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  PRAISE FOR NO SAFE HAVEN

  No Safe Haven is a page-turner on several levels—adventure, excitement, and compelling characters. But I'm fascinated that it was written by a mother and her teenage daughter, and that the young character in the book suffers with the same disorders that Kayla Woodhouse has. That gave it more texture and urgency and made it difficult to put down. I look forward to seeing more from these authors.

  —Terri Blackstock, author of Intervention and Predator

  I know this exciting mother-and-daughter writing team, and they've produced a nail-biting thriller of a novel that underscores the health threat Kayla has faced all her life. We see the character, Andie, live out Kayla's own anxiety and challenge in growing up with a rare neurological disorder that she could not understand except that it threatened her life. Kayla has come to grips with her disorder and now she and her mother share their appreciation for nature and life while facing a neurological problem very few experience.

  —Stephen A. Smith, M.D., Kayla's neurologist

  No Safe Haven is a nail-biting delight of a romantic suspense novel. I loved the Alaskan setting and characters. The Woodhouse writing duo is dynamite!

  —Colleen Coble, author of The Lightkeeper's Ball and the Rock Harbor series

  No Safe Haven is a remarkable book that grips you from page one and doesn't let go. Romance, suspense, intrigue—Kimberley and Kayla Woodhouse have crafted a book that has it all. You won't be able to put this one down!

  —Jenny B. Jones, award-winning author of Save the Date and A Charmed Life series

  No Safe Haven is a thriller of epic proportions! What an engaging and intense story these new novelists have created. This book will keep you turning the page late into the night.

  —Tom Davis, author of Scared—A Novel on the Edge of the World and Priceless

  No doubt about it, Kim and Kayla Woodhouse are a dynamic writing duo of action, romance, and living out faith! The Woodhouse's debut novel, No Safe Haven, is a thrilling adventure of the heart and mind as Jenna and her daughter Andie flee an unidentified threat against the backdrop of the beautiful yet unforgiving landscape of Alaska. With tenderness, authenticity and emotion, Kim and Kayla have drawn a captivating mother and daughter relationship, one stretched and strengthened by tragedy and ongoing medical struggles. Andie's voice is the perfect blend of sass and innocence, lending a joyousness to this thrilling tale and reflects Kayla's natural talent for storytelling and characterization. Kim provides plenty of action and attraction in this unique and intriguing story. No Safe Haven is a brilliant start to what will be an unmissable series from this mother and daughter team.

  —Rel Mollet, RelzReviewz

  No Safe Haven is an incredible adventure thriller that kept me turning pages well into the wee hours. I have long been a fan of Kim Woodhouse's work but now am also a fan of Kayla Woodhouse. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more to come from this incredible mother-daughter team.

  —Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of the Striking a Match series.

  No Safe Haven explodes onto the suspense scene with an intensity and energy that only Kimberley and Kayla Woodhouse can create. What a compelling look into daily lives—with a burst of excitement and adrenaline—of these powerhouse ladies. No Safe Haven is a page-turner you don't want to miss. I'm so impressed—and a huge fan!!

  —Ronie Kendig, author of Nightshade and Digitalis

  Non-stop action from an unforgettable mother/daughter team.

  Brandilyn and Amberly Collins, coauthors of the award-winning Rayne Tour Series

  Kimberly and Kayla Woodhouse know how to weave powerful, faith-building, can't-put-down stories—life and now, brilliantly, in fiction.

  —Susan May Warren, award-winning, best-selling author of Nightingale

  I'd only made it to page 8 when I realized I was holding my breath. Shivers are still traveling up my arms from a story that is both dramatic and heart-warming. My favorite element is the mother/daughter storytelling. Kimberley and Kayla's unique points-of-views breathed life and truth into the story. I loved it!

  —Tricia Goyer, author of twenty-five books, including Beside Still Waters

  Copyright © 2011 by Kimberley Woodhouse and Kayla R. Woodhouse

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America

  978-1-4336-7116-6

  Published by B&H Publishing Group,

  Nashville, Tennessee

  Dewey Decimal Classification: F

  Subject Heading: MYSTERY FICTION MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS—FICTION SURVIVAL AFTER AIRPLANE ACCIDENTS, SHIPWRECKS, ETC.—FICTION

  Authors represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.

  Scripture quotations or paraphrases are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). 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.

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  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated:

  From Kim:

  To Dr. Gary Greene, for taking a little music major and encouraging me to write. He went home to be with the Lord during the final edits of this book, but his encouragement and love for his students will always be remembered.

