Hometown vendetta, p.1
Hometown Vendetta, page 1
Praise for
hometown vendetta
“Hometown Vendetta is Traci Hunter Abramson at her best!
I fell in love with Luke and Amberlyn and am counting the days
until the next Luke Steele adventure.”
—Dani Pettrey, best-selling author
“Fast-paced and fun, characters to root for (and a few to dread)—Abramson brings her A-game with Hometown Vendetta!”
—Michaelbrent CollinGs, best-selling and award-winning author
“Hometown Vendetta is the latest example of Abramson’s mastery
of this genre; intriguing political thriller woven through with a
satisfying romance sure to exceed readers’ expectations.”
—Josi S. Kilpack, best-selling author of the SADIE HOFFMILLER mysteries
Praise for
traci hunter abramson
“The nonstop action keeps the pages turning. . . .
Readers looking for excitement will find plenty to hold their attention.”
—Publishers Weekly, for On the Run
“A heart-pounding suspenseful adventure
that you won’t want to put down!”
—InD’Tale magazine, for Not Dead Yet
“An edge-of-your-seat hostage rescue thriller.”
—Publishers Weekly, for Unseen
also by
Traci Hunter Abramson
Undercurrents Series
Guardian Series
Undercurrents
Failsafe
Ripple Effect
Safe House
The Deep End
Sanctuary
On the Run
Saint Squad Series
In Harm’s Way
Freefall
Not Dead Yet
Lockdown
Unseen
Crossfire
Backlash
Falcon Point Series
Smoke Screen
Heirs of Falcon Point
Code Word
The Danger with Diamonds
Lock and Key
From an Unknown Sender
Drop Zone
Spotlight
Stand-Alones
Tripwire
Obsession
Redemption
Proximity
Covert Ops
Twisted Fate*
Disconnect
Entangled*
Sinister Secrets*
Royal Series
Deep Cover
Royal Target
Mistaken Reality
Royal Secrets
Kept Secrets
Royal Brides
Jim and Katherine
Royal Heir
Royal Duty
* Novella
Cover images: © Collaboration JS / Trevillion Images
and © Phil Haber Photography / Getty Images
Book design: © Shadow Mountain
Art direction: Garth Bruner
Design: Halle Ballingham
© 2024 Traci Hunter Abramson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing®, at permissions@shadowmountain.com. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain Publishing.
Visit us at shadowmountain.com
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Abramson, Traci Hunter, author. | Abramson, Traci Hunter. Luke Steele novel.
Title: Hometown vendetta / Traci Hunter Abramson.
Description: [Salt Lake City] : Shadow Mountain Publishing, [2024] | Series: A Luke Steele novel | Summary: “Amid a terrorist threat, Luke Steele faces his haunted past when the suspected bomber, linked to his hometown, forces him back. FBI Agent Amberlyn Reiner, seeking a domestic terror mastermind, goes undercover as Luke’s plus-one at his high school reunion. Their complex relationship blurs as the countdown to danger accelerates, raising stakes in a race against time to avert another attack”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2024008448 (print) | LCCN 2024008449 (ebook) | ISBN 9781639932986 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781649332998 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation—Fiction. | Bombings—Fiction. | Domestic terrorism—Fiction. | Intelligence officers—Fiction. | Marines—Fiction. | Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Thrillers / Political | FICTION / Thrillers / Terrorism | LCGFT: Thrillers (Fiction) | Romance fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PS3601.B76 H66 2024 (print) | LCC PS3601.B76 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23/eng/20240315
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024008448
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024008449
Printed in the United States of America
Lake Book Manufacturing, LLC, Melrose Park, IL
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Apostle Frank R. Lacey
Your dedication to service and unity is truly an inspiration.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Acknowledgments
about the author
Sneak peek
Chapter 1
Amberlyn Reiner drove across Memorial Bridge and approached the Lincoln Memorial. The early morning sunlight illuminated the white granite-and-marble structure that always reminded her how lucky she was to work in Washington, DC, even if the Monday morning traffic had once again slowed to a crawl. While she certainly wouldn’t have minded an easier commute, part of her appreciated the ritual and the time alone with her thoughts each weekday.
