posted on May 6, 2020 by Desiree Holt

It’s Zero Hour: Will he help her or leave her again?

ZERO HOUR (Heroes Rising, Book #2)

They are always heroes, whatever the situation.

My love affair with SEALs began I think with the movie about them, but then I watched the series on television every time it was shown. And of course, now we have SEAL Team, to which I am addicted. How can you not be in love with dedicated warriors whose motto is: “The only easy day was yesterday.”

I’ve been writing about SEALs off and on for a long time, part of my fascination with military heroes. But then I met former SEAL sniper Jack Carr, himself a best-selling author of The Terminal List series, and I was inspired even more. I discovered they are heroes in many, many ways. Especially as they struggle to fit into society again. Things change, life changes, and they have to find a way to change with it.

That’s how my series HEROES RISING was born. I wanted stories to show the struggle to find new footing yet at the same time be dedicated to the ideals of the SEALs. Sheriff Alex Rossi is rebuilding his office in the Crazy Mountains of Colorado, an office that was riddled with corruption except for one deputy. Slowly he has reached out to other SEALs out of the service and searching for a new niche in life. I hope I am able to show the quality of these men despite their circumstances, and how that always rises to the surface.

You can find all the books in Elle James Brotherhood Protectors World.

Oh, and one other thing. I held a contest in my reader group to have a character in one of my books named for you. The winner is a longtime fan, Teresa Fordice. I hope I did her proud.

Get it here

ZERO HOUR

Teresa Fordice didn’t want to go, rogue but.…

Arms manufacturer Reed Morgan’s secret money man is dead and wild rumors of a dangerous plot are floating. Tasked with finding out what it is, ATFE agent Teresa Fordyce must flee for her life. She ignores the order to come in from the field, instead she runs to Montana and the place where Morgan’s secret plan is being hatched. But finding Jesse Donovan there, the man who walked out of her life, complicates things even more.

He might have left the SEALs but the memories of battle still haunt him…

The recurring nightmares made Jesse Donovan walk away from the best woman he ever met but now Fate has thrown them together and he has a chance to redeem himself. Can he get past the memories to help her on her mission to take down a man who may be plotting against the country?

Zero Hour…

What is it? When is it? What is Reed Morgan planning? Can Terry and Jesse find out in time and can they stop him? And what will happen with them after that? Can he walk away again? Will she let him?

Excerpt:

“Have a seat.” He indicated one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

“Am I in trouble?” she asked at once.

“Only if you say no.”

She studied his face, trying to discern if he was kidding or not.

“Okay, tell me what’s up.”

“We have a problem, and we’re running out of solutions.”

Terry lifted an eyebrow. “What kind of problem and how can I possibly solve it?”

“We’ve had our eye on Reed Morgan for some time. You know who he is, right?”

“Yes, I’ve read about him. Former military. Left the Army and opened an arms manufacturing company, which has grown to be a monster. Lots of guesses on where his financing came from. Outspoken critical of the government, which he calls too liberal.”

Max rubbed his jaw. “That’s the guy.”

“Then yes, when I joined the ATFE I was aware he had been a priority for some time.”

“Yeah, we’ve had our eye on him, watching his activities. The watch on him has been bumped up several notches in the past year. You know Morgan is considered a hard-liner. Among many other things, he’s been lobbying hard to overturn some of the recently passed gun laws, and his disdain for the government is well-known.”

“The whole agency knows Morgan Arms Manufacturing is one of the largest businesses of its kind in this country. They also own retail stores, plus they supply some of the arms to our military and even more go overseas. Lots of rebellions going on in the world. But I’m guessing you called me in here because something has pushed this to the forefront.”

“It has.”

“I know he’s spoken loudly about what he sees as the failure of America to enforce its laws, and the subsequent rise of crime.” Terry shook her head. “About the increasing numbers of what he called ‘soft’ laws that barely punished the criminals. But speaking out isn’t a crime, although for some people I think it should be. So, what’s changed here?”

