Please welcome Dena Netherton and her latest book in The Hunted series.
Take it away Dena.
Why does a man (or woman) stalk another person? Almost every week I read about another person who had to flee a stalker. I see true life programs on TV about the tragic consequences of stalking, and shake my head in perplexity.
Why would a man persist in following and harassing a woman who has unequivocally said, “Leave me alone!” Is the stalker crazy? Evil? Obsessed?
Often the stalking victim is ashamed to admit what they’re going through. Or too frightened or intimidated. Sometimes a stalker has been known to threaten the victim’s loved ones, too.
If you were being stalked, would you go to the police, or would you keep quiet to protect your family?
In Haven’s Hope, Haven has escaped her stalker, has reunited with her widowed father, but has not told him about being kidnapped and held prisoner by Dade Colton in his wilderness cabin. Dade has threatened to hurt or kill anyone she tells about him, and she wants to shield her father from danger. Haven returns to college to finish her music degree. But then she learns that Dade is still trying to find her.
Dade has convinced Fiona, a lonely waitress that he loves her and wants to marry her. If only she’ll help him with his ‘problem.’ He tells Fiona that Haven took something of value from him and he wants to get it back. Fiona is desperate for love and is willing to believe anything Dade says. She has no idea Haven is Dade’s past victim. Dade plans to have Fiona gather information about Haven so he can ambush and re-capture her.
Excerpt:
“Dade laid a three by five photo on the table. “See this girl?”
Fiona wanted to snort. Yes, she could clearly see her. The champagne she’d just sipped burned her stomach. The woman in the photo was blonde and pretty. Why would Dade carry around a picture of another woman? She’d better be his sister or first cousin.
“She’s my problem. She took something from me, and I want it back. Then everything will be perfect and I can get on with my big plans.”
Leaning over, he shoved the photo closer so Fiona could get a better view. “Memorize that face, Fiona. It’s the face of an evil woman, a thief.”
Fiona tried to pull the photo over to her side of the table. She hadn’t worn her glasses today, and the photo looked a little blurry. But he wouldn’t let go. His knuckles turned white where his fingers pressed the photo against the table. Dade’s eyes held a look that made her shiver.
“Man, if you hate this girl, there must be a good reason.” Fiona hated her already. Had she taken money, property? Humiliated him in some way? Beautiful women were the worst. “She must be a real piece of work.”
“You could say that.” He downed his glass of champagne in one big swallow. “And I thought, since you’ll have some free time on your hands once you move in here with me, maybe you could do me a favor.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Go to the School of Music and park in the front. It’s where the girl—Haven parks. She’s a student there. She comes and goes through the lounge entrance. Hang out there and wait for her. Then, when she leaves, follow her, see where she goes.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. All I want is information. Don’t try to talk to her yet. Don’t mess this up. I need you to do this perfectly.”
“So things will be perfect in Issaquah again?” She sneered at the beautiful girl in the photo.
“Exactly.”
Blurb:
Beautiful and talented Haven Ellingsen is about to discover that evil doesn’t take a holiday.
Haven Ellingsen has escaped the man who relentlessly hunted her in the Cascade Mountains. But when an old friend from her dangerous past shows up unexpectedly to warn her that Dade Colton is determined to recapture her, Haven makes the only safe decision: to go into hiding once more. But where? Whom can she trust? If only she could tell someone about her tragic secret. But Dade’s threat to kill anyone who helps her would put that person’s life in jeopardy, too.
Dr. Petter Eriksen saves lives every day at Mercy Hospital Emergency Department. Driven by guilt after the accidental death of his little sister, he can’t believe in a good God. But when a beautiful and mysterious young woman moves into the cabin on his uncle’s Christian Retreat, Petter wonders if her love and simple faith have the power to shatter the barrier he has erected around his heart? And can he save her from a madman?
Sometimes you hide; sometimes you stand and fight.
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Bio:
Dena Netherton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She studied music and theater in the Midwest and in Colorado and taught music for thirty-five years. As well as her love of good books, hiking, playing the piano, road trips, and people-watching, she is passionate about story-telling as a means to share her faith while entertaining her readers or listeners. Book one of The Hunted Series, Haven’s Flight, released in April of 2017. Haven’s Hope (book two) continues Haven’s exciting, suspenseful story, adding romance and more fascinating characters.
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