False Start

by Rebel Farris

  To Kimberley Tremblay, thank you for taking pity on a new writer and reading my book to give me direction on what kind of editing I needed. I was truly lost, and without your guidance, I’d probably still be lost.

  To all my betas, Cimone Watson, Cassie Sharp, Trisha Haberthur, Abagail Roy, Amanda Mujsce, and Tara Tyndall. Thank you so much for your time, your feedback, your kind words, and your harsh ones. Without you, this story wouldn’t work. You helped me identify where I was failing to get my point across and what wasn’t working, and I am eternally grateful for your help in reaching my goals and telling the story that I needed to tell.

  To my editor, Traci Finlay, thank you for pushing me so hard. I know I resisted—a lot—but I do think the story is better for it. You put up with my nearly endless explanations behind every questionable action my characters had and helped me really hone in on the parts that needed to be said to get my message to readers and fully convey my story.

  And Sandra Depukat, you are a godsend proofreader—your attention to detail and thoroughness puts me forever in your debt. Your responsiveness to my many questions, the time and care you put into not only correcting but educating me to help me be a better author is beyond appreciated. I have loved every moment working with you.

  Lastly, I need to thank my amazing cover designer. She turned a piece of my book into a reality and captured the symbolism of the tattoo and how it relates to the story so perfectly. It only took one phone call, and she knew that going the route of having tattoo images for my covers was going to capture the essence of me and my stories. And that’s the sign of a true professional. Regina, you are amazing, and I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for me in the future.

  Rebel Farris is a romantic suspense author. She's also the mom of three lunatics plus two perfect pups (Spike and Snakefinder) currently residing in Austin, TX. A native Texan and former military wife, she spent three years living in Seoul, South Korea (where part of her heart will always belong) and every corner of her home state before settling down. One day she hopes to live out the dreams of her nomadic soul, by traveling the world. All while pouring out the myriad of stories that fill her not-so-normal mind. She'll just have to wait until her brats graduate and leave the house first.

  When she's not busy writing her newest project, she can probably be found curling up with a good book, hiding behind a lens of one of her many cameras, or going on adventures with her kids. Champion of the anti-hero, Rebel loves to write suspenseful and unpredictable stories while making people fall in love with the bad guy and the broken souls.

  Standalones

  Snapshot (A novella)

  Falling Small Duet

  False Start

  Pivot Line

  (Find the first four chapters at the end of this book.)

  Seven Hummingbirds Series

  (Coming June 2018-2019)

  Penalty Kill

  Whip

  Transition

  Substitution

  Blocker

  Turn Stop

  Target Zone

  I have a reader group on Facebook, so if you’re into meeting like-minded readers or just want to shoot the shit with me, please join us.

  Rebel’s Mad House

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  Website: rebelfarris.com

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  Scene Inspiration Songs

  Body Moves by DNCE

  If I Knew by Bruno Mars

  Let’s Dance by M. Ward

  Lucky Boy by DJ Mehdi

  Million Years Ago by Adele

  My Oh My by David Gray

  My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit

  Reasons For Living by Duncan Sheik

  River by Bishop Briggs

  Unsteady by X Ambassadors

  Until We Go Down by Ruelle

  Us by Movement

  Waiting Game by Banks

  Walk Away by Ben Harper

  Blues

  Champagne & Reefer by Muddy Waters

  I Put a Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

  Little Wing by Stevie Ray Vaughan

  Mojo Hand by Lightnin’ Hopkins

  Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan

  Classic Rock

  Hotel California by Eagles

  Let’s Dance by David Bowie

  Love Shack by The B-52’s

  Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses

  Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

  Punk

  Banned in D.C. by Bad Brains

  Chinese Rocks by The Heartbreakers

  Free Money by Patti Smith

  Hybrid Moments by The Misfits

  Live Fast Die Young by Circle Jerks

  New Rose by The Damned

  Rise Above by Black Flag

  Sound System by Operation Ivy

  Straight Edge by Minor Threat

  Suggestion by Fugazi

  Waiting Room by Fugazi

  **You can find the whole playlist on Spotify by clicking here.**

  Now

  I killed Jared. I can’t believe the words ever came out of my mouth again. How many times did they tell me talking like that would get me nowhere? Bridget would be livid if she heard those words again. My hands are shaking. The room seems to spin. I gasp for breath before a sob forces its way out.

  The cab of the truck is silent except for the muted sounds of navigating the streets of Austin. I drop my phone into my lap and look at Asher. His brow is furrowed and his jaw ticks. He’s angry. But there’s a tinge of sadness in his eyes like he knows that this is the end of the tour. The end of our band. And I can’t stop the flood of guilt—I’m the cause of that.

  The fog is thick, settled over the city like a heavy blanket. It feels foreboding, but I’m sure it’s just the situation. The reason we are in this truck to begin with.

