Deliver Us from Evil
Read Deliver Us from Evil Online
Authors: Robin Caroll
Praise for
Deliver Us from Evil
The kind of novel “Ripped from the headlines” was meant to describe. Compelling.
âJames Scott Bell, best-selling author of
Try Fear
and
Deceived
To say
Deliver Us from Evil
was a riveting read is an understatement. Caroll's new book is the perfect blend of romance and suspense! Highly recommended!
âColleen Coble, author of
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
With great plot twists, strong characters, and just the right amount of romance,
Deliver Us from Evil
is a high-octane, must read! Robin Caroll nailed the gritty, tough world of law enforcement and brought to light the tragedy of human trafficking in this powerful novel.
âMark Mynheir, homicide detective and author of
The Night Watchman
In
Deliver Us from Evil,
Robin Caroll has done what most novelists fail to do. She has discovered the holy grail of fiction; she has found the truth.
âBrandt Dodson, author of
Daniel's Den
Deliver Us from Evil
is packed with plenty of action and adventure to keep the pages turning. But Robin Caroll goes beyond the typical expectations of the genre to bring attention to one of the most devastating crises of our generation. Well done.
âRene Gutteridge, author of
Ghost Writer
Robin Caroll hits it out of the park with this thrilling new novel.
Deliver Us from Evil
picks you up on page one and takes you on a ride you'll love page after page. And when all is said and done, you'll want to read it again just for the pure pleasure of wonderful storytelling. Can't wait for the next novel from this author. A must read!!
âWanda Dyson, best-selling author of
Shepherd's Fall
Copyright © 2010 by Robin Caroll
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
978-0-8054-4980-8
Published by B&H Publishing Group,
Nashville, Tennessee
Dewey Decimal Classification: F
Subject Heading: RESCUE WORKâFICTION \ CHILD ABUSEâFICTION \ GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK (TN)âFICTION
Scripture quotations or paraphrases are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Publisher's Note: The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
To Case . . .
You're my William Wallace and Maximus Decimus Meridius rolled into one amazing man. I thank the Father for you in my life every day.
Love always, RC
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AS MANY AUTHORS DO, I've taken great liberties with facts where needed to suit my plot. These instances are intentional and in no way reflect on the information provided by the many who shared knowledge and information with me.
Special thanks to Chuck Justice for his flight detail information and for enduring my endless questions regarding Life Flight policies and procedures. These men and women who work in this field simply amaze me with their dedication and knowledge. May God bless you one and all.
My most heartfelt gratitude to my medical professional sources: my cousin Dr. Shannon Wahl, my neighbor Dr. Skipper Bertrand, and Deborah Gilbert (and the ladies who put me in touch with herâLeslie Pfeil and Crystal Bencken). Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of the intricacies of the human body and leading me into the research of drugs I still can't pronounce.
The careers I chose for my characters are noble and full of valor, but I hadn't a clue as to the enormity of what these people deal with on a daily basis. Their dedication and knowledge awes me. Special thanks to those who provided me with facts, gave the basic layout of the Great Smoky Mountain ranger stations, and shared with me a little about ranger life: Bob Miller, Management Assistant, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Bill Wright, Chief Ranger, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and Ranger Roy Appugliese, Abrams Creek Ranger Station/Cades Cove District, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Thanks to David Turner with the US Marshals Public Affairs Office; Steve Bius, chief, Training Management Division, US Marshals; and the men employed by the Marshal Services at the federal courthouse in Little Rock. Thank you to the US Coast Guard Admissions Office.
Many thanks to the members of ACFW who helped me with details of certain injuriesâI so appreciate you sharing your painful experiences with me.
Heartfelt thanks to my awesome first readers who provided me with such detailed feedback: Lisa Burroughs, Krystina Harden, Tracey Justice, Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, Cara Putman, and Heather Diane Tipton. I couldn't do this without you!
Special thanks to agent, Kelly Mortimer, who believed in me from the beginning and always has my best interest at heart!
I wouldn't have stuck with writing if it weren't for my mentor and friend, Colleen Coble. Lady, you inspire me.
