HAPPY SATURDAY, EVERYONE!
MY SECOND NOVEL, IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL IS A KINDLE BIG DEAL RIGHT NOW ON AMAZON AND IS ON SALE FOR ONLY 99 CENTS!!
THIS IS JARED MCNEIL AND JENNIE MCKENZIE'S STORY, THE BOOK THAT STARTED ME ON THIS AMAZING JOURNEY OF BEING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR. IT WILL ALWAYS HOLD A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST BOOK I FINISHED.
I STILL REMEMBER THE DAY A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN I WROTE THOSE INCREDIBLE TWO WORDS, THE END AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MANUSCRIPT. I WANTED TO SHOUT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT TO THE WORLD BUT NO ONE WAS AROUND. I CALL MY SISTERS, MY KIDS, MY BEST FRIEND, AND NO ONE PICKED UP. I EVEN WENT ON FACEBOOK AND FOR SOME STRANGE REASON, NO ONE WAS ON. HERE I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST BOOK--A DREAM COME TRUE-- AND NO ONE WAS AROUND TO SHARE THE NEWS. WELL, FINISHING IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING AND I GOT TO HOLD THAT MOMENT IN MY HEART ALL DAY UNTIL MY FAMILY CAME HOME.
TODAY, NOT ONLY IS THE E-BOOK ON SALE FOR ONLY 99 CENTS, BUT THE PRINT VERSION IS NOW AVAILABLE AS WELL. IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO HOLD JENNIE AND JARED'S STORY IN MY HANDS AND CLOSE TO MY HEART. I KNOW THAT IS SAPPY, BUT THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING MOMENT FOR ME. I'M WILL POST PICTURES HERE WHEN THE BOX FROM AMAZON ARRIVES.
IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER BELOW FOR FOR YOU TO READ AS WELL AS THE LINK FOR THE SHADOW OF EVIL FOR ONLY A BUCK. I HOPE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH JENNIE AND JARED AS MUCH AS I DID CREATING THEIR STORY.
YOU CAN BUY IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL ON AMAZON BY CLINKING THE SIDEBAR LINK OR GOING HERE:
AND AS PROMISED, HERE IS THE FIRST CHAPTER TO IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL.
Chapter One
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
June
2005
Damn it, Nick. This isn’t the time to start ignoring
me.
Jennie
McKenzie loosened her grip on her cell phone and dialed her foster brother
again from the passenger seat of the SUV. Pick up. Pick up. God, please pick
up.
Nick
didn’t know it yet, but they were getting the hell away from Mendoza—today.
And if Nick tried to talk her out of it, she would drag him out by his ear.
When
the call went directly to voice mail, a gut-wrenching dread cramped her
stomach, forcing acid into her throat.
Why wasn’t he answering his damn phone?
Her
tension spiked when the vehicle slowed and stopped on the shoulder of the two-lane
country road. Jennie tore her eyes away from the silent cell phone and glanced
over at the man in the driver’s seat.
Jared
McNeil. Not one of Mendoza’s thugs, but a cop, an undercover cop.
Her
racing heart settled with a glance. The calming effect Jared had on her was
crazy. Jennie didn’t trust anyone except Nick. But somehow she trusted the man
sitting next to her. She may be nothing but a silly teenager in his eyes, but
hell, his dark brown, wavy hair, cobalt blue eyes, and smoking-hot body did
something to her sixteen-year-old heart. And when those amazing eyes smiled at
her, she felt it from the tip of her head to her toes—and everywhere in between.
Damn it, stay focused. You have to get out of this
mess.
A
low growl came from the back of Jared’s throat. “Jennie, I need your decision.”
His hands fisted on the steering wheel and the tiny muscle in his jaw pulsed.
“I have no grounds to remove you from Mendoza’s home. But since you’re a minor,
and we arrested the two men with you at the testing center, I can at least
place you in protective custody until we contact your caseworker.”
A
pair of robins flew in front of the passenger window from the tall oaks lining
the road. They momentarily perched on the hood of the SUV then dashed off to
the other side of the lane. That simple display of carefree abandonment cut
deep into Jennie. As her fingers dug into her palm, she let out a shaky breath
and asked, “What about Nick? I can’t leave without him.”
“I
tried to talk to him. He blew me off. By placing you in protective custody . .
.”
“No.
I won’t go anywhere without Nick.”
Jared’s
expression went from concerned to frigid. It was like a curtain dropped down,
cutting off his emotions.
Jennie
lowered her head, her gaze on her lap. “Nick isn’t . . . he doesn’t warm up to
people well. But Jared, he’s not Mendoza’s lackey.”
She
glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. His jaw was clenched and the muscles
in his arms and shoulders grew taut. When his gaze met hers, she winced. He
couldn’t hide how unhappy he was with her.
“Nick
isn’t just my foster brother. He’s my best friend and has had my back since my
parents died. I can’t leave him with Mendoza. He’ll turn Nick into a carbon
copy of himself.”
“Any replies to your call?” Jared raised his
eyebrows and nodded to the phone.
“No,
he isn’t answering me.”
