Heart Broken (Game of Hearts Series Book 1)
Page 18
Thank you for reading Heart Broken, the first book in the Game of Hearts Series. Clara will be on her journey to find her attacker for quite some time, so don’t worry about her making it to the next book. Don’t worry, I’m a sucker for HEA!
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Website: https://sarahalabaster.com
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Here is a list of books by Sarah Alabaster out now or coming soon. For more information stop by Sarah’s book page on her website: http://sarahalabaster.com/books/ or on Sarah’s Amazon Author Page: http://geni.us/asabamzn:
Game of Hearts Series (Romance Mystery Suspense) http://geni.us/amzngmhrts
Heart Broken http://geni.us/amznhrtbrkn
Heart’s Desire http://geni.us/amznhrtdsr
Heart’s Obsession http://geni.us/amznhrtobss
Meadow Pines Series (Contemporary Romance) http://geni.us/amznmdwpns
Isolated Encounter http://geni.us/amznisltd
Innocent Encounter http://geni.us/amzninnenctr
Indecent Encounter http://geni.us/amznindctenctr
Fatal Encounter
His & Hers Series (Paranormal Romance) http://geni.us/amznhhs
His to Protect http://geni.us/amznhsprt
His to Cherish http://geni.us/amznhschr
Hers to Love http://geni.us/amznhrlv
Grand Lighthouse Series (Romantic Thriller)
Harbor Skies
Guiding Lighthouse
Parker Falls Series (MFM Erotic Romance)
Find Her
Keep Her
Save Her
Protect Her
Children’s Books
Penguin Getaway http://geni.us/penguingetaway
Dog in the Tree
Take a moment to read a sample of Heart’s Desire, the next book in the Game of Hearts Series.
HEART’S DESIRE
Game of Hearts Book 2
Prologue
“Shhh,” she hears as the burn begins to register.
It’s a fleeting sound that makes its way into the deepest corners of her psyche.
Thoughts of tomorrow rush past her as the unwelcome cloudiness begins its decent upon her being.
It’s the pain of the blade as it penetrates over and over, again and again, along with the burn that accompanies it each and every time.
“Shhh” is all she hears now, but she can’t figure out the voice that’s saying it.
Then the darkness welcomes itself to her. It’s the last thing she hears—the hush from a man who is trying to kill her.
***
It’s hard to tell where this all began, but for me this is the moment that embeds itself in my brain like a tape stuck on repeat. Over and over the moment takes hold, shattering what’s left of me. Over and over I hear the hush from someone I just can’t place.
Why won’t this stop? I ask myself as I gaze upon my reflection in the mirror. Flashes of that moment play once again in the background, like a memory just out of reach.
Why do I have to keep enduring this?
Looking up at the sky, I pray for an answer I know won’t come.
Why can’t this all just go away?
Burying my head in my hands, a tear slides down my cheek. I’m stuck in a nightmare.
But it’s been eight years!
I’m exasperated at once again having to relive this whole ordeal. My scars are just now beginning to fade from the deep reddish color they were to more of a white that blends into my skin more and more every day.
Why can’t the memories fade as well?
It’s progress to finally be able to look at myself in the mirror without having to see what happened, but those stupid flashbacks bring it all back time and again. The stranglehold of the memories chokes me until I can barely breathe as it plays out in my mind. It draws out the devastation in my heart. I still can’t believe that the person who inflicted all this on me was never found. I can’t even remember who he was. I couldn’t give the police or anyone else the information they needed to find him.
It kills me that I’ve never got the justice I so rightly deserve.
He’s still out there. Is he waiting? Will he return someday? When will that moment come? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?
It’s the wait that maddens me, the sheer drama and terror of it all. I live my life never knowing if that person will be back. I’m always looking in the darkest corners of wherever I am to see if someone will come out and attack me. Heck, we don’t even know if it’s a man or woman at this point, so we can’t even narrow down the general population to a target demographic that could be psycho.
I remember knowing that voice at the time, but once I woke up in the hospital, that memory was so faded that all I could recollect were the words—not the person who was saying them.
The memories of that day never seem far from my subconscious. The answers are just out of reach and prevent me from finding out the truth. The sounds of the hush are clear, yet still not audible enough to make out who was there.
All I know is that that person stole the promising life of a young woman just beginning to take on the world.
~ ~ ~
Thank you for taking a moment to read the next book in the series. For more information about this book and others out or coming soon, stop by Sarah’s book page on her website: http://sarahalabaster.com/books/ or on Sarah’s Amazon Author Page: http://geni.us/asabamzn