Camy Tang, Pamela James, Cheryl Wyattâyou ladies rock, and I'm so grateful I have you to share this journey with.
Thanks beyond compare to Karen Ball for believing in this project and letting me grow. Deepest thanks to Julee Schwarzburg, who gave me the exact editing I needed. You ladies are true gems.
Huge thanks to my family, who support and encourage me in ways I can't even begin to describe: Mom and Papa, BB and Robert, Bek and Krys, Bubba and Lisa, Brandon and Rachel, Willie and Connie, Bob and Linda Casteel, Scotty and Jan Casteel, and Kasi, Laci, and Cody.
Special acknowledgment to my grandmother, Una Abi Brannon Shannon, for instilling in me such a deep and great love for the written word and letting me borrow her maiden name for my spunky character.
My deepest gratitude to my childrenâEmily, Remington, and IsabellaâI love you girls more than life itself, and I'm so blessed to have you in my life.
Finally, all glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
âROMANS 10:8â9
PROLOGUE
WHERE WAS BACKUP?
Roark Holland squinted past the harsh streetlight glare to the vehicle that had arrived only minutes ago. A van parked in a darkened part of the street. At the curb of the old building housing the Pugsley family in Witness Protection. The family that Roark needed to move to another safe house.
The Pugsleys' cover had been blown. With their whereabouts known, their enemy would seek the total annihilation of anyone who could identify them, namely Mr. Pugsley.
Roark glanced in his rearview mirror. Still no team.
A light flipped on inside the van, just for a fraction of a second. But in that heartbeat Roark took in the black jackets. The guns.
Grabbing his Beretta 98 in one hand, he pressed the transmit button on his radio with his other. “Demott, we have movement on the street. Where's my backup?” He wasn't prepared to go in aloneâno tactical equipment, no comm, no extra ammo.
“Stay put, Holland. Team's ETA, less than five minutes.”
The van door slid open.
“No time to wait. I'm going in.” Roark's grip tightened on the Beretta.
Three men, decked out in black, stepped onto the road.
“Wait, Holland. Don't go in without backup. That's an order.”
But he could control the situation. “There's three of them. No time.” Roark turned off the radio and slipped it into his coat pocket, eased open the door, and stepped onto the pavement.
The men circled toward the back of the brownstone building.
Roark ignored the pounding of his heart as he crept to the front door. He used the key he'd been given and pushed inside. He knew the layoutâhad studied it for just such a scenarioâand headed to the staircase.
He moved lightly but fast, his steps tapping against the metal stairs. He passed the second-floor landing and kept climbing.
A steady hum echoed off the concrete walls of the enclosed staircase. The elevator? Roark picked up speed as he moved up from the third-floor entry. The thud of his footsteps rose.
Ding!
He froze at the door to the fourth-floor hall and inched it open. The elevator doors parted with the speed of a snail. Through the crack he counted all three men emerging from the elevator car. The center man pointed toward one end of the hall, then the opposite. The other two nodded and moved toward their respective ends.
Good. They didn't know which apartment was the Pugsley unit.
He turned on his radio. “Demott, where in tarnation is my backup? If I don't move, Pugsley's dead.”
“Wait. Marshals are en route. Don't move in.”
Roark shook his head and turned off the radio. Don't move in? Five more minutes and the family would be taken out. He couldn't wait. Wouldn't. He steadied the barrel of the Beretta through the crack. Roark put the leader in his sights, drew a deep breath, then squeezed the trigger.
The man fell into a heap on the ground, a hand against the widening red spot on his chest. Guns at the ready, the other men ran toward their fallen comrade. Roark shut the door and took slow, steady breaths. He'd have to take them out in quick succession. He tensed, then relaxed his arm and leg muscles, turned toward the door, and gripped the knob in his left hand.
Pop, pop-pop-pop!
Roark flattened himself against the wall as the barrage of bullets slammed into the door.
Silence echoed in the aftermath. Where was his backup?
Roark held his breath. One . . . two . . . threeâhe opened the door and stepped through, his gun out and finger in the trigger well.