Flight 12: A Sloane Monroe Thriller (Flight 12 Begins Series Book 4)

FLIGHT 12

A SLOANE MONROE THRILLER

CHERYL BRADSHAW

Flight 12
Copyright © 2014 by Cheryl Bradshaw

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First eBook Edition: 2014

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Flight 12: A Sloane Monroe Thriller by Cheryl Bradshaw

Cover design by © Cory Clubb

Formatting by Bob Houston eBook Formatting

Published in the United States of America

For new release notification, free offers, gifts, and general information for subscribers only, please sign up for The Twelve List!

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Sloane Monroe Series:

Black Diamond Death (Book 1)

Murder in Mind (Book 2)

I Have a Secret (Book 3)

Stranger in Town (Book 4)

Bed of Bones (Book 5)

Hush Now Baby (Book 6: Coming Soon)

Addison Lockhart Series:

Grayson Manor Haunting (Book 1)

TBD (Book 2, Coming Soon)

Till Death Do Us Part Series:

Whispers of Murder (Book 1)

Echoes of Murder (Book 2: Coming Soon)

Dear Readers,

What do you get when a dozen bestselling, award-winning mystery/thriller authors write brand-new material centered on one heart-stopping event?

You get FLIGHT 12, the revolutionary follow-up by The Twelve to the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling DEADLY DOZEN. The groundbreaking FLIGHT 12 series will feature a new release from each member of The Twelve, plus very special guests, with a conclusion so thrilling it could only come from the minds of our readers.

Join The Twelve in the ongoing FLIGHT 12 project. Don't just read about your favorite characters, participate in the story, win prizes, and see storytelling in a totally new way...

The Twelve is delighted to present an exciting and unique reading experience we hope you’re going to love as much as we’ve loved writing it for you. Never before have 12 of your favorite thriller authors created an experience like this especially for you.

Flight 12 brings your favorite characters from The Twelve to life in 12 connected books with a common ending and a terrific surprise epilogue. What is the epilogue you say? Come along for the ride and we’ll all discover that together!

We’ll have events and giveaways during the trip, and in the end, YOU will write “the rest of the story.”

Sounds amazing, right? Not to mention exciting and fun as well!

Who are the passengers on Flight 12?

Allan Leverone’s Kristin Cunningham

When an FBI sting goes horribly wrong, Special Agent Kristin Cunningham - alone, unarmed and still recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound - races against time to prevent a brutal human trafficker from escaping justice.

J. Carson Black’s Laura Cardinal

Arizona DPS homicide detective Laura Cardinal is approached by a woman she's seen a few times at the gym. The woman tells her someone is going to kill her, and she wants Laura to investigate her death.

Diane Capri’s Jess Kimball

When her Taboo Magazine assignment reveals a chilling killer from a modern Italian crime family, Jess Kimball speeds to New York City’s JFK airport to catch Flight 12 to Rome where Luigi and Enzo will be forced to choose between death and Jess.

Cheryl Bradshaw’s Sloane Monroe

A fancy hotel. A private getaway. For Sloane Monroe, rest has finally arrived, until the lights go out and her nightmare begins.

Aaron Patterson’s Kirk Weston

Kirk Weston has a problem--he can't keep his big mouth shut and this time it could cost him his life. Trapped and beyond the help of his old partner in crime Mark Appleton, he has only one chance to escape… Sometimes life gives you lemons… so go bash some heads and hope it works out.

Vincent Zandri’s Dick Moonlight

For Dick Moonlight, easy love doesn’t always result in a happy ending.

Michele Scott’s Evie Preston

Evie Preston has the most difficult decision in her life to make. Remain in the here and now and pursue the dream opportunity she’s just been given, or find her way to the dark portal (where she risks never being able to return) to discover what happened to her missing sister and dead boyfriend?

A.K. Alexander & J.R. Rain’s Kylie Cain

Kylie Cain and her team of PSI (psychic sensory intelligence) operatives must locate the only individual who is believed to be able to bring world peace. It’s a race against time and villainess Orlenda Kobach who seeks world domination under her order.

Joshua Graham’s Xandra Carrick

Having barely survived and thwarted recent terrorist attacks, Xandra Carrick wants nothing to do with the missing children cases that end up with their brutalized bodies discovered years later. Until her best friend’s five year old son gets abducted.

Brett Battles’s Jonathan Quinn

For Jonathan Quinn, there’s more than one way to make a body disappear.

Carol Davis Luce’s Jessie Night

Jessie Night, a witness to a grisly mass murder, must make a grim choice -- run to save her own life or stay and fight for the innocent man condemned to die for that crime.

Robert Gregory Browne’s Nick Jennings

When a killer resurfaces after a long absence, Nick Jennings dives into a cold case investigation that hits far too close to home.

What do all 12 of these passengers have in common?

