Seeking the Kidnapped Child
About Seeking the Kidnapped Child
Seeking the Kidnapped Child (Missing Person Investigations)
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
1st in Series
Setting - Montana
Publisher : Love Inspired Suspense
Publication date : July 28, 2026
Print length : 208 pages
When his daughter’s taken,
getting her back is all that matters.
FBI Agent Tristan McAvoy just learned he’s a father—but his little girl’s been abducted by his enemies, and he’s caught in a deadly shoot-out the moment he tries to rescue her. He barely flees unscathed with his ex, Avery Taylor, and his K-9 partner in tow. The criminals have a deadly agenda—if Tristan testifies at an upcoming trial for a major crime boss, he’ll never see his child again. Stranded in the mountain wilderness, Tristan and Avery are trailed by ruthless mercenaries, who are closing in. Can they survive long enough to save their daughter—or will they be silenced forever?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Missing Person Investigations
Book 1: Seeking the Kidnapped Child
About Deena Alexander
Deena Alexander grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena's love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn't sleep through the night.
Author Links
Excerpt
Avery Taylor clutched her sleeping daughter
tighter, her fight-or-flight instincts begging her to do anything other than
stand there, frozen, staring down the two masked gunmen blocking her from
entering her home. “Please, I…”
But what could she say? Had she stumbled upon a
home invasion? She couldn’t imagine having anything either of them could
possibly want. She lived off the beaten path. The small but cozy two-story
bungalow she’d inherited from her grandfather sat alone on a cul-de-sac at the
end of a long, winding mountain road. And she worked from home as a medical
transcriptionist, supplementing her income with her inheritance to make ends
meet. Well, whatever they wanted, they could have it, as long as they left her
and her four-year-old, Liliana, alone. She opened her mouth to say as much.
The taller of the two lifted his weapon, his hand
rock steady.
She could only assume he’d done this before.
“Where’s Tristan McAvoy?” he demanded.
Her mouth snapped right back closed again. Once
she recovered enough to try to answer, her voice shook before she could utter
more than a grunt, and she worked to steady it. Although she didn’t know why
she bothered. It was clear she was terrified, and even more so now that she
knew what they wanted…because she couldn’t give it to them. “I don’t know where
Tristan is. I haven’t seen him in almost five years.”
Since he’d walked out on her and never looked
back, despite her numerous attempts to get in touch with him and tell him he
was going to be a father. He’d been her best friend, her love, her future, and
then he’d been gone.
Her arms began to tremble beneath Liliana’s
weight, and Avery hefted her up higher so the little girl’s head rested more
comfortably on her shoulder. The last thing she needed was Lily waking to this
mess. They’d attended a church festival that evening, and her daughter had
passed out on the way home. It was a good thing Lily was a heavy sleeper.
The shorter man, who outweighed her by a good
hundred pounds of pure muscle, gestured toward the front door with his weapon.
“Get inside.”
She hesitated.
“Look, Avery…”
The fact that he knew her name and had associated
her with Tristan sent a chill racing up her spine, despite the heat of the
summer night. If they knew all that, she had to figure they knew Lily was
Tristan’s daughter as well, even if Tristan didn’t know. But how had they found
out? True, she’d listed him as Lily’s father on her birth certificate, but why
would this stranger have access to that?
“All you have to do is tell us where to find
McAvoy.” The man’s easy shrug belied the tension in his posture. “Once we have
him, we’ll let you and his kid go. Easy enough?”
It would be if she believed him, and if she had
any clue where to find Tristan, but she wasn’t buying it. Then again, they did
have on ski masks, which gave her some hope that they planned to let her go. If
not, they’d have no reason to conceal their identities. Of course, she couldn’t
give them what they wanted. If she knew how to get ahold of Tristan, he’d know
about his daughter.
An image of him flashed in her mind—his shaggy
brown hair that just brushed his collar and always seemed in need of a trim, a
smile that could melt her heart in an instant, his brilliant blue eyes that
used to cage hers and fill her with hope for their future together. A hope that
died when he walked away with promises to return once he’d gotten his head on
straight. An empty promise, as it turned out.
She’d wanted to talk to him after he’d left, to
tell him he was going to be a dad instead of imparting the news via voicemail,
email or text. She’d wanted to gauge his reaction, so she’d simply asked him to
call her back. Time and time again. And he hadn’t. Not once. So, he’d never
learned about his daughter. But that wasn’t really fair. He’d left after his
parents had been murdered, bitter and grief-stricken and so filled with anger
she hadn’t known what to do for him. Still, he could have answered at least one
of her messages.
Focus, Avery.
She weighed her options. She could make a run for
the car, where she’d left the doors standing open and her bags inside in hopes
of retrieving them after she’d gotten Lily into bed, but she’d never outrun a
bullet if these men intended to shoot her. Then again, they couldn’t get
information from her if she was dead. But they could incapacitate her. How
could she risk leaving Liliana alone with these monsters? She couldn’t. Which left
her no choice but to do as they’d instructed.
Lily’s weight was becoming a strain on her back
and shoulders, and she didn’t want to set her down on the stone walkway and
risk waking her. But she did have to put her down. If it came down to it, she
couldn’t fight with Liliana in her arms. What did it matter if she went inside
with them anyway? It wasn’t like there was any chance of someone driving past
to notice what was happening or being close enough to hear her screams. The
secluded home she’d grown up in, that she’d always viewed as so peaceful and serene,
a safe haven tucked against the side of the mountain, surrounded by fields and
wildflowers, now seemed nothing but isolated. She’d never felt so frightened
and alone, even after Tristan had left and her grandfather had passed away.
But if she could get inside, if she could get to her
grandfather’s hunting rifle hanging above the mantel, maybe she’d stand a
chance of defending herself and her daughter.
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of
this book. The comments and
opinions expressed are strictly my own.
