Kestrel

by A. M. Hargrove

“About what?”

  “I melted. The little guy made me melt.” And then I start sobbing like a big pansy ass. Not so much because I’m holding this unbelievable little guy, but because someone ripped me away from my mom. Holding my son—feeling the way I do—I can’t imagine how my mother must’ve felt. And then the fucker that did it never loved me. Never showed me one damn ounce of affection. It all breaks loose right here in Carter’s room as I hug our tiny son tenderly to my chest. And Carter is right about me. I could never in a million years be a bad father to this baby. It wouldn’t be possible. Because if anyone ever tried to hurt him, ever tried to harm one teeny hair on his head, I would annihilate the son of a bitch.

  I look up at my wife and she knows. She sees it. Smiling, she reaches out her hand to us. I stand and hand her our baby. The doctor and nurses have left and it’s just the three of us.

  She pats the bed and says, “Get in here bubs. I need you close to me.”

  I climb into the bed next to her and we lie there, our loving little family. She opens her gown and lays the little guy on her breast. He snuggles right up to her and makes these cute little slurpy noises. I am in awe once again as I watch her nurse our son. Then with her other arm, she hugs my head.

  “You did great, angel. I don’t know how you did it, but you were awesome.”

  She looks at me and smiles. “I had you to help me.”

  “Nah. I never knew how fucking hard it would be for you. And even after all that work, you still are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “Thanks, but I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  I put my arm around her and the baby. “So, angel, what are we going to name him?”

  “Can we name him Daniel after my father?”

  “How about Daniel Drayton Hart?”

  “Kestrel, do you know what your real name was? Before Langston stole you?”

  “Yeah. It was Traynor McConnell. Why?”

  “How about Daniel Traynor Hart?”

  “I’d kind of prefer Daniel Drayton and if we ever have another boy, why don’t we name him Traynor?”

  “Okay. Daniel Drayton it is. Kestrel? I’m glad you let it all out.”

  “It hit me at an odd time, don’t you think?”

  “Not odd at all. You finally came full circle.”

  I think about it for a minute, and she’s right. The son has a son. And now he’s determined never to do what was done to him.

  “You need sleep, angel. You had a rough few hours. He’s a beast, isn’t he? Nine pounds. Wow.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, he is. He’s gonna take after his daddy.”

  I kinda like the sound of that.

  “I’ll be right here with you, if you need anything, angel.”

  “You always are, Kestrel. You always are.”

  Epilogue

  Five Years Later

  News Release—New York, NY StrongMeds, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Medical BioPharma has announced that it has received approval for two drugs: EX-Ells and PRO-Ells. These drugs will alter all current cancer treatment protocols. EX-Ells disables the cancer cells so they can no longer block the immune system from destroying it. PRO-Ells tightens up the immune system so the cancer cells can’t destroy it. In other words, the part of the immune system responsible for destroying cancer cells, namely T-cells, will be protected by PRO-Ells so they can go in and do their job, which is to destroy cancer cells before any cancer cells have a chance to destroy them. StrongMeds claims that given together, these two products will work side-by-side in the treatment of most cancers, removing the necessity for many of the debilitating treatments that are commonly used today.

  Carter Drayton Hart, Ph.D., the genetic engineer who was instrumental in the development of these two products, said, “Using EX-Ells and PRO-Ells will strengthen the immune system and make most cancers completely vulnerable to lysis, giving the patient a high chance for unbelievable cure rates that we have not experienced before this. They were years in the making, but we are pleased to see them finally hit the market. Our studies have shown amazing cure rates with extremely low side effects. This is an unprecedented breakthrough for cancer patients all over the world,” Hart went on to say. Another spokesperson for StrongMeds said the products would be available for use next week.

  The End

  A Note From The Author

  My friend, Carter, who fights the battle against cancer every day, inspired this book. Her amazing spirit and courage to live life to its fullest each day is a treasure and something we should all be doing. Every time I’m around her (which isn’t often enough), she has me laughing and thinking about things in a way I never did before. So keep fighting, Carter, and may we all strive to be more like you!