May 12 New York (AP): A Skyway Airlines flight carrying 375 passengers and 13 crew bound for Rome’s Fiumicino airport from New York’s JFK International Airport has disappeared off the radar overnight according to airline spokespersons. Skyway Flight 12 had left New York at 12:00 midnight Monday evening and was said to be operating normally and in good weather conditions. According to sources on the ground, the plane, a Boeing 767, was piloted by an experienced flight crew who issued no alarm of any kind prior to vanishing somewhere over the Atlantic ocean east of Newfoundland. The 767 is said to be a reliable twin engine carrier that’s been in service since 1982 with an excellent safety record. While a catastrophic mechanical failure is presently being investigated, says an FAA spokesman, a criminal event is not being ruled out. Both sea and air rescue crews have been dispatched from the US, Canada, Newfoundland, and Ireland. This is a developing story.

So, thriller fans, it’s time.

Fasten your safety belts. Return your seat backs and tray tables to their full upright and locked position. Review the safety information card in your seatback pocket once more before takeoff.

Ready? Here we go! Enjoy the ride on each of the 12 books in the exciting new series where Flight 12 Begins.

And then,
CLICK HERE
to join The Twelve in the ongoing FLIGHT 12 project. Don't just read about your favorite characters, participate in the story, win prizes, and see storytelling in a totally new way...

We’re really looking forward to hanging out with you! Thanks for coming along for the ride! 

For new release notification, free offers, gifts, and general information for subscribers only, please sign up for The Twelve List!

CLICK HERE to Sign Up For The Twelve List!

Your Flight 12 Crew:

A.K. Alexander

Brett Battles

J.Carson Black

Cheryl Bradshaw

Robert Gregory Browne

Diane Capri

Joshua Graham

Allan Leverone

Carol Davis Luce

Aaron Patterson

J.R. Rain

Michele Scott

Vincent Zandri

A woman going by the name Rachel Forrester gazed into the full-length mirror, almost not recognizing her recent transformation. An hour earlier she’d arrived at the pricey Hotel Devonshire dressed in a pair of boot-cut jeans, a T-shirt, and neon-colored running shoes. She wore no makeup and no jewelry, not even her princess-cut wedding ring.

Rachel checked into the fourteen-hundred-dollar-a-night, exquisitely furnished penthouse suite and was escorted to her room, where her own on-call butler showed off the amenities, including a spectacular view of New York City’s Central Park. She’d grown used to these late-night rendezvous in fancy, upscale hotels. Too bad they were coming to an end.

After soaking in the oversized marble bathtub, Rachel removed the satin ribbon from the box that had been left for her at the edge of the bed and changed into the outfit she wore now—a ruby red and black corset, black thong panties, silk stockings clipped into garter straps, and the sexiest pair of black-and-gold studded Manolo Blahnik’s she’d ever seen. Rocco “The Rock” Romano may have been a tyrant, but she had to admit, he had exquisite taste when it came to women’s clothing.

Rachel lifted one of the shoes from the box with a finger, dangling it in front of her face. Admiring. Appreciating. Calculating. This pair in particular must have set Rocco back seven or eight-hundred bucks at the very least. She curved her mouth into a smile, fully aware that she was worth it. Worth every copper-colored penny.

Seductive vixen wasn’t a role Rachel thought she’d ever play, but being hard up for cash opened all kinds of previously-closed windows. When the woman who hired her fanned ten large in front of her face, saying no wasn’t an option. The money was too hard to resist. Besides, when she was all done up, she had the look Rocco was attracted to and the body to match. Not only was she good, she played the role of doting mistress so well, a small part of her had actually fallen for Rocco’s charms. On the outside, he was intelligent, collected. On the inside, sensitive and warm. At times it was hard for her to see him for who he really was—a cold-blooded killer. 

Rachel gazed out of the bedroom window, reflected on the first time she met Rocco a few months before. She’d sat at a table across from him at La Vita e Bella, an Italian restaurant he frequented. After tailing him for three weeks, she’d learned his habits, his likes, his dislikes—anything and everything she needed to know so she could nail him to the wall when the moment was right. There was a twenty-five-thousand-dollar bonus in it for her when she did, and she wasn’t about to let anything screw it up, not even her feelings for the guy. 

Rocco had taken to Rachel quickly that first night, striking up a conversation before inviting her to dine at his table. Rachel chose her words carefully, inserting a few shared interests into the conversation, things to reel him in, get him interested. Within thirty minutes, he was hooked.   

Two months later, Rachel almost had what she wanted. In the living room of his house, Rocco had dropped his guard and engaged in a private conversation with his underboss and consigliere in front of her. He’d glanced across the room when Rachel walked in and smiled, confident she wasn’t smart enough to decode what he was actually saying.

He was wrong.

So wrong.

All she needed now was one last night, and it would all be over.

The clothes.

The attention.

The parties.

The sex.

Rocco.   

