Will love win? Or will madness? #MFRWhooks
PRE~ORDER NOW FOR ONLY $1.49
Releases Worldwide 26-September-2023
It’s exquisite torture watching you. For your sake, I hope you meet my
expectations...
In the year following her brother’s tragic murder, Public Defender Hannah
Patel withdrew into the comfort of family and career. As time passed, the
man obsessed with her became a terrifying threat.
A fatal error caused Detective Doyle Murphy to doubt his future in law
enforcement, but protecting Hannah presents an opportunity for redemption.
Neither expect their forced closeness to create genuine feelings.
As their burgeoning romance grows, it pushes her stalker over the edge.
Will love win? Or will madness?
The January air was sharp as shattered glass in Hannah’s lungs. The scull
sliced through the water soundlessly; the oars cut through with precision as
she pumped and pushed her legs and arms in a familiar rhythm. Embraced the
burn in her muscles. It was early; the sun hadn’t fully breached the
horizon, but hers was not the only boat on the river. A college crew sped
past, their coxswain nodding to her as they passed. She was on the last leg,
approaching the clubhouse at the far end of Boathouse Row, when she pulled
in her oars and let the momentum take her home as the sun glowed orange over
the skyline of Center City.
I needed this. The solitude and quiet. The solace I always find on the
water. I need the calm to carry me through the day.
She lifted the bow side oar and glided alongside the stage before climbing
out with practiced grace. She stood and stretched, pulled off her cap and
wiped the light sheen of sweat from her brow. Hannah rowed all year,
conditions allowing, and though sometimes the river froze, winter was her
favorite. In the dog days of summer, the algae and pollen created a pungent
film on the water’s surface, which hindered the oars. Cold meant clean.
“This is perfect.”
Pulling her single scull from the river was the hardest part, and she did
it effortlessly. She’d rowed since college and had deceptively muscular legs
and arms. With the oars in one hand and the boat over her shoulder, she
carried her gear to the clubhouse and secured it in the garage. It had been
converted into a storage area for boats and gear decades prior, but was
still called the garage.
Twenty minutes later, dressed in her favorite charcoal pencil skirt and a
silky blouse the color of ripe peaches, her long black hair–still damp from
the shower–plaited down her back, Hannah pulled a thick wool cap over her
ears and slipped into the cashmere coat her parents gave her for Christmas.
She hurried across Kelly Drive and onto Lemon Hill Drive, where she’d parked
her car ninety minutes earlier.
Her mother hated the Mazda. Thought she should drive something small,
sporty, and feminine. Hannah considered it, and, despite her secret
infatuation with the Porsche Carrera, chose the sport utility vehicle.
Sculling, skiing, and her volunteer work at the Women’s Humane Society
Animal Shelter in Olde City made the compact SUV the better choice. Frosty
morning sunlight glinted off the chrome detailing. Hannah smiled. And she’s
pretty.
With the fob in her hand, she remotely started the car, used her foot to
open the liftgate and tossed her duffel bag in the back. She’d had it
customized for transporting animals and no matter how funky her gear got, or
muddy, or sandy, she wouldn’t damage her interior. She shivered, closed the
hatch, and unlocked the doors. With one foot in the car, and her body half
in the seat, she froze.
A standard piece of paper, folded in half and tucked under the windshield
wiper, fluttered in the icy breeze. Dread curled in her stomach. The coppery
taste of fear coated her tongue. She reached for it, slowly, cautiously, as
though it would bite her if she moved too quickly, and picked it off her
windshield. She checked the back seat. Empty. Checked it again. Hopped into
the driver’s seat, and locked the door. She waited a second, two, before
unfolding the sheet.
It’s exquisite torture watching you. Wondering how those powerful legs will feel wrapped around me. How the muscles in your arms will quiver under restraints. I’ll know soon. For your sake, I hope you meet my expectations.
đŸ’€đŸ’€đŸ’€
Order your copy now (price goes up to $3.99 after release)
For more information about this book and others by the author, click here
Sounds intriguing
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Deleteterrifying. and fabulous description leading up to the terror.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed writing this one, doing the slow build suspense, making the ordinary seem terrifying. There's a particularly sinister water bottle further on :)
DeleteThe January air was sharp as shattered glass.
ReplyDeleteI actually felt this line! Tweeted.
Thank you! Back when I used to run, cold winter mornings were my favorite
Delete