Within the hour, she would tap into her knowledge of human behavior to search for terrorists, murderers, and other criminals who, if not identified and stopped, would likely strike again. But for now, she focused on the Washington Monument in the distance.
Her phone rang, her car’s audio announcing the incoming call was from her best friend and former coworker. The mere sound of Chanelle’s name brightened her mood.
“Hey, Chanelle. How’s everything going?” Amberlyn said after she answered the call.
“I have to admit, after spending ten years working in the counseling office, it’s still weird to drive by the high school and not turn into the parking lot.”
“I’m sure it is, but you were ready for a change. Burnout is real.”
Amberlyn had never experienced that particular sensation. She had taught for a year at the high school where Chanelle had worked as a counselor and then had joined the FBI and left Missouri behind. When she had started her master’s degree in psychology, she’d never thought she would use it to help profile criminals, but her progression from student to teacher to special agent had occurred as though she had been destined to work in one of the FBI’s behavioral analysis units.
“I have some news,” Chanelle said, changing the subject. “Are you going to be around next week?”
Amberlyn inched up another few car lengths, drawing closer to the Lincoln. “Yeah, why?”
“FEMA is sending me to DC for trai
Amberlyn’s smile was instant. “That would be great.” Her coworkers at the bureau were amiable, but spending time with someone from her old life would give her a taste of home without leaving her adopted city. “I can show you around.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Chanelle’s enthusiasm carried over the line. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too.” The road in front of her opened up, and Amberlyn finally made it off the bridge. “Call me when you know your schedule.”
“Will do.”
“Stay out of trouble.”
“Who, me?” Chanelle asked. “I always stay out of trouble.”
Amberlyn laughed. “I know better.” They said their goodbyes, and Amberlyn continued to FBI headquarters.
She parked in employee parking and made her way to her office. Kiera, one of Amberlyn’s team members, stood by the secretary’s desk, two boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts open beside her on the counter.
“I thought you were giving up eating sugar.” Amberlyn peeked inside the box closest to her. Traditional glazed. Her favorite.
“She was,” Robin, the unit’s secretary, said.
Kiera shrugged. “The Hot Doughnut sign was on.”
Amberlyn laughed. “That’s what happened the last time you decided to eat healthier.”
“I know. It’s like Krispy Kreme senses when I’m about to go on a diet and has to tempt me.” Kiera put a donut on a napkin.
Robin stood and peered into the second box of donuts, selecting a cream-filled one for herself. “Maybe you should give up and just balance your morning sugar fix with a salad at lunchtime.”
“That’s too logical.” Kiera headed toward her desk. “You both need to have some so I don’t eat them all.”
“Ian and Jeff will take care of that problem for you,” Robin said, referring to their boss and one of the other special agents in their unit.
Both men held degrees in psychology, and neither had an ounce of willpower.
Robin turned her attention to Amberlyn. “Those new reports came in on that bombing in Nebraska. Ian wanted me to let you know they had some updates.”
“Great. Thank you. I’ll look through them now.” Amberlyn had spent the past five months trying to get a handle on the suspected anti-government extremist group. Forever Freedom had claimed responsibility for a bombing at a library on primary election day, but despite Amberlyn’s many conversations with the other members of her team, so far, no one had been able to determine what was motivating the group or who was leading it. Maybe the updates would include a lead that could finally break this case open.
She grabbed a donut and continued to her cubicle. She reviewed the latest reports and updated her notes, but the only new information was the copy of the ballot for the local voting districts. Somehow, she doubted Forever Freedom had bombed a library and killed six people because of a bond referendum for road improvements. The election for the local sheriff didn’t seem like a high probability for a target either.
Setting that case aside for the moment, she pulled up her file on a suspected serial killer in Atlanta. The local authorities had worked the case for nearly two months before reaching out to the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit. The range of differences in the victims—a twenty-eight-year-old white male, a thirty-four-year-old Hispanic female, and a fifty-seven-year-old Black male—suggested race and gender prejudices weren’t a significant factor.
