by Nancy Glynn
Black 21
Golden Hills Legacy Series, Book One
Nancy Glynn
Copyright © 2015
Nancy Glynn
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Other books by Nancy Glynn
Lana’s Calling, #2
And Never Let Her Go, #1
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When Daisy Lock is asked to escort Christian Stone to his 21st birthday in a small town with a sinister plan, not only does she lose her heart to this mysterious man, but possibly her soul.
Growing up sheltered by an overprotective father, gifted Daisy Lock was determined to be independent and free, but freedom comes with a grim price. What appears to be an innocent family visit in the country turns into a dark favor asked by a stranger. Not all things are what they seem. Twenty-first birthdays take on a whole new meaning in this hideaway town. Thrown into an occult world filled with sinister lies, Daisy spirals down a destructive path of despair, taking risks for a man she hardly knows. But this man knows her very well. There’s a reason she’s been sheltered.
A connection with this stranger has been sewn since birth. She feels it the first time she meets him. A soul mate hand-picked a century ago. Nothing can come between them, not even the devil himself.
A deal is made. A contract signed in blood. There's no way out. No one to trust.
But will Daisy escape this plan made long ago, letting go of the one man she loves, or will she give in to the immortal world, forgetting her faith, accepting the true man Christian is, and live out her true destiny?
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
“Watch out for your daughters.
The man is coming.
He’ll promise you the world.
But if you accept, there’s no turning back.
Watch out for your daughters.
‘Cause here comes Jack.”
Chapter One
The little hairs flared on Daisy Lock’s neck, alerting her to an invisible presence invading her space. Why she was drawn to these woods she had no clue. She needed to get back.
She snapped her eyes to the crack of a twig nearby, bringing her second sense into sharper focus. She twisted around to catch the object in its act, and nothing but ordinary oak trees stood guard.
Crows squawked above her from hidden watchful places. The July sun peeked through the trees, warning her it would soon be gone.
Ordinary sounds of wildlife, birds chirping and ducks quacking, calmed her. A relaxed state overcame her...away from the city, away from the craziness of what happens in cities, what happens in Chicago. She wanted safety in this lush rural embrace of Golden Hills, Illinois.
Again that sound.
The late afternoon skies changed from a coral hue to a dusky purple. She started a fast stride through the dirt path, pushing branches out of her way that seemed to try to stop her.
Terror seized her. She thought her car was this direction. Was it the opposite way of the bench? Sweat broke out.
A crow hopped on a thick branch looming in front of her, cocking its head, cawing as if speaking to her.
She concentrated on her surroundings. It had to be the other way. When she turned around, she screamed so loud that birds scattered out of the trees.
A hooded male figure approached her. She shot her foot out, bringing him to his knees.
“Wait! Don’t run!” the man grunted.
She looked behind her to see if he was still there, but all she saw was the flying debris she kicked up.
A terrified girl then appeared, with short blonde hair, running through the woods, wearing a long white gown.
The girl stopped momentarily and peered into Daisy's face. With pleading eyes, she asked if Daisy saw her Leon. She then screamed, “He’s coming! Get out!" She took off while looking back, and then disappeared.
Daisy tried to follow the girl, but lost her. She stopped and felt a presence behind her again.
“Don’t be afraid,” a deep voice commanded, out of breath from chasing her.
Daisy turned and stood before the same man she encountered earlier. Her fists clenched to her sides, ready to fight.
“Daisy, right? You run fast!”
She released her clench and relaxed a little. “Who are you? And how do you know my name?” she asked.
“I've seen you around. You’re Betty and Joe’s niece, right? It’s a small town,” he shrugged, giving a wicked grin, and pulling his hood down to show dark hair.
“So you really know my aunt and uncle?” she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
He cleared his throat and glanced behind her. “Your car is over there...the Ford Fusion, right? Let’s get you in it before it really turns dark. You don’t want to be in these woods when it’s nighttime, believe me,” he added, walking to her car and beckoning her to follow.
“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I can get myself in my own car." She walked past him and hit the button on her key fob. Then she remembered. “Oh, my God. That girl!”
He looked confused. “What girl?”
“This girl was just running through here it looked like from someone. She looked scared and alone. I can’t just leave her." She shut her door and started for the woods again.
“No! It’s getting dark and there would be no girl out here, I can tell you that. Please just get in your car and leave. You shouldn’t be here at this time." He grabbed her elbow and walked her back, still limping from her earlier attack.
She pulled her elbow away and glanced at his leg. “Sorry about that. You just appeared out of nowhere, so it freaked me out. Did you drive here?" She started the engine to warm up the car from the strange chilly summer night air.
“I did, but I parked in another section,” he said, leaning in her window.
Daisy looked back to where that girl once was and sent a prayer to her. She caressed the beloved gold cross she wore around her neck. The memory of her running in a gown seemed so bizarre to her.