When
Nick turned eighteen last month, Mendoza had offered her foster brother a job
with his organization, giving Nick a glimpse into a lifestyle he could only
dream of. Her brother was with Mendoza now. She could sense it. And the more
time Nick spent with him, the more he began to look, walk, and talk like
the arrogant psycho. It frightened Jennie to the core.
“Maybe
that’s your answer. He wants to stay with Mendoza. You can’t make Nick into
something he’s not, Jennie. He’s been in the foster care program his whole
life. That changes a person. He isn’t like you.”
Jennie
studied the man next to her. “You don’t mean that. That’s not what is going on
here.” Something was off. If only she could talk to Nick . . . or Father
Michael. Her godfather was on a mission for the Vatican in a remote area of
South America, and Jennie hadn’t been able to reach him during the chaos and
upheaval of the last four months.
Then
a sudden thought struck her like an open-hand slap across the face. Her gaze
darted to Jared. One look and she knew she was right. “Shit, you can’t . . .
damn it, Jared. Not Nick! You can’t use him to get to Mendoza. You can’t . . .”
“Jennie―”
“No.
You can’t use Nick like that. Leaving him behind—you would be turning him into
what you believe he is.” And that would rip my heart in two.
Jared
shook his head and started the SUV. The turn-off to Mendoza’s long driveway was
less than a mile away. Once they pulled into the private road, Mendoza’s
cameras would pick them up, which left very little time for Jennie to change
Jared’s mind. The walls inside the cab felt like they were closing in on her
and she struggled to breathe. She could feel the anger radiating off Jared, but
she wouldn’t back down.
“You
spoke to your caseworker?” His voice was controlled—almost calculated.
“Yes.
She’s arranging for a place for us to stay.”
Jared
let out a noisy sigh, reached for the key in the ignition, and turned off the
motor. He faced her. “Mendoza’s obsessively protective of you. Why?”
It
took a moment for Jennie’s mind to form an answer. “I saved his life.”
“It’s
more than that.”
Jennie
could only nod. She didn’t have an answer. All she knew for sure was that her
soon-to-be guardian was soulless. He watched her, studied her like a bug under
a magnifying glass; he made her skin crawl. He wanted something from her.
It wasn’t sexual. There was something far more sinister than lust in Mendoza’s
eyes. His very presence caused her spirit to shrivel.
She
couldn’t face Jared. It was too hard to see the disappointment in his eyes. So
instead, she faced the front window. “I don’t know what you want me to tell
you. I know nothing about Mendoza, never met him before that day in downtown
Little Italy.” She closed her eyes and inhaled a cleansing breath. When she
opened them, she peeked at Jared who stared at the massive estate that could
barely be seen through the trees. She cleared her throat and said, “He was
choking and none of the men with him did anything to help. I think they wanted
him dead. And I’m not sure I blame them.”
Jennie’s
mind began to replay the crazed nightmare. That moment on the sidewalk when
Elías Mendoza’s brooding, dark eyes had held hers, the universe she knew
shifted. There had been something familiar about him, but for some reason, his
presence sucked the life right out of her. Paralyzed and breathless, she had
been unable to move.
She
watched Mendoza reach for his fork and swallow a bite of pasta. In a split
second, his eyes widened and he darted from his chair, grabbing his throat.
Nick had tugged at her arm, then jumped the concrete barrier separating the
restaurant from the sidewalk, and tried the Heimlich maneuver. But for all his
efforts, Nick couldn’t dislodge the obstruction. His plea for her help had
finally penetrated her dazed state and she joined Nick on the patio. She didn’t
have the strength to lift Mendoza, but she did have first aid training. She
repositioned Nick’s hands. After several abdominal thrusts, the large bite of
shrimp broke free.
“Why
didn’t Mendoza just hand us a twenty and have us removed from his sight? We
were nothing to him.” Jennie let out a shaky breath. “He manipulated the foster
care program so we could live with him.” Her eyes met Jared’s. “We were in his
home that night. The system doesn’t work that fast. None of it makes any
sense.”
“Last
chance, Jennie,” he murmured. “I turn down Mendoza’s private drive . . .”
“I’ll
never turn my back on Nick.”
She
shifted and faced the front window. Jared let out a string of obscenities that
made Jennie cringe. He turned the ignition back on and drove the last quarter
of a mile, turning left onto the narrow road. The vehicle’s wheels crunched on
the gravel of the circular driveway near the front entrance. Beyond the house,
manicured lawns covered three acres extending into woodland.
She
gazed out at the helicopter sitting on the heliport behind the pool and tennis
court. She faced the man next to her. Jared was working undercover to take down
Mendoza and planned to use Nick to help him. If she couldn’t convince him to
back off, he was going to get himself, and Nick, killed.
“I’ve
known Elías Mendoza for four months. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
“I
know who Mendoza is, Jennie.”
“I’m
not some stupid kid. You’re only what? Five years older than me?”
“Seven.
So?”
Jennie
tightened her hold on her fingers to keep from back-handing the handsome,
stubborn cop.
