ADVANCE REVIEW COPY
This is an advance review copy meant for early reviewing purposes only. It is not to be sold, traded, or uploaded via any file-sharing means including retail outlets or social media.
This is not the final, published version. Contents may contain errors related to editing or formatting
Copyright © May 2016 by Jesse Lorenzo (Lady J)
All rights reserved worldwide
Cover Copyright © Airicka’s Mystical Creations
www.AirickaPhoenix.com
Editing by Kendra’s Editing and Book Services
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Interior Formatting by That Formatting Lady
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the express written permission of the author.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Bonus Prequel
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Other Works by Jesse Lorenzo
To my feisty nanna, Adele:
May you rest in peace.
I love you.
Sleep wouldn’t come on this night. Just like every other night since she faced the monster she feared most in open court, Susan tossed and turned, praying for exhaustion to pull her under. But, the fear still lingering in the back of her over-worked mind kept her wide awake.
For endless hours, she sat on the stand, only twenty feet away from the Devil himself. Forced by law to give her testimony, Susan witnessed firsthand the savage and merciless revenge Giddeon unleashed on the very man who created him. Jagged, angry scars marred the flesh on the once flawless face. One side, left forever unseeing, had been permanently sewn shut, the socket sunken in and lacking the eye it once held. The other side, though still useful, was left hideously disfigured and shrouded in gut-wrenching scars.
This vile, evil monster could no longer hide behind his deceiving good looks. His outside now mirrored the wickedness that poisoned the inside.
Susan felt his twisted, malicious eye fixate on her throughout the entire trial, burning her from across the courtroom. It promised to tear the flesh from her bones once he got his hands on her. She knew Dalton would never stop in his quest for revenge until he was able to bring that threat to fruition.
That terrifying glare and spine-chilling face encroached in her nightmares, without fail, every time she closed her eyes. As Susan tossed restlessly in bed, she concentrated on the rhythm of the oscillating fan and the hum that followed, hoping the soft breeze could lull her to sleep.
Her body was only moments away from giving in to exhaustion and forfeiting to the tireless pull of sleep as it coaxed her under. That is until she heard the unmistakable creak of her closet door as it was slowly pushed opened.
Susan’s eyes shot open, desperate to see through the veil of unforgiving darkness that surrounded her. She turned her head, straining to hear movement over the pounding of her heart. With a racing pulse and the flood of adrenaline rushing through her system, Susan’s body trembled as her fight or flight instincts begged her to keep quiet and still.
With wide, unblinking eyes, the petrified girl lay frozen, unable to twitch out of the fear crippling her. As an approaching truck drove past her small dwelling, its high beams thankfully poured through her sheer curtains and into the bedroom. The light filtered through the room, giving her glimpses of whatever it touched.
A flash of movement caused her to flinch, forcing her to blink in surprise. Once she pried them open, she found herself staring into the marred, disfigured face and black eye of the very monster she feared. Strangled by the scream that couldn’t surface, Susan gripped her comforter, wishing it was an impenetrable shield that would protect her.
The vile creature sneered down at her, then lunged…
Susan leaped up out of her bed screaming. The ear-piercing shrill of her phone thankfully pulled her out of the nightmare she knew all too well. Glancing over to the bedside table, she eyed the device that spared her from reliving the rest of the dream. Something about the tone warned her not to pick it up. Something about that late-night call felt wrong on this night. But, the relentless ringing only seemed to blare louder and louder the longer she tried to ignore it. Curiosity and sheer annoyance got the better of her. Her hands trembled as they slowly reached for her cell phone. Carefully, she brought it to her ear as if it would jump up and bite her.
“Hello? Who… who is this?”
Time stopped and the world around her was knocked sideways at the raspy voice that growled through the receiver on the other end, bringing to life the nightmare she knew would catch up to her eventually.
“Game OVER, Susan!”
The line went dead, leaving behind deafening quiet and debilitating dread that twisted in her gut. That voice sucked all the oxygen out of her lungs, and she feared she’d vomit right there.
Dalton had found her.
Susan clenched her fist, holding her cell with bruising force as her eyes scanned the room around her, making sure Dalton wasn’t already there… waiting to strike. A terrible case of Déjà vu struck her as she scanned the room just like in her dreams, searching for the monster who always appeared.
Each slow-ticking second felt like hours had passed as she strained to hear or see anything that didn’t belong.
Hesitating for a brief moment, the petrified girl gathered her courage and finally rose out of the bed. As she circled her master bedroom, a horrifying thought came to her.
Oh my God! Mom… Alex!
