“Man, Crosby is on fire tonight. This game could really be a shutout.” One of the older gentlemen cheered for his team while my eyes scanned the group of drop-dead gorgeous businessmen, all dressed to kill.
“Charles.” One of the men slapped my father on the shoulder. “How the heck have you been?”
“Ah, Remington, just the man I was looking for.”
The man chuckled, taking another sip of the amber liquid swirling around in his snifter. “Is that so?”
There was something about a man in a tux that got me; add in his neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard and the bright, perfect smile, and I was a goner. I let myself take in his manly features: the chiseled jawline, the steely blue eyes, the perfectly styled jet black hair, the well over six foot tall stature, the perfect amount of bulky muscles that his tux clung to—he was a specimen of a man, to say the least.
“This is my daughter, Suzanne, the one I was telling you about on the golf course last Sunday.”
Remington took my hand, letting his soft lips brush over the back of it. “It’s a pleasure. Your father told me of your beauty, but I have to say, he did not do you justice.”
“Lovely to meet you, Remington. I always enjoy getting to know my father’s golf buddies.”
“Please, call me Remy.”
The light tapping of rain on the car windows breaks me from my daze. “How much longer until we are at the church?” I’ve always had a poor sense of direction; the driver could be whisking me off to a mob hit for all I know.
“Just about there, ma’am.” His gruff voice bellows from the front seat as he rounds the corner and the huge church comes into view. I take a second to admire the gorgeous stained glass windows depicting angels as we get closer to our destination.
“Right on time. Perfect.” Checking my cell for the time, I realize Ellie and Seven probably beat me here.
The line of cars is wrapped down the street with everyone waiting to pay their last respects to my late husband. “This line is going to take a year and a day,” I complain as I crane my neck to see the small gathering of mourners shaking hands and hugging just outside the large white doors. I just want to get this day over with and leave this awful nightmare in the past where it belongs.
“Don’t worry, I have instructions to take you around back. Ms. McGuire and Ms. James-Parker should be waiting there for you.”
The driver cuts through the packed parking lot and around to the back of the elegant white church where a matching town car is parked by the back door. As we pull up, the driver of the other vehicle exits, opening an umbrella to shield Seven and Ellie from the drizzling rain.
The gloom of the cloudy sky sets the perfect mood for the day’s events. I have always loved the rain, and here it is to celebrate my liberation with me.
Under the protection of a large black umbrella held by my driver, I make my way to my two business partners and dearest friends. Seven’s baby bump is near exploding level as I hug her.
“Ready to get this show on the road?” Ellie asks, opening the back door to the church.
I sigh, grabbing her hand in mine. “I have never been so ready to say goodbye to someone in my entire life.”
Ellie and I amble slowly to the front of the church where the pastor is waiting for me. “Mrs. Black, I am so sorry for your loss.” The slender, frail man puts one hand on my shoulder as the other grips the door to let the waiting guests in. “This day will be overwhelming, but I hope you find peace in the outpouring of love that will be rained down on you.”
“Thank you.” My words are barely audible as my hands start to shake. The door opens to a large group huddling under umbrellas, some crying, others with stern looks, all in their best black attire.
Shaking hand after hand, listening to person after person give me their deepest sympathies starts to fester and annoy me. It is completely shocking how all of these idiots think the loss of Remington Black is anything but a joyous occasion.
We all take our seats, me sandwiched between Ellie and Seven in the front row. After the pastor says a few nice words about a man he never met, Wilson Black stands to speak his final peace to his brother.
I barely know Wilson. Other than holidays and the occasional wedding, Remington wanted nothing to do with anyone in his family. He came from nothing, was a completely self-made man, and he thought his family was beneath him. For years, I didn’t question it, but at the end of the day, I realize that no one is better than anyone else. We all shit, we all eat, we all bleed red, and we all die—that’s life.
“And that is really all I can say. My brother was a great man and he will be truly missed.” With the end of Wilson’s speech came my time to be a good grieving widow and take the stand.
I pretend to wipe imaginary tears away right before taking Wilson in for our first hug since my wedding day. “Thank you for those kind words,” I whisper to him before walking past him and up the small flight of stairs.
“Thank you all for coming. I didn’t plan on speaking today, so I do not have anything prepared. My husband, Remy, was the best man he could be and put his drive and devotion into everything he did. I will truly miss him.” I pause and pretend to be choked up for a few seconds. Clearing my throat, I continue, “Please make your way to your vehicles and follow us to Forest Hills Cemetery.”
