Stories by Claudia

Previous Chapters
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Aden’s arms went around her shoulders. He held her tight to him. Feeling movement, Aden looked up to see Sandy’s father aiming a handgun at them.
“Wait…” Aden started
“HE’S GOT A GUN!” Seth yelled at the same time Max and Alex yelled, “GET DOWN!”
Her father fired twice into Sandy’s back. Sandy slumped forward into [...]

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CHAPTER 72
Wednesday — 3:25 P.M.
Riding in Jill’s Lexus SUV, Sandy watched the Denver neighborhoods fly past her passenger window. They drove up Seventeenth Avenue Parkway past the gorgeous mansions. As a child, she’d walk to her father’s house past these mansions. While she walked, she’d dream of living in one of her favorites. On [...]

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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
October 14 – 6:07 P.M.
Pike’s Peak National Forest
“You will get on your knees,” Sumit said. He pointed her gun in Alex’s direction.
Eleazar arrived at the cabin with two machine gun welding guards. After making certain Alex’s hands were handcuffed, Eleazar punched her to the ground. Alex lay face first on the ground with [...]

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CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
The next day
Wednesday – 4:30 A.M.
The Castle

Bundled with a thick sweater over her pajamas, Jill waited for her brother Steve in the main Castle living room. Steve arrived around 4:30 in the morning to help Honey get ready for her day. Hearing a key in the lock, Jill stood to greet him.
“Jill! [...]

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
October 14 – 3:53 P.M.
Pike’s Peak National Forest

Alex stumbled on a branch covered by a layer of snow . Her captor pushed her forward under the trees. They arrived at a small cabin. Rather than taking her inside, he pushed her around the cabin. Stumbling and walking, they reached the river about [...]

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CHAPTER SEVENTY
Tuesday – 4:00 P.M.
“Until he booked the trip to Costa Rica,” Perses said. “We should have realized what he was doing, but we underestimated him.”
“What was he doing?” Mike asked. “We never took vacations. Not one. Then all of the sudden we’re on the beach in Central America.”
“He planned to sell [...]

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
October 14 – 12:53 P.M.
Olde Town Arvada, Colorado
“They’re coming,” Jesse said. “Three men, guns.”
Alex stopped running in place. She was warm and loose or as warm and loose as her battered and bruised body could be in this frigid room. Sitting with her back to the camera, she had made leather shoes out [...]

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CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Tuesday afternoon – 3 P.M.
The Castle
Jill opened the Castle side door to let Anjelika and Perses in. Her siblings had been there for a half hour. Each person seemed more nervous than the last. Gratefully, Candy brought a variety of cookies from the bakery. Megan had made a pot of coffee. Focused on [...]

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Thirteen years earlier

Intelligence officer in training, Sergeant Alexandra Hargreaves, walked down a dim hall in the bowels of Fort Bragg. After shaking her awake at two in the morning, the two Military Police officers, one on either side of her, kept a clipped pace through the halls. She had no idea what [...]

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
October 14 – 9 A.M.
Olde Town Arvada, Colorado

Alex opened her eyes in the dark room and wondered where she was. Remembering the hotel room, she looked for the light under the door. Seeing nothing, she puzzled. She patted the space next to her to see if John was there. Nope.
Her face pinched instinctively [...]

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