A simple favor turns into a huge nightmare for Clay Benedict, the youngest of four boys from the powerful Benedict family. Clay agrees to help his cousin, Denise, by checking on her friend, Janna Kerr, who is staying in Denise's secluded fishing camp. Unbeknownst to Clay, Janna has ulterior motives and secretly drugs his coffee. Once he is unconscious, Janna moves him to her spare bedroom before tying him up.
When Clay wakes up and discovers he is being held prisoner, he figures Janna is hiding something. As he becomes closer to Janna's precocious young daughter, Lainey, Clay finds himself looking into the eyes of a Benedict, but whose child is she? As the situation unfolds, Clay learns Lainey has End Stage Renal Disease and there is little hope unless a transplant is found soon. No matter the cost, Janna is determined to keep her child alive until a kidney can be found on the black market. When a dead body is found in the bayou, Janna realizes she may be in over her head.
Admittedly, I have other Benedict books waiting upstairs on my bookshelf; I kept putting them aside. What a huge mistake! CLAY is fast-paced and toe curling. I fell in love with Clay and his brothers; each has his own story either previously released or in the works. Clay is honest, caring and does not take grief from anyone. His dialogue with Lainey is heartwarming and genuine, the ideal man/child relationship, while the passion roaring between Clay and Janna adds a strong romance to the already stunning story! Janna, on the other hand, seemed a bit naïve and acted before thinking. Janna's carelessness was a good match with Clay's steadfast attitude.
Suspense fans will adore this story; the action picks up rapidly and had me flipping pages as fast as I could! Now I can't wait to work my way through the other brother's stories- KANE 3/98, LUKE 2/99, ROAN 7/00 and the upcoming WADE 9/02.
Tracy