The following is an excerpt from the third Mike Scott thriller Guardians’ Keep.

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The rushing stream of passing vehicles almost dulled Mike’s senses to the point that he nearly missed the American SUV coming up behind him much faster than he was moving. He expected the Jeep Grand Cherokee to pass him, but the driver didn’t do it. The Jeep closed in tight behind Mike and stayed there.

Mike accelerated slightly to provide some distance between the two vehicles. His first thought was that the driver just wasn’t paying attention. The Jeep moved close again, tightening the distance to within a few feet and completely obscuring Mike’s view of anything else in the rear-view mirror with its grill.

“Frankie, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think we’re in for some trouble,” Mike said quietly as he accelerated again. “Do you have your cell phone with you?”

“Sure, Mike, I do, but what’s wrong?” Frankie said looking around at him. She had been quietly staring out the window lost in her own thoughts for the last few minutes. She was thinking thoughts similar to those on Mike’s mind, debating whether this growing attraction between the two of them would work. She had just come to the same conclusion he had; the only thing they could do was give it a shot.

“This Jeep behind us seems to want to play bumper tag,” Mike replied.

“Bumper what?” Frankie said as she turned around to see the SUV bearing down on them. “Oh. Never mind.”

“Try to call the police and let them know something’s going on. You might have to explain who you are and the events of the last couple of days. This could be someone trying to get your attention for an interview or something, or it could be some more of Montrosso’s group come to settle the score,” Mike said as both vehicles entered a tunnel. Once inside, the Jeep bumped the Alfa from behind, causing the Alfa to fishtail slightly.

OK, this just got serious, Mike said to himself as he accelerated again. Quickly, he went from being passed, to doing the passing himself.

The two vehicles raced down the Autostrada, weaving in and out of traffic. While the Alfa was more maneuverable, there was no way it could match the power of the Jeep. Every time Mike was able to pull away, the Cherokee quickly closed the distance. Mike began to weigh his options, but none of them looked very promising.

“Here he comes again,” Frankie yelled as they came back out into the bright sunlight, leaving the tunnel. She was frantically trying to dial her phone and watch the Jeep at the same time.

Mike was able to swerve and dodge the collision with the larger vehicle, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. At this speed, it would take just one lucky shot from the Jeep to send Mike and Frankie spinning out of control and crashing off the Autostrada. He was going to have to make a move quickly.

“Hello, hello,” Frankie nearly yelled into the phone when the police answered. “This is Dr. Francesca DeMarco. I am riding in a car on the Autostrada, about 25 kilometers south of Roseto. A large American Jeep is trying to run us off the road.”

After a moment’s pause, Frankie answered, “Yes, I’m sure the car is trying to run us off the road and no, it’s not a police vehicle. They have not signaled us to stop and there are no lights or sirens.”

Another pause.

“Yes, I am the same Dr. DeMarco that was wounded in the city hall last week. I think someone is trying to finish the job,” Frankie said, jumping to a conclusion, but the only one that made sense. “My friend and I are in danger. These people are trying to kill us.”

Just then, the two vehicles entered another tunnel and Frankie lost her phone signal. The jeep surged forward and Mike was barely able to avoid a solid hit from behind. The Jeep’s glancing blow to the Alfa’s bumper picked up the rear of the car.

“Aaagh,” Frankie growled as she stared at the useless phone. “I didn’t get a chance to give them any more information.”

“Don’t worry about it right now. They aren’t going to be able to help us before we have to figure our own way out of this,” Mike said as he continued to dodge in and out of slower-moving traffic trying to stay away from the Jeep. “Do all of these tunnels have these access areas in them?” he asked as he swerved around a slow-moving bus. In each tunnel, every few hundred yards, there was a passageway that connected the north and southbound lanes and allowed emergency vehicles to pass between. The access ways would also allow cars to be rerouted if the tunnel were blocked. They were only about a car and a half wide, however.

“I don’t know. I think so, but I’ve never really paid attention,” Frankie replied, trying to think. She’d driven those roads nearly every day but she hadn’t taken notice.

“Before long, we’re going to run out of luck. This guy keeps getting closer and closer to a solid hit and one good one is all it will take. I’m going to have to try something,” Mike said as they emerged into the sunlight again. Each time, it took Mike’s eyes a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight from the relative shade of the tunnel. He planned to use that to his advantage.

“Mike, what are you going to do?” Frankie asked, her voice betraying growing fear.

