you panting when you answered the phone?”

“We’re doing a training exercise. Remember?”

“Sorry. Can you remind me?”

He wished he could tell her all about the paramilitary training. It had been months of weapons training, learning to resist interrogation, and practicing with the latest technology, like latex masks and body armor. Tonight was the last night, and it had been intense. “It’s designed to be after dark. I got to wear night-vision goggles. Fun, but bone-chilling cold out here. I can’t tell you much more than that.”

“Sounds dangerous, Mr. Thorenson. You be careful.”

A gust of wind blew, and the scent of dead leaves filled his nose. “I will. Then how did Vincent get injured?”

“I sent AJ to hide on the roof and wanted to lure the attacker into the stairwell so I could disarm him. Vincent followed me at a run, slipped, and fell down a flight of stairs.”

Bear’s hand twitched as he resisted the urge to pump his fist. “I see. Then what?”

“I grabbed his gun, against all my better aikido judgment.”

“I’m glad you did. And you shot the thief?”

“Did. Must have hit the guy’s hand or wrist because he dropped his weapon.”

“That’s great! I didn’t know you even knew how to fire a pistol.” Even so, he could imagine her tall, lithe form peering around the corner of her loft’s hallway, her sexy green eyes appraising the situation. Her arms would have been outstretched in a two-handed Weaver stance, black cabbie cap on her head. He loved how strong and powerful she was. It made him feel more a man to be with a woman like her.

But then again . . . when had she learned to shoot? Had Vincent taught her to use the gun, too? Bear didn’t like the sound of that at all. And she’d been in danger.

Jaw clenched, Bear glanced up to see Jags, his trainer, formerly of the NSA, fly down the small highland, her special dark BASE-jumping parachute blocking the stars above her. She looked like a flying squirrel.

“When did the attacker hit you?” he asked tightly.

“He got me while we were exchanging shots in the hallway. I chased him but he bolted over the fire escape with the star chart.”

“That could be bad. You’re sure he got it?”

“Yeah. He had the folder in his hand. And as soon as he was gone, I checked the filing cabinet and it was missing.”

“What about that sliver of lorandite?” Bear wished there was more of the powerful material, but what was once a set of seven-inch ruby obelisks had been reduced to a tiny, worthless shard. He had also wanted Maddy to let the US government test it instead of sending it to her friend Elena, who had connections in Germany.

“He didn’t get the sliver,” Maddy replied, and then she paused. “Bear, the man had one dark eye and one white one. Eerie. AJ saw him, too.”

“The eyes sound strange, and let’s come back to it and the AJ bit—”

Maddy interrupted. “No, wait. He recognized the thief from when he was kidnapped. Said he’s a dark-haired man named Pyotr who speaks Russian.”

Bear raised his eyebrows. “Oh. I remember AJ telling us about the two men who kidnapped him. We never saw Pyotr, and I don’t think he’s surfaced since.”

“Do you think the Russians could know about the star chart somehow? They were involved before.”

Bear stopped pacing, lost in thought. He stood still for a moment and blew a small bubble with his gum. “It’s certainly possible.”

“Yeah, it’s a good working hypothesis.” She paused. “Unless . . . Pyotr could be a Spaniard who speaks Russian. The only other person who even knows the star chart exists is Prince Carlos in Spain. Correction—King Carlos.”

“That’s right. The wise old monarch passed away two weeks ago.”

“I’m sure his daughter didn’t tell him anything, given she stole the chart and gave it to me in the first place. But the king would have filled creepy Carlos in on the missing chart before his death. Duty and all.”

“That means the power behind our thief is either the new Spanish king or the Russians.” Bear began to pace again. “I’m not sure which is worse.”

Her voice rose a notch. “I know, they’re both evil.”

“Let’s go back to the chart. Your family thought it would lead to a source of superconductive material, right?”

“Right. Like some sort of weird sky map.”

“Lots of folks might want that material.” Bear shivered in the cold. “It’s extremely dangerous.”

“We learned that the hard way. I had...