Sunday, July 31, 2022

Out Now! Dragon Bridge by E.D. Parr #mm #romance @evernightpublishing

 


Thank you for inviting me to your blog with my new release MM romance release, Dragon Bridge, from Evernight Publishing

 

I first started thinking about this story around two years ago when I saw a shadow across the full moon that looked like a dragon. It was a dark gray cloud, but it captured my imagination and for a year, I considered a plot that might work that sight into a story and so the legend of Ponte Drago, (Dragon Bridge) was born.

It still took me a year to write Dragon Bridge, weaving my legend through the love story to provide the background for characters.

I researched Italy, where the bulk of the story takes place, a little, just enough to imagine places that might exist, but not enough to describe existing towns as I wrote that might take away from the mysterious element I wanted in the story. I’d love to visit Italy for the art that exists there … maybe one day.

My lovely hero Key Alder is an ordinary guy, worn down by life as many people are. Naturally, I’m in love with him, as I am with all my characters. We meet him when he’s struggling emotionally with his work. His journey through this love story allows him to find his lost confidence and in the end, huge courage.

Claudio Di Fiore, my other hero, as Key Alder puts it, is gorgeous and enigmatic. I think, right now, he is one of my favorite characters from any of my MM romance stories. His love for Key is steadfast and fierce. He’s fearless until he falls in love with Key and then Claudio’s only fear is losing him.

The story is contemporary, gay, MM romance, fantasy, adventure, and paranormal romance.

I hope readers enjoy the legend and the love story as much as I loved writing it.

 


Blurb

Tired from his high stress work fighting cyber-crime, handsome, Key Alder takes a vacation on a beautiful Italian coast. He travels from one gorgeous town to another and after a perilous journey lost in the mountains, he settles into his hotel and relaxes.

In a beachside café, next to a warm pale-blue ocean, a performer hands out fliers for an arts festival in a mountain village. Lured by adventure, Key attends an evening performance of fire juggling acrobats in the legendary village piazza.

 

Beautiful, enigmatic Claudio Di Fiore, the star of the show, sees Key in the audience and is captured by a wonderful feeling he’s unaccustomed to.

Claudio wants Key.

Key is enchanted by Claudio.

A passionate love grows between the two men.

When Claudio’s mysterious ancient family threaten to tear them apart, will Key risk everything to stay with his loved one?

 


Read a teaser. Key arrives at his first vacation destination.

 

As he turned a corner of the high coast road, Key caught his breath as his destination came into sight. The entire hillside of a gorgeous bay housed buildings interspersed with trees and flowering shrubs. Several rooftops sprouted palms in huge pots or tubs of bright flowers. Each building climbed the sheer hillside effortlessly from a beach of white sand toward a wall of crags enclosing the bay. The sun slanted off a jade colored dome and sprinkled glitter on primary colored buildings close by. Key slowed to enter the town, already well below the speed limit in awe of the view, he crawled the car to his hotel. Key had spent hours on the internet making sure he knew where it lay. His newfound fragile lightheartedness wouldn’t stand going around in circles until he was exhausted trying to find the place.

A valet took his car keys to park his rental. A porter picked up his luggage and led him to check in. Relieved by these ministrations, Key smiled at the desk clerk. He gave his name. The young woman on duty returned his smile and keyed something into a computer, then she stood and took a keycard from one of the small rectangular openings in the wall behind the desk. Her near perfect English as she spoke to him was reassuring, but Key decided right then that he’d try to learn some Italian. Then I could at least greet people and say thank you.

Copyright E. D. Parr, Evernight Publishing July 28, 2022

 

BUY the book on new release special discount price from Evernight Publishing only

https://www.evernightpublishing.com/dragon-bridge-by-e-d-parr/

 

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 Siren Bookstrand, coming soon

KOBO

NOOK

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 Read snippet teasers on the ParrX gay romance blog

https://parrx.blogspot.com/2022/07/mark-your-calendars-mmromance-lovers.html

https://parrx.blogspot.com/2022/06/releasing-this-summer-from-evernightpub.html

 Find E. D. Parr online

Evernight Publishing Page https://www.evernightpublishing.com/e-d-parr/

Find E. D. Parr’s all-time bestseller list and 30 day bestsellers on Siren Bookstrand https://www.bookstrand.com/ed-parr

Twitter https://twitter.com/parr_books

Amazon page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01MUNJ3I8\

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https://parrx.blogspot.com

Facebook @parrbooks https://www.facebook.com/parrbooks/

 


 

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Girl Who Escaped by Mark Nolan #crimethriller #rabtbooktours


 

Crime Thriller

Date Published: July 29, 2022.