“Thinking about that girl that’s not out there?” he asked to which she nodded. “I'm telling you, you’re seeing things. You didn’t seem well when I first found you. Go home and rest, Daisy. I'll see you soon." He pulled up his hood and limped back through the woods.
“I thought you said no one should be in the woods at this time?” she asked with irritation.
“My truck is on the other side. And that doesn’t apply to me,” he responded, smiling, and returned to his walk.
“Wait! You never told me your name!” but he didn’t hear her.
Why did he say soon? She stared after him, wondering more about who he was. He carried a dark look about him, dark hair, dark eyes, and something hidden beneath that smile.
***
Later that evening, Daisy stood shaking and breathless in the kitchen doorway at the late hour of eleven. The sound of bell tolls in the night, striking eleven times, each one louder than the next, made her sit straight up in her bed out o
f a deep sleep. She still shook from the eerie sound, trying to steady her breath to a normal rate. The scene before her seemed strange. A cold feeling of dread hit her, swallowing the escaped bile back down. She was fine. This was her family's home, her aunt and uncle who loved and protected her.
Aunt Betty stirred beef stew in the crock pot, humming a laundry commercial song. Her aunt turned toward her. “Oh, you’re awake? Feeling any better, dear?" She continued to stir the stew, smiling.
Uncle Joe, a robust man with thick, white hair, sat at the table with a man Daisy had never seen before, in a heated discussion that came to an abrupt stop when she entered. He finally spoke after wiping his brow. “Come–sit with us, Daisy girl. This is our good friend, William Stone." He patted the wooden seat next to him.
A handsome man in his forties, wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts over a fresh tan, stared at Daisy with the most intense blue eyes. She had seen blue eyes before, but not this blue. They almost glowed.
Daisy nodded hello and sat on the edge of the chair, pulling her long, white robe tighter. She cleared her throat. “Is there a church near here?" Her gaze shifted between the two men.
He nodded. “Yes, not too far–a nice one." Uncle Joe turned to his wife. “Honey, get her something to eat.”
William continued to stare at Daisy with a peculiar interest, causing her to wiggle in her seat. Her leg muscles tensed, clenching. Her green eyes wavered between the two gentlemen, stifling that urge to run. She usually felt safe in their home, but not this visit.
Her uncle’s blue eyes grew large and black, returning to normal when she gave him a second glance. Daisy shook her head and rubbed her eyes, fatigue setting in from the drive from Chicago.
Uncle Joe smiled and touched her hand. “William, this is Daisy – my brother’s girl.”
“Enjoying your return visit to our town?”
“I just got here,” she said in a clipped tone.
Aunt Betty placed a bowl of stew before her and rubbed her head. “We love having her here. Our dream daughter. Need to do it more often.”
Daisy gave a small smile of thanks. She fiddled with the stew and finally took a bite. She watched as the men discussed some sort of deadline, on the verge of bickering, glancing at Daisy every so often.
Their voices faded into the background, barely audible. The funny, black cat clock on the wall caught her attention. Its eyes moved side-to-side. She stopped the eyes cold with her stare, frozen. Time stood still. Complete silence. Daisy then allowed the cat’s eyes to resume.
Daisy traced the roosters on the tablecloth with her forefinger. William’s eyes still on her.
“You shy or something?” he asked.
“Now leave her alone, Bill," Uncle Joe said. "She’s been through a lot. We’re gonna take good care of her–aren’t we, honey?”
“You bet!” Aunt Betty agreed.
“You don’t say. What happened?" William leaned back with his arms crossed over his somewhat buffed chest, examining her as if she were a butterfly captured in a glass jar.
Daisy stood and turned to leave.
“You going to ask her, Joe?”
Uncle Joe nodded to William. “Daisy, sweetie, can we talk to you a minute?”
“Oh, I’m really tired. Don’t mean to be rude…”
“Please?”
Daisy sighed and took her seat once again, avoiding William’s hostile, blue stare.
“You see, we need a favor, sweetheart. Nothing too big.”
“Favor?”
He glanced at William before he looked down to his templed hands.
William continued. “My son’s birthday is a big deal this year. Big twenty-one. As popular as the kid is, no date. Go figure.”
Daisy glared at William without blinking. Sweat pooled down her back and sides. There was something about the way he said his words, as if they were all in a production with bad actors. She tried to measure her uncle’s expression, but he seemed to play right along with it, trying to appear shocked at the words coming out of this man’s mouth. It almost seemed like a game they were playing, but why? And why with her, especially knowing what she had recently gone through in Chicago.
It wasn’t the actual words that bothered her, but the pretense of them. She stared at her uncle, waiting for his response.
“Daisy, honey, it’s very important to me that you do this–”
“I don’t think so." She turned to leave.
“What’s the big deal? I’m not asking you to marry my son or anything!”