Amberlyn tried to look at the statistics without thinking about the victims’ families and friends. She tried and failed. Lives had been cut short because the victims had been in the wrong place at the wrong time or because someone had specifically targeted them. Amberlyn’s job was to find out why and to figure it out before another family lost a loved one.
When she had started with the FBI, she had assumed it would get easier to face all the evil in the world. She’d been wrong. In truth, if she hadn’t experienced firsthand the aftermath of a violent crime, she doubted she ever would have taken this job. Thank goodness her boss and coworkers were always willing to talk things out when work became too intense or overwhelming for any of them.
She was an hour into her workday when Jeff approached her cubicle, a file in his hand. “Hey, I thought you’d want to see these.”
Amberlyn opened it to reveal the back of a man sitting in a restaurant booth, a ball cap on his head, what appeared to be part of a tattoo on his wrist, and some sort of class ring on his finger. The man across from him also wore a ball cap, a wolf tattoo visible on his forearm. “What am I looking at?”
“A patron in a restaurant in St. Louis said she overheard a couple guys talking about getting into a building without being noticed.”
“Sounds like a report that should be filed with the local police.”
“It was, but when they pulled the surveillance video, they saw this.” Jeff leaned over and slid the top photo aside to reveal another photo of the two men leaving, their heads lowered, both of their faces hidden by their ball caps, which were embroidered with the logo FF.
The symbol for Forever Freedom, the same symbol that had been left behind at the library bombing.
Amberlyn straightened. This was the first real development they’d had in months.
Jeff gripped the top of her cubicle wall. “The woman said she didn’t hear the word bomb, but she was afraid they might be trying to plant one.”
“What made her think that?”
“One of them said something about the blast radius. They also said this would take them to the next level,” Jeff said. “They never said what this was, but the mention of a blast radius sure makes it sound like they’re planning another strike. The complete copy of her statement is in the file.”
A sense of urgency rushed through Amberlyn. “When was this taken?”
“Three days ago.”
She looked through the images again. “Any idea about the target?”
“Nothing. All the witness said was that it sounded like an office building.”
Which left them far too many possibilities.
“Has an alert already gone out to the St. Louis field office?”
“Ian is on the phone with them now, but he wants us to look for likely targets.” He motioned to the file. “You take everything within the city limits. I’ll work on the suburbs.”
Jeff headed back to his desk three cubicles down. Amberlyn pulled up a map of St. Louis and tried to think like a terrorist. If she wanted to make a point about not wanting federal oversight or to make a case for less governmental interference, where would she target?
For the next two hours, Amberlyn made her list, including everything from local polling spots to the various federal buildings. After she emailed her list to her boss and cc’d Jeff and the special agent in charge in St. Louis, she turned her attention back to the details of the shooting in Nebraska. Surely there had to be some clue as to why they had chosen that target.
Amberlyn’s phone rang, and she picked it up from where she’d left it charging on her desk. When the caller ID didn’t reveal anything beyond a number, she answered, “Special Agent Reiner.”
Chanelle’s voice carried over the line. “Ooh. Special agent. Look at you being all fancy.”
“Hi, Chanelle.” Amberlyn fought to switch from investigative mode to normal-person mode. “I didn’t recognize this number. What’s up? You still coming Monday?”
“Guess where I’m calling you from right now.”
“The FEMA office building in Kansas City?”
“Well, yes, but I’m calling from my office in the FEMA office building in Kansas City,” Chanelle said excitedly. “My very own office, with my very own phone.”
Amberlyn smiled. “You’re moving up in the world.”
“Yeah. It only took six weeks for me to finally get assigned to my own space. I even have a view of—” The line went dead.
“Chanelle? Are you there?” Amberlyn held out her phone. The call had dropped. She pulled up her recent contacts and dialed Chanelle’s work number. It rang once before an annoying chime came over the phone along with an automated voice stating that the person she had dialed was not currently available and that she could leave a message after the beep.