“Our sources tell us Morgan Arms is suddenly buying a lot more steel, plastic, and aluminum than usual,” he told her, “so a lot of questions have floated in the air. That was the first thing that caught the director’s eye.”

“Has his client list increased?” Terry asked. “Have his orders from overseas clients gotten bigger?” Max rubbed his jaw. “After all, there is always a rebellion going on someplace and some army, legitimate or otherwise, that needs weapons. Or maybe they’re preparing to release a newly designed instrument. Or finally, is there another reason we don’t know that means trouble for everyone? I agree none of those possibilities are appealing. That’s for damn sure. But buying more raw materials and railing against the government isn’t a crime. If it was the jails would be full all the time.”

“True,” Jaeger agreed. “But here’s something you don’t know. For some time, Morgan’s been gathering a group together, first his closest friends and then people who we think share his beliefs about the way this country is run. You know there have been attacks by these off-the-wall militia groups and, based on what we learned, we’re afraid Morgan’s plotting another one. Anyway, over a year ago we managed to plant someone in Morgan’s group. We needed to find out what the hell was happening. He’s deep undercover, and sometimes we have to wait weeks for a word from him, which doesn’t help..”

“Damn!”

“No kidding. When my guy does get word out to me, he says Morgan’s running this like it’s the military, which is what we figured. I think Morgan’s made this group his own private militia, kind of an outlaw posse comitatus. He also has three or four specially selected men who he calls his ‘guard’ who watch the rest of them like hawks. He’s been making trips recently to the land he owns in Montana, a spread in the Crazy Mountains. Each time, he takes a few of his group with him. Our undercover got taken there once. He managed to get a message out that they train. All day. Every day. Exercise. Firearms. Hand-to-hand combat. And they study explosives.”

“Explosives.”

“Yeah, but they don’t actually detonate anything. I’m sure the neighbors would complain.”

“Still… Are they preparing for war?”

“That’s what we need to know. And it’s been a while since our guy communicated with us.”

“He must be in danger. If Morgan finds out who he is, he’ll kill him.”

******************************

Leave a comment for a chanced to win a copy of DESPERATE DECEPTION (Heroes Rising, Book #1)

Here’s where I hang out:
Facebook
Twitter @desireeholt
Follow me on BookBub

Want to know about new releases and special events? Signup for my newsletter and receive a free book:
https://desireeholt.com/newsletter/

And I hope you will join my reader group where every day is a new adventure:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DesireesDarlings/

Desiree Holt

Desiree Holt

A multi-published, award winning, Amazon and USA Today best-selling author, Desiree Holt has produced more than 200 titles and won many awards. She has received an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many others including Author After Dark's Author of the Year. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail. She lives in Florida with her cats who insist they help her write her books, and is addicted to football. "Get out the ice water and fan...Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red hot romances." --- Lea Franczak, USA Today Happy Ever After blog

https://desireeholt.com

7 thoughts on “It’s Zero Hour: Will he help her or leave her again?”

  1. bn100 says:

    interesting excerpt

  2. Thanks so much. I had read a lot of news stories about private militias that defy the government and want to take it over and that was what inspired the story. Hope the book did it justice.

  3. I have been fascinated by the stories I read describing private militias. That and the fact that the story is set in Montana’s Crazy Mountains, location of Malmstrom AFB where the Minuteman missiles are stored, inspired the story.

  4. flchen1 says:

    Ooh, love that this is Teresa’s story! Can’t wait, Desiree!

    1. Hope I did her proud!

  5. Jessica Whitacre says:

    Sounds like a good book.

  6. I worked hard on it. Hope you enjoy it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest from our Blog

Mahoney & Squire – Military Women’s Fiction – Meet The Characters

Have you met the men and women of Mahoney & Squire, my high-stakes, high-octane military action adventure series? Let me introduce you! Captain Kathryn “Kate” Mahoney, USN Call Sign “Scarlett” Ambitious, strong-willed, patriotic, and assertive, Kate Mahoney is often derided as a “bitch” by the old school naval aviation community. She struggled through dysfunctional relationships,… Read More

Read More