Into the Fire

L.T. Ryan and Gregory Scott team up for Book 2 Unleashed in the Blake Brier Thrillers Series. 

Traveling obscure places in the world to handle his grief over the loss of his love, Blake Brier is ignoring all communications from his friends until after one adventure ends, he takes a call from Griff who tries to keep it light after finally reaching him, jives him about why Blake hasn't been taking his calls. He invites him to a Las Vegas "hackers' convention" which Blake initially refuses but ends up attending with his friend.

Once there, Griff dares Blake (who is an expert at technology) to mess with the speaker's tech as he's giving a speech and hands Blake his laptop. When the audience begins to laugh at the screen behind the speaker, he realizes his material has been compromised. While Blake and Griff share their amusement, Blake notices the entrance of an attractive woman (Haeli Becher) who quickly slouches down in her seat.

Blake, never one to avoid helping a damsel in distress – or anyone in distress – also observes some men come in after her and search the room. When she makes a hurried exit and they follow, Blake follows them. What takes place next shocks Blake after being injured, and he and the woman exit the area on the run.

The revelations of who this woman truly is and why she's being hunted is a surprise to all concerned when Blake calls in the "cavalry" of his friends and meets a new one who is eager to participate in the events that follow. 

When Blake realizes he knows the man behind all of the upheaval, he's determined to put an end to the ultimate pursuit. The story closes with a new possibility from an old acquaintance. 

This novel will remind those who've read a certain series of the Mark Dawson repertoire of similarities between Isabella Rose and Haeli Becher. And, although a different method used on the man Nathan Stone in the novel Rogue by J.B. Turner, not unlike the root desire at the basis for all of these characters.

A well-written and interesting novel, Unleashed starts easy and ratchets up the game quickly. Blake goes through some emotional adjustments before realizing he's forced to move on in his life. 

Father, thank you again and again for the talent and gifts you give to us all. Some are latent, some are obscured, but you are generous with all. Please continue to bless L.T. and his co-writers in their endeavors. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   
     

                                           It lingers as the stench of death. 

                                               9/11 

Father, we remain asking for your mercy, grace, and Truth to prevail in all things. Apart from you, we can do nothing, know nothing, and we are nothing. You are the Provider, the Healer, the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through you, Jesus. Please rescue us from ourselves, Lord. Holy Spirit, reveal the Glory of God that we might change our ways and be pleasing in your sight. We ask it all in the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; 

   He rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

   Blessed are all who wait for Him!

Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) 

As I mentioned in last Friday's post, I'm not sure how long the Mitch Rapp Fan Fic will continue. You've met Raven as has Mitch. He's committed to being there for her as per her dad's request and has conceded to trying out their "friendship". What that might entail neither of them can identify. I hope you've enjoyed these little creative measures I've taken with the iconic Mitch Rapp character. Raven Christine Wilson is my choice for the amazing Rapp. Here we go with a brief recap to begin.

     He returned to his chair and looked at her. She forced herself to meet his gaze.

     “So you want to be friends.”

     A statement. “I do.”

     “I don’t know how good at it I’d be.”

     She kept quiet for a moment as she pondered how to respond. “I have no demands,” she finally said.

     He stood. She stood, set her empty box on her desk, grabbed a business card and a pen, wrote her private Sat-phone number on the back of it, and handed it to him.

     He examined it. “Can I call you Raven?”

     “Yes,” she forced out, knowing her voice sounded unsteady.

     “Thanks for some ‘normal’ time,” he said.

     “Thank you.”

     He made it to the door as she followed him before turning back to her, pulled a scrunched piece of paper from his jeans’ pocket and wrote something on it against the door before handing it to her.

     “I plan on honoring your dad’s request.”

     With that, he gave her a final nod and walked out, once again quietly closing her door. As she walked back to her desk, she noticed he'd left her letter on the arm of the chair. 

     She picked it up as she moved past to sit behind her desk. Stared at the envelope. Considered not reading it – only because she knew the grief would erupt all over again, and she acknowledged to herself, maybe for the first time, she was weary of it. Tired of the intense pain of having lost both of her beloved parents. And later her fiancé.

     She rarely addressed her loneliness, settling for busy-ness, indulging herself in her physical training and weaponry use, forcing herself to excel, to improve. Attending an occasional seminar specific to her area of expertise. She gave an abbreviated hard laugh at the thought: it surely didn’t seem like her specialty with high level operatives did much good for Mitch Rapp.

     She ripped the letter out of the envelope and began reading it. Yes, the tears fell as the words registered and reminded her of her dad’s devotion and love and the stark and very telling instruction to find Mitch Rapp if she was ever in real trouble.

