SWITCHBACK – on the way to Bahrain
Whether you’ve read DEADLY DRIVER or not, the sequel is a riveting spy thriller with threads of Formula One racing, espionage, personal conflict, and more weaved throughout. Here’s an excerpt.
Claudia woke abruptly as the jet’s wheels touched down at Nice’s Côte d’Azur airport in France. As the plane taxied toward the small private terminal, she brushed her hair and freshened her make-up while looking down the aisle to see where Bryce had gone. Curious, she walked toward the cockpit, where she discovered Bryce and Jen standing near the open cockpit door, joking with the pilot about which they wanted more, a bath or a bed.
“I’ll take both,” she said as she thanked Jen for the in-flight courtesy and service. “And if this American ever takes you for granted, you can always come fly for Werner F1,” she joked with a wink. Once the jet came to a halt, Bryce released the jet stairs and gestured for his guest to deplane. He followed her to the tarmac, where an older man dressed in a black suit and tie took her bags and placed them in the trunk of a waiting dark blue Mercedes sedan. Bryce surveyed the area and saw a red Werner jet, cabin lights on, parked nearby.
“Seriously, Claudia, you can’t walk to your plane?” Bryce teased. Claudia yawned in his face and then began to walk to the car. Bryce called out for her to wait and caught up to her.
“You’re headed to Munich to see Mila, but we need to finish our conversation,” he told her.
“Then come with me. She’d love to see you, and we can talk more on the plane.” Bryce looked back at his jet, watched as his flight team deplaned, and began walking toward the terminal. He shook his head and turned back to her.
“No, I need to get back to Monaco and develop an action plan,” he said. “Let’s meet in Bahrain and talk much more about Mila.” He watched as Claudia’s tired eyes studied him. She stepped closer and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. Claudia held Bryce for a moment and whispered in his ear.
“You do know, the fact that they have not caught the renegades and that you are still alive makes me think the CIA is allowing this to happen. Looking the other way,” she said. “You need to be very careful, my dear.” Bryce wrapped his right arm around her and escorted Claudia to the sedan.
“You know, you should just sell the company and buy an island somewhere,” he told her. Claudia stopped suddenly and turned to face him.
“Easier said than done, my dear,” she said. “The woman who broke into my home made it very clear. I still hear her words; ‘Status quo or blood will flow.’ She didn’t just threaten Mila; she threatened my parents.” A slight drizzle began to fall on Nice, and the driver approached them with a large black umbrella. Claudia waved him off.
“The woman,” Bryce said, “what nationality was she? You only saw her eyes. Tell me more.” Claudia looked into space as she appeared to remember that night.
“Russian, probably, or Eastern European,” Claudia told him. “I know the accents, but her cold blue cobalt eyes made me sure of it.” Bryce took it all in.
“But she wasn’t Japanese, so it wasn’t Kyoto,” she laughed. Bryce didn’t smile.
“So tell me, is she gone for good? I liked her. She was intelligent and exquisite,” Claudia said.
Bryce tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, but suddenly, he had a revelation.
“You know, I just realized I never told her I loved her,” he confessed. Claudia leaned in again and kissed Bryce on the cheek.
“That happens more than you know. Max was generous with gifts but selfish with words, except for Mila.” Bryce stepped back and stared at her.
“Claudia, I have to know. Is she mine?” he asked. She laughed. “I prefer to keep you in the lurch. After all, you killed my husband.”
IF YOU NEED MORE you can order SWITCHBACK on Amazon by clicking here. If you’d like to order a copy of DEADLY DRIVER click here.