Countdown by Michelle Maddox will be published by Dorchester Shomi on July 29, 2008. This is the author’s first title as Michelle Maddox, but she also writes as Michelle Rowen.

THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she’s been partnered with-her only ally in this nightmare-is a convicted murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Hmm…Looks interesting. What does it remind me of? Anyhow, check out the excerpt after the cut.

Excerpt

“Welcome to Level Four,” the sing-song voice continued. “A reward level in which Kira is to rescue her partner by crossing a narrow and dangerous bridge high above the city streets, and then the two must continue on to the other side to complete this level successfully. There is no safety gear for this, no ropes, no tricks. All Kira has to work with is her sense of balance and self-preservation. Should they finish they will be well rewarded for their efforts. Our competitors have ten minutes to complete this level. Enjoy!”

I didn’t move. I stood in place and stared out at Rogan. I always thought that I only had a fear of the dark. Who knew about this nagging little fear of heights I’d just developed in the past two minutes?

My mouth went dry.

I shuddered, and looked around the rooftop I was currently standing on. Whomever had removed my blindfold and bindings had disappeared. I was all
alone. Nobody to push me to do this. Nobody to force me.

“Nine minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

I made my way to where the platform began — it was even narrower than I’d originally thought. I tried to breathe.

The platform seemed fairly stable. I tested it with my foot and it gave a little, but not much. My upper
thigh gave off a dull ache from where I’d been shot, but I suppose it was better than still bleeding.

These Countdown people wanted their contestants to be in top shape before their precious Subscribers got to watch them die.

So sporting of them.

“Kira!” Rogan shouted again. He had his head up and looked at me. “Be careful!”

I ignored him. Thinking about him right now was only going to distract me. There was no time for me to be distracted. To say the least.

Just don’t look down, I told myself.

Which left me with very few options. The platform was so narrow that when I focused on it, I couldn’t help but see the street so far below me.

My right foot shook as I placed it on the platform and I wavered for a second, holding my arms out to either side of me as I established my balance. I let out a long breath and tried to center myself.

Just like gymnastics. I needed to pretend that I was competing at the Olympics if they were still being held. I wanted that gold medal.

Focus on that gold medal, I thought. Think of nothing else.

“Eight minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

The voice seemed louder in my head than usual and it surprised me. I shook a little before I steadied
myself. I took another tentative step and let out a long, shuddery breath.

“You’re doing great, Kira,” Rogan said. From what I could see from twenty feet away, his expression was
strained. He pulled at his bindings and the platform shook.

“Don’t do that!” I yelled. “Just stay still.”

“Sorry!”

“Yeah,” I muttered under my breath and a line of sweat trickled down my forehead and onto my nose. “You’re going to be sorry, you son of a bitch.”

No, don’t think about anything negative, I thought. Nothing. Just focus on putting one foot in front of
the other —

“Seven minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

— and doing it quickly.

Christ. That voice was so distracting.

I took another step.

A silver camera buzzed past my face, so close that I felt the wind from it. I glared up into its lens and it came back for another pass.

“How is Kira feeling right now?” the voice asked. “Ready to win The Countdown and receive her ultimate
prize of a first-class ticket on the Offworld shuttle?”

“Fuck off,” I told it. “Pretty please.”

It flew away and out of my peripheral vision, but I could still see two other cameras moving around the air nearby.

Another step. Balance. Another step. Balance.

I raised my gaze to look at Rogan who was much closer now, his head still propped up and he watched me as Iapproached. His jaw was tense. The muscles in his arms tight. The closer I got, I could see a small grin appear on his lips.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” I managed.

“Just the fact that you’ve come to my rescue. Does that make you my knight in shining armor?”

I didn’t smile. “I haven’t rescued you yet.”

His grin faded. “Just watch your step. Don’t fall. Here comes another camera.”

It buzzed close enough that it almost touched me. “What the hell? Are they trying to knock me off this thing?”

“They’re not trying to give you a helping hand, that’s for damn sure.”

“Why’d you let them tie you up like this?”

He pulled at the bindings. The platform shook slightly. “Like it was my idea. They took me outside the room and knocked me out again. I woke up here. Trust me, it was a hell of a shock.”

I studied the ropes that tied him. “This is going to be tricky.”

“I don’t think the knots are too tight. It’s just awkward.”

I studied his face. He looked up at me with those blue-green eyes framed with dark lashes and that fading scar. He wore the same clothes as before: bloody, dirty, ripped. I still saw the handsome man under the ruin, the one I’d let charm me into believing in him.

His dark brows were drawn together as he frowned up at me. “Why are you looking at me that way, sweetheart?”

I blinked back tears. “Just shut up. I need to concentrate.”

I thought back to gymnastics. One lesson had been how to kneel down on the bar without losing balance. It took me forever to learn that without falling off, but I had finally gotten it. However, that was more than ten years ago and definitely not a skill I used all the time. Unfortunately.

I slowly crouched down far enough that I could fumble with the bindings around his ankles just above his worn, black boots.

His body took up the entire width of the platform and then some. He couldn’t move without shaking everything
around and I couldn’t get past him.

He eyed his wrists. “Now what?”

A camera whizzed past my ear and I swatted at it, hitting cold metal.

“Five minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

I met his gaze and saw there was more than a trace of fear behind it. There was concern. For me.

My heart wrenched. Why was he concerned for me? Dammit. I hated that I’d convinced myself he was a good man — and even now, after everything, I still had doubts about his guilt.

“I’m thinking.”

He blinked. “What they said earlier…about what happened with you and that lawyer scumbag — ”

“It was true. All of it.”

His jaw tensed. “If he wasn’t already dead I’d find him and rip his heart out.”

I willed myself to stay focused on the platform. “Nothing happened. I learned my lesson the hard way.”

“I’d still kill him.”

“It’s that easy for you? Killing?” My voice broke on the word.

His expression darkened. “I’ll do it for a good cause. For the right reason. To protect myself or somebody I care about.”

“Are you saying that you care about me?”

“Sure.” He averted his gaze. “And now I care that you untie me so we can get this fucking level over with.”

“Don’t forget it’s supposed to be a reward level.”

“I couldn’t give a smaller shit. I just want us to get through this in one piece. Now you’re going to have to climb over me and untie me so we can keep going. There’s not much time left.”

I put a hand on his jean-clad thigh and slowly eased myself lower. He spread his legs so his feet dangled off the side of the platform to give me space to maneuver. Now on my knees, I slid myself closer to him until I couldn’t go any further. I placed my hands on his hard-muscled abdomen, then one at a time on his chest sliding up to his shoulders. I grabbed the platform above his head on either side of his arms. Our bodies were now firmly pressed against each other. I heard his breathing hitch and felt him harden against my stomach.

“Is it wrong that I’m enjoying this a little bit?” he rasped.