“Bill! And Joseph Lock, what are you up to?" Aunt Betty held a steel ladle in her right hand, waving it in the air at the two men. “You know what she’s been through this year. Her father trusted her to come here, and you ask this of her?”
Aunt Betty placed the ladle down on the ceramic spoon holder, and dried her hands on her starch white apron, glaring at him. Her dark brown hair hung to her shoulders, making her appear younger than her sixty-two years.
The man turned to Uncle Joe and asked him, “What happened to your niece, Joe? Nothing bad, I hope?" He tried to look concerned, but his tone inflected something else.
“She has a name, Bill,” Aunt Betty said, now facing him with the same scolding stare she shared with her husband of forty years.
He held up his well-manicured hands as if to give up. “Sorry. Sorry, Betty. Daisy. I just don’t see the issue.”
Daisy stared at her uncle for help.
“Daisy, please come sit and hear me out. Please,” Uncle Joe said.
She sank back down onto the hard seat and waited.
Uncle Joe folded her hands into his. “You know I wouldn’t hurt you, right? We love you like a daughter. William’s son is a good boy–smart like you. Please?”
Daisy searched her uncle’s eyes, only finding goodness there, nothing dark. She glanced over her shoulder to her aunt who busied herself cleaning the stove, humming with each stroke of the rag.
William watched her as if they were in a poker game. His lips twitched at the corners, laced with…victory?
She returned to her uncle’s pleading gaze. “I’ll think about it–but only for you, not him…okay?”
Aunt Betty turned to smile as did the men. Big, wide grins.
“It’s all we can ask, honey. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing. You always do. Now get some sleep." He kissed her hand and sat back in his chair, relief clearly lining his face.
Daisy stood and nodded, turning with a hesitancy before picking up a quicker pace as if to escape.
In her room, the moon glistened in the bay window facing to the right of her big bed. She closed her heavy purple drapes that hung over the sheer white curtain. Wolves howled in the night, leading her to believe they were out there in the dark. Bumps covered her skin.
Her room was decorated for perhaps a pre-teen girl and a little outdated. She wouldn’t be staying for long, just a short visit.
She collapsed in the soft billowy bed. Lavender blankets caressed her pale, white skin. Spinning fan blades above her held her attention. Watching the blades spin in endless circles, her green eyes grew heavy.
A light tap on her door zapped her eyes wide open, before she realized someone was knocking at her door. Her hazy gaze focused on the handle. She heard her aunt’s concerned voice and decided to let her in. “Come in, Aunt Betty.”
She sat up against the pillows and observed her aunt slip inside her room with a bowl of stew. That was the aunt she knew and loved. She gave her a welcoming smile as she entered, closing the door behind her.
“Honey, were you sleeping? I’m so sorry if I woke you,” she asked, still standing at the door. “You never finished your meal." A look of concern crossed her otherwise smooth face.
“Come sit, Aunt Betty. I was still awake,” she lied. She patted a spot on the bed, forgetting the strange occurrence in the kitchen.
The older woman sat down and wrung her hands together, her shifty eyes making Daisy nervous. She handed over the bowl,
and she took it with caution. Daisy reminded herself of the affection her aunt had for her and began to eat, brushing that prickly feeling away.
Her aunt turned to her and looked her straight in the eye, but every so often glancing down at her semi-wrinkled hands. “I’m so sorry about tonight and what our dear friend was asking of you, Daisy,” she began. “With what happened to you, I don’t blame you one bit for talking that way to him, not one bit,” she said, shaking her dark head. “Why, I’m sure you were scared to death to be alone in your own room after that incident. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
But she wasn’t okay. She would never be okay again. She finished the stew, almost licking the bowl. She didn’t realize how hungry she was. She feigned a smile and responded. “I know you understand and I appreciate that. Thank you for taking care of me, Aunt Betty." The trust she felt for this woman was solid as a brick, a virtue she had lost back home for most.
Aunt Betty wrapped her soft arms around her slim body, compelling her to return the hug after placing the empty bowl down on the nightstand. She laid her head on the flowery patterned dress of her aunt’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She needed this.
“I do have to say, though, Daisy, that this young man they want you to meet is really nice as can be. I’ve known him since he was a little boy running around the neighborhood like he was king of the castle–”
“Now, Aunt Betty, you’re not trying to talk me into the same thing, are you? I said I would think about it." She pulled away and smirked, raising her eyebrow. That ping again.
Her aunt whispered like it was a secret. “I know it sounds crazy, but what’s the harm with just meeting him? You actually did once when you were visiting a long time ago, you know.”
“I did?”
Aunt Betty nodded with a passion. “Oh, yes. Once when you and your dad and Gloria came to visit. Oh, he was running around with a black cape on pretending to be a witch, I think, and you walked in like a little princess ready to cast a spell on him. Well, he stopped in the middle of the room with his golden cane, and that was the first time I ever saw that boy be quiet,” she said, laughing at the memory.