 

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One month ago, four college girls were abducted. Three were brutally murdered. One girl escaped.


Angie Taylor was traumatized and shocked speechless.

The police think she killed her friends, and then had a mental breakdown.

Her psychiatrist believes she has an emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Can she ever speak up and describe the killer’s face to a police sketch artist?

Is the murderer stalking her right now, eager to finish what he started?

Everyone in the city is on edge, fearing the worst, not sure what to believe.

 

A visit from a determined FBI agent shakes things up and raises the stakes. FBI Special Agent Brenda Reynolds of the VSRT must investigate whether the mysterious silent girl is a victim, a killer, or has gone insane.

 

Grab your copy of the suspense thriller everyone is talking about, and start reading right now.

 


 About the Author

Mark Nolan is an Amazon Bestselling Author and Kindle Unlimited All-Star. His latest book is titled The Girl Who Escaped.

 

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Thursday, July 28, 2022

Kairn by Fionne Foxxe Farraday #scifi #erotica #rabtbooktours

 

Mates of the Alliance Book 1


Sci-fi / Romance / Erotica

Date Published: May 11, 2022

Publisher: Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc.


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Fighting to save a primitive planet targeted by the Alliance's enemies, Kairn never expected to find the female who haunted his dreams made flesh and blood.

Daria's life revolved around her work. She had given up on finding romance...let alone love. Earth was now under attack by an evil alien empire—under siege. Daria is trying to do her job as best she can in an upside-down world. Then the cavalry arrives...in the form of giant, gorgeous alien warriors.

These aliens are working toward restoring Earth to the pristine beauty she used to be. In their charismatic leader, Daria finds the most amazing partner. Laughter and love with her devoted alien, what's an Earth girl going to do but grab on with both hands and hold on tight to enjoy the ride? After all...what could possibly go wrong?

 


About the Author

Fionne Foxxe Farraday the award-winning author of the 2022 INTERNATIONAL IMPACT BOOK AWARD for "Best Romance" novel. She also is a medical professional working in the area of pulmonary and critical care medicine. After years of working with patients, Farraday faced medical issues in March 2020 that put her on enforced medical leave without call responsibilities. An avid reader, she soon exhausted her list of books and found herself bored with TV, leading her to begin outlining the story that would become KAIRN: Mates of the Alliance. Returning to ICU work during the dark days of the first Covid-19 wave, Fionne continued writing as a way to cope with the intense demands and the losses of countless patients. The writing took on a life of its own as Farraday fashioned the fictional happy endings which were in short supply in the ICU full of Covid-19 patients.

With her own background in medicine and family members who served in WWII and Vietnam, Farraday’s books are a salute to all of the medical and military personnel whose sacrifices allow us to do what we do. A mother, grandmother, and animal lover, Fionne Foxxe Farraday lives in Cookeville, TN.


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Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Silent Count by E.A. Smiroldo #thriller #rabtbooktours

 

Thriller, Climate Change Fiction

Date Published: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Solstice Publishing


She’s determined to stop climate change before it’s too late…

Nuclear engineer Dara Bouldin’s life is a mess. She’s paying off her dad’s gambling debts, reeling from a broken engagement, and practically invisible at the energy research agency where she works. Meanwhile, her ex Jericho’s latest single is racing up the charts and her handsome new colleague Dmitri is friendly with everyone but her.

All around them, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters have become the norm. But Dara has an audacious plan to reverse climate change, if only someone would listen.

Little does she know, someone at the CIA has been paying attention. And when the public demands action, Dara gets the chance to turn her dream into reality, with the blessings of Congress and the President. Things are looking up.

