by C. D. Gorri
“You don’t need to remind me. Our campaign, Leeds Foundation, Believe in the Future, was my idea as you said, Henries.”
“Yes, well, Mrs. Leeds was not a fan of this campaign. Coupled with your latest adventures, I am tasked to advise you that your grandmother is seriously displeased. She suggests you go home, Avail.”
“What? But there is a lot to do-”
“Denise will handle it. You are to go back to Leeds Mansion and ‘wait out the storm’. Those are her exact words”
“Tell my grandmother that she knows what happens at the end of the week-”
“She is aware.” Avail could practically see the blank expression on the lawyer’s face through the phone. He’d never quite pinpointed what sort of supernatural the man was, but his loyalty and devotion to the Leeds family had spanned decades, twelve or so to be exact.
“It’s almost the last quarter moon, Henries, and I have no intention of staying-”
“Mr. Leeds,” his voice deepened, “your grandmother has told me that if you refuse, she shall be forced to defer back to your grandfather’s original will. The one where you do not inherit until you have achieved thirty-eight years unless you marry before then. Do you recall the terms?”
“Yes,” Avail growled into the receiver, “I recall the terms. Tell Grandmother, not to worry. I am on my way home.”
Excerpt from Marked By The Devil
Chapter One
“No, no, no,” Stephanie slammed her hands down on the steering wheel of her tiny car. The tiny Smart car was cute as pie to look at. Totally worth it too. Well, when she’d lived in the city it had been worth it.
But out in the boonies, also known as the beach town of Maccon City, New Jersey, the damn automobile was more trouble than it was worth.
The thing could hardly make it up the sandy dirt covered private road that would soon lead to the beautifully preserved cobblestone driveway of the illustrious Leeds family.
According to her research, the Leeds were one of the original founding families of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Like her own family tree, theirs dated all the way back to revolutionary times. What an interesting coincidence!
Not that she knew all that much about the state or her ancestors having grown up in western Pennsylvania. Stephanie had recently moved to Maccon City to be closer to her new job. A job she landed with the help of her two BFF’s.
She missed Cora and Leandra every day. The three of them did everything together! Had since they were teens at the exclusive, another word for stuck-up, Mrs. Parker’s School for Girls. Tucked away from normal teenagers in the wilds of Pennsylvania, the three of them had formed a little sisterhood. Vowing to always be there for each other.
They attended college together at the Brandywine campus of Penn State, opting to rent an apartment over dorm life. They even stayed, continuing to live together, after graduation. All working jobs in nearby Philadelphia.
Everything was fine until Cora got a job at a bank overseas. Stephanie was happy for her brilliant mathematician friend. You bet she was. Only, her heart squeezed at seeing her go.
That shocking announcement was soon followed by another from Leandra. Her other roommate having decided to move to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a stage performer.
Another devastating blow to the rather introverted Stephanie. Her feelings of abandonment aside, she managed to be happy for them both. Besides, they had helped her find the perfect job and town to move to before they left. In true BFF fashion.
I miss those two, she thought as she curved around the long, winding road. Too much time had passed between visits. Sure, they still sent her emails and texts. Especially Cora.
Stephanie was almost overwhelmed by her constant barrage of the latest dating apps and trends for her perpetually single friend. Sigh. They knew her too well. Fact check: She was way too shy to go to bars or clubs without her two BFFs there to bolster her.
