Scars From Within (The Franklin Blues #1)

Scars From Within

Book One

Of

The Franklin Blues Series

By

Elizabeth Princeton

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© 2014
Elizabeth Princeton

Editing & Book Formatting

By

Leanore Elliott

Cover Design

By

Cover to Cover Designs

No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission from the author, except in the case of excerpts or quotations embodied for reviews.

DEDICATION

To the two girls who have really pushed me and supported me through this whole process.

Amy, you helped me through all the writer’s blocks and made sure my book didn’t sound horrible.

Melanie, there are no words to describe how much you mean to me. You were my light in the darkness and I am forever grateful for you.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I need to thank my husband. There were times you hated my computer, but still stood by my decision to start this crazy ride. There were times I was so stressed out I didn’t know which way was up, but your crazy self made me laugh and brought me back to where I needed to be. My son, Jonathan, who many time would drive mommy crazy, but still kept my grounded. You make mommy insane, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.

For my best friend Amy, I’m not sure there are enough words to do you justice. You are my right hand woman when it comes to this crazy adventure I’ve been on. You read my book as I went to make sure I didn’t sound like I was trying too hard, or to just see if you liked where the story was going. I can say without a doubt if it weren’t for you that this novel wouldn’t have happened.

A huge shout-out to Melanie, you have been another one of those people who have cheered me along since we started talking. You have been one of the biggest cheerleaders of mine, and I’m so blessed to call you my friend! I love you puddinpop!!! (sorry guys inside joke) You are the best friend a girl could ask for, and I am just so blessed to have you in my life!

To my editor and formatter, Leanore, you rock girl. I came to you when I needed someone to edit my book, and even though you didn’t know me at all, you helped out. You pushed me towards the end to finish, and I’m lucky to be able to call you my friend as well as my editor.

Shauna Kruse and Kruse Images & Photography: Models and Boudoir, my wonderful photographer. You have become more than just the photographer for the cover of my story; you’re also a really good friend. If I ever needed to laugh, you would always be there to put a smile on my face. Using your work for a cover picture was never any question for me. You made sure that I could afford everything, and helped explain how things worked. You were an angel during this whole process.

Justin Keeton, my cover model. You led me to Shauna, and I must thank you for that. Even though you’re a busy guy, you still helped keep me motivated to get this story out. I couldn’t go wrong choosing you for my cover.

Micalea Smeltzer, words can’t begin to explain how thankful I am for you. I added you on a whim, and you have become a very good friend. I can picture you shaking pom poms, cheering me on. You have been my personal cheerleader, and I am blessed to call you a friend.

Lance Jones, you have been a godsend through this. You have made this one of the best decisions I could ever make. I’ve told you before I didn’t think we would become friends, but you have become such a good friend. You may come up with the strangest motivational words to get things done, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. You always know how to put a smile on my face when I needed it.

Kari Ayasha and Cover to Cover Designs, you took just a simple photograph and turned into a work of art! You took my vision and made it an even better reality! You walked me through exactly what you were going to do it, and made sure I understood it all. Thank you so much for creating the perfect cover to my very first book! I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.

To my betas, you guys are a god send. Stacy, Ronda, JA, Amy, Chauntel, Roz, you guys have made my book even better, and for that I can’t thank you enough!

To all the authors who have helped along the way with words of encouragement or notes on how to makes things better, thank you so much. You know who you are, and if I were to list all of you, well it’d be another novel. So, just know that I am thankful for each and every one of you who have helped make my dream come
true.

All my love,

Elizabeth

Prologue

Hailee

“P
lease, don’t do this!” I pleaded while Brandon continued dragging me by my hair to the bedroom. I knew he wouldn’t stop, he never did. I don’t know why I even bothered to beg anymore. It just seemed to turn him on and make him angrier at the same time.

“Shut up you little bitch, you know I always get what I want from you, so stop fighting it, Hailee and it’ll feel good. I can promise you that, but you’ve got to shut up!” Brandon yelled.

I smelled the whiskey on his breath. I knew he’d been into his special stash of whiskey, because yes, he has hit me before, but he’s never forced himself on me, unless he was drinking his special whiskey. “I’m so sorry Brandon, I swear I wasn’t trying to cheat on you with Eddie. He just stopped to help me carry in the groceries. You know I love you and I’d never do anything behind your back.” I don’t know why I tried to reason with him. When he got like this, there was no reasoning with him.

He saw Eddie in the house helping me to carry in groceries because I had too many bags to bring in all at once. I didn’t want anyone to see the bruises that were on my arms and neck from any of the times Brandon got rough with me. However, today I wasn’t fast enough because our nice new neighbor saw me trying to load everything in the house and volunteered to help me.

I tried telling him I was okay that I would make more than one trip.

Eddie just wasn’t having it. “Now, what kind of man do you think my momma raised sweetheart, if I didn’t help a pretty lady into the house with her groceries? Not a very good one, I tell ya. She would have my ass if she knew I just walked into my house without stopping to help,” he said with a twinkle in his dark brown eyes.

His southern drawl sounded very distinct and my goodness, those eyes. They reminded me of the chocolate my daddy used to bring to me when he knew I was sick. Just thinking about it brought on a slight bit of pain thinking about the man whom I never got to say goodbye to—oh, how I missed my best friend. “No, it’s really okay I can get it.” I was trying to come up with an excuse.

He grabbed the bag from my hand and immediately, spotted the yellowing bruise on my wrist. His jaw clenched as he stared at it and asked how I got a nasty bruise like that.

“Oh that, it’s nothing, I just—um, well the thing is my husband likes to try new things in the bedroom, and—he might have put them on too tight.”

He looked like he didn’t buy it as he studied my face, but eventually nodded his head and didn’t say anything else about it.

Next thing I know, he’s putting the groceries away for me.

I was quite baffled by this, since Brandon would never lift a finger to help me put the food away. I heard the front door open and turned around.

Brandon stood in the doorway glaring at me with those hate filled eyes.

I knew instantly, I was really going to pay for this. “Oh, hey baby. Eddie was just helping me carry in all the groceries. Wasn’t that nice of him?” I tried explaining the fact that there was another man standing in his house with his wife. I could tell from the look in his eyes that Brandon thought I was lying.

He plastered on that fake smile and just nodded his head. “Hey man, I’m Brandon, Hailee’s husband. Thank you so much for helping my wife out. I really appreciate it.” He said as he stretched out his hand for Eddie to shake.

Eddie stared him for a moment and finally shook Brandon’s hand. “Yeah, it was no problem. I didn’t want her to have to carry everything in on her own; she had a lot in the car. So, it was my pleasure to help her out.” He seemed to be silently sizing up my husband.

I was waiting for one of them to pee somewhere to mark their territory, but I knew Brandon would win, he always did. I think that’s what attracted me to him at first. He always went after what he wanted, and he always got it. “Well, thanks again Eddie, I appreciate the help but now that Brandon is here, he can help me with the rest of them.” I smiled sweetly, so he wouldn’t see how afraid I was.

Eddie studied my face for a minute.

I don’t know what he was looking for, but he must’ve believed I was okay, because he just nodded at me and turned for the door.

I heard the door shut and I just stared at Brandon while waiting for the beating to start.

“Well, well, well miss Hailee. I see you just make new friends everywhere you go, don’t you?”

I knew this was a rhetorical question and if I answered it, I would be beaten even worse for it. I just stood there with my head down as I examined my shoes, wishing I could be anywhere other than where I was at this exact moment.

He didn’t hit me though, it was eerily quiet.

For a moment, I thought I would be okay.

Next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my head, then everything went black…