Susan bolted out of the room and down the hall to where her only remaining family slept. In her frantic, fear-driven haste, time slowed down as she sprinted down the long, narrow hall. All the while, the threats that spilled out of Dalton’s mouth as the jury passed down his sentence replayed in her mind.
“You can NEVER hide from me, Susan. I will always know where to find you. Your betrayal has cost your family their lives, and I will enjoy every moment as I take them from you.”
Susan couldn’t seem to get down the hall fast enough. Like in a horror movie, her stride was too sluggish and her feet heavy, as if weighed down by her fear like bricks attached to her ankles.
Reaching for the first door knob, Susan felt the force of her heart slam into her chest.
Chanting,
“Please be okay. Please be okay,” she turned the handle, pinching her eyes shut, frightened by the possibility of what lay inside. Susan cracked open the door and held her breath. On the count of three, she risked a peek inside.
Her little brother was curled up on his side with his thumb half-inside, half-outside of his puckered lips, sleeping peacefully. A whoosh of air escaped her lips as she sagged against the wall with relief. Susan crossed over to the little angel and kissed the top of his head. Back-stepping out of the room, she carefully shut the door behind her.
Susan crossed the narrow hall to her mother’s room.
Safe.
Cold sweat that she wasn’t aware of before collected around her brow line and trickled down her temple. Now, her mind was working on overdrive.
How did he get my number? Who gave it to him? How long before he gets to me?
Susan ran her trembling hands over her face several times in an attempt to calm herself and strengthen her weakening resolve.
I will NOT let him control my life anymore.
In the back of her mind, she knew she was already at a disadvantage. Dalton had money, power, control, and endless connections. And she… she had nothing but the will to survive. Letting loose a weary breath, Susan collapsed forward, bracing herself with her hands on her knees. All at once, a thought came to her, bringing with it a glimmer of hope.
Dominick.
Turning on her heel, she ran back to her room and made a bee-line to her dresser. Yanking open the top drawer with purpose, she rummaged through her neatly folded clothes, searching for something she’d all but forgotten. Finally, at the very back, her roaming hands found what she was after.
Growing in confidence, the girl brought the two-by-three inch card up to get a better look. Susan held the card in her hand as if it was her lifeline.
~*~
Detective Dominick Antonelli
Syracuse Police Department
~*~
He was the only person in the world she trusted. Dominick promised he’d be there if she ever needed him. He’d vowed to keep her safe. Well, she needed him. She wanted him there by her side. She’d call the FBI babysitters assigned to her and let them know she needed to speak with him in person. She was no longer convinced that her hired watchdogs were trustworthy anymore.
Running the pad of her thumb across the font detailing his name, she felt a wave of calm come over her. He would come. She knew he would. Dominick was a man of his word.
Portree Harbor
Isle of Skye
Gavin strolled down the empty halls of the school he’d attended in his younger years. The rhythm of his confident stride echoed with each step on the outdated linoleum floor. Once upon a time, this school seemed so large and imposing to him. Now, the school, its halls, and classrooms had somehow shrunk in size, deceiving his memories of how he’d always remembered this place.
Today was Adelle’s first day as a certified teacher. After his strawberry-haired princess finished her probationary period as a teacher’s assistant, the time had finally come to take over a class of her own. She’d been awarded a group of first-years, eager to be in a big-kid school. Gavin didn’t know who was more excited—the wide-eyed grade school kids, or Adelle. She’d always loved the bustling school atmosphere.
As Gavin rounded the corner, a flood of memories came rushing back to him of his graduation party. It felt like ages ago. So much had happened.
One night is all it took for his mind to catch up to his heart, for him to realize what he had secretly known all along… Gavin had fallen in love with the girl next door. He thought of little else since that one passionate moment he’d shared with Adelle. Time had passed, but the memory stayed with him. He could still feel her soft lips on his as if it had all just happened. But he was a fool for not figuring out how he felt sooner, and his efforts to keep her, too late. By the time he’d figured out his true feelings, she was gone.
Adelle had gone off to college and hadn’t looked back. No other woman since then could compete with Adelle still taking up residence in his heart. He tried to forget her. As a ladies’ man, Gavin definitely had plenty of willing women in Skye to choose from. That distraction was no use; they couldn’t even come close to measuring up to her.
Thankfully, his prayers had been answered. Adelle had come home—back to Portree, and back into Gavin’s aching heart. The moment she strolled into Grady’s Pub, it was as if no time had passed. The uncontrollable need to be close to her had picked up where it’d left off years before. Now a heart-stopping, confident woman, she was more beautiful than he remembered.
Labeled as a playboy in his high school years, and rightfully so, Gavin had been blind and overlooked the younger girl next door. She wasn’t the glamorous girl then, not like she was today… far from it.
