Outskirts Press, INC.

Everyone Wants What Patrick Kingrea Has—and They’re Willing to Kill for It

Who else knows about the diamonds? That’s the question Patrick Kingrea wants answered, but not until he hikes out of the Grand Canyon with the stolen gemstones. The bad guys, however, have other plans. It’s not exactly what Patrick was expecting when he made off with the diamonds—a treasure born of murder, greed, and sheer luck. The countless carats were supposed to herald a life of leisure and ease—not endless paranoia and certain peril. But ill-gotten gains have ways of catching up to you. Now, Patrick struggles to keep ahead of the game with his pursuers hot on his trail, and they’re not in the mood to share. With death lurking around every turn, Patrick enters a world where he can’t be sure of anything, and life revolves around one central question: Who else knows about the diamonds? The thrilling sequel to Ribbon Falls, this tour de force follow-up offers even more high-octane adventure and psychological drama as one man fights off a worthy group of adversaries who don’t know the meaning of playing nicely.

Eddie studied the closed door to his hotel room. Someone had stopped by and closed it. But from the inside or out?

He grabbed the handle as he inserted and removed the key card.

Carefully, he eased the door open several inches and knelt. Soon after starting in his current line of work, Eddie had discovered the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. For a time, he had fancied himself a kindred spirit with his fictional hero. He had learned a great deal about reading people and several gimmicks for thwarting adversaries. One of his favorite tricks was a low-tech way of determining if someone had been in his room. It consisted of placing a balled-up piece of paper just inside the doorway, the theory being that maid service would throw the paper away but an interloper would leave it on the floor. Eddie always wrote on the paper information that would misdirect any unauthorized visitor who might be looking for a clue to his next move. It was this piece of paper Eddie sought when he reached through the opening and patted the carpet on the other side of the door.

Nothing.

After returning to his feet, Eddie reached in again and turned on the entry lights. Someone might be in his room waiting for him, but he was in control of the situation since everything depended on his entering the room. How he did so was entirely up to him.

His only two weapons were his damp towel and the room key card. He quickly spun the towel between his two hands then placed the ends in his left hand; one end between thumb and forefinger, the other between pinkie and ring finger. A quick flip of the wrist would bring pain.

In his right hand was the card. With enough speed and pressure against bare flesh, it would be just as effective as a knife.