  He pulls the truck into the parking lot of the recording studio, and I can feel immediately that something is off. Even before I open the door—the fog swirling with the movement—and hear the piercing wail of the building’s alarm, I feel it. Shutting the truck door, I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the reckoning that is about to happen. The moist air fills my lungs. It feels heavy like my heart, my stomach. How did we get to this point?

  I can’t see more than a couple of feet in front of my face, but the flashing red lights of the alarm color the fog between me and the building, showing the way. Asher joins me once we reach the sidewalk leading to the building, but stays silent. Step by step on shaky legs, I move closer. Closer to the love of my life. Closer to facing the consequence of my decisions. Shattered glass crunches under my borrowed shoes as I reach the front door that is nothing more than a metal frame now.

  Blinking, I clear the memories. That’s not a path I need to go down. Not now.

  Dex is sitting next to me, holding me across his lap. He pulls back and brushes the hair away from my face before running his thumb over my cheek to chase away the tears. He believes me. I can see it in his eyes. It’s not pity; it’s heartbreak. His eyes say he knows I’m responsible and he doesn’t want me to have to live with it. He gathers me in his arms and sighs. I’m not exactly sure what he’s thinking, but his gun is still sitting on the floor in front of me, and he’s not telling me that I’m under arrest. Nor is he trying to placate me with words about how I’m not at fault. That’s a bit of a relief.

  “What am I going to do with you?” His voice breaks through the quiet patter of raindrops on the office windows.
r />   His brows are drawn together as I lean back to look at him. “That’s it?”

  His shoulders tense. “What do you want me to say?”

  “I don’t know. You’re under arrest… or something? Isn’t that what you wanted? A confession? I’m so tired of fighting this. If you’re gonna arrest me, just do it.” My arms hang limply at my sides as he lets me go.

  His hands move to frame my face, his sea-green eyes locking onto mine. “No. That’s not what I want. It never has been. I’m not lying to you, Mads. I’ve seen the evidence. I know you didn’t do it and I’m going to prove it. I’ve been looking for another angle, something that Martinez hasn’t considered, but I haven’t even found a place to start. I’m gonna end this for you. I promise. I want you to tell me everything about that night when you’re ready.” His eyes close and his lips brush over mine tenderly. “But I think we should call it a day and head home right now. I’ll go next door and tell Nate that we’re leaving. Will the receptionist cancel your appointments?” He sighs again, leaning his forehead against mine.

  I nod, speechless and a bit dazed.

  “I’ll go talk to her, too. Just gather your stuff to leave. When we get home, we’ll deal with all of this. Together.”

  I reach out and skim my thumb over his bottom lip. A shiver runs throughout his body, and I feel it when it reaches his hands that still bracket my face. The corner of my mouth tugs upward slightly. I like that I seem to have the same effect on him. He half-heartedly smiles back at me and places a quick kiss on my lips before standing up. He silently picks up his gun and puts it back in the holster.

  My eyes are glued to him as he walks with an athletic grace toward the door. He stops and looks back at me once more.

  “Be right back,” he says. There’s a hint of exhaustion in his voice, like he just fought a battle.

  And perhaps we did because I feel it, too.

  Sitting there for a minute, I stare at the door. I don’t want to get anywhere near that video again. There’s a feeling creeping up my spine, like even coming close to the computer will make it start playing. Releasing a breath through my nose, I steel myself. I grab my computer case from the closet, then walk to the desk, pushing the laptop shut and disconnecting the power cord.

  With that taken care of, I gather my purse and look around for anything else. The sight of Evan’s phone on my coffee table sends a pang through me. I scoop it up and clutch it to my chest. That’s it. I take a deep breath and turn to the door. Dex is there, waiting for me. He holds out his hand, and I take it.

  Minutes later, I’m sitting in the passenger seat of my car, heading home. My mind is replaying everything that has happened today from the time I woke up, but it all comes to a screeching halt when I remember one thing he said.

  “What did you mean by we need to talk?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” he says absently. “That reminds me—”

  “You do understand that those words are like the international lead-in to a breakup, right?” I interrupt him.

  “What?” His face scrunches as he briefly takes his eyes off the road to glance at me. “That’s not what I meant. I wanted to run through possible suspects with you and get your thoughts on them.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s likely the stalker’s someone you know.”

  “It took you the last almost two months to come to that conclusion? Because Martinez was saying that years ago, but it never helped because everyone checked out, had alibis and such.”

  “You don’t think there’s a way they could get around something like that?” His lips tip down into a half frown. “I’m just thinking about all the evidence, and there seems to be a protective vibe, you know? That tells me that the motivation isn’t sexual, it’s caring. Twisted, but still good intentioned. And it stands to reason, with all these people surrounding you, who care for you, one of them might be the suspect.”

  “That’s ridiculous. None of my friends are stalking me. They know what all this has done to me and that it hurts more than helps, so I don’t buy that at all.”

