Her Final Word

by Willow Rose

  Coraline's mom blinked her eyes, then looked at Jack and Emily. Then her eyes were filled with tears. She rose to her feet and grabbed Jack's hand in hers.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much for saving my daughter's life."

  "She did a lot of the work herself," Jack said with a wink at Coraline. "She's one brave girl."

  Epilogue

  Cocoa Beach, October 2018

  "JAAAACK!"

  "DAAAD!"

  We had barely found our suitcases before we heard the screams. I turned around and spotted our entire family coming toward us. Shannon was carrying Tyler in her arms, almost dropping her purse that was dangling underneath him, while the twins were following closely along with Betsy Sue and Angela. Even my mom and dad were there, rushing toward us, arms stretched out.

  I couldn't stop smiling as the twins raced each other to get to me first, Abigail pulling Austin's shirt to keep him from winning.

  "Hey," Austin complained as Abigail made it first.

  I chuckled, then grabbed her in my arms, then reached out for him as well and pulled him into a warm embrace, while he mouthed I hate you to his sister. Next came Shannon and Tyler, who was squirming in her arms to get down and run to me. She put him down with a deep sigh, hair unruly and no make-up, and he ran toward me, his small arms stretched out.

  "Da-a-a-ad-d-y-y-y-y!"

  I let go of the twins and grabbed him in my arms, holding him very close to me, smelling him and laughing, realizing in this very moment how much I had missed them all.

  Tyler soon grew tired of me and wanted to get down, so I kissed him on the cheek and put him on the floor so that he could roam freely again. Shannon kissed Emily and hugged her, then came to me, while my parents both threw themselves at Emily.

  Shannon stood in front of me with a deep sigh and, just then, I noticed she was still wearing her PJs under her long coat that was way too warm for the Florida weather, but long enough to cover up her PJs. Her hair went in all directions, and she had deep black bags under her eyes. It was so far from the famous country star that the rest of the world knew, and I wasn't sure anyone would even recognize her.

  I chuckled, then hugged her and kissed her gently, closing my eyes and taking her in.

  "How are you?" I asked and caressed her make-up-free face.

  "I think…I think I’m still alive," she said, chuckling. "But I’m not sure."

  "I promise I'll never do it again," I said.

  She chuckled. "Good. ‘Cause I don't think our marriage would be able to survive that."

  We grabbed our suitcases and walked out to our cars, then drove back to my parents’ motel, where my mom had prepared burgers and hotdogs for us that she served on the porch under the huge welcome home sign that the kids had drawn.

  I grabbed a burger and sat down, while letting all the chatter and life around me fill me with joy. Even Abigail and Austin's bickering made me happy, at least for a few minutes. By the end of the evening, I knew I was going to be as annoyed with it as I usually was. But for now, I was enjoying it.

  Shannon sat next to me with her own burger and had just sunk her teeth into it when Emily walked up to the grill and grabbed a plate between her hands.

  I stopped chewing, and everyone stopped talking as she reached out the plate toward my dad.

  "I think I'd like a burger, please."

  Shannon's eyes grew wide, and my heart thumped in my chest as my dad served her the burger and she sat down, then took a big bite. My mom sent me a smile and winked. I felt a tear in the corner of my eye but wiped it away.

  "What happened?" Shannon whispered.

  "It wasn't about the food; it was never about food or even about being skinny and meeting some unrealistic ideal she had seen in a magazine. Just like mom told me, it was a lot deeper than that. It was all about her identity and finding out who she is and what she wants to do with her life."

  "And she’s found that out now?" she asked, baffled, as we watched Emily finish the entire burger like it was nothing.

  She had decided to leave the scale in the hotel room when we left for the airport. I think she believed I didn't see her place it in the bathroom right before we left, but I did. And that made me so happy, I could hardly contain it. It also made me believe that she was determined this time around, and I had a feeling she was going to make it. She was going to get better, especially now that she had a goal to reach; she had something she wanted out of her life. A goal that couldn't be achieved if she was underweight.

  I nodded, pressing back more tears as they threatened to burst out of me.

  "Yes. She wants to be a detective. Just like her old man. Can you believe it? There's gonna be another Detective Ryder in our family. And a darn good one, if I might add."

  THE END

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for purchasing Her Final Word (Jack Ryder #6).

  When I was around fifteen years old, I started to starve myself, having the idea that it would make me happier if I lost a few pounds. A few became many and, when I was seventeen, I was admitted to a hospital for the first time, and I spent eight months there. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there and, shortly after I was let out, I went straight back to starving myself again and was admitted once again when I was nineteen for six months.

  Now, I know there are many different reasons why young girls do this to themselves. For me, it was about a lot of different things like a tough childhood, but the key to surviving it was finding my identity. I was scared of the future and who I was supposed to be. It was when I found a purpose in life, when I started to write books and then when I met my husband, that things began to change, and I no longer desired to starve myself.