  As for the research in the book, it is fiction. However, there are two drugs that have recently been approved that are PD1/PD-L1 agents. They are actually classified as monoclonal antibodies so they act differently in the body than traditional chemotherapeutic agents (they target the cancer cells only), which is why there are much fewer side effects. Currently, they are being used to treat lung cancers and melanoma. It was just announced in February 2014, that studies would now begin for bladder cancers and later in the year other types of cancers as well. While my story is a pipe dream, cancer treatment may be headed in that direction. Let’s all pray it happens sooner rather than later.

  If you enjoyed Kestrel, please consider leaving a review at your favorite e-tailer. If you could help spread the word, that would also be appreciated. Tell your family, friends, aunts, cousins, uncles, (well, maybe not your uncles—not unless they like romance novels!). Hell, tell your frenemies, too. Whatever. Indie Authors appreciate any kind of buzz (even the vodka kind!), so I’ll even take that, as long as it doesn’t come with a drive-by rotten tomato or two. Just saying. This author thanks you in advance for doing so.

  Please look for the final installment of The Hart Brothers Novels, which will be about Kade. The release date will be sometime in early summer. Read on for a brief excerpt.

  About the Author

  A.M. Hargrove divides her time between the mountains of North Carolina and the upstate of South Carolina where she pursues her dream career of writing. Her family considers her crazy, her friends will agree, but she’s always game for some fun times. If she could change anything in the world, she would make chocolate and ice cream a part of the USDA food groups. Annie writes romance in several genres, including adult, new adult, and young adult. Her books usually include lots of suspense and thrills and she sometimes ventures into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy blend.

  Other Books by A. M. Hargrove

  The Guardians of Vesturon Series:

  Survival, Book 1

  Resurrection, Book 2

  Determinant, Book 3

  reEmergent, Book 4

  Dark Waltz, A Praestani Novel

  Death Waltz, A Praestani Novel

  The Edge Series:

  Edge of Disaster

  Shattered Edge

  Kissing Fire

  The Tragic Series:

  Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1

  Tragic Desires, Tragic 2

  The Hart Brothers Series

  Freeing Her, Book 1

  Freeing Him, Book 2

  Kestrel, Book 3

  Exquisite Betrayal

  Dirty Nights, The Novel

  Stalk A.M. Hargrove

  If you would like to hear more about what’s going on in my world, please subscribe to my mailing list here.

  Please stalk me. I’ll love you forever if you do. Seriously.

  Website

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  Amazon Author Page

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  annie@amhargrove.com

  And now here’s a sneak peak at Kade’s upcoming book. Please be aware this book is currently untitled and this excerpt is unedited.

  Chapter One

  Juliette Em
ilie

  Two Years Ago

  My car was loaded with all my belongings. It was sad to leave my friends but wasn’t that a part of graduating from college? Commencements had taken place two weeks ago and we’d all decided to hang around for an extra week. That expanded into two. My parents finally put their feet firmly down and said it was time to head home. We all cried. I mean ugly cried. If that wasn’t bad enough, I was teary-eyed all the way home, too.

  As part of my graduation gift, my parents promised to take the family on a vacation. We were leaving next week for a trip to the Caribbean. We’d been once before when I was a kid, but my little sister didn’t remember. She and I were both excited because it had been ages since we’d hung out together. We’re three years apart and I adore her so this will be a special trip for us.

  When I pulled in the driveway, I honked the horn. They knew when to expect me because I texted them when I left my apartment. I thought it was weird that no one came to the door. Some kind of homecoming, after all that begging to get me back here. Instead of lugging my stuff inside, I decided to enlist their help.

  Barging in the front door, all smiles, I came to a screeching halt. Furiously, I blinked to clear my vision. The scene that greeted me couldn’t possibly by real. It wasn’t possible to process what I was seeing. Was this some kind of a cruel joke? Was this a staged scene to make me regret staying so long at school?

