Teo Haroun and the other lawyers in his firm look forward in varying degrees to the retreat at the Sherman Ranch in northern New Mexico. The boss has laid down some rules ? no phones, no computers, no communication with the outside world ? that makes them uneasy. But the corporate team-building exercises are necessary for this firm to survive its inner sniping and turmoil ? and to protect the secrets they hold. Inez Suela and thirty other Mexicans have paid a coyote hundreds of pesos to take them across the border into the United States, where they hope to make a better life. The crowded truck heads north into New Mexico to meet their local driver, the occupants unaware that a freak March snowstorm is waiting in its path. Jake Patrin, the caretaker of the Ranch, fights demons of his own as he struggles daily with addiction. Working far from the city on the lonely Ranch, hosting those who rent the facility, is his protection and solace. But he's about to lose the only peace he's been able to grasp. Davi Pilar needs to make some fast money to appease a couple of St. Louis loan sharks, so he agrees to pick up a truckload of illegals and take them to St. Louis. He drives to New Mexico, not knowing that Inez, the woman who rejected him years before, is one of those on that truck.The intersection of these people, the collision of their cultures, the revelation of their secrets?all these things lead to violence, death, and even redemption in their New Mexico ENCOUNTER. [Suspense Thriller available in print and ebook]