That is until she discovers a secret that thrusts her into the center of a global conflict that could rewrite history, in dire ways she never intended. Things are going to change, big time. And the countdown has already begun.

Be careful what you wish for, Dara.


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Twitter: @EASmiroldo

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Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Styx by Marteeka Karland #MCromance @changelingpress #rabtbooktours

 

Salvation’s Bane MC


Motorcycle Club Romance, Age Gap, Suspense

To Be Released: August 5 2022

Publisher: Changeling Press


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Jolene: I’ve lived my entire life in the shadow of a feud that ended over a hundred years ago. But try telling that to my family. To them, the Hatfields and McCoys were never met to mix. Or be in the same town really. So when I gave my virginity to a Hatfield, my McCoy family disowned me entirely. And that Hatfield I trusted? He set me up to be raped by his kin. So yeah, my life’s a shit show. Then another Hatfield picked me up out of a ditch and saved me. I thought he’d hurt me, too, but he turned out to be the kindest man I’ve ever met. Now I need to shake him long enough to get the revenge I need from those who hurt me. I just hope when I’m done, he’ll take me back.

Styx: I just came for the car -- a rare Mercedes Maybach the club intends to sell for a good chunk of change. I long ago left any family I had in this little hick town in West Virginia and only came back because I knew the area, and the man who had the car was my family’s rival, Marshall McCoy. So when I found his daughter in a ditch on the side of the road, beaten and bloody, my first instinct -- and that of my MC brothers – was set up. But I can’t leave her to the mercy of her family. I know there will be hell to pay. I just didn’t count on my sweet little hillbilly being hellbent on revenge. As I fall deeper and deeper under her spell, I find I can’t deny her anything. Even if what she wants might break her.


Warning: Styx includes scenes of sexual abuse and vigilante justice that may be triggers for some readers. Guaranteed HEA.


EXCERPT


All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2022 Marteeka Karland


Styx

How could one place be so God-awful redneck? Always had been. Every fucking neighborhood in town had at least one car up on concrete blocks and numerous pink flamingos in the front fucking yard. Nothing had fucking changed since I was a teenager.

Red had a tip on a Mercedes Maybach that was supposedly being held in storage until the right buyer came along. In this fucking hick town. I had my doubts, but Red said it had been confirmed by our intel guy, Ripper. If Ripper said that’s the way it was? Well. I’d gotten on a plane to fucking West Virginia, hadn’t I?

My job was to scout. Using the little gizmos Red’s woman, Rosanna, had developed, I had no doubt I could steal the car. The problem was getting it out of storage and into the enclosed trailer. Again, Ripper was on the issue.

Poison and Lock pulled up to the designated area about half a mile from where the car was being stored. They’d driven a nondescript Ford with a beat-up-looking trailer, and another, smaller car to act as lookout for the payload on the way home. Smokey and the Bandit style. The car was rough looking, but souped up under the hood. Hopefully, the extra horsepower wouldn’t be needed, but better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Neither looked new, nor did they appear in disrepair. The vehicles were designed to blend in. To not stand out anywhere they went.

The plan was to load the car and get out of this place as quickly as possible. Use the app to give the thing a new VIN number and program our own FOB. Lose ourselves on the interstate, then the lesser traveled highways off the interstates on a roundabout route back to Salvation’s Bane and Red’s underground garage. Once that was done, we’d ditch the truck and trailer and begin the rest of the cleaning process on the car. Which was the easy part.

I studied the area around the storage building from the remote screen provided by a drone. It wasn’t more than a barn on the outside, but the reality was, inside the barn was a climate controlled warehouse with state-of-the-art security. I knew the place well because it was owned by Marshal McCoy. I’d been poking my nose in the business of the McCoys since I was a kid.

McCoy was well off, having a legitimate business of some sort in the community. But his real money came from smuggling. This barn and a couple others like it were the reason for that success. From the outside, it looked like a big tobacco barn. Inside, the place was locked down tighter than a snare drum. Which was the beauty of it, I supposed.