  I squeezed my eyes shut, praying when I opened them again it would all be gone, because I knew none of the above was possible. It was the scent of blood that clued me in … that brought me out of my frozen state. I never knew what a distinct and pungent odor blood had. And why would I? I had never been around such an enormous quantity of it before. There were rivers and ponds of it, forming pools as it still trickled from the bodies of my mom, dad, and sister.

  “Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God.” I swallowed and then tried to scream, but only a weird squeak emerged from my mouth. It was only when I tasted my own blood that I realized my hand was clamped over my face so hard, my teeth had gouged into my lips. My baby sister, Sylvie, lay slumped on her side, one arm bent across her stomach, the other stretched out, palm open. My mom, my beloved mother, was facing my sister, both arms reaching out to her as if she tried to get to Sylvie before she died. And next to my mom was my dad, flat on his back, vacant eyes open to the ceiling.

  “Noooo!” I finally screeched. There was so much blood everywhere. I wanted to hug all of them, hold them in my arms, but all I could do was stare at the gruesome scene in front of me. The thought never occurred to me that whoever did this could still be in the house. The shock of seeing it all took every bit of rationality away from me. My head involuntarily jerked between the three of them, eventually settling on my dad. On shaky legs that carried me as far as the sofa, my hip slumped against it, then my butt slid to the floor.

  I sat and stared at their faces for I don’t know how long. They say right before you die, your life flashes through your mind. I don’t know if that’s true, but as I sat there staring at my murdered family, memories zoomed through my head—almost like a slide show on fast forward of photos from family events. It began when I was a young and ended at my college graduation just a couple of weeks ago. My whole being vibrated with agony, knowing those were the final memories I would have of them.

  My entire family lay dead. Not just dead, but slaughtered, their necks ripped apart, and their legs split open from their groins to their knees. Even though they were the victims, I felt like my guts had been ripped out right along with their throats. My belly heaved and twisted in agony. The piercing pain that slashed my heart to shreds radiated through me ceaselessly. I hugged myself in a stupid attempt to ease the pain, but I should have known better. That would’ve been like putting a Band-Aid on an amputation. And that’s exactly how I felt. Like someone had cut off my arms and legs. For some reason I was unable to wrest my eyes away from the horror movie I was seeing. It was hideous. What happened? Who could’ve done such a thing? And why? My mind raced. Suddenly, my heart gave a massive lurch and a surge of adrenaline coursed through me. Body tingling, a jolt of panic instantly flooded my veins and I found it impossible to expand my lungs. My body crashed sideways to the floor and it was then I saw it. Next to my dad’s hand, scrawled in his blood, he’d written two words.

  JE Hide

  J.E. were my initials. Juliette Emilie. Why would he write my initials in his blood and the word “hide” right after them? The “e” on the end of hide was barely formed, as if it took all of his effort to complete it. Oh, Jesus. Oh, God. He must’ve known something. He was telling me to hide. Hide from what? What did he know? Did he know who did this to them? And if so, were they looking for me now? Oh shit. If so, I needed to get out of here. But where would I go?

  Sometimes a sense of intuition seeps into you and you have no idea where it came from. At that very moment, something settled over me and I crawled toward my dad, reached out my finger and slid it through my dad’s blood, making the words look like smears. Then, not knowing what to do with my bloody finger, I stuck it in my mouth, so as not to leave any evidence of my presence behind. Scrambling to my feet, making sure I avoided any of the blood, and nearly falling several times, I staggered out the door to my car. My hands shook so violently I couldn’t put the key in the ignition. It took several stabs until I was successful but I roared out of the driveway, tires squealing. It was a battle to stay conscious as I fought hyperventilation, but I did. My brain was scrambled eggs. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. Shit! My family was butchered and my dad left me a message in his own blood that told me to hide! That meant I couldn’t call my friends. That meant I was alone. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. What the fuck was I going to do?