  Love changes everything, right? I wanted a life with him, and most of all, I wanted to have children. Today, I am healthy and well and hardly ever think back on that time, but it will never leave me completely. And that's okay. It's a part of me now, part of my story. And, as I was writing the first Jack Ryder books, I knew it had to become a part of his story too. But now I think Emily has found the key to beat her sickness, and I can't wait to see what she will accomplish as a detective later on in life. Maybe she'll even get her own series.

  The story of the white lady was inspired by a real story, believe it or not. Sante Kimes was a woman who committed so many crimes I couldn't fit them all in this book, so I focused on her charges of modern-day slavery. She offered young, homeless illegal immigrants housing and employment, then kept them as virtual prisoners by threatening to report them to the authorities if they didn't follow her orders. The details of her life are quite spectacular; if you want to know more, here are a couple of links:

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sante_Kimes

  https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/03/sante-kimes-mother-murderer-criminal-mastermind

  I was fascinated by the ordeal immigrants go through to get to a better place and then what happens to them is sometimes worse than where they came from. And as I started reading about it, I realized it is more common than you think. Here's the story of a woman in Texas who kept illegal immigrants as slaves that you can read about:

  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/16/texas-woman-kept-mexican-slaves-for-14-years-said-theyd-go-to-hell-if-they-disobeyed/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6edc4b0e863d

  A lot of the immigrants also end up as sex slaves and being trafficked.

  The United Nations Polaris Project, which tracks human trafficking, estimates there are 20.9 million people across the globe that are slaves. Yes, that many. It's a huge problem. As a matter of fact, Jack Ryder's favorite café Juice N Java in Cocoa Beach has joined the fight to help victims of trafficking and started the Freedom Fighter Movement. If you want to support it, just follow this link:

  http://www.juicenjavacafe.com/24716/Page.aspx

  Again, I want to thank you for reading this book and for all your support. Don't forget to leave a review if you can.

  Take care,

>   Willow

  About the Author

  The Queen of Scream, Willow Rose, is an international best-selling author. She writes Mystery/Suspense/Horror, Paranormal Romance and Fantasy. She is inspired by authors like James Patterson, Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Isabel Allende. She lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you'll find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. She has sold more than three million books.

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  Books by the Author

  Mystery/Horror Novels:

  What Hurts the Host (7th Street Crew #1) - Grab your copy today

  You Can Run (7th Street Crew #2) - Grab your copy today

  You Can’t Hide (7th Street Crew #3) - Grab your copy today

  Carefull Little Eyes (7th Street Crew #4) - Grab your copy today

  Hit the Road Jack (Jack Ryder #1) - Grab your copy today

  Slip Out the Back Jack (Jack Ryder #2) - Grab your copy today

  The House that Jack Built (Jack Ryder #3) - Grab your copy today

  Black Jack (Jack Ryder #4) - Grab your copy today

  Girl next door (Jack Ryder #5) - Grab your copy today

  Her final word (Jack Ryder #6) - Grab your copy today

  One, Two... He is Coming for You (Rebekka Franck #1) - Grab your copy today

  Three, Four ... Better Lock your Door (Rebekka Franck #2) - Grab your copy today

  Five, Six ... Grab your Crucifix (Rebekka Franck #3) - Grab your copy today

  Seven, Eight... Gonna Stay up Late (Rebekka Franck #4) - Grab your copy today

  Nine, Ten... Never Sleep Again (Rebekka Franck #5) -Grab your copy today

  Eleven, Twelve... Dig and Delve (Rebekka Franck #6) - Grab your copy today

  Thirteen, Fourteen... Little Boy Unseen (Rebekka Franck #7) - Grab your copy today

  Better not cry (Rebekka Franck #8) - Grab your copy today

  Ten little Girls (Rebekka Franck #9) - Grab your copy today

  Edwina - Grab your copy today

  To Hell in A Handbasket - Grab your copy today

  Umbrella Man - Grab your copy today

  Black Bird Fly - Grab your copy today

  Itsy Bitsy Spider (Emma Frost #1) - Grab your copy today

  Miss Polly had a Dolly (Emma Frost #2)- Grab your copy today

  Run, Run, as Fast as you Can (Emma Frost #3) - Grab your copy today

  Cross your Heart and Hope to Die (Emma Frost #4) - Grab your copy today

  Peek A Boo I See You (Emma Frost #5) - Grab your copy today

  Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Emma Frost #6) - Grab your copy today

  Easy as One Two Three (Emma Frost #7) - Grab your copy today

  There's No Place like Home (Emma Frost #8) - Grab your copy today

  Slenderman (Emma Frost #9) - Grab your copy today

  Where the Wild Roses Grow (Emma Frost #10) - Grab your copy today

  Waltzing Mathilda (Emma Frost #11) - Grab your copy today

  Drip Drop Dead (Emma Frost #12) - Grab your copy today

  Horror Short Stories:

