by B. L. Purser
This time I waited for confirmation that my instructions were understood. Soon, I would know everything I needed to know about Camilla Anderson. Soon, I would make whoever was responsible for damaging her pay. Soon, Cam would be back in New York where she belonged…Very soon!
Chapter 25
– Cam
It had only taken a few hours by flight to get back to Georgia. The next three days had gone by in one big blur. Of course, the memories and nightmares found me time I stepped onto the familiar ground. They were eating me alive. The dark circles and pale skin reflected the damage. I surmised that the few people I had come in contact with probably thought it was normal bereavement. If they only knew…It was anything but normal.
Arrangements had been made, and things would proceed with no fanfare. The driver helped me into the back of a black sedan, and we began our journey. The one car processional following the hearse only intensified the loneliness. I was okay with loneliness. It was much better than the gawking and pity that I had experienced in the past. There would be none of that. I had kept it all securely under wraps. The announcement would be published long after all of this was complete.
My mind wandered through the entire service. I focused on small details to avoid reality. The flower arrangement that cascaded over the casket was breathtaking. I had made sure that it included her preferred flowers. Spring was always her favorite time of year. It seemed like she bloomed whenever the flowers did, and her green thumb always insured that she was surrounded by beauty. So, I made sure that fresh Snowdrops, Tulips, Lilies, and Daffodils composed the flowers that represented her life.
I watched as the flowers were removed and laid to the side for placement upon the finished dirt mound. The grave diggers lowered the casket and began covering up the hole one shovel at a time. I had no tears to shed. I envied the sleeping corpse lying peacefully inside of the plush casket. I would give anything to swap places, but then again, I would not want to take this from her. After all she had been through, she deserved this. I refused the mortician’s suggestion that I open the casket to view the body. I knew that I would see anguish all over her face. The anguish mirrored mine perfectly, and that was too close for comfort. I felt no remorse or sadness, only relief.
I knew that I would continue running as I had prior to making my way to New York. Perhaps, I would go out west. Maybe Las Vegas would be different enough from Georgia and New York. I could change my image and maybe my name again. However, I needed emotional release now more than I ever had in the past. I couldn’t go back to my old way of finding strangers. Even though I hadn’t realized it until now, New York had altered me. He had altered me, and that thought scared the hell out of me.
In that very moment, the winds changed, and I felt it. The intense electrical charge that existed between the two of us when we were in the same vicinity; he was here. I didn’t have to turn around to confirm, but my body made the movement without my realization. Intense chocolate eyes starred back at me from across the grave yard. It took only a second to register.
He knew.
Excerpt from Fulfilling Rage
Enjoy an excerpt from
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Fulfilling Rage
Book 2 of the Fulfilling Trilogy
B.L. Purser
Chapter 1
- Aiden
I watched her from across the cemetery. Everything that I thought I knew was a lie. The assumptions that I had made were all false. I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t save her. I didn’t even know her.
Drake had gotten me more information than I had bargained for. I recalled the exact moment that he handed it to me.
“Aiden, I’m telling you this knowing you won’t listen. Burn that envelope and everything in it. Do not open it. Do not read it. Just burn it!”
I wish I had listened to him. I use to think information was power. The more you knew about something, the better off you were. Amazingly, that small packet of information had changed my entire outlook.
I didn’t know why I was here. In fact, I barely even remembered the plane ride that brought me here. It seemed like something other than my brain had made the decision. Maybe there was a magnetic current after all. Regardless, for the first time in my life, since I was a child, I felt helpless.
I didn’t really know what I was looking for, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I wondered if she sensed my presence because she slowly turned and gazed in my direction. Our eyes instantly connected. I knew I had to talk to her, but for once, I had no idea what to say.
She was standing there motionless like her body had turned to stone. Most people wouldn’t recognize the panic behind her façade, but I strongly sensed it. Before I realized it, I found myself moving slowly in her direction. The workers had finished filling in the grave, and were walking away from her location. The magnitude of her aloneness was not lost on me. As I closed the gap between us, I took in everything about her. At that moment, she appeared tremendously different.
It seemed to take forever to reach where she was standing. Yet, I still wasn’t prepared for the encounter. I stopped short of touching her, and tried to assemble some fraction of my disconnected persona. I knew it was a stretch, but I thought maybe she needed to think I had no idea what was going on. My question was answered when she finally extended her hand to me and spoke.
“Hello. I guess I should introduce myself by my given name. My name is Abigail Stewart, and I’m a murderer. But I suppose you already knew that.”
Hearing her speak the words didn’t make them any more real in my mind. I could sense that she was hanging by a thread. What I said or did at this moment would make a difference in the outcome. I knew one thing for certain, she was Cam, and I was sure as hell going to make sure she remembered that.
I looked at where the body had just been laid to rest. I tried to think of something to say to ease the torment that Cam was faced with, but no words existed in any language known to man that would comfort or fix her agony. Why in the hell didn’t I just leave well enough alone?
Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Fulfilling Torment. It was a magical experience to bring these characters to life and share them with you. Their saga continues and Cam’s story unfolds in the next installment, Fulfilling Rage. The last book in the series, Fulfilling Hope, promises to take you on an emotional journey that will have you racing through each page to see what unfolds. Don’t blink an eye and read every word! You’re in store for more than you bargained for.
Please be sure to share your feedback with me via ratings and comments through your eBook store, Facebook, and Twitter. I use this as encouragement to continue sharing my stories. In addition, it’s a great way to stay informed about future books and become involved in games and contests.
Find me on Facebook and Twitter. – B.L. Purser
The Fulfilling Trilogy
Book 1 – Fulfilling Torment
Book 2 – Fulfilling Rage
Book 3 – Fulfilling Hope
