Delicious Tease Day #35: Laura Griffin

Today's guest is Laura Griffin. a chaptermate and dear friend of mine as well. Laura is a rising star in the world of romantic suspense and I have been a huge fan of hers since her very first book hit the shelves. Today, Laura's giving away a copy of her latest book, Untraceable, which is Book One in the Tracers series, so don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win.

Blurb:

Be careful what you look for…you might find it.

Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst and sets out to discover what happened. Using every resource she can get her hands on—including an elite team of forensic scientists known as the Tracers, and a jaded, sexy detective who’s helped her before--Alex embarks on a mission to uncover the truth, one clue at a time.

Homicide cop Nathan Devereaux wants to believe that Alex’s hunch about Melanie’s murder is wrong, but his instincts—and their visceral attraction—won’t let him walk away. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, he realizes this investigation runs deeper than they ever imagined. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear. . .

Excerpt:

Melanie bumped along the pitted road, almost certain she wasn’t lost. She peered through the darkness and drizzle, searching for nonexistent landmarks. Had she missed it again? No way. First left after the low-water bridge--
She spotted the yellow porch light and sighed. Finally. Sex and Mexican food. She’d been craving both all day--and in that order--since Joe had called to tell her he was off tonight.
The Blazer pitched down, then up again, its worn shocks responding to every rut as she neared the house. She pulled in behind Joe’s Honda and noticed the house’s darkened windows. Maybe the game had ended. With a giddy rush, she gathered up the carryout bag and pushed open the door, and the smell of warm tortilla chips mingled with the cool dampness of the spring night. She glanced at the house again--
And froze.
The back of her neck tingled. She heard a voice from her past, a faint echo at first, then a whisper. She gazed at the house through the raindrops as the whisper grew louder.
Go, go, go!
And she did, numbly dropping the takeout food and yanking the door shut. Turning the key and shoving the Blazer into gear. Shooting backward down the driveway, then retracing her course, only the gently bumps were bone-jarring now, as she sped toward the highway with a hammering heart.
He was there.
How did she know? She just knew. Something about the house told her. She tried to keep the Blazer centered on the road as she rummaged for her phone. Her trembling fingers dialed Joe.
Voice mail.
Tears burned her eyes. She reached the paved highway and slammed on the brakes just as a sports car zipped past.
Think, damn it. What would Alex do? The tires shrieked as Melanie pulled onto the highway and groped for a plan. She had one. She had a plan.
What was it?
She took a deep breath. Her emergency kit was in the back. She could leave this instant, no stops. She could go to her safe spot.
But what about Joe? She slowed. She had to go back.
A pair of headlights winked into her rearview mirror. An objective part of her brain registered the height, the shape, the spacing. The rest panicked.
She floored the gas pedal. Her pulse skittered as the car behind her sped up, too. The speedometer inched past sixty, but still the lights behind her refused to fade. Her hands clenched the steering wheel. Her heart pumped furiously. He couldn’t find her. Not now.
Why hadn’t she listened to Alex?
A curve in the road. She jerked the wheel, then struggled for control. She felt the spin coming, felt her stomach drop out as the tires glided across the asphalt. Brakes squealed--or maybe it was her scream--and a wall of bushes rushed at her. Metal crunched. Her nose hit the wheel.
Then nothing. Just the rasp of her breathing and the tip-tap of rain over her head. No airbag. She clutched her abdomen and tried to take stock. Blood, warm and coppery, seeped into her mouth.
He’s coming.
The thought spurred her body into action. She pushed at the door, heavy because of the angle. She was in a ditch. She threw her shoulder against the door and muscled it open. Branches snapped at her cheeks as she heaved herself out of the car.
The only light nearby was a headlamp, now buried in leaves. Rain pelted her face. She blinked at the surrounding gloom and tried to orient herself.
She heard a low rumble--like thunder, but not. It was a pickup, diesel engine, somewhere behind her. She listened, paralyzed with terror, as the rumble ceased and a door slammed shut. He was here. The nightmare she’d imagined so many times, in vivid detail, was happening.
She clawed wildly at the vines and branches. Panting now, she crashed like an animal through the woods. No car. No phone. No emergency kit.
A distant whir growing nearer. Tires on pavement. She scrambled toward the sound. She broke through the foliage just as the car whizzed by.
“Help!” she screamed, waving her arms at the shrinking taillights.
Her mistake hit her. She ducked back into the bushes, but it was too late. He was right behind her, closer now, so close she could hear his grunts and breaths.
Move! she willed her rubbery legs. She choked back a sob as he came closer, closer. Then smack! she was on the ground, her legs pinned. No air, no breath. She scratched and elbowed and kicked, her heel hitting something soft. A moan. She jerked herself free and lunged for the road. Another car--she heard it, saw its lights, beckoning her to safety. Just a few more feet…. She reached for the light, the pavement. She clawed at the gravel.
“Help! Stop!”
A hand clamped around her ankle and dragged her back.

Remember to leave a comment for Laura to be entered to win a signed copy of Untraceable.