“Better you don’t know, but tighten down your seatbelt and hang on when I tell you,” Mike answered as he rehearsed his movements in his mind, trying to see himself pulling off the stunt before he even tried it.

Mike sped up a slight grade and saw what he was looking for. There was a slow-moving truck in one lane and three cars in the other. Halfway up the grade, Mike saw the entrance to another tunnel.

Mike accelerated as hard as he could, pulling away from the Jeep. He drove straight at the back of the truck in his lane. As he got close, almost too close, Mike swerved into the other lane, cutting off another driver and then rocketed around the truck. Mike was at the lead of the line of cars and the Jeep was at the rear.

From the left lane, Mike swerved to the right, shifted out of gear and pulled up on the emergency brake. It set the Alfa into a four-wheel slide immediately after he entered the tunnel. He was counting on a service access coming up where he had seen them in every tunnel so far. If it wasn’t there, they were going to be in trouble. They wouldn’t have enough speed to get away from their pursuing Jeep again.

He felt the car beginning to slow. He felt the rear of the car start to come around and was just about to spin out, when he saw the access tunnel opening coming up on the left. He jammed the car back into gear and floored the accelerator. As the front wheels began to spin and bite on the pavement, the car moved forward. Half sliding and half accelerating, the Alfa rocketed into the hallway between the lanes.

Seeing Mike disappear through the wall, the big Jeep tried to turn, but there was no way it could maneuver that quickly. The Cherokee slid, nearly turning over, then spun out and slammed into the tunnel wall, facing north in the southbound lanes of traffic. Seeing two cars spin out in the middle of the tunnel caused the other drivers on the road to slam on their own brakes. The southbound lanes of the Autostrada were quickly tied up as one car after another slammed into a tremendous pile-up. The slow-moving truck came to a stop directly in front of the passageway Mike had used to escape, blocking it even to foot traffic.

Mike quickly pulled through the passageway and slipped out the other side, drawing honks and tire squeals from the northbound drivers, but fortunately no contact. He headed back north, toward Roseto. Thoughts of a fun sightseeing afternoon had completely left his mind.

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Get your copy of Guardians’ Keep today, in softcover or Kindle. It is also part of the Mike Scott Boxed Set that includes the first five novels and two short stories.

The following is the second excerpt from the third Mike Scott thriller Guardians’ Keep.

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“Who are you people, and what do you think you are doing?” Frankie asked, getting angrier by the minute. “You have no right to do this.”

“We are the Watchers. We take care of this place. We encouraged you and your men to leave, but you didn’t listen. Now, you have forced us to take additional steps. You should have left when you had the chance,” the voice said. “As soon as the others arrive, they will decide what to do with you.”

The voice was deep and menacing, but Mike decided to call the man’s bluff. “You’re waiting on your leaders to arrive,” he began. “So, you guys aren’t even important enough to make any decisions. How about we just wait for your boss to get here and we’ll talk to him?” He was hoping to anger their captors; emotion could mean mistakes. Also, he didn’t want them to feel like they were completely in control. He wanted to trip them up—before their bosses did arrive.

“Please be quiet, Mr. Scott. You aren’t supposed to be here, either,” the voice said through clinched teeth, a tinge of frustration evident. He hadn’t expected a challenge from his captives. The men finished binding Mike’s hands behind his back. Frankie was already bound and lying on the ground at his feet.

“Oh, come on. You guys are just a bunch of lackeys,” Mike said. “Get your bosses here, and let’s get on with this. I don’t even want to talk to you.” He knew he was not in control of this situation, but he still thought he could push a few buttons. He was correct, as he found out very quickly. One of the men shoved Mike to the ground roughly. He nearly landed on top of Frankie.

“Sorry,” Mike whispered. As he rolled over, he could see better without the lights shining directly in his eyes. He counted five men. There were the four men who had tied them up, while the fifth stood off to the side. He was clearly the leader of the group, but not really in charge as he was waiting for his superiors. Mike realized that maybe he had a chance to do something.

“You two, be quiet. I don’t want to hear another word out of you,” the voice said.

As he said that, they all heard a crashing sound, a bottle breaking against metal from the far side of the dive site. The sound came from an area where Frankie’s men stored their equipment. Everyone turned at the noise to see what was going on, and the men shone their lights in the area.

“Mike. Mike, listen to me,” Frankie whispered to Mike as they lay side by side on the sand, their captors momentarily distracted.

“What is it?” Mike whispered back as the men looked around to see what had caused the noise.

