Excerpt Wednesday – The Stalker

 He watched from the window, the same streaked window he stood in front of every morning. He’d been watching her for ten long years. He licked his lips in anticipation, and his heart thudded irregularly in his chest just like it did every time he knew he would be seeing her. He moved the curtain slightly to get a better view. She was coming, and his heart raced. She bounded out of her door, hands tightly gripping those of her ruddy-cheeked, carrot-topped twin boys. He wished he could hear what she was saying, just as he wished it were he whom she was smiling at and talking to. The children continued looking at her, laughter in their bright eyes as their cherub faces smiled while she talked. 

How he longed to hear her voice speaking to him again, but it was only etched in his memory forever. He watched as her boys scurried onto their school bus. She smiled and waved even long after the bus was out of view. How he ached for her all these seemingly endless, lonely years. Being apart from her angered him and brought the demons closer to the surface, forcing him to lurk even further in the shadows. The shadows were his only solace, where he could watch her with no one telling him it was wrong or that he was a freak. Time was passing quickly, much too quickly. He had to make a move. It was time to come out of the shadows and finally claim her for his own.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Over The Edge

 Maggie’s patience was rapidly disappearing. "Look, if you have something to say, just say it. I don’t have time for drama queen theatrics." She put the sponge under the counter then stood with hands on hips to face her antagonist. 

"Is there somewhere we can go to speak privately? I don’t want to talk here, Maggie." She glanced around at the few customers. 

She shook her head. "We can talk here. Can I get you some coffee or anything?" 

"No, thank you." She twisted the handle of her handbag. "I don’t know how to break the news to you." 

"Janna, just come out with it," Maggie snapped. "I told you I don’t have the time or the patience for your silly games today." 

The younger woman sighed again. "I suppose since there really is no easy way to say this, I should just come right on out and tell you." 

"Please do." 

She hesitated for a moment. "Chris moved in with Chelsea last night." Her eyes met Maggie’s. "You know Chelsea Howard?" 

Maggie felt like she’d just been kicked in the stomach. Her face flushed as a tremor slowly wound its way through her body. She inhaled sharply as Janna’s words slowly repeated themselves over and over in her mind. "I don’t believe you," she spat out tightly, gripping the counter as blood rushed to her head making her temples pound loudly against her skull. Her legs weakened. She’d pass out at any moment as Janna’s stinging words continued to echo repeatedly in her head, slowly fading in and out. She sucked in her breath.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Silent Dreams

She chewed her bottom lip. "I couldn’t do it, Josh. It wasn’t the right time. You should’ve seen her. Some creep roughed her up and almost raped her last night. She’s in bad shape." 

"You have twenty-four hours to talk to Blaine and convince her to work for me—no more, no less. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Josh, there’s no way Blaine will go for it. She’s different—you know what I mean—too innocent. I can’t force her to do this. All the other girls came on board willingly. I’m sure there are a lot of girls who would love to join, but not Blaine. I think this is a bad business decision." 

"How I run the business is no concern of yours." 

"But Josh, what you’re asking me to do is illegal." 

"Twenty-four hours!" he snarled. "Don’t cross me, Kami." 

The line went dead. "Dammit! Now what do I do?" she muttered to herself as she leaned back in her chair and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head pounded near her temples. She prepared herself for another in a series of what were rapidly becoming daily headaches. How had she allowed herself to get into this mess? But more importantly, how could she keep Blaine out of it? She needed time, but time was the one thing that Josh Barnes would never give her.

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Excerpt Wednesday – The Black Heart

Carter emphatically shook his head. "What vendetta could anyone possibly have against my mother? It doesn’t make sense! Who would want her dead?" His eyes narrowed. "My mother didn’t have any enemies. You know that, Jake. Could it be a random act?"

 "I don’t know, Carter."

 Carter’s nostrils filled with the stench of the smoldering ruins. He coughed, and then spat at the ground. "Fill me in on what you do know, Jake." 

"There’s not too much at this point," he answered, pulling on his chin. 

"I’ve known you my entire life, Jake. You must have a theory." 

Jake was thoughtful for a moment. "I do." 

"And?" Carter persisted. 

His eyes slanted. "My theory is that the perpetrator knew your mother would be out this evening. He then entered the house and rigged up a device in her bedroom lamp that would detonate the moment she turned the lamp on." He paused. "After the lamp was turned on, everything just blew." 

Carter grabbed the sheriff’s arm. "A bomb? Why? What could my mother have ever done to cause someone to want to blow up her house with her in it? It still doesn’t make sense."

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Excerpt Wednesday – Twisted Lives

 "I didn’t do anything!" Andy cried in fear. "I didn’t steal your money, but I’ll pay you back every cent you think I took!" he choked. One move and the knife would be plunged into his throat. He had to think fast, but his mind was frozen in fear. 

The man shook his head. "You know what doesn’t make sense? Why would you be willing to pay back money you insist you didn’t take?" His forehead furrowed. "Sounds like that’s an admission." 

"I...I don’t know, but you’ve got to believe me when I tell you that I didn’t touch the money. The envelope was sealed...you saw it! They’re always sealed." 

Mr. D laughed. "If you would have counted it like you were instructed, it wouldn’t have been sealed, now would it?" 

"I didn’t touch it because you told us to never open an envelope if it’s sealed. Every envelope I’ve delivered and picked up has been sealed. You never said anything before," Andy protested. 

"Are you calling me a liar?" 

"No." 

"Now where would you get the money to pay me back?" 

"I don’t know." His eyes pleaded with Mr. D’s for mercy. "Maybe you could deduct it from my pay." 

The man frowned. "Maybe I could," he said slowly, "but I’m not going to." He grinned as he playfully poked the knife between Andy’s ribs. "Maybe there’s another way."

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