  And to Kayla—may we continue to grow in love and craft as we travel this writing journey together. I love writing with you, Squirt.

  From Kayla:

  My very first published book.

  Dedicated to Jesus, My Lord and Savior, and to Ms. Karen, for her fantabulous idea.

  And for Mama, for making me laugh and putting up with me even when I'm grumpy or sarcastic. I love writing with you.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Author's Note

  Discussion Questions

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As most of you know, it takes an enormous number of people to bring a book to the point where it is now—in your hands. And so, Kayla and I wish to thank:

  First and foremost—Thank You, God. Without You, none of th
is would be possible.

  Our Readers—for your support, encouragement, notes, and excitement. What fun it is to have you along on this journey!

  Jeremy and Josh—the Woodhouse "boys" who put up with deadlines, edits, brainstorming, and plain ol' craziness. We love you.

  Tracie, Colleen, Donita, and Karen—for your mentorship, guidance, love, and prayers.

  Our brilliant and amazing editor, Karen Ball—Wow. You are the best of the best. Where would we be without you? You've taught us so much and made our writing sing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  Julie Gwinn—you are a marketing genius. What fun to work with you! Thanks for all you do.

  Diana Lawrence—Thank you so much for your outstanding work on the most incredible cover ever. Wow. You are so gifted. Thank you for bringing Andie's face to life so beautifully and for the accuracy in all the details.

  Everyone at B&H—we love and appreciate you all. What an honor to be with such an incredible publishing house.

  Missy Smothers with the Talkeetna Rangers—you, my dear, are a gem. I thought for sure the day would come when you'd tell me I'd asked my quota of questions, but you didn't. Thank you—I will miss our chats! Thanks also to rangers Joe Reichert and John Loomis for their expertise.

  Phil Lee—a true Denali/Sultana climber. Thank you so much for your willingness (and patience) to help with all the minute details, providing pictures and mountaineering expertise. Thanks too, to your sweet wife, Diane. What a privilege it was to meet you.

  Wendy Callis—of Callis Kennels in North Pole, Alaska. You are a wealth of information. Can't wait for all the excitement to come in the next book as well.

  Bill Zink—our genius pilot source. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a bazillion phone calls and questions about planes, flying planes, crashing planes, etc. You never once said I (Kim) was crazy. (Even though I'm sure you thought it more than once!) And a huge thanks to you and Pam for all your support and prayers!

  Our agent, Andrea Heinecke, of Alive Communications—you have been our champion and friend. Thank you.

  Our crit/early readers—Darcie, Mary, Ronie, Keighley, Carrie, Evangeline, Lori, Casey, Tammy, Katie, and Eryn. Thank you.

  Snow City Café—the managers and chefs who took such good care of us, and of course, our server, Ezra, who made the experience even more enjoyable. We love your food!

  The amazing folks at NASA who graciously answered our questions about missile interceptors and thought our imagined defense/weapon was pretty cool. And to the wonderful people and producers with EMHE (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). Thank you for everything you have done to support our family.

  With appreciation and love,

  Kimberley and Kayla

  PROLOGUE

  MARCUS

  March 31

  Fairbanks, Alaska

  3:02 p.m.

  The passenger door slammed, the vibration rippling through his bones, like a skeleton rattled by the wind. He shook his head. Dark thoughts and a sense of foreboding. Things had to happen. Fast.

  Before that foreboding became reality.

  He smacked his palms on the steering wheel and fought the urge to curse his circumstances. But they were of his own doing. No turning back now.

  A glance to the rearview mirror, and he watched the retreating form of his fellow soldier—his best special ops man. The man's rigid back. His quick and hard steps. They told the tale.

  It was too late.

  Regret washed over him in waves of heat and pain. As the knot in his gut intensified, thoughts of his family rushed to the forefront of his mind. Vivid pictures. But the smiling faces, instead of bringing relief, made him nauseous.

  He looked again at the rearview mirror. His friend was already around a corner, out of sight. But that wasn't what grabbed his attention—what put all his senses on alert.

  His eyes widened. A car barreled toward him at an alarming speed . . . a car with no driver. That meant only one thing. Remote-control delivery system.

  For explosives.

  Was that why Maddox got out of the car?

  In that instant, pictures flashed in his mind, like a movie before his eyes.

  Rich black hair, a silky halo around the beauty that was his wife. Startling blue eyes, a mirror of his own, shining in the face of his precious daughter. Both, ever and always, filled with love . . . with trust . . .

