Into the Dark (38 page)

“Ouch.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so carried away.”

“No.” She settled back against the pillows. “I’m the injured one. I should know better.”

“Do you need anything else?” Nathan pulled the sheet up around her.

“No.” She yawned. “I’m good, as long as you snuggle up with me.”

He carefully settled next to her. If Nathan spent the rest of his life with Emilie, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Did Sam call back?” Emilie asked.

“Yeah, I almost forgot. He’s coming for a visit next week.”

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s been so long.”

“He’s excited, too. And he can’t wait to meet me.”

“I’m sure you’ll get his seal of approval.” She closed her eyes. “You earned mine, and that was no easy feat.”

“Pretty sure fate had a hand in that.”

“Me, too.”

“Sam found Mark Chambers.”

“Good.” Emilie yawned again as the medicine kicked in. She closed her eyes. “He deserves to know the truth.”

Nathan kissed her shoulder. “I’m so proud of you. Look how far you’ve come.”

 “Almost dying’ll do that to you. Now let me sleep.”

“I’ll be here when you wake up.” He threaded his fingers with hers.

“I’m counting on it.”

About the Author

Raised in southeastern Iowa, Stacy Green grew up watching crime shows with her parents and developed a lifelong love of suspense and psychological thrillers. She’s fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind and explores true crime on her popular Thriller Thursday posts at her blog,
Turning The Page
.

After earning her degree in journalism, Stacy worked in advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. She rediscovered her love of writing and wrote several articles for a city magazine before penning her first novel, which will never see the light of day. Her next project, set in Las Vegas, became her debut novel,
Into The Dark.

Featuring a heroine on the edge of disaster, a tormented villain, and the city’s infamous storm drains that house hundreds of homeless,
Into the Dark
is a suspense novel with a dash of romance. Stacy is hard at work on her next book, a darker, grittier thriller set in the deep south.

When she’s not writing, she spends all her time with her precocious daughter, supportive husband, and their three obnoxious but lovable canine children.

You can find Stacy on her
website
,
Twitter
, and
Facebook
.

Also Available at MuseItUp Publishing

Obsession

By Sally Royer-Derr

Romantic Suspense

Evil can be closer than you think.

After her husband’s tragic accident, Joanna Dresden seeks to rebuild her life. She finds love again in the arms of a much younger man and feels her life moving forward again. She didn’t realize her husband’s death wasn’t an accident, but rather a calculated murder, by a man willing to do anything to be with her. A man she knew well…

Excerpt:

A slow drizzle of rain pelted the freshly mowed grass of the cemetery. Wet blades of green clung to Joanna’s black pumps as she solemnly walked to the burial plot. Simon held a large black umbrella over her and Jilly as they walked in silence.

The funeral service had been well attended. Most of the town was there to extend their condolences. But Joanna had insisted on a private burial. Family and close friends only.

She sat on the hard folding chair in front of the flower-adorned closed casket. Despite the humidity, she shivered, thinking of her hand touching Jared’s for the last time. In her heart, she knew his soul, his spirit, lived on. His earthly body was only a casing for his true soul, which now looked down from Heaven at her. I know he’s in a better place. A place without hurt or death. But what about me and Jilly? How are we going to live without him?

Jilly looked unusually small today in her dark funeral dress. She gripped Joanna’s hand and sat hunched over, staring at her father’s casket. She hasn’t said a word since finding out he was killed. Will she ever find her voice again? Joanna’s head hurt with all the troubling thoughts. I can’t think about that now.

The pastor said words, but she could not understand them. The words, like the murmuring of condolences spoken to her at the funeral, jumbled together into an unrecognizable blend of sounds. I can’t do this. This can’t be happening to me.

She felt tears welling and pressed her eyes closed for a moment, hoping to shut out the scene in front of her. Opening her eyes again, she watched as Jared was slowly lowered into the ground, and tears stung her face. Don’t leave me, Jared. Her silent pleas were unheard. The only man she’d ever loved was gone.

* * * *

She looks so beautiful in black. His gaze traveled over her appealing form draped by the dark material. He liked how pale her face looked today, almost ethereal, like an angel from Heaven. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a brown tortoiseshell clip, revealing the delicate bone structure of her face. He watched her sit on the sofa, picking at her full plate of food. She lifted her head, her sad blue eyes looking expectantly around the room, and then suddenly clouding over as she looked back to her plate of untouched food.

He longed to go to her, to touch her, to tell her everything would be okay. He would glide his hand over her silken hair and whisper softly in her ear, to reassure her and to make her know that he would always be there for her. Her blue eyes would gaze into his, the sadness starting to melt away, and she would see him, the real him, for the first time. And she would know in that moment they were meant to be together.

He shook his head, feeling slightly unsettled about his fantasy—the fantasy he so desperately wanted to become a reality. One day it will be my reality. One day very soon. Now that Jared was out of the picture, thanks to him, there were no more obstacles deterring him from her.

As it should be. Jared had stood in the way of his happiness for too long. From the moment he knew Joanna was destined to be his, Jared was an obstacle for him. A smile spread across his face. Not anymore.

He gripped his cup of coffee tightly and it spilled over his hand. Grabbing a napkin from a nearby table, he wiped the liquid away. He glanced back to the couch where Joanna had been sitting, but it was now unoccupied. He quickly put his cup down and went off in search of her.

For Rob, Grace, my father, and most of all, Mom.

This dream is for both of us.

Acknowledgements

So many people to thank in just one page. My husband, Rob, who’s worked hard so I could stay home and write and never gave up on me. My parents for their unwavering support, my daughter Grace for the joy she brings into my life. My critique partner and friend, Catie Rhodes, for teaching me about back story, dialogue tags, and for being there every day to volley ideas. To Kristine Kelly: without you, this wouldn’t have happened. Your faith in me when my writing was no more than junk on a page, and your teaching and support, helped bring me here today. Thank you.

To Donna Galanti and all of my online writing friends following my journey and cheering me on–thank you. I’m proud to be part of such a great community.

To Matt O’Brien, author of Beneath The Neon, Life and Death in the Las Vegas Tunnels: thank you for bringing such a heartbreaking and inspiring place to this landlocked Midwestern girl.

I also need to thank the Louisiana Creole Heritage Center at Northwestern University, the Las Vegas Metro Police Force, the city of Las Vegas, the Nevada Historical Society, Jodie Renner, Kristen Lamb, all my friends at #WANA, Melissa Foster, and Lea Schizas, MuseItUp’s hardworking publisher, for her patience and dedication.

Into the Dark © 2012 by Stacy Green

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

MuseItUp Publishing

14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H 1P5

Cover Art © 2012 by Marion Sipe

Edited by Kim Cresswell

Copyedited by Les Tucker

Layout and Book Production by Lea Schizas

eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-155-4

First eBook Edition *November 2012

Production by MuseItUp Publishing

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