BEACHED
(Knockdown, book 2)
by Brenda
Beem
Released: October 30, 2015
YA Contemporary Suspense
Toni and the young crew of the
sailboat, Whistler, have just found a safe harbor. Or so they thought...
They
may have survived a tsunami, but they’re racing ahead of an ice age as they
continue the frantic search for their families.
The
island they’ve anchored near is anything but safe. Dangerous men lurk
nearby—along with snakes, stingrays, and sharks. An island girl threatens to
destroy Toni and her boyfriend’s relationship, the youngest member of the crew
gets lost in a narrow dark cave, and Zoë is more annoying than ever.
Will
Toni and her crew survive the island and its treacherous waters?
14+ due to sexuality and adult situations
The first book in the series,
KNOCKDOWN, won first place at the Houston Writers Guild.
BEACHED Buy Links:
Evernight
Teen Amazon
Excerpt:
Makala
struggled in Jeremy’s arms and whimpered.
A
young couple standing at the edge of camp stepped forward. “We came here to
make sure the gun didn’t fall into the wrong hands.” The young woman stared at Jeremy.
“You’re the wrong hands. Put the gun down before someone gets hurt.”
“Enough!”
Jeremy turned in a slow circle, the pistol still pointed at Makala. “Listen up!
I’m going down to the beach and tell the kids on that boat that if they want
their friends back, they’ll have to give us the sailboat. Anyone who helps me
can come with us. If you try and stop me, the girl gets hurt.”
The
young couple shook their heads and backed away.
“Help
us!” I pleaded.
A
man with a beer belly shook his finger at me. “This is your fault. You brought
the gun to our island.”
My
mouth dropped open. “The convicts brought a gun here. If we hadn’t shown up,
they would have made your lives miserable.”
A
young man with a beard stepped toward Jeremy. “Come on, bro. Hand over the
gun.”
Jeremy
aimed at the sand in front of the young man and pulled the trigger.
I
held my hands over my ears.
Makala
and Sophia screamed.
Jeremy
turned the gun on the young man. “If you aren’t with me, you should leave.”
The
young man raised his hands in the air. Most of the group gathered on the beach
followed his example. After a few minutes, one by one they left.
Kat,
her father, and six of the younger guys stayed. The young guys shifted from one
foot to another. I wanted to scream. We’d saved these people from the convicts.
We’d risked our lives for them.
Jeremy
signaled for us to start moving. “Head to the beach. I’ll follow with Makala…
Anyone makes a wrong move, the girl gets a bullet.” Kat and her father started
down the path. Four island guys followed after them. Two held tightly onto
Nick’s arms. Angelina stayed close to Jeremy and Makala.
Sophia
clung to her father’s leg.
“You!”
Jeremy pointed the gun at me. “Take my daughter’s hand and make sure she
doesn’t fall.”
I
reached for Sophia. She screamed, “Mommy!” and darted off into the woods before
I could grab her.
“Stop
her!” Jeremy yelled at me.
“No!”
Sophia’s mother arrived back in the clearing. “I heard the gunshot. I’ll find
her. We’ll meet you on the beach.”
Jeremy
stared at his wife. “If you don’t show up, I’ll come looking for you. Don’t let
that happen.”
She
took off after her daughter. “Sophia, it’s Mommy. Where are you?” Her cries
grew faint as she moved farther and farther away.
While
we hiked down the steep path, we peeked through openings in the trees and
brush, and watched Whistler’s progress. I kept shaking my head. How
had my plan failed so badly?
When
we got to the beach, I couldn’t take my eyes off Whistler. It was
sailing too fast. It should have lowered its sails and needed to drop anchor.
I
limped faster. “Kat, they aren’t slowing down. Something’s wrong.” Kat and I
began to run. The others followed close behind.
“Slow
down!” Jeremy yelled. I didn’t know if he was talking to me or to the boat. I
ignored him and moved as fast as my ankle would allow. When we got to the
shore, I stared in horror. The sails were still up. The boat was headed
straight for the beach.
Without
thinking, I limped into the water and headed to the spot where Whistler would
crash. Kat and her dad pulled me back. “You can’t stop the boat!”
“It’s
going to hit the beach! We have to do something.” I screamed. “Dylan! Takumi!
Drop the sails!”
No
one answered. I could see people on deck, but it was so dark, I couldn’t tell
who.
Whistler was only a few yards off the
beach.
A
shot rang out from the boat.
Loud
voices began arguing.
Dylan
yelled, “Grab the day anchor!”
Whistler kept coming.
The
sails were still up.
The
hull of the boat hit the rocky shore.
There
was a terrible crunching sound. The bow was held fast.
Whistler was beached.
Author
bio:
Brenda has always lived in the shadow
of Mt. Rainer, a rumbling volcano, and the many waters of the Pacific
Northwest.
Her
idea of heaven is a book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
She
now lives on Lake Washington, close to Seattle, with her husband. She loves to
kayak and watch the resident eagles soar. Her sailboat, Whistler, is in a
marina a short ways away. Summers are spent sailing the inland seas of
Washington and Canada.
Website:
http://www.brendabeem.com
Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card
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