Summer Reads, Sneaky Peeks: Desperate Ground by LJ Morris

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Desperate Ground  Blurb

When the secrecy of a nuclear weapon agreement is thrown into doubt, a disgraced intelligence operative is recruited to find out if the deal is still safe…

Ali Sinclair, wrongly convicted and on the run from a Mexican prison, is enlisted to infiltrate her old friend’s inner circle and find the evidence.

The only people on her side are an ex-Cold War spook and the former Royal Marine that was sent to find her. Together they discover that the stakes are much higher than anyone knew, and the fate of the world is at risk…       

But when you’ve lived in the shadows who can you trust?

L J Morris is an author with a love of books and storytelling that he developed as a child.

After a career in the Royal Navy, which spanned most of the 80s and 90s, he settled back in Cumbria and soon realised that an unsuccessful attempt to write a serial killer novel at the age of 12 hadn’t blunted his ambitions.

He started to write again and has enjoyed success with his short stories appearing in several anthologies. Although he still enjoys writing short stories, his passion has always been for thriller novels and he has spent the last few years following his dream of being a published novelist.

Desperate Ground Extract

It took Sinclair half an hour, under the lukewarm water of the motel shower, to scrub all the grime from her body. Towelled dry, her myriad of cuts and scrapes now stung from the antiseptic cream Frank had given her to rub in, and her old clothes had been replaced with a fresh clean set. He’d thought of everything, even got the sizes right, almost. It was the first time in two years that she’d been able to have a shower without the guards leering at her. The first time she’d been alone without the noise and stench of the prison. Tears welled in her eyes as the built-up feelings of fear and the unbearable loneliness of her ordeal combined with her utter relief at being free. She placed her head in her hands and wept.

Back in the room, McGill stood at the bathroom door. He could hear Sinclair sobbing, thought about knocking to ask if she was okay but decided against it. She would tell him about her ordeal when she was ready, when she needed to. Until then, all he could do was let her know he was there for her.

When Sinclair came out of the bathroom she sat on the edge of the bed while McGill strapped her ankle and dressed the deepest cuts on her hands.

‘Thanks, Frank.’ She stood up and tested his handiwork. With her boots on she should be able to move about without too much pain. She moved to the other end of the room and sat at the small table that was fastened to the wall under the room’s only window. ‘So, what’s the plan from here?’

McGill re-packed the first-aid kit into his bag and pulled out a map. Laying it on the table, he pointed at the various marks he had made to show their intended route. ‘We follow the border south, it’ll be easier to cross there. I’ll drop you on this side of the river and you’ll make your way across. I’ll be waiting on the other side to pick you up.’

‘Getting back home won’t be as easy. I can’t just jump on a plane.’

McGill shook his head. ‘No, we need to get across the border and keep our heads down till we figure a way out of the US.’

‘That’s not going to be your problem. I’m the one who has to go on the run, you’ve risked enough.’

‘I’m not just abandoning you like they did.’

‘You won’t be, I’ll be okay. As long as I’m not locked up, I can handle anything. I’m gonna need you fighting my case back home.’

‘I promise I won’t give up on you, Ali. I’ll do whatever it takes.’

Sinclair reached out and took his hand. ‘Thanks for coming to get me, Frank. You’re the only man I trust.’

McGill squeezed her hand. ‘Get some sleep. We’ll move again once it gets dark.’