Whatever It Takes — Alastair Brown

Outlaw private eye Joe Beck is in blazing hot Arizona, driving Route 66. Through the window, he notices what looks to be a woman lying in the shrubs by the side of the road and, instinctively, he senses something is wrong. He stops and gets out of the car.

The woman is badly beaten, virtually naked, and barely responsive. Her condition is grave and her death is imminent. With her last breath, she utters a few words that leaves Beck with a chilling task.

"Save her. Please. Whatever it takes."

Joe Beck doesn't know who she is, or who she's talking about. He doesn't know what happened or what might be happening to whoever the woman thought needed saving. But one thing's for sure, he's not going to hear that and drive away like nothing happened.

He figures somebody needs his help and he decides to get involved. And he realizes, if he's going to save whoever needs saving, he's going to have find out what's going on, no matter the cost.