Wages of Sin - Valley of Death Trilogy Book 3

To find her future, she must embrace her past. It all comes down to this. The last installment of the Valley of Death series races at a rip-roaring pace to a tense ending!

After risking life and limb to save Ben in Shadow of Fear (book II), Jorja walks straight into a trap she didn’t see coming. Hopeless, her faith wavering, and with no way out, she does the unthinkable to survive, all in the name of freedom. But freedom comes at a price and terror and betrayal are mild compared to what’s coming.

Facing the ultimate test—by man or by God—a test so great that it might very well push her to the point of no return, Jorja learns what it means to truly trust, and that sometimes one has to take one step back to take two steps forward. With nothing but her faith, skills and resilience to win the ultimate battle between good and evil, no matter the cost, she pushes ahead once more, forsaking all but God to gain her freedom.

But will she realize in time that the life she thinks she’s always wanted might not be the same as the one God conceived? Or will she end up losing it all?

Emotionally gripping from the very first page, the conclusion of this Christian suspense thriller series promises to have you hold your breath one last time as you walk with Jorja through the treacherous perils of the valley of death!

COPYRIGHT © URCELIA TEIXEIRA - EXCERPT FROM WAGES OF SIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Inspired By

“He has delivered us...and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” - Colossians 1:12-14 (NIV)

Chapter 1

Jorja sat alone in the quiet room inside the British Consulate in Abu Dhabi. She no longer felt any emotions, nor did she know if she ever will again.
Numbed by the unexpected turn of events, and mourning Ben, whom she was certain Sokolov had already killed by now, she stared at the disposable cup of cold coffee they had posted in front of her hours ago.
She had not seen or heard from Pascale since his men took her away and locked her inside the room, and she had long since given up on thinking that she’d walk out of there a free woman.
From where she sat in the middle of the small room, staring out of the tiny rectangular window at the very top of the wall, she watched the sun’s rays grow brighter as it announced the start of the new day. It had been days since she slept, not that she cared much any longer. Nothing mattered anymore. Everyone she had ever loved and cared for had been stripped away from her, even the person she once was.
She had tried talking to God, searching for answers, the truth. But instead, she had found her heart hardened and her spirit angry with Him. She had thought that she could trust Him, that He was helping her. But even that wasn’t to be.
Her mind trailed to the words she had clung to before it all began, but this time, it brought her nothing but pain. She had been in a valley of the shadow of death, feared evil, faced it head-on, remained in its cold grip, yet she could not sense God anywhere.
Had He forsaken her because she had sinned? Perhaps she was wrong to think He should help her in the first place. Whatever it was, it was clear.
She would pay for her sins for the rest of her days.
Caught up in her agony, her mind trapped in another dimension, she jumped when the door suddenly shut beside her. When she turned to find the person who had entered, she saw that it was one of the officials who had briefly popped in to drop off her luggage. She had left it at the hotel in Geneva. How was it that they had found it? Why was it there?
Her heart bolted as a million questions ran through her mind and she recalled the files she had hidden inside. She shot across the floor to pick up her suitcase, lifted it atop the desk and moved to open it.
“Don’t bother, it’s not there anymore.”
Pascale was suddenly behind her, his face warm and inviting like the day she had sat next to him on the plane.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied, her heart guarded.
“Take a seat, Jorja. We have a lot to discuss.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Oh, I’m sure you do, but even if I believed that, there is a lot I have to say to you. So, please, sit down.”
She did, watching him move the suitcase back onto the floor before he sat down opposite her.
“I want legal representation. I’ve been asking for one since you brought me here. I know my rights. You can’t keep me here.”
“You won’t need one if you cooperate with us.”
“Cooperate with you? And do what exactly? You already got what you wanted, so what’s left? I’ll tell you what’s left, the bitter taste of betrayal.”
She crossed her arms and stared blankly out the small window.
“Fair enough, you have every right to be angry. But I have a right to explain my side also.”
“No, you don’t. Nothing you can say will fix this, Pascale. You played me, used me, and now Ben is dead. And it’s all thanks to you. We had a deal and you didn’t honor it. But I guess you knew you weren’t going to right from the start. So, I guess the joke’s on me.”
Pascale didn’t argue, instead his fingers tapped at his mobile, holding it up for her to watch something on the screen.
When she looked she saw Ben, his face badly beaten, his voice strained when he spoke.
“Jorja, it’s me. I’m told you’re okay. I’m fine too. I knew you could do it. Then again, you learned from the best.” He laughed then flinched when his smile pulled at a wound on his lips. “Anyway, I can’t wait to see you and hear all the details. Hopefully, that will be soon.” He blew her a kiss before the video shut off.

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