Security outside the building was just as tedious. There were cameras all over the place. And traps. Thankfully, McCoy believed in electronics. Heavily. Always had. All the scouting we’d done had turned up a few rudimentary things, but nearly every single safeguard relied on electricity and electronics. Ripper had scoffed and told us it was too good to be true, that we needed to really recon the hell outta the place. We’d found a few pits and spikes and other simple shit that looked like it hadn’t been well maintained. We’d left that part until the evening we’d planned to do the job. Just in case someone did a manual security sweep.

Our planning was meticulous. Starting two months before we were ready to make our move, Ripper had messed with security at the same time he kept anyone interested in the car off the scent. If McCoy was going to upgrade things or do an extensive check, we’d know it well in advance. Ripper had the guy’s entire place bugged. House, office and every car they owned. McCoy thought he was the smartest man in the room, but the fact was, he was on the verge of losing everything to a rival. Montgomery Hatfield.

Made me snicker to think about it. Generations of Hatfields and McCoys. They’d officially ended the feud in the eighteen nineties, symbolically in the early two thousands. But here in Appalachia, it was alive and going strong. Just… more civilized. At least on the surface.

Which was why we were here. Montgomery Hatfield was a half brother to my father, the bastard. While I didn’t associate with that side of the family -- other than my half brother in Black Reign, Shotgun -- I did enjoy taking them down a peg or two. If I could take down Marshall McCoy while I was doing it? So much the better. Call it a character flaw.

“How’s it going, Ripper?” I’d been touching base with the tech guy regularly. If there was a problem, we needed to identify it before we backed the trailer in.

“All’s quiet. Same as always. They raised a fuss the first few times I blacked them out, but once they got used to their network coming back up, they quit worrying about it. Made a couple calls to the company, who charged them a bunch of money to go to each site and check on things. After that, they sent one of old man McCoy’s boys out, and he’s not the most thorough tool in the box. Last three times it’s gone out, no one bothered to check.”

“Good. Where is everyone now.”

“Far enough away you’ll have at least an hour before anyone could possibly show up.” The man snorted. “Bit of a ruckus goin’ on with one of his girls. Not sure what, but it’s keeping everybody busy.”

“So, we ready?” I was anxious to get moving. While I had confidence in the operation, something else was bothering me.

“Get into position. Once you’re ten minutes out, I’ll throw the switch.” Ripper had everything bugged at Salvation’s Bane, including all our vehicles. He said it let him know when one of us was in trouble. I figured he was just a control freak.

“Guess we’re good to go then.” I signaled to Poison and Lock. “Move it out.” My two MC brothers were in the truck pulling the trailer while I was in a separate truck we’d had waiting when we started scouting two months ago. Last thing we wanted was for the two vehicles to be seen together before the heist.

It was just past four in the morning. The darkest part of the night. The moon was covered by clouds. The night was still. Even the nocturnal creatures were settling down for the day to come.

There were two routes into the place where we were going. Poison and Lock had taken a different route than me. Mine took me past the McCoy family home. Remembering that place from my early childhood made me want to fire my gun at the windows as I passed. I hated that fucking place. Old man McCoy was a fucking bastard. Always was. Being a Hatfield, I’d never actually been in the house, but I knew some of his kids. The boys were all bullies. Some of the girls, too. His wife had died a few years back, I’d heard. And now he was starting a whole new brood of kids to mold in his image. That massive house represented everything in Williamson I hated.

I’d gotten about six miles away from the house when something caught my attention. A small form huddled on the side of the road. I almost missed it. Looked like a boy or a small woman wearing a backpack. The figure was in an orange jumpsuit, which was the only reason I’d seen it.

I started to just go on. We didn’t have a lot of time here. But, Goddammit, I couldn’t just pass this person by.

“Guys, I’ve got a problem. Keep to schedule. If you don’t hear from me in five minutes, abort.”

“What’s going on?” That was Ripper’s voice. Of course he was monitoring.

“Not sure. Switching on my body cam so you can see what I’m seeing. Get an ID on the guy.”

“Guy? What guy?”

“There’s someone on the side of the road. Could be someone in trouble,” I said.

“Could be a fuckin’ trap. What the fuck, Styx?” Ripper didn’t get upset too often, but when he did, he tended to go nuclear.

“Just keep an eye out. Give me five minutes. I’ll either leave him or load him in the truck.”

