L.I.V.E.: Cassie Ingram, #0

By Eric Kent Edstrom

Imagine Die Hard in a coffee shop. This tale of a new, young heroine will not let you out of its grip!

Cassie's date goes terribly bad when a group of masked terrorists take her and everyone in the Houston coffee shop hostage.

But it isn't a coincidence that Cassie's there, or that they killed her bodyguard first. They came for her . . . to get at her billionaire father.

They should have done their research. Cassie Ingram has been trained for a kidnapping, and she's already reasoning out what to do, how to survive.

L.I.V.E. is the short story that started it all. Now available as a stand-alone for the first time. Fans of fast-paced thrillers and problem-solving heroines will adore Edstrom's style and speed. Get ready for a thrill and buy your copy now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Undermountain Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386556961

Eric Kent Edstrom

Eric is the author of over a dozen novels and numerous short stories.

Book preview

L.I.V.E.

L.I.V.E.

A Cassie Ingram Story

Eric Kent Edstrom

Contents

Chapter 1

Untitled

Think, Cassie.

Marvin's blood traced along the woodgrain of the coffee shop table. Stark and red, it fanned across the blond wood until it met the creamy brown puddle of Cassie's spilled latte. The liquids joined in an artful swirl that would've made any barista proud. It flowed toward Cassie, fingering around her high school Calculus text and the spiral notebook she'd been scribbling in for the past hour. Homework she'd brought to kill time until Marvin showed up for their date.

Frank Sinatra's voice swung through the racket of screams and shouts.

Cassie pressed her hands to hear ears, gasping for breath, mind flailing for a way out.

Think.

The two men dressed in black from boots to ski masks shouted orders, waving people to the back of the coffee shop with the barrels of their guns. A man in business casual stumbled past Cassie. He tripped and slapped face first onto the tile floor.

Cassie's phone trembled in her hands. Her thumb flicked to dial.

The black hole of a machine gun barrel swung toward to her face. Put it down.

Cassie complied, setting the phone on top of the journal in front of her. Coffee-blood dripped onto her jeans.

The gunman shifted his weight foot to foot. Get with the others.

Think, Cassie.

Disordered thoughts came by themselves. Marvin's smile. He was about to ask her something. Pop. Pop. Then blood. Screams. He lay on the floor now. Still breathing, mouth working like a beached fish. His jacket bulged slightly on one side where his pistol was holstered.

Cassie slid from her chair and knelt next to him.

She slipped her hand