Excerpt Wednesday – Over The Edge

He'd never intended to get involved with Chelsea. He wasn't even attracted to her, but one night after he'd finished putting up some bookshelves for her, she'd handed him a cold beer and asked his advice on a personal matter. She was just a kid to him, and he'd only wanted to offer her guidance as a father would to his daughter.

As they talked, she kept supplying the beer and he kept drinking it. She seductively crossed her long slender legs several times as they conversed, and his eyes couldn't help but travel up to her hemline, which showed her young tender thighs. Now looking back, he realized that he was being set up. She'd charmed him and made him feel twenty again, complimenting him on all the areas his male ego loved, inflating him until he was ready for the kill. She'd made him briefly forget that Maggie was the only woman he wanted and loved.

He was sick to his very core afterward. There was no excuse for what he'd done, and there was no changing that fact. After their one-night stand, he tried avoiding Chelsea, but she began showing up in the places she knew he'd be. She was a close friend of Janna Evans, and even though Chris had nothing personal against Janna, he couldn't stand her husband Brant. He'd known Brant ever since Brant was a young boy and Chris had been hired to do some remodeling on the Evans' home. During his breaks, Brant would sit asking all kinds of questions. As Chris worked that summer, he thought it odd that Brant had few playmates, but in time, even at such a young age, Brant's nastiness showed through in the way he treated the few boys who came around. He was a selfish, self-centered boy, and as Chris's work on the Evans' home came to an end, Chris realized why the boy was avoided like the plague.

Since that time, Brant had considered Chris a friend and occasionally invited him to social functions. Chris only attended knowing it was better to have Brant for a friend rather than an enemy. Brant's reputation was well known, and his malevolence came full circle when he joined the police department. It didn't take him long to infiltrate his self-absorbed power with a few of his coworkers who secretly shared his wickedness but had been uncertain how to put it to use. That was until Brant Evans came along.

Chris recalled the conversation he'd recently had with Brant when Brant had unexpectedly shown up at his apartment.

"We need to talk, Jacoby."

Chris eyed him suspiciously knowing from the way he held himself erect and the squaring of his jaw that Brant wasn't in the mood for games. But then, Brant Evans didn't possess even the remotest sense of humor as far as Chris was concerned. "What can I do for you, Brant?"

"You know that my wife and Chelsea are best friends."

He nodded. "I'm aware of that."

Brant leaned against the doorjamb. "It seems we have a problem." He thoughtfully pulled on his chin.

Chris shrugged his shoulders and frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about. Is there something I can help you with?"

Brant laughed. "Get off it, Chris. For God's sake, you don't just fuck a young beauty like Chelsea Howard and walk away. What the hell's the matter with you?"

Chris ran his hand through his hair as the color drained from his face. "What happened between Chelsea and me was a big mistake. For Christ's sake, Brant, she's just a kid. It never should have happened." He emphatically shook his head back and forth wondering why she'd even mentioned that night. He supposed it was another sign of the times that he hated so much. Years ago a woman never would have mentioned the most intimate details of her sexual experiences to her friends. Or at least he'd always assumed that women were above the locker-room mentality of men. "I'll always regret it."

"But it did happen." He squared his shoulders.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Silent Dreams

Casey sensed Blaine’s resolve was breaking. She needed to talk to her alone without Kami’s interference.

Blaine’s eyes nervously shifted.

"Leave her alone!" Kami demanded aiming a dirty look at Casey. "Get out of my apartment this minute or I’ll have both your badges."

"This concerns Blaine. Stay out of it," Jane ordered, turning to Kami.

"This happens to be my apartment," Kami shot back. "You have no right to speak to me this way in my own home."

"You’re a smart woman, Blaine," Casey continued. "We’re on your side. Whatever’s going on right now, we can help."

Blaine looked at the three women surrounding her, her gaze finally resting on Casey. "Leave me alone, please," she said in a low voice.

Casey’s jaw briefly tightened, then relaxed. "Okay, fine. I hope you know what you’re doing." She turned to leave, then looking once more at Blaine, said, "You know where to reach us."

Blaine choked back tears. "I’m sorry."

Casey pulled a card and a pen from her pocket. She scribbled something on it, and then thrust it into Blaine’s trembling hand. "Here’s my private cell phone number. Call me day or night. You probably don’t believe this, but I care." She glanced at Jane. "We both care."

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Excerpt Wednesday - Deadly Tales - I'm Waiting For You

"I'm worried about you, honey," he said again. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you how this woman you claim to see knows exactly where you'll be at any given moment and then shows up out of the blue? You're the only one who can see her."

"I know," she answered, her voice softening. "I wish you could see what I do. I'm not crazy, Will. Please believe me."

"I never said or thought you were, but I don't see anyone wandering down this highway. There hasn't been anyone walking on this road for the two hours we've been on it."

"Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me," she said, but deep inside she knew what she saw was very real. She wasn't dreaming or imagining this woman.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Broken Promises: A New Beginning

Farrel noticed the chilly silence and stole a glance at her husband. He was impeccably dressed in black slacks, and a gray jacket. His jaw was firmly set, and his facial expression caused an icy coldness to creep up her spine. Her hand trembled slightly as she flipped the pancakes. She slowly turned to face him. "Good morning, honey," she said, trying to keep her voice bright. "Are you going to be late tonight?"

"I don't know," he said as his eyes swept over her face.

Farrel could see the disgust in his eyes. This morning she had tried to mask her bruises, but the ugly purple welt on her cheek showed through and her eye was a sickening shade of black and blue.

"What did you run into this time?" he asked sharply.

She fought the urge to retort, "Your fist," but instead said, "I don't know. Maybe the cupboard."

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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 – Over The Edge

"Did you or did you not insinuate that my wife and I were responsible for Christopher Jacoby leaving you for another woman?"

She placed her hands on her hips as she stood mockingly in front of him. The fear she'd felt just moments before quickly left her. "I didn't insinuate it, Brant, I said it. Since when does that warrant an investigation?" She glanced at Tom who was observing the standoff with one eyebrow cocked.

Brant's eyes narrowed into two black slits. "Did you tell her that she'd be sorry for what she'd done?"

"What? You're nuts!"

"I can take you in right now for threatening my wife's life, and don't think I haven't thought about it. The only reason I didn't have you arrested last night was because Janna begged me not to. You should be on your hands and knees thanking her for that." He
pointed a finger in her face. "But let me tell you something, if you so much as even look at my wife the wrong way, I'll haul your ass in so fast it'll make your head swim!"

"Now hold on a minute, Brant," Tom broke in. "You have no right to talk to Maggie like this. She has rights."

"Stay out of it, Tom." He glared at the older man. "You don't need to become involved in this. Maggie needs to learn that life goes on and she's not the first woman to have ever been dumped."

"You bastard!" Maggie spat out without thinking of the consequences.

"I should take you in right now," he said squaring his jaw.

She looked fiercely into his cold, heartless eyes. "Go ahead. I've done nothing wrong. And what happened between Chris and me is none of your business…oh, I should take that back," she said with a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "You, as usual, couldn't stand to see me happy, so you had to make sure you ruined my life."

"Now, Maggie, what reason would I possibly have?" He chuckled. "You need help. Have you considered seeing a shrink? I can recommend someone, or better yet, you can sign yourself into the state hospital. It appears to me that you're on the verge of a breakdown. A long rest may do you some good."

Her eyes flashed. "Janna came here yesterday just bursting at the seams to tell me about Chris, but you know what? I don't care. He's not worth it."

Brant smirked. "I really couldn't stand to see Chris dating someone so beneath himself…white trash," he sneered. "And if you don't care, then why did you lash out at my wife?"

Maggie's body trembled and she opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Tom hastily grabbed her arm. "Let it go. He's not worth it. He's only trying to provoke you," he whispered close to her ear.

"What's that?" Brant asked moving toward them. "What'd you say, Tom?"

"Nothing, I was just calming Maggie."

"Well, you'd better continue." He put his notepad back into his pocket. "By the way, Maggie, I'll let you know whether my wife decides to press charges against you for making threats against her life. In the meantime, you'd better watch that temper of yours." He tipped his hat as he slowly made his way out of the kitchen through the diner and out the front door. 

After Tom was certain that Brant was gone, he slammed his fist on the butcher-block table. "That son of a bitch! Someone has got to do something. He can't keep harassing people like this."

"But he will keep on, Tom. No one can stop him." She was thoughtful for a minute. "At least not yet." 

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Excerpt Wednesday – Silent Dreams

"I want you to meet him right now—tonight, that’s all." She fidgeted with her bracelet. "Just for a few minutes. Please?"

"Okay, but then you’re on your own." She walked to a comfortable-looking upholstered antique chair and seated herself.

"He’s here," Kami whispered when she heard the familiar knock on the door. She rushed to answer it. Seconds later she led the tall, slim, good-looking man into the living room.

Blaine noticed that he was several years older than Kami and her. She definitely wasn’t into older men.

"Blaine, I’d like you to meet Josh Barnes," Kami said with a warm smile aimed at Blaine.

Before Blaine could acknowledge him, his eyes locked with hers making her uncomfortable. There was something about his eyes that caused her to instantly distrust him. She definitely wouldn’t be going out with him.

"Well, well, she’s even better than I imagined, Kami." He smiled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. "Good work." He moved closer to Blaine. "Stand up," he said softly, extending a hand to help her to her feet.

She cocked a suspicious eye at him. "Why?"

"Because I asked you to," he answered in the same soft voice.

Blaine smirked, shooting a sideways glance at Kami as she noted Josh’s expensive suit and the ease with which he wore it. She assumed that his classic movie star looks and obvious wealth made him think he could demand whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. "Who do you think you are?" Her voice was icy. "No offense, Kami, but I am definitely not impressed. Someone should have taught your friend some proper manners."
Josh kept his eyes on her as his lips turned up into an amused, but at the same time, eerie smile.

"Just do as he asks," Kami said in a low voice.

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