Excerpt Wednesday – Over The Edge

"Please look at me, Chris. Tell me the truth...that's all I ask."

He shamefully turned his head trying to avoid her eyes. With a shaky hand, he removed his hard hat and ran his hand through his hair. "I...I never wanted to hurt you."

Her eyes penetrated his. "Why, Chris? What did I do?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. You didn't do anything. It was my fault. I should have told you." His voice was strained. "Everything was my own fault."

She peered into his tired eyes. His face was drawn and haggard. Stubble showed on his usually clean-shaven chin. His hair looked shaggy and in desperate need of a haircut. If this was what loving Chelsea was doing to him, then she didn't know how he'd ever survive.

She'd expected him to feel badly for what he'd done to her, but she hadn't expected to see him so unkempt and miserable-looking. Seeing him wounded like this, though, helped to ease her pain even if just a little. He clearly was as miserable as she was. It made even less sense to her.

"Janna Evans came by the diner." She surprised herself at how even she managed to keep her voice. Anger momentarily flashed in his eyes. "Is that why you still kept your apartment so you could carry on with Chelsea Howard?" Her tone was still even and controlled, but she knew that at any given moment she could lose total control. Her insides were quivering uncontrollably.

His eyes drifted again to the ground. "We're living together," he answered in a raspy, almost inaudible voice.

Maggie's chest constricted as a lump formed in her throat almost choking her. Her heart as fragile as a fine crystal vase now shattered into a million pieces. The earth felt like it was swaying beneath her feet. There was so much she wanted to say. She needed to scream at him for bringing this intense pain upon her. She wanted to throw herself at him and force him to see what he would be missing without her. In desperation, she needed to reach that part of his heart that would remember their passionate lovemaking and how they had almost seemed to blend into one. He needed to remember all the plans they had made. But looking at him now, she knew it was useless. The damage was done, and there was no turning back. Even if there was, she would never accept his betrayal. She doubted she could ever find it in her heart to forgive him.

He had made his choice and without any regard for her left her crushed and broken. She wanted to lash out at him and hurt him as much as he had hurt her. No, she wouldn't let him see how weak she was. She would gather her strength to leave, and she would never look back. It was over...finished. She had to pull herself together and recognize the fact that she couldn't give him what she thought he needed, what she thought he wanted. She turned on her heel.

His trembling hand touched her shoulder reaching out to stop her. "Please, Maggie. I need to explain. You deserve to know the truth."

"No," she whispered as tears formed behind her heavy eyelids. "I don't want to hear the details."

"It's not the way you think it is," he hoarsely whispered. "Please believe that."

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Excerpt Wednesday – Revenge

Christine stared at the truck parked near the entrance of the cemetery gates as she got into her car. She couldn't identify the figure casually leaning against the vehicle. He was watching her. He wore a cap with the bill slanted in a downward position, which concealed his face. She'd noticed the truck on a few previous visits, but no one had ever been outside of it. Why was today different? She was the only visitor here in the isolated cemetery. She'd been alone the other times the truck had shown up, too. When others were in the cemetery tending to the graves of their loved ones, the truck never appeared. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but now she realized that whoever it was, was definitely watching her. A shiver ran up her spine and she quickly locked her car doors and started the engine. 

Devine Destinies 
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Excerpt Wednesday – The Stalker

Jeremy placed his hands over his ears, but the voices only grew louder. "Shut up!" he demanded. "Just shut the fuck up!" He squeezed his eyes shut as his mind became saturated with thoughts and images of Rebecca. The demons felt threatened, but they confused him repeatedly—one minute telling him to stand up for himself, and then taunting him when he did. He couldn't trust them most of the time, but he knew they'd never leave and it was useless to plead with them for release. They embedded themselves in his thought processes, sometimes doing things and then blaming him for it. They were as much a part of him as his legs and arms were. The few weeks of peace he'd had from them had given him false hope, and he felt a peacefulness he wasn't accustomed to. Now they were back and in full swing, stronger than before. He had to keep his guard up and watch them while trying in desperation to hide his real thoughts about Rebecca. She'll hurt you worse than Julie Howard ever did, they warned.

"Leave me alone! She's nothing like Julie." He pulled on a pair of jeans, his fingers trembling on the zipper. He felt the familiar bulge beginning to grow, but there was no time. He pulled on a pale blue T-shirt with the college logo emblazoned across the front of it, then grabbed his sneakers and slid his feet into them, tying them tightly. He studied his reflection in his bureau mirror and ran a comb through his tangled hair.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Twisted Lives

Something clicked in his brain. The abandoned warehouse was where Stephanie Rinehart said her brother had met a man he was running drugs for. This couldn't be a coincidence. "Do you know what their jobs are, Sara?" He hoped this could give him the first solid link to finding the serial killer.

"I think it's some sort of delivery service. I don't know."

"How did you meet Mr. D?"

"I didn't. One night I drove out there with Asher. My brothers set up an interview for him with the guy. I waited outside on Asher's bike. Asher told me he had to meet him alone, and I should stay back where he parked the bike. I don't know why he parked a ways from the building. It was creepy out there with nothing around. I was scared. I could see a light from the building so I walked closer to wait for Asher. I made sure Mr. D couldn't see me, but I could see him in the doorway."

Daniel listened patiently as Sara slurred and stumbled over her words. He was surprised that she was talking at all and hadn't passed out by now. He wrung out the cloth and handed it back to Sara. "Do you think you'd recognize him again?"

"Yeah…maybe. Especially his glasses and mustache."

Daniel's adrenalin started pumping. Mr. D sounded like the same man Stephanie Rinehart described. "Sara, I'm going to ask a very important favor of you."

She nodded.

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