“I have a dive knife attached to my leg. Can you get to it?” Frankie asked. The kidnappers hadn’t bothered to search the divers. They didn’t know what the dive equipment was for, so they hadn’t even tried. In the darkness, they completely missed the small knife strapped to the inside of Frankie’s calf.

“Hold on. Yeah, I can reach it,” Mike said as he twisted around and got the knife behind his back. He immediately began to saw at the ropes binding his hands with the tool’s serrated edge. He was able to make quick work of the rope. When he was done, he kept his arms behind his back.

The men were arguing among themselves about what to do when the voice in charge cut through the chaff. “You two, go see what’s out there. Probably just a cat, but I want to be sure,” the voice said and quickly two men disappeared into the darkness. “With the leader coming, I don’t want any surprises.”

“So what are you going to do with us?” Mike asked, trying to distract the man. Mike hoped he would get closer so he could surprise him. Mike felt he had the edge since the other man didn’t know he was loose. On the other hand, Mike hadn’t been able to free his feet. He hadn’t had time. The other man would have to be very close for Mike to do anything, and even then it would be tough since the man wasn’t alone.

“You have meddled where you didn’t belong. The Watchers have protected this site for hundreds of years. We have always watched. We have never let anyone close to the treasures we have guarded here and we never will,” the voice said. “You will not get another chance.”

While the man spoke, Mike could tell he kept looking around. The first two men he sent away had not returned yet, and he seemed to be getting nervous.

“You two, go find the others. They should be back by now. Be quiet, but get them back here quickly,” the voice directed the remaining two captors. There was a hint of agitation in his voice. His frustration was growing, as nothing was going as he had planned. The two men left quickly to go find the first men.

“What is going on here? Where are the leaders?” The man began nervously pacing and talking to himself. “If they don’t get here soon, I will finish this myself. If I let this go on any longer, we might be discovered, and that would be a disaster for everything we have worked for and planned.” He stopped. “And if I handle this situation, the inner circle will see that I have what it takes to lead this organization. They will see.”

The man stopped to stare off into the distance where he saw all four of his men go. “All right. I’ve decided. When the men get back, we’ll just do this. We can knock these two unconscious and throw them back in the water with their equipment on. They will drown, and it will appear they died diving,” the man said, thinking aloud.

The man was still pacing, but his nervous walking and talking caused him to lose his focus. He wasn’t paying attention to Mike and Frankie, or where he was. He wasn’t in control of the situation. None of his men had come back and suddenly he was alone.

Mike continued to watch. He didn’t know where the other men were, either, but he wasn’t going to wait. This might be his only opportunity, considering the conclusion the man had just come to. The next time the leader walked close, Mike was going to take him down.

And the moment came. Mike half-rose on his bound feet and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the kidnapper as he heard a loud noise to one side. The man reacted to the noise, but the last thing the kidnapper saw before he hit the ground was the sight of two men that he didn’t recognize running straight at him.

Mike hit the man in the back of his legs and took him straight to the ground. He had sensed rather than seen the other two men running at him as he lunged, so he continued rolling to the side. He hit the ground and immediately began sawing at the ropes on his feet with the dive knife in case he needed to defend himself from the other attackers.

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Get your copy of Guardians’ Keep today, in softcover or Kindle. It is also part of the Mike Scott Boxed Set that includes the first five novels and two short stories.

The following is an excerpt from the Mike Scott thriller Guardians’ Keep.

###

As Mike exhaled and sank below the water, it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the lower light level and then another second to get a grasp of what he was looking at. A carpet of anemones and sea life covered everything below him. Sea fans and barnacles created a jumble of color—reds, greens, blues, pinks and oranges exploded everywhere around. The layer of moving life gave the surface a fuzzy texture like a fur rug draped over furniture.

Mike realized the shapes on the sea floor that looked like random blobs were actually structures rising up from the sea floor. There were walls and pillars. Tables of stone littered the area. The waving action as the animals and plants drifted with the small waves above, served to erase any sharp edges and blend one item into the next, but he was beginning to sort it out.

Okay, I can make this out, now, Mike thought. That big building must be the main hall. Those over there are probably private quarters for people. It’s actually sort of set up like the work site above with two half-circles, and then there was a courtyard in the middle. A few of the buildings look like they may’ve fallen down, but it looks intact.

Turning to look back across the entire site, things began to make sense to Mike. It had been a jumble of confusion at first. He could tell the site was ring-shaped. The tallest building was on one side, with smaller buildings wrapped around it on each wing. He was sure at least one of the fallen-down buildings beneath him was a chapel. Mike guessed another hump was a fountain or a statue.