The sound of Rachel’s phone vibrating on the nightstand brought her back to the present moment, as if jolting her from a moment of tranquil meditation. She glanced at the name on the Caller ID. Rocco.

“Thank you for my present,” she said.

“Did you put it on?”

“I’m wearing it now. It fits perfectly. All that’s missing is you to take it off of me.”

“I have one last stop to make, and I’m all yours, baby.”

“Three days without seeing each other is three days too long,” she said. “I’ve missed you.”

“I had other things to attend to or I would have seen you sooner.”

Calm. Cool. Collected. Always in control.

“Other things like your wife?”

Her sharp words cut through the air like needles seeking out a target. It was too much. Too brazen. She knew it. She also no longer cared.

“Trust me, even when I am with her, the only woman I’m thinking of is you.”

He always had a way with words. A perfect way. For a moment, Rachel felt bad for his wife. Almost.  

“I had something else delivered,” he continued. “Did you find it?”

Rachel canvassed the room. “Where?”

“Look in the kitchen.”

Rachel combed a hand through her long, ash-blond hair, walked into the next room. “I’m here.”

“Do you see it?”

“The wine?”

“I bought it special, just for tonight. Try it.”

“I’d rather wait for you,” she said. “Try it together.”

“If you like it, I’ll order more.”

Rachel grabbed the bottle, stalled for a time, then said, “It’s wonderful. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“Good. Have another glass. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

The call ended, leaving Rachel with a sense of uneasiness she hadn’t experienced with Rocco before. Up to now, she felt confident about every move she’d made. Tonight, on the phone, something was off. His voice. It was different. Still in charge, in command, but changed somehow. Plain. Monotone. He seemed insistent about her trying the wine. Too insistent.

Rachel sized up the bottle, the bottle she hadn’t actually opened. She paid particular attention to the seal. It was intact. There was no evidence to show it had been tampered with, nothing to prove it was anything more than the kind of drink they always shared together on nights like this one.

Stop being paranoid. You’ve done everything right. It’s nothing, just a simple bottle of wine.

Simple or not, Rachel stopped herself from partaking of the dark-colored beverage, instead erring on the side of caution. She popped the cork, opened the bottle, took a whiff. It looked fine. It smelled fine. She went to the sink, dumped half the bottle down the drain. Whether his intentions were innocent or not, Rocco needed to believe she’d done what he asked. She could pull off the tipsy-girlfriend act. She’d done it before.

…

Twenty minutes later, the latch to the hotel room door clicked. Rachel reclined back on the bed, bent her knees, posed in the kind of way that would strike Rocco’s fancy when he came in.

A man rounded the corner.

He wasn’t Rocco.

“Carmine?” Rachel’s voice tensed. “What are
you
doing here? Where’s—”

“Rocco says to say goodbye.”

Carmine reached into his coat pocket, pulled out something black, shiny, with a silencer attached to the end. Rachel screamed. She swung her body off the bed, narrowly avoiding the first bullet as it whizzed by, pelleting the pillow her head had rested on a moment before.  

Rachel dropped to all fours, scrambled to the bathroom where she’d concealed her gun behind a few spare toilet paper rolls under the sink. She cursed herself for not practicing at the gun range this week like her boss had suggested. She didn’t think she needed to. She’d always been an excellent shot.  

Rachel assumed she had Rocco by the balls, thinking he was completely devoted, incapable of harming her like she’d been told he’d done to countless others when deals went south. She was no
deal
. She was his mistress, his lover. He had feelings for her. Genuine feelings. Didn’t he?

A second shot expelled from Carmine’s gun. This time it connected, the bullet searing Rachel’s leg as it broke through. She clubbed the bathroom door closed with her foot, reached up, turned the lock. Blood seeped through her panty-hose, dripping splotches of red onto the cool marble floor below.

“Come on, Rach,” Carmine teased. “Don’t make this harder than it’s gotta be. We all die sometime, right?”

She yanked open the cabinet, fingered her gun. “Carmine, please. Don’t do this.”

Don’t do this?

Was she out of her mind?

He
was
doing this.

Nothing she said would stop him. She’d been a fool. He’d been sent there on a mission, a mission that only ended one way: with her death.

“The wine, did you poison it?”

“Poison it?” Carmine roared with laughter. “Whadd’ya think we are, a bunch of sissies? Rocco wanted you to relax. That’s all. You should have stayed put on the bed, made things a whole lot easier on both of us. I would’ve made it a clean shot. No pain. Now you’ve made me come after ya.”

She crouched in the corner, gun centered on the door. Ready.

“How did he find out, Carmine?” she asked. “How does he know? If you’re going to kill me anyway, you may as well tell me the truth.”

“You know somethin’, Rach? I’m sorry it has to be this way. I mean it. I liked you. Orders are orders, though. You understand.”

Carmine’s next bullet shattered the doorknob. He stepped inside. Gunfire was exchanged. Rachel managed to get two shots off, Carmine only one. One was all he needed. The target had been acquired.