Adelle was awkward, uncoordinated, and an unfashionable tomboy. This was due in part to a lack of female guidance, being raised by an unknowing father and four brutish brothers. But underneath all that, Gavin knew she had something special hidden behind her chocolate brown eyes. Even before her transformation, her mystery kept him interested and piqued his curiosity, always leaving him wondering, what if?
By the time he figured out his true feelings, it was too late. Gavin had paid for his hesitation with a broken heart, a mistake he would not make again. EVER. Gavin vowed to win back Adelle’s trust. This stubborn Scot wouldn’t stop in his effort to win her love, not until the day he had her wrapped in his arms.
Gavin knew he had an uphill battle ahead of him. Adelle would make him work extra hard in order to change her perception of him. If she could just look past his old reputation and give him a chance to prove that he only had eyes for one woman: Adelle Marie Faulkner. His future. His destiny. But no matter what it took or how long he had to wait, Gavin knew she would be his.
Gavin knew he had found her classroom since it was the only one with the lights on this early in the morning. Knowing Adelle, she was probably here at the crack of dawn preparing for her first day. Peeking inside the opened door, Gavin was mesmerized by her graceful, elegant demeanor. She took his breath away. Content to just watch as she flitted around the room, making sure everything was just so, Gavin leaned on the threshold and waited.
Adelle whirled around the classroom like a tornado with a caffeine overdose combined with first day of school jitters, excited for the start of her career. A year had passed since her return to Portree. One crazy, intense year. It was pretty safe to say things had gone back to normal since last summer.
During the adrenaline-fueled rush of danger their small town endured, Adelle had given in to her silly high school crush more than a few times. Now that things seemed to have calmed down, she knew being back in this small gossip driven town was going to be a challenge for her.
Her long time crush, Gavin, was older and better looking if that was even possible. His figure had bulked up a bit from his lean boyhood years, having matured into that of a man’s physique. Heaven help her, all she had to do was look into his impossibly beautiful eyes, and she lost all of her willpower and ability to think straight.
After the attacks on her friends, Ellora and Behr, tensions and fear rose to boiling points in Portree. Like a scared child needing reassurance, Adelle ran straight into the arms of the always eager Gavin Graham. He wasted no time, playboy that he was, to steal some kisses in the heat of the moment. After each soft caress from his expertly skillful lips, she had foolishly let her guard down.
The loss of control scared her most. Adelle couldn’t let herself fall in love with someone like Gavin. Guys like him never change. He would woo her, capture her heart, and crush it when he left her behind. Just like he’d done to every girl he’d ever been with. In the back of her mind, she knew she wasn't being fair to him, that Gavin was different somehow. But just as quickly, she’d scold herself. After all, isn’t that how all the other girls got burned? She was pretty sure they’d all thought the same before the charmer left them in the dust.
>
The insecure girl convinced herself that his adoration and longing were just leftover feelings from that one night in their past and because she had transformed herself from the ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. She had disguised herself well, gone to the costume party he held at his house, and successfully seduced the unaware man until he was crawling on his knees.
It hurt him when she walked out; proof of this was shown in the expression on his face.
Adelle tried to convince her aching heart that Gavin reacted the way he had because his pride and reputation had been tainted. She wasn’t Gavin’s typical type, and there was no way he’d be interested if she hadn’t gotten the makeover. Her goal was to share her first kiss with the one and only man she’d ever had eyes for then leave for college. She never expected him to react the way he had.
Hurt.
Gavin was just trying to settle old scores and right his bruised ego. That is what Adelle convinced herself every time he invaded her sanity and affected her the way he always had. Just one look. That’s all it took to have her warring with what her heart wanted and what her mind warned.
Adelle closed her eyes, thinking about their hiking trip the day Behr proposed to Ellora. The helpless romantic that he was, Behr left Adelle with his lustful friend, and Gavin took full advantage of their solitary moment in the breathtaking Quiraing Mountains. Stalking her like a hungry beast hunting its prey, he caged her against the cavern walls within his strong arms.
Time stood still as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Gavin couldn’t hold back any longer. His muscles twitched and shook as he lost the grip on his wavering control. The whole world fell away, along with everything in it, as Gavin’s irresistible mouth crashed down on hers. Their lips moved as one, and their surroundings dissolved all around them. Nothing else mattered.
Gavin’s desperation and long-awaited desire poured out into each caress from his lips and stroke of his tongue. Adelle couldn’t stop daydreaming of how it felt when his strong hands gripped her with possessive longing and he deepened their kiss, successfully pulling her out of her stubbornness. All of her reservations melted away, along with any self-control, drawing him impossibly closer.
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