     His final words confirmed what she’d suspected but had never admitted to herself prior to reading them: he suspected he might be heading into a potentially deadly situation. That 21^st birthday celebration where he’d taken her to dinner, made a concentrated effort to listen to everything she probably babbled about that night, presented her with the engraved ring she wore on her right ring finger with a stunning birthstone sapphire arranged between two diamonds on a platinum band: Forever, Dad.

     She placed the letter on her desk and stared away into her memories as the tears dried.

     When she heard the knuckle tap on her door again, she pushed away from her desk and quickly covered the distance once again to see Rapp on the other side.

     After she hurriedly pulled it open, he leaned against the jam, folded his arms, and with that almost smile in place, he said, “I figured you might need a friend.”

     She outright laughed and losing all sense of decorum, she put her arms around that solid body and embraced him. “I do.”

Father, I really can't thank you enough for the fun of writing this fanfic. Really has been somehow fulfilling, and I have you to thank for it. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

This one is special to me. Hope it can be the same for you. That's it for Wednesday. 

Father, you gave me this one in such a unique way. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but He sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." 

John 8:42-47 (NIV) 

Few heroes in literature have a following like the late Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. Everyone associated with producing this remarkable series and deciding to carry on Vince's legacy of Rapp with Kyle Mills deserves commendations and genuine thanks for not wanting to leave this amazing series behind. 

So it's Friday, my fun day for Fan Fiction where I've written the female character I've chosen to capture the heart of this hero. Not sure how many more "episodes" I'll devote to this, but here's the latest with a recap from last Friday's edition. 

     She tossed her purse to the floor and sat down hard on the chair, pushed off her shoes, folded her arms and crossed her legs. She forced back the tears and grief and frowned at her behavior. Completely at odds with how she’d conducted herself in front of Mitch Rapp, she admitted to herself that in person he personified the previously ill-defined cliché “larger than life”. Now she knew exactly how the expression translated in real time.

     Over lunch, it had been easy. He, as expected, didn’t want to discuss himself and preferred she speak freely about herself which was easy to do on a surface level. Admitting her Christianity got the response she anticipated. Not negative. A moment of surprise quickly concealed.

     A light knuckle tap on her door brought her abruptly to her feet giving a quick glance at the wall clock, knowing she had nothing expected for the rest of the day. She walked across the room to answer it after seeing Rapp on the camera image mounted beside her door. She quickly opened it wide for him and saw his dessert box and the two letters in hand. He walked in and she closed the door.

     “We didn’t finish our lunch,” he said, continuing to the chair he’d adopted.

     “You’re right.” She took her box off her desk, kicked her shoes out of the way, and once again sat across from him. “I have trays in the closet if you think we need them,” she offered.

     “I’m good,” he said, placing the letters on the arm of his chair and opening his box.

     It took him no time to unwrap the napkin and fork inside, taking a bite. “Wow. This is as good as the rest of the meal.”

     She quickly sampled hers. “Mmmm.”

     After a few bites, Rapp said, “So, Raven, I read both letters.” He looked directly at her, watching her startled expression.

     Something happens inside a woman when a man she admires or is attracted to uses her real name and says it with deliberation, firmness, and just a hint of affection. Whether it’s actually chemical or some kind of romantic hit-piece to the heart, the sound taps a target, strikes its mark, and causes an unscheduled emotional reaction close to an inflamed melt-down – all of which must not appear visible to his naked eye.

     With an extreme effort to keep her voice and expression neutral, she responded, “And . . .”

     “Your assumption regarding your father’s intent in writing the letters is correct.”

     She struggled hard to compose herself while he finished his dessert.

     “If he was presumptuous in any way, I—”

     “Don’t.” He said it without hesitation. “I get it. And if you know anything about me, you know I get it.”

     “I do know that,” she responded quietly.

     He put his fork and napkin inside the box and held it up as a request for where to deposit it. She turned in her chair and pointed to the waste basket beside her desk.

     He returned to his chair and looked at her. She forced herself to meet his gaze.

     “So you want to be friends.”

     A statement. “I do.”

     “I don’t know how good at it I’d be.”

     She kept quiet for a moment as she pondered how to respond. “I have no demands,” she finally said.

     He stood. She stood, set her empty box on her desk, grabbed a business card and a pen, wrote her private Sat-phone number on the back of it, and handed it to him.

     He examined it. “Can I call you Raven?”

     “Yes,” she forced out, knowing her voice sounded unsteady.

     “Thanks for some ‘normal’ time,” he said.

     “Thank you.”

     He made it to the door as she followed him before turning back to her, pulled a scrunched piece of paper from his jeans’ pocket and wrote something on it against the door before handing it to her.

     “I plan on honoring your dad’s request.”

     With that, he gave her a final nod and walked out, once again quietly closing her door. As she walked back to her desk, she noticed he'd left her letter on the arm of the chair. 

Father, only you know hearts and minds, only you save souls. Thank you for saving me. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.