  He'd been such a fool.

  Jenna . . . Andie . . . I'm so sorr—

  Sound was blotted out—and then exploded around him. Screaming, crushing metal compressed reality as his body jerked from the impact of the other vehicle.

  A rush of air filled his lungs as adrenaline surged through him.

  He knew what was coming next.

  CHAPTER ONE

  JENNA

  One Year Later

  April 6

  Anchorage, Alaska

  5:02 p.m.

  The plane dropped like a 3,000-pound stone.

  Jenna Tikaani-Gray braced herself with one hand, and held a warm, foam cup away from her body with the other as they jostled along. These pockets of air were turning the flight into a wild ride at the fair. Good thing she loved the fair almost as much as she loved flying, because they were dropping again. Down, then up, then down again, until the sky turned to silk and the plane sailed along.

  At least the turbulent takeoff hadn't spilled the coffee.

  After a long, slow sip, Jenna released a sigh as their small de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver left the bowl of Anchorage, Alaska, and lifted high into the clear blue sky above. The mountains around Anchorage always produced a bumpy ride, but she'd managed to pass coffee to Hank and their other passenger without mishap.

  Only one more leg of the journey and they'd be home.

  A beautiful hand reached across the seat, welcoming her embrace, and she smiled at her twelve-year-old daughter, Andrea. Such a sweet kid. Jenna had been blessed from above with her only child. Andie had been through such trial and heartache, yet faced the world with pure joy.

  Jenna squeezed her daughter's fingers as the radio buzzed and crackled.

  "Juliet Kilo 3-2-6 November," Departure Control came through the channel loud and clear. "I'm getting no mode C on your transponder. Squawk 2-3-7-5 i-dent."

  Hank, the pilot, replied, "Roger. 3-2-6 November, squawking 2-3-7-5 i-dent . . ."

  "Negative radar contact. Maintain VFR. Do you have another transponder?"

  "Roger. I'll switch to backup."

  Jenna leaned over the side of her seat, watching Hank flip the switch from transponder A to B. She waited for word from Departure Control.

  "Still negative radar contact. Can you maintain VFR?"

  "Roger that, Control. No problem."

  Hmmm. Very strange. How could both transponders be malfunctioning? She furrowed her brow. When they returned to North Pole, she'd have to get it checked out. Good thing Hank was an experienced pilot. Since Marc's death, Jenna hired him to pilot their plane, and knew he could handle whatever might happen.

  Andie pulled on her arm, bringing Jenna's attention from the cockpit back to her daughter.

  "Mom?"

  "Yeah, sweetie?"

  "What does VFR mean?" Andie's fascination with flying rivaled her own.

  Jenna let the tension ease from her own features as she leaned close to Andie, a little thrill rippling through her body. How she loved talking about flying. "Visual Flight Rules. Hank filed an IFR flight plan—Instrument Flight Rules—but the transponders must be malfunctioning, so the tower is instructing him to fly VFR, meaning visually. If we didn't have a clear day, that would make flying VFR trickier, sometimes impossible."

  "Is it safe to fly VFR?"

  Andie must've noted her reaction earlier. Jenna h
ad never been good at hiding things from her inquisitive child.

  Jenna noticed the other passenger glance back at them from his seat next to the pilot, and she held back a frown. The rough flight could explain the man's lack of a smile, but what caused the fierce look he shot them? Jenna cocked her head, questioning the man with her silent stare. A poke from Andie brought her back to the question.

  "Yes, it's safe."

  "Just checkin'." Andie giggled, the dimples indenting her cheeks so like her father's. As she squeezed Jenna's hand she turned to look out the tiny window next to her seat.

  The man watched Jenna as she faced forward once again. Something in his intense gaze pulled at her, but she couldn't discern what. She'd been so excited about going home that she hadn't paid much attention when they were introduced. His name was . . .Cole? Ugh. Good job remembering the details, Jenna. Marc had taught her better than that.

  Well, whether she could remember his name or not, something about this guy bothered her. Then again, the power of his gaze pulled her like a magnet. She forced herself to break the connection and focused on the scenery beneath them. Greens and blues melded with the white of melting snow. This was her favorite part of flying. Watching the beauty of God's handiwork skim beneath her.

  The two men up front spoke in hushed tones, bringing her attention back to their puzzling guest. Hank approached her before the flight, asking if they could take another passenger, and she didn't mind. The added income would be nice. But who was this guy? And why, if he were just another tourist, was he so serious?