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Their story isn’t over…
FIREBALL
coming May 15, 2023
Sneak peek
My eyes flew open and I laid there in the dark looking around. The moonlight was enough for me to see the bedroom clearly. Footsteps. I sat up in bed and tossed the covers off before grabbing my phone. Was I imagining it? Had the footsteps been what had woken me up? They were soft but I heard them again. I pressed Saxon’s number then ended the call. He was hours away from me. Possibly even back in Florida. I needed to call 9-1-1.
Tip-toeing to the bedroom door, I stepped out to peek over the balcony overlooking the living room and kitchen. I pressed 9-1-1 and held my finger over the send button waiting to see if there was actually someone in this cabin or if my imagination was out of control. I didn’t want this to be like the rental car drop off yesterday. I moved closer to the railing and held my breath for fear of being heard.
“Put the phone down,” a deep voice said behind me.
Startled, I screamed and dropped the phone then spun around to find Huck standing a few feet away at the top of the stairs. Huck was here. He wasn’t here to kill me. I was almost positive he wasn’t. Maybe he was. Maybe my knowing about Blaise killing my dad and brother had put me on their kill list. Assuming they had one of those. Why hadn’t I thought about that?
“For fucks sake, Maddy. Stop backing up. If you fall over that damn railing then Blaise will put a bullet in me,” he drawled then held up an unlit cigarette. “Mind if I smoke this?”
I stared at him but said nothing. Why was he here? If Blaise didn’t want me to fall over the railing, then he didn’t want me dead. Yet Huck was here, in this cabin, miles away from Ocala, in the middle of the night. I was confused.
Huck shrugged when I didn’t answer and lit the cigarette between his lips and took a long pull from it. “Go back to bed,” he said with a grunt.
“What are you doing?” I asked him instead.
He raised his eyebrows as if that was a stupid question. “Did you honestly think you were up here in the fucking mountains alone, without protection?”
Yes. I did think that.
“Fuck,” he drawled and took another pull from the cigarette. “You’re a naïve one. Go back to bed. I’m just headed to my room.”
Frowning. “Your room?” I asked confused.
He pointed his cigarette toward the room to his left. “Yeah.”
I shook my head then. There was no way I was letting him sleep in this cabin with me. “No, you can’t sleep here.”
He chuckled. “Maddy, honey, I’ve been sleeping here since you arrived. Apparently, you’re a light sleeper when you think you’re alone.”
“You’ve been here the whole time? Does Saxon know?” I asked.
Huck smirked at me. “Yeah, he knows. We take care of our own. You may be pissed about how things were handled but that doesn’t change shit.”
My fear had turned to anger. He acted as if my family’s death wasn’t a big deal and I was overreacting. “I’m not pissed! My dad and brother were killed! I am…I’m destroyed.” I was also in this alone. Saxon had lied to me. If he was my friend he would have told me Huck was here. He was loyal alright, just not to me.
Acknowledgments
Those who I couldn’t have done this without-
Britt always is the first I mention because he makes it possible for me to close myself away and write for endless hours a day. Without him I wouldn’t get any sleep and I doubt I could finish a book.
Emerson for dealing with the fact I must write some days and she can’t have my full attention. I’ll admit there were several times she did not understand and I may have told my six-year-old “You’re not making it in my acknowledgments this time!” to which she did not care.
My older children who live in other states were great about me not being able to answer their calls most of the time and they had to wait until I could get back to them. They still love me and understand this part of mom’s world.
Annabelle gets a shout out because she read this in its unedited form for me in one day. I needed feedback and she put down the Jennifer L. Armentrout book she was loving to help her momma out. Love you big! Even if Armentrout is your fav.
My editor Jovana Shirley at Unforeseen Editing for not only doing this last minute because I suck at deadlines but also for helping me make this story the best it could be.
My formatter Melissa Stevens at The Illustrated Author. Her work always blows me away. It’s hands down the best formatting I’ve ever had in my books.
Beta Readers who came through on a minute’s notice, Jerilyn Martinez and Vicci Kaighan I love y’all!
Damonza for my book cover. This cover could not be more perfect. They are always a pleasure to work with.
Abbi’s Army for being my support and cheering me on. I love y’all!
