by Willow Rose
She closed her eyes and plunged in.
As she landed in the water, she swam for the surface as fast as she could, then spotted the lights from the yacht club. Sandra screamed while trying to swim.
Then she heard the plunge coming from behind her, and panic set in as she realized the diver had jumped in after her. She swam for her life, screaming for help, desperately flapping the water, but feeling like she was going nowhere, like in those awful nightmares she always had where she ran and ran, but never moved. She lifted her head above the water and gasped for air when she felt something grab her. Arms reached up from the ocean beneath her and pulled her downward forcefully into the deep darkness below.
Chapter 5
“You should have seen her; it was like that time when we told her she couldn’t start horseback riding because we couldn’t afford it. Do you remember that? Of course, you do. How could you forget? It almost broke your heart, having to say no to her. It was embarrassing to her since Amelia, her best friend, got to go. That’s the only time I remember you being embarrassed by us not having much.”
I reached over and took Camille’s hand in mine. It was so delicate, and I was reminded of the day of our wedding when I had put the ring on her finger. I had held her hand in mine and thought it was such a responsibility to have to take care of another person, someone so fragile.
I had no idea how right I had been.
“Anyway, I told her she was grounded for a month, then took it back and said a week instead. But then she started to bargain, and we ended on two days. I know what you’re thinking; don’t give me that look,” I said and chuckled, then leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. My face was still pounding from the beating I had received the night before. “I am weak; I have to admit it. I have a soft spot for our daughter. I never can be mad at her for more than a few minutes. It’s those eyes, you know? I can’t resist them.”
I sighed and looked at my wife. She was still beautiful, so gorgeous. And those eyes, they still had me locked in. Even though they weren’t exactly looking at me, but down at the floor while her head slumped to the side and slid downward toward her shoulder. I grabbed it and pushed it back in place on the pillow. I had bought her one of those elevation beds so she could sit up straight from time to time, but her head kept falling, so I lowered it slightly. Her eyes stared right past me as I looked at her beautiful face and caressed her cheek. I leaned over and wiped drool from her chin, then kissed her cheek gently, closing my eyes, envisioning her when she had still been well.
Before the drugs caused her brain damage.
People usually thought that if you overdosed, you either died or you would be okay. But that wasn’t always true. Not for Camille. She had been a drug addict when I met her through my job as an undercover cop at Miami PD, infiltrating the underworld of crack, especially in Overtown, the Haitian part of town. She had been hooked back then, and I had taken her to a rehab facility, taken her off the streets, paying for it out of my own pocket. I had visited her every day while she was there, and soon, we fell in love. When she was released, she moved in with me in my townhouse, and the year after, we were married, and she had our daughter, Josie. For years, she stayed clean; at least I believed she was clean. Until one day three years ago, when I came home from my shift and found her. Her head rested on a pillow on the couch, her wrists were bent and fingers contracted into fists. She was rocking back and forth as if to stand up but then collapsed into the sofa. That was when I knew something was terribly wrong. She had taken heroin and fentanyl and that had caused her to stop breathing. I rushed her to the hospital, and they managed to get her to breathe on her own again. Her kidneys had failed and they had then recovered as well. But her brain had been starved of oxygen for so long that it was left severely damaged. Now, she lived in the bedroom upstairs in her new bed, while I slept on a mattress on the floor next to her, making sure I’d wake up in case she needed me.
The doctors said she would never be the same as she used to be. Still, I was determined to make the most of our time together while she was still here. But, boy, I missed hearing her voice. I missed hearing her laugh and seeing her dance with our daughter in the kitchen downstairs. I missed everything about her, but most of all, I missed looking into her deep brown eyes. I hated that she was just lying there in that bed, completely lifeless alongside a urinary catheter, pill boxes, and her feeding tube.
“There you go,” I said and wiped the last of the drool away, then tossed the napkin, biting back my tears. “You’re as good as new.”
There was a small knock on the door, and Jean, my next-door neighbor, poked her head in.
“I think Josie is ready for school soon,” she said. “I can take over and give Camille her bath now?”
I smiled when seeing her. Jean wasn’t only my neighbor; she was also my savior and helping hand. She was a registered nurse and helped me out with Camille as much as I needed. She was also Camille’s best friend and had been very close to her before the overdose. At least, we thought she was, but she had been every bit as surprised as I was to learn that Camille had started doing drugs again.
I walked to her and hugged her. “Thank you, Jean. You’re the best. I don’t think I would know how to get by without you. I’m sure Camille knows how much you do for her and us, and if she could, she’d thank you.”
That made her blush. “Don’t give me that,” she said and waved me away. “You’ll ruin my makeup. I just got myself ready for my shift and all the doctors I plan on flirting with today. I won’t have you ruin that. Go and take care of your daughter, and then I’ll have a look at that shiner afterward.”
END OF EXCERPT…
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About the Author
Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 80 novels.
Several of her books have reached the top 10 of ALL books on Amazon in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three million books all over the world.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won't see coming. That's why her fans call her The Queen of Scream.
Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Books by the Author
MYSTERY NOVELS
EVA RAE THOMAS MYSTERY SERIES
Don’t Lie To Me (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #1) - Click here
What You Did (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #2) - Click here
Never ever (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #3) - Click here
Say you love me (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #4) - Click here
Let Me Go (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #5) - Click here
It’s Not Over (Eva Rae Thomas Myst
ery #6) - Click here
Not Dead Yet (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #7) - Click here
To Die For (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #8) - Click here
Such A Good Girl (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #9) - Click here
HARRY HUNTER MYSTERY SERIES
All The Good Girls (Harry Hunter Mystery #1) - Click here
Run Girl Run (Harry Hunter Mystery #2) - Click here
No Other Way (Harry Hunter Mystery #3) - Click here
Never Walk Alone (Harry Hunter Mystery #4) - Click here
MARY MILLS MYSTERY SERIES
What Hurts the Host (Mary Mills Mystery #1) - Click here
You Can Run (Mary Mills Mystery #2) - Click here
You Can’t Hide (Mary Mills Mystery #3) - Click here
Careful Little Eyes (Mary Mills Mystery #4) - Click here
JACK RYDER MYSTERY SERIES
Hit the Road Jack (Jack Ryder #1) - Click here
Slip Out the Back Jack (Jack Ryder #2) - Click here
The House that Jack Built (Jack Ryder #3) - Click here
Black Jack (Jack Ryder #4) - Click here
Girl next door (Jack Ryder #5) - Click here
Her final word (Jack Ryder #6) - Click here
Don’t Tell (Jack Ryder #7) - Click here
EMMA FROST MYSTERY SERIES
Itsy Bitsy Spider (Emma Frost #1) - Click here
Miss Polly had a Dolly (Emma Frost #2)- Click here
Run, Run, as Fast as you Can (Emma Frost #3) - Click here
Cross your Heart and Hope to Die (Emma Frost #4) - Click here
Peek A Boo I See You (Emma Frost #5) - Click here
Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Emma Frost #6) - Click here
Easy as One Two Three (Emma Frost #7) - Click here
There's No Place like Home (Emma Frost #8) - Click here
Slenderman (Emma Frost #9) - Click here
Where the Wild Roses Grow (Emma Frost #10) - Click here
Waltzing Mathilda (Emma Frost #11) - Click here
Drip Drop Dead (Emma Frost #12) - Click here
Black Frost (Emma Frost #13) - Click here
REBEKKA FRANCK MYSTERY SERIES
One, Two... He is Coming for You (Rebekka Franck #1) - Click here
Three, Four ... Better Lock your Door (Rebekka Franck #2) - Click here
Five, Six ... Grab your Crucifix (Rebekka Franck #3) - Click here
Seven, Eight... Gonna Stay up Late (Rebekka Franck #4) - Click here
Nine, Ten... Never Sleep Again (Rebekka Franck #5) - Click here
Eleven, Twelve... Dig and Delve (Rebekka Franck #6) - Click here
Thirteen, Fourteen... Little Boy Unseen (Rebekka Franck #7) - Click here
Better not cry (Rebekka Franck #8) - Click here
Ten little Girls (Rebekka Franck #9) - Click here
It Ends Here (Rebekka Franck #10) - Click here
MYSTERY/HORROR NOVELS
Edwina - Click here
To Hell in A Handbasket - Click here
Umbrella Man - Click here
Black Bird Fly - Click here
In Cold Blood - Click here
HORROR SHORT STORIES
Eenie, Meenie - Click here
Rock-A-Bye Baby - Click here
Nibble, Nibble, Crunch - Click here
Humpty, Dumpty - Click here
Chain Letter - Click here
Better Watch Out - Click here
Mommy Dearest - Click here
The Bird- Click here
FANTASY, SCI-FI AND PARANORMAL ROMANCE/SUSPENSE
THE VAMPIRES OF SHADOW HILLS
Flesh and Blood - Click here
Blood and Fire - Click here
Fire and Beauty - Click here
Beauty and Beasts - Click here
Beasts and Magic - Click here
Magic and Witchcraft - Click here
Witchcraft and War - Click here
War and Order - Click here
Order and Chaos- Click here
Chaos and Courage - Click here
THE AFTERLIFE SERIES
Beyond (Afterlife #1) - Click here
Serenity (Afterlife #2) - Click here
Endurance (Afterlife #3) - Click here
Courageous (Afterlife #4) - Click here
The Surge - Click here
Girl Divided - Click here
In One Fell Swoop - Click here
THE DAUGHTERS OF THE JAGUAR SERIES
Savage (Daughters of the Jaguar #1) - Click here
Broken (Daughters of the Jaguar #2) - Click here
THE WOLFBOY CHRONICLES
Song for a Gypsy (The Wolfboy Chronicles) - Click here
I am WOLF (The Wolfboy Chronicles) - Click here
BOX SETS
Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series: Book 1-3 - Click here
Jack Ryder Mystery Series Box Set: Vol 1-3 - Click here
Jack Ryder Mystery Series Box Set: Vol 4–6 - Click here
Mary Mills Mystery Series Box Set: Vol 1-2 - Click here
Mary Mills Mystery Series Box Set: Vol 1-3 - Click here
Rebekka Franck Series Vol 1-3 - Click here
Rebekka Franck Series Vol 4-6 - Click here
Rebekka Franck Series Vol 1-5 - Click here
Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 1-3 - Click here
Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 4-6 - Click here
Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 7-9 - Click here
Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 1-5 - Click here
Daughters of the Jaguar Box Set - Click here
The Vampires of Shadow Hills: Books 1-3 - Click here
The Vampires of Shadow Hills: Books 4–6 - Click here
The Vampires of Shadow Hills: Books 6–9 - Click here
The Afterlife Series (Books 1-3)- Click here
Horror Stories from Denmark - Click here
The Wolfboy Chronicles - Click here
Copyright © Willow Rose 2021
Published by BUOY MEDIA LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Cover design by Juan Villar Padron,
https://www.juanjpadron.com
Special thanks to my editor Janell Parque
http://janellparque.blogspot.com/
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Contents
What’s coming next from Willow Rose?
Prologue
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Afterword
ALL THE GOOD GIRLS (Harry Hunter Mystery Series Book 1)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
ONE YEAR LATER
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Order your copy today!
About the Author
Books by the Author
Copyright
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