“Fuck!”

“Don’t give yourself a nosebleed, Ripper. If it’s a trap, I’ll fucking kill the bastard.”

“Take an earwig. I want to stay in communication every fuckin’ second, Styx.”

“Roger that,” I said, putting the truck in park and stepping out. Though the truck’s headlights shone brightly, I snagged a flashlight along with the gun at my hip. If this was an ambush, I wasn’t getting caught with my fucking pants down.

The figure held up a trembling hand, blocking the light of the vehicle from her face. And I could tell by the small, delicate hand it was a female. I shined my light around the area but didn’t see anything. Just to be safe, I turned my body, letting Ripper get a good look around in case I missed something. With his computer enhancement shit, he’d see danger long before I did.

“Don’t see nothin’,” Ripper murmured. I could hear him typing and flipping switches. “Can’t say a hundred percent, but I think you’re alone.”

I eased toward the figure huddling in the ditch. “Hey, there,” I called. “You good?” No response. “Girl?” Still nothing. The hand blocking her face from the light still fluttered violently. That’s when I noticed the blood on her fingers and streaking her hand. “You OK?” The hand dropped, and there was a slight whimper as she lay still once more.

“Ripper?” I had a sinking feeling this girl was in a world of trouble. There was no way I could leave her. At this point, I was praying for an ambush, because I absolutely could not afford to be held up by someone in real distress. And I was certain that, if this woman was as hurt as I thought she was, she’d need medical attention.

“You’ve got four minutes. Get her in the truck.”

 

 

About the Author

Erotic romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of.


Author Contact Links

Instagram & Twitter: @marteekakarland


Publisher’s Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @changelingpress


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To Snare a Witch Sisterhood of Evil by Jay Raven #darkfantasy #rabtbooktours

 

To Snare A Witch Book 2


Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror

Date Published: 26th July 2022


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Terror as a reluctant sorceress discovers that once you enter the deadly world of magic, there's no turning back...

Elizabeth Fiennes thought her troubles solved with one desperate act of enchantment, rescuing her wrongly accused husband Jack from the gallows. But she soon learns that, in mystical 17th century England, magic is a cruel mistress and for every spell cast there is a devastating price to be paid.

Now both face a future of damnation, Elizabeth dragged deeper and deeper into the mystical life of curses and invocation, while Jack is forced to abandon every moral belief he once held sacred.

As dark act follows dark act their love and innocence is stretched to snapping point, projecting them into the heart of a demonic conflict between the coven who seek to harness Elizabeth’s extraordinary witchcraft skills and the ruthless magistrate determined to destroy all her kind.

But who will live and who will die?

 

About the Author 

Jay Raven is the author of Gothic chillers and historical horror reminding readers that the past is a dangerous place to venture, full of monsters and murderous men. He blames his fascination with vampires, witches and werewolves on the old TV reruns of horror classics he watched as a teenager, but living in a creepy old house on the edge of a 500-acre wood may have something to do with it.

If you would like to be informed of new releases, enjoy bonus short stories and exclusive behind the scenes material, simply join the Jay Raven VIP Readers Club. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

For more details, visit: www.jayraven.com


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Monday, July 25, 2022

Burt Reynolds, Miko, Dinah and The Slasher: The True Story of a Serial Killer Waiting in Burt's Closet by Paul Kyriazi #truecrime #rabtbooktours

 

True Crime, Biography, Short Story

Date Published: June 27, 2022

 

The True Story of a Serial Killer Waiting in Burt's Closet

 

On February 3, 1975, movie star Burt Reynolds was awakened by a bloody man crawling on his bedroom floor. Burt jumped up to call an ambulance and came face to face with infamous Skid Row Slasher, bloody machete in hand. What saved Burt from disaster? What woman did he break up with that ultimately saved him, and probably her? A must read for Burt Reynolds fans. From the writer/director of the feature film Forbidden Power.


This is a short read: A true story written dramatically.



About the Author

Paul Kyriazi directed seven feature films, including the award-winning Forbidden Power (2018). He's the writer/producer of five full-cast audio books with Rod Taylor, Robert Culp, David Hedison, James Darren, Henry Silva, Russ Tamblyn & George Chakiris. He created the Live the James Bond Lifestyle seminars.

