by E. K. Blair
“Where are we going?”
“Out of the country. I don’t know. But we have to go somewhere long enough for us to figure this shit out.”
I shake my head, dropping it, feeling the tears drip off my cheeks. They sink down into the dirty carpet by my feet, and I know I can’t go on like this.
“I can’t do this, Pike. I can’t.”
“You can. You’re just scared. We’ve gotten through so much, and we will get through this. Just trust me.”
A tingle runs up my arms and drifts slowly down into my chest as I awaken. “I don’t know if I can do that anymore.”
Pike steps back, dropping his hands, saying, “What does that mean?”
“I don’t want to run.”
He paces across the room, and I feel it. The end. And it fucking kills me because I do love Pike. I always have.
“They’ll come after you, you know?” he threatens.
“No, they won’t. I didn’t do anything,” I refute. “You did it all.”
“Is that what you think? That your hands are the ones that are clean in this?” he says, growing irritated with me as his eyes turn to daggers. “I’m the invisible link here. It’s you that they’ll be after. The wife. The unfaithful wife. You had a motive too.”
“And what’s that?”
He pauses, taking a moment while a sly grin starts to spread across his face. “Your baby.”
The mere mention causes a physical reaction inside of me as my heart picks up its pace, rapidly beating inside of me.
“That’s right. The police probably already know. The lies you told will become truths because it’s what you led everyone to believe.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“You’re doing this. You’re the selfish one who’s willing to drop everything because you can’t do it anymore. What about me? You wanna leave me?”
“I don’t know what it is I want because you took all those choices away from me.”
“I’m not letting you leave me,” he demands. “I’ve given you too much.”
“All you’ve been doing is taking.”
“I gave you my goddamn life!” he screams, clenching his fist and punching it right through the paneled wall. My body trembles in fear when he bores his eyes into me, seething, “I gave you everything. I love you. I always have.”
And this is it. My moment of clarity. I’ll never get that new beginning because you can’t start a new life—a new beginning—when the past is right beside you. And Pike? He’s not going anywhere. He’ll never leave me, and he’ll never let me leave. But I’m not sure I could ever truly walk away from him because when you cut through all the shit, I love him. I love my brother so much.
“I love you, Elizabeth,” he says, lowering his voice, almost pleading.
“I know you do.”
“You can’t leave me. You know I hold too much over you,” he threatens.
“I know,” I weep, the tears flooding over and down my face as I reach behind me and welcome the feel of ice, cold steel in the palm of my hand.
“Elizabeth, please. Don’t give up on me—on us.”
“I’m so sorry, Pike. We’ll never be apart from each other. Our hearts will always be linked.”
And when the look of desperation in his eyes morphs into horror, widening as he watches me bring my arm around, he panics, “What are you doing?”
I release a breathless cry.
“I love you, Pike.”
(bang)
Thank you for reading Bang, book #1 in the Black Lotus series. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a spoiler-free review on Amazon.
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SO MUCH WORK was put into this book before I ever sat down and wrote the first word. The planning and plotting took months and months, and to see how this story morphed into what it is now is an amazing thing. The people involved with the creation of this book have been absolutely wonderful even though they have repeatedly questioned my sanity along the way.
Gina, you were the first person I ever told about the idea of this story that I was calling “Bang” because I just didn’t know what else to call it. We laughed at the name so many times as we worked closely together creating the cast of characters. I must thank you for Declan; the idea of him was brilliant, and you gave me a great base to build on. Thank you for spending hours on the phone with me, listening to one crazy idea after another. You are my partner in crime, and I love that I can continue to shock you.
Cathy, how can I possibly thank you properly? The hours we spent nailing down the details of this story, the plotting, creating, planning, and developing. You are a priceless asset to me that I do not take for granted. I know I gave you a few moments were you probably thought I was crazy, but you cheered me on nonetheless. You are my ever-constant support and everything a parent and friend should be, and I love you beyond what you could ever imagine. I look forward to working on the following books in this series with you!
Lisa, my editor, thank you for taking my words and making them shine. You are tough on me, but I will forever run to you because it’s the toughness I need. I truly feel like I have hit the jackpot with you. I don’t know how any other editor could do what you do for me with each and every book. Thank you for caring about not only my words and my story, but for caring about me. I love you; there’s nothing more I can say.
My husband, your undying support is beyond amazing and allows me to keep doing what I love. I don’t know how to thank you enough, love.
Luna, my bright moon in the dark sky above, my motivator, my cheerleader, my fighter, my friend. Working on this book together and the conversations that it sparked between us have been quite interesting. We have gone from laughing to crying, all the while forming a friendship along the way. Thank you for opening yourself up to this story, for the hard discussions we had while I was writing, for all of your words of encouragement. But above all, thank you for your honesty, even when you knew the words would be hard for me to hear. You are the fire I need by my side.
V, I love our early morning conversations and the way you laugh at me when I tell you my darkest ideas. Discussing my characters with you is always fun for me. You can always find a way to put a smile on my face no matter how discouraged I may be. Thank you for being my best friend through all these years.
My fans, I owe it all to you. For each and every one of you who read my stories, thank you. Bloggers, there are too many of you to mention, but I cannot thank you enough for all the time you spend reading, reviewing, and promoting my work. Your dedication means the world to me. My betas, thank you for all of your hard work. I absolutely couldn’t do this without you.
Ways To Connect
www.ekblair.com
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Twitter: @EK_Blair_Author
Coming Soon
in
The Black Lotus Series
Echo
(book 2)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21860884-echo
Hush
(book 3)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21860945-hush
Other Titles by E.K. Blair
Fading
(book 1)
Purchase Fading from Amazon.
Freeing
(book 2)
Purchase Freeing from Amazon.
Falling
(book 3)
Purchase Falling from Amazon.
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