Carter Ransom faces his greatest nightmare. His precious wife, Molly, has gone missing. The police write it off as abandonment, but Carter knows better. Following a strange call from Molly, Carter’s chase begins. Seemingly at the wrong place at the wrong time, his wife is entangled in a terrorist plot—abducted and tormented, unless Carter can save her. But the Ransom family is not alone in their troubles. America, too, is under attack. A well-hidden mole in Washington is waiting to bring America to her knees, and not even the president can stop him. Soon, Carter finds Molly, but now they are both captives, held by Nick Brodie, a ruthless killer who gorges himself on the fears of others. Worlds collide as everything converges on Krimmler Falls, Austria. American Special Forces want answers; Carter and Molly just want to escape. Through a mysterious encounter, Carter has already learned that truly loving Molly compels him to pursue her at all times. But soon he finds out that it also means giving himself, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.

Carter turned the knob carefully, slowly. It was stiff. He gritted his teeth, hoping everyone was gone. He turned harder. It nudged a little more. Carter continued to apply pressure. Then suddenly the bolt retracted with a loud, echoing snap. Carter jumped to the right and froze in the darkness. He waited several moments. Not a sound, not a rustle. There was no one there. He stepped to the door and pushed it open a little but did not go in. Again he waited. Nothing. Silence. Finally, he stepped through the doorway, sliding his hand on the adjacent wall, feeling for the light switch. He flipped it on and was partly blinded as the harsh lights showered down on him. Carter shaded his face with his right hand while his eyes struggled to adjust. Suddenly, a devastating punch to the stomach doubled Carter over. “Ummph!” he groaned, hugging himself. Before he could even look up, he was shoved from the back and sent flying onto the floor on his side, his back to the assailant. He could hear the footsteps rushing at him again. Desperately, he rolled onto his back, pulled his knees in and held both of his hands up to deflect whatever came next. “Oh my gosh! Carter!!” “Molly?!” Carter was still gasping for air and trying to orient himself. Standing over him and wielding a very large piece of wood, was his precious Molly. Carter laughed. “I missed you too, Honey,” he said. “I’m sorry I don’t have a bat to hit you with, too. But I couldn’t get it through customs.” He laughed more. Suddenly reminded of her weapon, Molly tossed the broken post aside and fell on Carter, gripping his head and kissing him. “I thought they… I thought they killed you,” she said, quivering. “Now I’ve always promised to let you be the one to do that. Remember?” He grinned at Molly. That signature twinkle in his eye seemed to light up the room even more. Molly basked in it. She missed his smile so much. A waterfall of hope splashed over her, drenching her whole body. She had lost it all, and now Carter had given it back to her. He was alive. He was really alive! For the first time in what seemed like a week, she actually felt safe. At least for now. “We’ve got to get out of here,” Carter interrupted her thoughts. Her moment would have to wait. They stood up together. Carter put his left arm around Molly’s shoulder and gripped her right arm, guiding her toward the door. But when they reached the door… “Aaahh!” Molly screamed, reeling back. Standing just outside the door, still in his silk pajamas, was Nick Brodie. Carter backed into the room with Molly, shoving her behind him. “Look,” he said, holding his hands up to show he’s not a threat. “We don’t want any trouble. I just wanna take her home.” “Hah!” Brodie spat. He sized up the American. Then something caught his eye. Carter’s left sleeve was torn. Brodie also noticed the dried blood. This is the fool who caused so much trouble? Brodie laughed to himself. “Who are you?” he asked coldly. “And no lies, please. As Ms. Ransom witnessed earlier, I don’t deal lightly with lies.” His soulless eyes bored into Carter. “Fine,” Carter said with some authority to his voice. “First of all, it’s Mrs. Ransom. Molly is my wife. I’m her husband, Carter. And she’s not an agent. She’s just a mother. An incredibly brave mother who was just in the right place at the right time.” “Hmmph!” Brodie chuckled. “Don’t you mean, ‘the wrong place and the wrong time’? Look where she is now.” “She stopped the killing of hundreds of innocent children,” Carter countered. “I see nothing wrong about that.” “And for that, you will both lose your lives today.” Brodie walked slowly toward Carter. Carter turned slightly to his right, fists up, poising himself to fight. Brodie let his own hands hang at his sides. Molly backed up, placing both hands over her mouth. Carter was breathing swiftly, heavily. Brodie smiled as he threw his head back, snorting the air. Fear was filling the room all around him. And he was intoxicated by it. Exhilarating! He brought his head forward again, smiling, holding Carter’s eyes in his gaze. The American never saw it coming. For all he could see, Brodie never moved. With mind-blowing speed, Brodie’s flattened left hand chopped directly into the gash in Carter’s arm. A jolt of electricity shot through Carter’s whole body, convulsing him for a moment. Even his vision went blank for an instant. An instant was all Brodie needed. When Carter’s eyes rolled back to the front again, he found himself staring at the floor, his hair tightly clenched in Brodie’s right fist. Molly screamed breathily. Carter said nothing, holding his breath through the pain. Brodie turned and lowered his head, fixing his gaze on Molly, peering at her from under his dark thick eyebrows. He wrenched Carter’s head clockwise and slid his left hand over Carter’s left ear. He never took his eyes off of Molly. She shook all over. Brodie smiled. Then slowly, he formed his left hand again into a blade. With a quick chop just below Carter’s ear, he dropped him to the floor, unconscious. Molly gasped and rushed toward her husband, but Brodie caught her arm just below the shoulder and spun her around to face him. The rest of her arm went numb under his vise-like grip. “It’s time to go, Molly,” he said, turning and forcing her forward and out the door.

Max Dempsey is the founding pastor and current Senior Pastor of The Refuge, a contemporary church in Alabama. He is a former National Trampoline Champion, Pan American Champion, and member of four USA Teams. He lives in the Mobile area with his wife, Donya, and their seven children.