  “What about Nic? He hasn’t been around much, and he has access to your house—”

  “I trust Nic more than most people in my life. No. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “What about that guy Asher?” he asks.

  “Asher has been in Atlanta for weeks. On a commercial flight when the stalker was at the mall.”

  “What about—”

  “Dex, just don’t. It’s not a great way to start a relationship, accusing my friends of shit they wouldn’t do, and making me pissed off at you in the process.”

  “We’re in a relationship?” he asks, threading his fingers through mine and raising my hand to his lips. He kisses the back of my hand and smiles.

  “I didn’t—” My mouth opens and closes as I flounder for the words.

  “I get it. I had a nice long conversation with someone who knows you far better than me, so I understand. I’m in it for the long haul. I have a feeling that when you realize what this means to you, I’m gonna be a lucky man.”

  He kisses my hand again as we pull into the garage at my house. I take a deep breath, not knowing what to say, so I say nothing. I don’t understand what I feel for him. I haven’t had time to think about it. Police, paparazzi, stalkers, FBI, US Marshals, Chloe and Evan leaving… it’s all too much. Last night feels like so long ago when I think of all that’s happened since we left the park.

  “Let’s get you inside,” he says, turning off the car.

  Then

  “I’m moving into the house,” Jared said as he sat on the couch next to me.

  We’d finally gotten the girls to sleep after several hours of coaxing and assuring them that everything was going to be okay. It took several hours, giving statements to the police, handing over the flowers as evidence, being treated for shock by the EMTs out of the back of an ambulance, and then finally walking home.

  I started to reply, but he halted my words when he spoke again.

  “I don’t like that he’s been in this house. Especially because he’s taken an interest in the girls, but also because I’m worried about you, Maddie. I don’t like that I could be thirty feet away from the house if something were to happen. I know how you feel about me right now, but this changes things. I can take one of the rooms upstairs, and if anything happens, I’m here.”

  “Okay,” I answered quietly.

  “Okay?”

  “Okay, I get it.” My voice rose in defense. “Frankly, I don’t want to be here alone right now anyway.”

  “Really? You’re not going to fight me on this?” he asked, looking dumbfounded.

  “You act like I’m irrational. Since when have I ever defied common sense?” I stood up and started to pace. “Someone has broken into my home, has been watching me for God knows how long. I can protect myself, but I’m not stupid enough to turn down help. I don’t care who it comes from.” I choked back a sob that was threatening to come out. “Jared, he was with our girls. He could’ve taken them. I’m not going to take any chances, not with them.”

  “Okay. I’m also going to call a security company and have a security system installed tomorrow. You okay with that too?”

  “Yeah, sounds good,” I said absently.

  My mind kept running through my entire life, searching for clues to who it could be. What did I do that could’ve invited such behavior? It had to be something around the time we went to Germany, but I was drawing a blank as to what that might be. I couldn’t think of anyone suspicious hanging around.

  “Hey, I’m sorry about this.” Jared stopped my pacing, grasping my shoulders and blocking my path.

  “It’s not your fault,” I sighed. “I just feel so stupid. I had to’ve done something to invite this, but honestly, the only thing I can think of is the band. Maybe it’s a deranged fan, pissed about the band breaking up. Though, even that doesn’t make much sense—we were never that popul
ar. That’s the only thing I can think of at the moment. I can’t even fathom another scenario.”

  “Does it matter? Who knows why they’re doing it? You can’t always explain crazy. The only thing that matters is that we stay safe and that the police catch him.” He tipped my chin up to meet his eyes.

  The guilt forced me to look away, and I broke from his hold to continue pacing. “Did Officer Martinez tell you when they expect to have the results of the testing they’re doing on the flowers?”

  “Yeah, he said he’d probably stop by tomorrow once the report gets processed. He told me you might need to meet with a detective. If they decide to investigate.”

  I stopped in my tracks. “What do you mean, if they decide to investigate? There’s even a chance that they won’t look into it?” I turned back to face him.

  “Maddie, there isn’t much to go on.” He sighed, running a hand over his head. “Just your word that you had flowers show up in your room and a guy giving our girls a flower at the park. It isn’t exactly a violent crime.”

  I felt the sudden urge to throw something well up in me. All the frustration, fear, and anger needing an outlet, a release. I reached for the first object within reach without thinking.

  “That’s bullshit! Someone broke into my dorm and now my house to leave those flowers. That’s fucking creepy. Do you have any idea what that feels like?” I looked down at my hands and realized I was holding onto a clay bowl that Cora made at school. She’d be devastated if I broke it. The thought grounded me as I set it back down.

  “Of course I do.” He was in front of me as I straightened. “I feel that way, too. I don’t like it either. Because I love you and the girls, Maddie. I care about what happens to you as if it were happening to me, too.” He reaches out to touch my cheek.