 

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Friday, July 22, 2022

Preorder Blitz! The Girl Who Escaped by Mark Nolan #CrimeThriller #RABTbooktours

 

Crime Thriller

To be Published: July 29, 2022.

 

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One month ago, four college girls were abducted. Three were brutally murdered. One girl escaped.


Angie Taylor was traumatized and shocked speechless.

The police think she killed her friends, and then had a mental breakdown.

Her psychiatrist believes she has an emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Can she ever speak up and describe the killer’s face to a police sketch artist?

Is the murderer stalking her right now, eager to finish what he started?

Everyone in the city is on edge, fearing the worst, not sure what to believe.

 

A visit from a determined FBI agent shakes things up and raises the stakes. FBI Special Agent Brenda Reynolds of the VSRT must investigate whether the mysterious silent girl is a victim, a killer, or has gone insane.

 

Grab your copy of the suspense thriller everyone is talking about, and start reading right now.


 

 About the Author

Mark Nolan is an Amazon Bestselling Author and Kindle Unlimited All-Star. His latest book is titled The Girl Who Escaped.

 

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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Teaser Tuesday! SAVIOR by Harley Wylde #mcRomance @changelingpress

 

(Dixie Reapers MC)

 

Motorcycle Club Romance

Date Published: July 22, 2022


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 Dessa -- I’ve always known Sonja, my foster sister, thrives on chaos. It never occurred to me she’d go so far as to buy children, then use them as leverage against a club of bikers. When armed men burst through the door, I’m terrified -- not only of them, but of losing little Junie and Judd. Those kids mean everything to me, but they’re not really mine. I know I can’t keep them. And when the bikers walk out with the children, I don’t even try to stop them. Without Sonja and the kids, I’m alone. The darkness I’ve held at bay starts to close in on me, and I have to wonder… how much longer before I join my family on the other side?

Savior -- I only wanted my daughter. When I find her, I didn’t count on a sweet angel keeping watch. I should walk away. But Dessa loves my little girl as if she were her own. I feel like a monster taking Junie away from her. There’s a sadness in her eyes. It tugs at me, makes me want to protect her. So I give in to my instincts, and I take Dessa with me. I didn’t count on falling under her spell. She’s wrapped me around her finger, and I’m not sure I really mind.


WARNING: Savior is part of the Dixie Reapers MC series and contains graphic language, adult situations, and violence. It’s intended for adult readers age 18+.

 

 

 

EXCERPT

All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2022 Harley Wylde

 


Dessa

I didn’t know where my sister had found the children, but little Junie and Judd were the sweetest kids. They weren’t hers. No matter what she implied, I knew she’d never been pregnant. Not to mention, she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body. Of course, I’d seen plenty of parents who didn’t have what it took to take care of children. Which was why I’d ended up in foster care, along with Sonja.

It bothered me, not knowing where the children came from. Did they have parents searching for them? Had Sonja stolen them to try and give them a better life? I had too many questions, and she never offered any answers. Not that I’d seen her lately. She usually stopped by every other week with some cash and would buy groceries. Until the day she’d walked out and not returned. Had she grown bored with the kids? It wouldn’t have surprised me.

I rolled my chair forward and scooped Junie onto my lap. She giggled and clapped her hands, always enjoying a ride. To her, it was a game. For me… Well, it was a reminder of the life I’d never get to have. Jeremy had made it clear no one would want a woman like me for a wife. The accident hadn’t been my fault. He’d walked away, and I hadn’t. Thanks to the drunk driver, and nerve damage, I’d never walk again.

I could have wallowed in self-pity, or let depression drag me down. It had been close for a while. Once Jeremy dumped me, I’d spiraled. I’d barely been existing when Sonja found me. She’d asked for my help, even though she hadn’t explained what she needed. I’d agreed, as long as it wasn’t illegal. She’d smirked and said I’d be fine. Then she’d vanished again, only to show up about five months ago with two kids in tow.

The first two months after the accident had been rough. Adjusting to life in a wheelchair hadn’t been easy. Hell, most days I still struggled. I wondered if I always would.