  Eenie, Meenie - Grab your copy today

  Rock-A-Bye Baby - Grab your copy today

  Nibble, Nibble, Crunch - Grab your copy today

  Humpty, Dumpty - Grab your copy today

  Chain Letter - Grab your copy today

  Better Watch Out - Grab your copy today

  Mommy Dearest - Grab your copy today

  The Bird- Grab your copy today

  Paranormal Romance/Suspense/Fantasy Novels:

  Flesh and Blood - Grab your copy today

  Blood and Fire - Grab your copy today

  Fire and Beauty - Grab your copy today

  Beauty and Beasts - Grab your copy today

  Beasts and Magic - Grab your copy today

  Magic and Witchcraft - Grab your copy today

  Witchcraft and War - Grab your copy today

  War and Order - Grab your copy today

  Order and Chaos- Grab your copy today

  Chaos and Courage - Will be out January, 2019.

  The Surge - Grab your copy today

  Girl Divided - Grab your copy today

  Beyond (Afterlife #1) - Grab your copy today

  Serenity (Afterlife #2) - Grab your copy today

  Endurance (Afterlife #3) - Grab your copy today

  Courageous (Afterlife #4) - Grab your copy today

  Savage (Daughters of the Jaguar #1) - Grab your copy today

  Broken (Daughters of the Jaguar #2) - Grab your copy today

  Song for a Gypsy (The Eye of the Crystal Ball -The Wolfboy Chronicles) - Grab your copy today

  I am WOLF (The Wolfboy Chronicles) - Grab your copy today

  Box Sets:

  Jack Ryder Mystery Series Box Set: Vol 1-3 - Grab your copy today

  Rebekka Franck Series Vol 1-3 - Grab your copy today

  Rebekka Franck Series Vol 4-6 - Grab your copy today

  Rebekka Franck Series Vol 1-5 - Grab your copy today

  Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 1-3 - Grab your copy today

  Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 4-6 - Grab your copy today

  Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 7-9 - Grab your copy today

  Emma Frost Mystery Series Vol 1-5 - Grab your copy today

  Daughters of the Jaguar Box Set - Grab your copy today

  The Vampires of Shadow Hills: Books 1-3 - Grab your copy today

  The Afterlife Series (Books 1-3)- Grab your copy today

  Horror Stories from Denmark - Grab your copy today

  The Wolfboy Chronicles - Grab your copy today

  ITSY BITSY SPIDER

  Excerpt

  For a special sneak peak of Willow Rose's Bestselling Mystery Novel ITSY BITSY SPIDER turn to the next page.

  Prologue

  1977

  At first she thought it was an accident that the door to the bunker had shut. Then she tried to open it on her own, but couldn't. It was either too heavy or it must have locked when it shut. She knocked carefully.

  "Hello?"

  The quiet coming from outside the iron door was almost cruel. Astrid swallowed and knocked once again, this time harder.

  "Hello?"

  But nothing. Nothing but the horrendous sound of her own breathing. Someone will open it. Once they realize it has shut, they'll come. Astrid took the few steps from the door down into the bunker. She felt tired and her feet were swollen. She sighed and sat down on a bench, waiting, staring at the door, and anticipating it swinging open at any moment now. Except, it was actually two doors, separated by a small hallway between them. So even if she hammered, they wouldn't be able to hear her. All she could do was wait. Someone would eventually come for her.

  Wouldn't they? Of course they would. He would come. He who told her he loved her…

  Astrid knew she wasn't among the smartest of the young kids on the island. Her mother always told her that. But Astrid had good hands and she wasn't a half-bad cook. If she stuck to what she knew, she might be lucky enough to one day have a man, her mother had promised. Now Astrid had found one. And he wanted more than just her cooking. He wanted her. He loved her, he said. Then he made love to her in the dunes by the beach.

  He was nice to her and she wanted him to meet her mother, but he kept telling her: not now,
not today. Astrid never thought of asking when. She just waited patiently for him to find the time in his busy schedule. She never wondered why he never took her places, or why he insisted they only meet at night, or why he never spoke to her except for the dirty words he whispered in her ears; Astrid was educated enough to know that these words weren’t something they would say in church.

  No, Astrid never thought there could be anything wrong with her relationship with this boy who once said he loved her, and who showed his love for her in the dunes again and again, night after night, during that endless summer in 1977. Instead, she started looking forward to their life together, preparing herself to one day become his wife, and to have a baby.

  "You'll get nothing but dummies like yourself," her mother had said. "There should be a law that demanded that people like you were sterilized so you wouldn't pass your stupidity on to your kids. Stupid girl," she said, and slapped Astrid across the face.

  Yes, Astrid was very well aware that she wasn't the smartest among people, but she had a good heart. That much she knew. One day she would become a great mother to a child who would have its father's intellect, and that child was going to go out into the world and do great things.

  "That'll show them," she said, sniffling, while staring at the closed iron door at the top of the stairs.

  "He'll come for me, won't he?" she asked, and her voice echoed into the small room behind her that was lit only by a lightbulb hanging from under the ceiling. Of course he will. Of course.