After allowing him to swim around for a few minutes, Frankie got Mike’s attention and pointed out the direction she wanted him to head. As they swam, they passed two sets of divers working around the site. Both teams were preparing a section for further excavation. Using string, divers had laid out a grid pattern over the entire area. The dive teams were taking measurements and detailed photographs of each square. They would use these images and notes to evaluate likely areas to search later and for comparison purposes after they began excavations.

At the edge of the grid pattern, Mike could see another crew working, actually carrying out excavations. They were using a large underwater suction hose to move sand and debris up to the surface onto a floating platform. When the platform was full, they would swim it in to the beach, where workers on the surface would sift through it to make sure they didn’t miss any small items that were potentially important. The propellers of the dive boat up above provided the power for the vacuum, directing the water upward, instead of backward. There were also two smaller rigid, inflatable boats to support the operations. The team had also built an underwater structure, like a set of scaffolds, from which to work and to support the suction hoses.

Frankie and Mike hovered effortlessly in the water just above and to the side of the divers watching as they cleared away the material and began to expose the buildings below. They were in a normal swimming position, almost perfectly parallel to the bottom.

With nothing but the sound of his own breathing, and the droning of the boat engine driving the underwater vacuum, Mike began to imagine what life might have been like in this small community, before the rising sea and slipping hillside caused everything to slide beneath the waves. It was much the same process as he went through mentally when hovering over a shipwreck for the first time.

The sight of metal pipes passing directly in front of his eyes roused him from his daydream. As his brain began to register the danger that he, Frankie and the other divers were in, he felt something heavy strike the back of his legs and begin to pull him down to the sea floor. He began to struggle and attempted to swim from beneath the weight. Just as he started to move forward, he felt his body strike the bottom. Mike was pinned to the sea floor by the scaffold. The collapse of the scaffolding disturbed the sandy bottom.

Mike couldn’t see anyone else around him, although he knew there were several other divers in the water nearby. He wasn’t about to wait for someone to rescue him. As he twisted and struggled to get free of the burden holding him down, he realized the bulk of the weight was resting squarely on his back. He was pinned to the ocean floor.

Mike knew he was going to need to control his breathing and think for a minute. He knew he had plenty of air because he had been underwater for only about 15 minutes and it was a shallow dive. Still, he needed to calm down, slow his breathing and think.

After reviewing his options, he decided to slip out of his gear to see if he couldn’t free himself of the entanglement. A trained cave and wreck diver, Mike had slid out of his gear on more than one occasion underwater to get past a small restriction. He began loosening the straps on his shoulders and around his waist. It took some struggling to get his hands and fingertips around the buckles to where he could release the tension.

After what felt like forever, Mike was able to slide the buoyancy compensation jacket off his shoulders and twist out of his prison. He had to take his regulator out of his mouth for a moment until he got clear of the wreckage. Wiggling free and looking all around, he was able to see what happened. A large section of the underwater structure had collapsed and rained down metal pipes on the area Frankie’s team was exploring.

Mike also quickly realized why no one had come to help him. Frankie was trapped and didn’t appear to be moving. Mike quickly pulled his gear free of the wreckage and slid it back into place. He swam over to where the other two divers were struggling to get pipes off Frankie. As he arrived, the two men were able to get the last pipe moving.

Small bubbles escaped from Frankie’s regulator on regular intervals. Mike guessed she was breathing, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. As the two men raised the bar off Frankie’s legs, Mike moved into position and began lifting her as gently as he could off the bottom. He quickly moved one hand in front of her and held her regulator in her mouth. With his other hand, Mike reached around in front of her limp body and released her weight belt so he wouldn’t have to struggle to get her to the surface. He immediately began to swim with her, knowing he needed to get her to air and additional help. Mike’s mind was racing as he swam upward with Frankie’s still shape in his arms. It was only 30 feet to the surface, but the adrenaline racing through his bloodstream made it feel like he was moving in slow motion.

Breaking the surface, Mike began signaling for help with his free arm and yelling at the top of his lungs.

“We’re over here! I need help now! Help! Help!” he called out. Two crew members were circling in one of the smaller boats. They knew there had been an accident below and were waiting for the divers to surface so they could pull them onboard. Both of them immediately dived into the water and swam over to where Mike and Frankie bobbed on the surface.

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Get your copy of Guardians’ Keep today, in softcover or Kindle. It is also part of the Mike Scott Boxed Set that includes the first five novels and two short stories.