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    Desert Terror
    Desert Terror
    Desert Terror
    Ebook86 pages1 hour

    Desert Terror

    By Jo Carey

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Bartender and sometimes treasure hunter, Mandy Hernandez, finds some interesting things in New Mexico's boot heel area, some of them are deadly. As the bodies start to pile up, will the trail lead to more danger or will Mandy find her treasure? 50 pages/ 19,350 words.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJo Carey
    Release dateSep 15, 2018
    ISBN9781386048244
    Desert Terror
    Author

    Jo Carey

    Jo Carey grew up in the Midwest but her curiosity and gypsy-spirit has kept her on the move. She's lived in eight US states and spent three years living in Ireland. She has always loved creature movies, so creatures and bugs often show up in her books. Jo, a former information security compliance guru, writes fast-paced, character-driven stories in a variety of genres from medical thrillers to space operas and cozy mysteries. Her novels are filled with humor, romance, and sometimes creatures or aliens, or maybe even all of the above. She often builds her stories around a strong female lead character surrounded by plenty of hunky male heroes. Jo's been under fire on a golf course and climbed out the roof of an elevator in the Netherlands. Life hasn't been boring. Now residing in Texas, setting often plays a huge role in her stories. Jo was intrigued by the League of Planetary Systems, a world her husband, Frank, created for his science fiction books, and she now writes mysteries and other types of tales sets in that world. Jo was bitten by a cat, a fire ant, and a snake, before succumbing to the bite of the writing bug.

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      Book preview

      Desert Terror - Jo Carey

      CHAPTER ONE

      Baseball bat in hand, I stepped out from behind the bar. Jerry, get your hand off my waitress or the next thing you grab will be your own balls. The waitress took advantage of the distraction to escape back behind the bar. Do you need me to call Sam to come pick you up?

      I'm not that drunk, he said.

      Good. I'll bring you a coffee.

      I just slipped back behind the bar when Brad walked in and took one of the stools. Hi there, I said. You want something to drink?

      No. I just stopped to say hi and make sure the plans hadn't changed.

      Plans are the same. Are you sure you're ready for this?

      A week in the desert alone with you? I'm more than ready for that, he said, leaning over the bar to kiss me. I still wasn't sure I'd done the right thing inviting Brad to join me on my treasure hunt. We'd only been dating a couple of months and, to be honest, I wasn't sure I was interested in escalating our relationship. Brad was nice looking in an overly clean-cut way. He was only a couple of inches taller than my five-foot seven height and not particularly muscular. He was a friend of my waitress' brother. They hang out here at Trini's occasionally. That's how we met.

      Brad left and the night wound down. Hi, Sis, Luke said as he walked in from the back.

      Hi. Thanks for taking over next week. I'll repay the favor when you want a vacation. You do remember what those are, right?

      I'm sure something will come up someday, and I'll cash in the IOU for next week, he said, as he checked that the front door was locked. I never thought we'd end up here.

      Yeah, me either, but I'm glad we're doing this together, I said as I wiped down the bar. Luke had been deployed somewhere in the middle east when a texting driver ran our parents off the road and into a tree. They died instantly. Trini's had been my parents' life work. I couldn’t sell it, so I left my job in Chicago and came home to run the bar until Jake got out of the service. He's been out almost a year, and we've been running the bar together. It's not going to make us rich, but it's paying the bills. I don't think either of us really have a handle on what we want our futures to look like, so we keep Trini's going and never talk about anything long-term.

      Are you sure you'll be OK out in the desert with Brad?

      I guess. I don't like to treasure hunt on my own and haven’t found anyone else who's interested that isn't old and grumpy. I doubt Brad can hold up to a week camping in the Southern New Mexico desert in the summer, but he's going to try. Even if he just sits in camp and reads, at least I'll have some company at night.

      I know you're all grown up but are you sure Brad's the guy you want keeping you company at night.

      I smacked him with the towel I'd been using to wipe down the bar. Sadly, he was the only one volunteering for that duty.

      You know... he started, before I held up my hand to stop him.

      Maybe someday I'll be desperate for a date and ask you to set me up with one of your buddies from the service, but I'm not there yet. Brad's harmless. I suspect a few days in my preferred environment will put an end to his infatuation.

      Call me as soon as you're back in cell phone range.

      Will do. Wish me luck. If I bring back the Dead Horse Pass treasure, we might actually have to think about making a plan for the future.

      I thought you wanted to find it, he said, grinning. We both knew we needed to think about our futures but neither of us was ready to do that. Between losing our parents and the losses Luke suffered in the military, thinking long term was a struggle.

      CHAPTER TWO

      Treasure hunting has been my hobby since I was a kid. My grandparents lived near the Superstition Mountains in Arizona, and I got hooked on the Lost Dutchman story. Grandpa and I spent a lot of time trekking around the mountains or researching the treasure.  I was hooked on the thrill of the hunt.

      Brad was waiting in the driveway when I locked the front door of my childhood home. Luke and I were sharing the house. It was something else we couldn't make a decision about. Mornin'. Let's get your gear loaded and get on the road. Brad reached for me as I walked up and pulled me into a hug. This is going to be great, he said.

      Something in my gut told me he was wrong, but it was too late to change the plans. Once we were in the desert, I could focus on finding the treasure and analyzing the sorry state of my love life or lack of one. The desert was my element. If Brad could hold his own on my turf, I might have to reconsider my plan to dump him when we get back from this trip. OK. I know I'm kind of using him, but it didn't start out that way. I started planning this trip right after Brad and I started dating. He seemed really interested. He did his own research, and we spent a lot of time sharing our thoughts on the treasure and planning this trip. In the last couple of weeks, something changed. Or maybe I just took a more realistic look at Brad. Either way, it was likely to be an interesting trip.

      Facing a six-hour drive before

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