“How’s my sweet girl today?” I asked, kissing her cheek.

I glanced at the kitchen and knew I’d have to order supplies soon. The money Sonja had left was long gone. She should have returned months ago. Part of me worried she’d forgotten about us. Or worse, she’d gotten into trouble. Being unable to drive made life a little difficult at times. Even if I’d had a car, I wasn’t sure how I’d manage. I hadn’t had insurance when the accident happened. If the drunk driver hadn’t covered my medical expenses, I’d have never gotten my wheelchair. The damn things cost entirely too much.

Thankfully, there were apps for nearly everything these days. I could have groceries delivered, as long as I had money. Maybe someday I could afford a car and figure out how to drive without the use of my legs. It just wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

Chasing the little ones didn’t give me much time for work, and my job barely covered our expenses. If Sonja didn’t return soon, we’d be in trouble. I had enough for some groceries, as long as I bought cheap things like macaroni or spaghetti. I knew the kids needed healthier options, but it was better to feed them than to make them starve.

Judd held his arms up, and I lifted him onto my lap as well. They both curled against me, and I knew they were ready for a nap. Wheeling us into the living room, I picked up their favorite book off the coffee table. We’d read Goodnight Moon so many times, I had it memorized. And yet, the kids wanted to listen to it every day. Sometimes more than once.

We were on page four when someone pounded on the door. I clutched the children to me and stared, too scared to open it. It rattled on the hinges, and I knew it had to be a man on the other side. I’d never met a woman with that much force behind their fist. Didn’t mean there weren’t any. I’d just never known any.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

“You have to the count of three to open this damn door or I’m breaking it down,” a deep voice said from the other side.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I started backing my chair toward the hall. I knew if they really wanted in, there wasn’t any way I could stop them. The way he beat on the door made me fear not only for my life, but the lives of the children. When he made it into the house, we’d be helpless.

I whispered to the kids, hoping they’d listen. “I need you both to go hide. Don’t come out unless I call you. Understand?”

Junie blinked at me and didn’t say anything. Judd stared and refused to move. I whimpered, not wanting anything bad to happen to them. Stuck in my chair, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight off whoever was trying to break in.

“Lady, you let me in or I swear to Christ it won’t be pretty when I get my hands on you.”

I backed up even more. The door nearly exploded off the hinges as a group of large men came barreling into the house. I screamed, and the children started crying. I held them tight, hoping to soothe them, but I was just as terrified. What did these men want?

“Please, we don’t have anything valuable. Take whatever you want. Just don’t hurt us,” I begged. More men came into the house, and the breath in my lungs froze when I recognized one of them. “Johnny?”

He blinked, and his eyebrows lifted. “Dessa?”

“What’s going on?” Some of my tension eased. It had been a long time since I’d last seen him, but unless he’d drastically changed, I knew he wouldn’t hurt us. Hopefully, that meant the other men wouldn’t either.

“I go by Saint now,” he said, coming farther into the house. “I think the better question is why are you here and with those two kids?”

 

 

About the Author

Harley Wylde is the International Bestselling Author of the Dixie Reapers MC, Devil's Boneyard MC, and Hades Abyss MC series.

When Harley's writing, her motto is the hotter the better -- off-the-charts sex, commanding men, and the women who can't deny them. If you want men who talk dirty, are sexy as hell, and take what they want, then you've come to the right place. She doesn't shy away from the dangers and nastiness in the world, bringing those realities to the pages of her books, but always gives her characters a happily-ever-after and makes sure the bad guys get what they deserve.

The times Harley isn't writing, she's thinking up naughty things to do to her husband, drinking copious amounts of Starbucks, and reading. She loves to read and devours a book a day, sometimes more. She's also fond of TV shows and movies from the 1980s, as well as paranormal shows from the 1990s to today, even though she'd much rather be reading or writing. You can find out more about Harley or enter her monthly giveaway on her website. Be sure to join her newsletter while you're there to learn more about discounts, signing events, and other goodies!


Contact Links

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok: @harleywylde

Twitter: @HarleyW_Writer

 

Publisher’s Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @changelingpress

 

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