I go through the motions of the rest of the day on autopilot, until a single red rose is placed in my hand by Ellie. “It’s almost over.”
Ellie and I hug before laying our red roses on the top of the casket. As they lower Remington’s body into the ground, our secret sinks lower and lower into the dirt, about to be covered up. The hurt, the lies, the secrets—they are all buried with Remington Black, and I will never look back. Never.
The end.
For now.
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STAY TUNED: Sneak peeks for the next two books in The Huntress Series, The Hopeless and The Nameless.
The Hopeless
The Huntress Book Two
Releasing November 30, 2016
I am not a good person.
In fact, I am the worst of the worst. I am a god. I give life and I taketh away. I can ruin someone at the drop of a hat and often do it for fun. Yet the world would never know. I smile for the cameras and live the privileged life. But with every vile existence comes the opportunity for redemption.
She is my Redemption.
I am the Huntress.
Society doesn’t realize how deadly I truly am.
Pre-order your copy now!
The Nameless
The Huntress Book Three
Releasing January 2, 2017
I am a good person.
In fact, I am the best of the best. I am a saint. I made the greatest sacrifice of my life in hopes of forgiveness from my sins. I saw the light and he saved me from the darkness.
I am Nameless.
Does anyone know who I really am?
Pre-order your copy now!
Acknowledgments
First and foremost we would like to thank Ana from Ana's Attic Book Blog for bringing us together, as well as Dayna Elise for having a birthday and giving us an excuse to have a sweet birthday breakfast.
A huge thank you to Kristen's Rockstars & Dawn's Dommes for being such an outstanding help.
Editing by C Marie for not only doing a kick ass job at editing The Huntress, but doing it on our short timeframe because we are just insane.
To the incredible Stefanie Nicole Lewis and Jordan Bates, you two ladies have helped us so much with getting the word out about this series - thank you from the bottom
of our hearts for pimping the crap out of us. And, of course, Heather from L. Woods PR for all of her amazing and hard work making sure that The Huntress release was as epic as it could be!
Shout out to Zack for spurring us on while The Huntress was just an idea sitting on Dawn's back porch one weekend & Scott for tolerating our binge writing weekends.
(From Dawn - To the readers who continued to cheer me on despite my attempt to leave the Indie community... you guys are the real MVP's and I am so unbelievably thankful for each and every one of you.)
All books by Dawn Robertson
The Hers Series:
Hers
Finding Willow
Kink the Halls
This Girl Stripped
Seven's Diary
His
The Job Series:
The Job (Vol. 1)
The Job (Vol. 2)
Standalones:
Statistic
Crashed
Boxsets:
The Hers Series
All books by Kristen Hope Mazzola
The Crashing Series:
Crashing: The Wedding: Cali’s Story (Crashing #0.5)
Crashing Back Down (Crashing #1)
Falling Back Together (Crashing #2)
The Unacceptables MC Standalone Series:
Unacceptable
Unspeakable
The Hysterics Standalone Series:
The Hysterics
Colt & Serena: A Hysterics Short Story
Standalones:
Stupid Hearts
Rough & Tumble
Hat Trick
Boxsets:
The Crashing Series
Lust & Love
The 69 Series:
(multi-author collaborations for charity)
Hook & Ladder 69
Bleed Blue 69
About the Author
Dawn Robertson
Three times best selling author Dawn Robertson was born and raised in Connecticut before relocating to Florida in 2013. The same year first novel, Hers debuted as an Amazon Best Seller. Replicating that success with two additional novels in the following years.
The Indie publishing world has grown to love her raw writing style depicting strong women in real life situations, topping the charts in erotica, romance, and romance-suspense. Robertson has even insinuated that the female characters in her book mirror her real life. But, that I'll leave to speculation.
When Dawn Robertson is not writing she is a full-time Real Estate professional in Florida, and mother of three amazing children.
Stay Connected:
@agirlcalledd
authordawnrobertson
Authordawnrobertson.com
[email protected]
About the Author
Kristen Hope Mazzola
Hi! I am just an average twenty-something following my dreams. I have a full time "day job" and by night I am an author. I guess you could say that writing is like my super power (I always wanted one of those). I am a lover of wine, sushi, football, and the ocean—that is, when I am not wrapped up in the literary world.
Please feel free to contact me to chat about my writing, books you think I'd like, or just to shoot the, well you know.
A portion of all my royalties are donated to The Marcie Mazzola Foundation.
Stay Connected:
@khmazz
AuthorKristenHope
www.KristenHopeMazzola.com
[email protected]
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