The Breeders Series: The Complete Box Set

by Katie French

  “Ah, God. I thought I was done for.” When he raises his head, there’s a crooked smile on his face. He’s thin and lean, with all appearances of a man just barely surviving on whatever he can scrounge up. From what I understand, it’s rough out there. Not that I’d know much about what it’s like beyond the walls of Shiprock.

  “Next time, try the front door,” I say, slowing my breathing and letting the night air dry the moisture on my brow. I’d remove my hat, but if I did, my long hair would be a dead giveaway. Most people assume because I have this job that I’m a male, and I don’t have any desire to tip them off on the fact I’m far from it.

  Even though females aren’t bought and sold anymore, they’re still considered the weaker sex, which is ridiculous. I’ve seen Kace, my brother-in-law, cry more times than I can count, while Shannon, my sister, has never once shed a tear. Weaker sex, my left butt cheek.

  But when I lean back and my jacket gaps open, his eyebrows rise. “A girl? Huh. Never woulda taken you for female.”

  “Thanks,” I say dryly.

  He sits up. “You know, you and me could scoot outta here. I got a car on the road a mile back. Real nice. We could go somewhere a hell of a lot better than this.”

  I watch him carefully, noting the greedy gleam in his eyes. He doesn’t have a car. And he isn’t trying to be my friend. When he looks at me, he sees dollar signs. He’d have me hogtied, gagged, and shipped out to some sex farm in a hot second.

  “Well, now, doesn’t that sound like a nice offer?” I respond dryly. “But I think I’ll kindly pass.”

  When his hand goes for his knife, I’m not surprised.

  I spring up, pinning him with my boot before he can get the blade out of his pocket. Pressing hard, I grind his face into the gravel. “And just when I thought you and me were getting along.”

  “Gerroff,” he mumbles, struggling.

  Dropping to my knees on top of him, I start to wrestle his arms behind his back to cuff them. The click of the metal handcuffs is satisfying.

  “Ow,” he moans.

  Yeah, I may have made the cuffs too tight.

  “Let’s go,” I demand, hauling him to his feet.

  “You bitch.” He spits as I lead him to the stairs.

  “The name’s Meg, buddy,” I say, tweaking his arm a little harder than I have to. “And be sure to tell your friends it was a bitch who saved your life.”

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  A Letter to my Readers

  I can’t believe it’s over. Riley’s journey has come to an end. It’s taken me seven years of my life and many trials and tribulations. Just as I’ve watched my own children grow, so too have I watched Riley. She grew out of me but became something so much more than I imagined her to be all those years ago. She’s a person in her own right, and I’m proud of her choices. I’m not sure I could’ve done what she did. She’s the bravest part of me. And still braver.

  And to you, dear reader. If you’ve made it this far, you love her as much as I do. And maybe you are as sad to see it end as I am. Well, I’ll tell you a little secret. It may never be over. Someday my fingers will itch, and the only way to scratch that itch may be to tell one of Riley’s stories. When that day comes, I’ll run back to my old friend and embrace the journey. There is, after all, nothing like a reunion of old friends.

  I hope you’ve been taken on an exciting journey. I hope you find another book of mine that you will like just as well. Sometimes that happens, and sometimes not. But I appreciate you. I appreciate your tenacity, your attention. It isn’t easy to give time that could be used on one million glowing, beeping, dancing things. If you picked books, and these books in particular, you and I are kindred souls. I hope to meet you sometime in a bookstore or bar and buy you a drink. We are unique creatures, us book dwellers and dreamers. And we need to stick together.

  Until next time,

  Katie French

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  Katie

  About the Author - Katie French

  Katie French is an Amazon best-selling author in Young Adult Sci-fi and Fantasy. Her book, The Breeders, was a semi-finalist in the 2014 Kindle Book Awards. Other than that, her major award includes a "Best Mom Mug" which is cute, but really, she'd rather just have the cash.

  She works as a high school English teacher, and, yes, she will correct your grammar. In her free time, she writes manically, reads great books, and takes care of her three fairly mediocre children (whom she loves very much if they are reading this).

  You can join her mailing list at www.katiefrenchbooks.com and receive TWO FREE full-length novels.

  Contact her at katie@katiefrenchbooks.com.