“Mendoza
is . . . I sense what’s inside him. He makes my skin crawl. You’re crazy if you
think you can fool someone like him. He will . . .”
Fear clogged Jennie’s throat. She pushed down the shiver that wracked
her body. “And you want to use Nick—” She gulped in a deep breath and exhaled.
“My mom would’ve called Mendoza the Devil.”
“Then
let me get you the hell away from here. Once you’re inside, I can’t protect
you.” He forced the words through clenched teeth. “Look, Nick knows what he’s
providing Mendoza. He’s not innocent, but he’s still a kid, a stupid kid.”
Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to turn him, have him work with
us. With his hacking skills, he’s our best way into Mendoza’s organization. But
I get it, bad idea.” He placed a hand on Jennie’s fisted hands. “We’ll find
another avenue. I’ll go in for him. You stay here. Hide on the floorboard.”
“Nick won’t leave with you.” Her eyes met
Jared’s. “But he’ll listen to me. He’ll come just because I ask him to. I have
to do this.” Worried Jared would try to stop her, she opened the passenger door,
grabbed her backpack at her feet, and raced up the steps of the red brick
colonial. The soft fragrance from the begonias, lavender, and sweet peas
blooming in the beds near the door assaulted her senses, causing her to slow.
How did such beauty thrive here?
Wrenching
her mind away from the familiar scents, she burst through the front door, her
heart pounding. The guard in the foyer stepped out of her path as she scurried
passed him.
“Miss
McKenzie, is there something wrong? Can I help you?” he asked, but Jennie
ignored him and jogged up the curved staircase, her sneakers squeaking on the
polished hardwood.
“Nick, where are you? Damn it, Nick. Answer
me.”
She
hurried into her room and barely glanced at the thick, padded wall covering,
lush carpet, or opulent furnishings. Like the rest of the house, it was a
pretty shell, and it left her cold. She tugged her backpack off her shoulders.
Opening the numerous drawers in the walk-in closet, she yanked out only the
items she originally brought into the house. Everything Mendoza purchased was
left untouched. She wanted nothing from him.
When
she didn’t find Nick in his room, she opened his closet door, and reached into
his hiding place for a small box of odds and ends he’d saved over the years.
Pulling a couple of his favorite T-shirts and jeans off their hangers, she
stuffed everything in her pack.
After
a quick check of the second floor, she headed back downstairs and ran into
Mendoza’s personal assistant.
“Where’s
Nick?”
He
shrugged. “I don’t know. Talk to Mendoza.”
Elías
Mendoza’s private study was in the wing at the back of the house, so she ran to
it. She shoved passed the guard and reached for the doorknob. He yanked her
hand away, placing his body in front of the door.
“You
have certain privileges on the estate, Miss McKenzie, but no one gets through
this door without this.” His hand held a black metal detector. Jennie stepped
away and raised her arms. After the guard ran the security wand along her body,
he allowed her to enter.
She
stormed into the private domain that few entered.
“Where’s
Nick?”
The
immaculately dressed man behind the mahogany desk didn’t bother glancing at
her. His fingers toyed with a gold pen while he spoke on the phone.
“We
will be landing in five hours. I want my orders carried out. No, nos
entendemos? Bueno,” he said before laying the handset on the desk. When his
dark eyes met Jennie’s, she stepped back. He wasn’t a tall man, but his
intense, sadistic personality spewed power.
“Rudeness
doesn’t become you, Jennifer Marie. You forget yourself.”
His
eyes bore into her, his facial features hard as stone. She had seen the look
before, but never had it been aimed at her.
“I
can’t find Nick.”
Mendoza
leaned back in his chair, flipping the pen back and forth between his fingers.
“So much concern for that mutt. As you can see, he isn’t here.” He scanned the
study before bringing his eyes back to Jennie.
Jennie’s fist tightened. If only Nick could
see the contempt in his idol’s eyes right now. “My brother isn’t a mutt.”
“He’s
no relation to you. Have you finished your packing? The plane to Mexico City
leaves in an hour.”
Jennie
cleared her throat and tried not to stutter. “It’s time for Nick and me to
leave. I appreciate everything you have done for us, but we don’t belong here.”
“Is
that so?”
She
swallowed, keeping eye contact as her pulse beat between her ears. She was
surprised the sound didn’t echo against the walls. “We appreciate that you want
to reward us for helping you, but there’s no need.” She shrugged. “We would
have done the same for anyone. You don’t need to saddle yourself with two
teenagers when you’re moving back to Mexico.”
Mendoza
studied her, his eyes traveling the length of her. “I’m your guardian, Jennifer
Marie. Where I go, you go.”
“Not
yet. The official papers haven’t been signed.” Jennie glanced everywhere except
at him. She knew he would read the contempt in her eyes.
“And
how do you think you are going to accomplish your dreams of college living on
the streets of Baltimore?” He clenched his hands together and rested them on
the desk. The silence that followed was deafening. “My people are still trying
to locate your godfather. What will he say when he finds out I allowed you to
go back to living in an abandoned building like a city rat?”
Jennie
glanced down at her feet, heat rising in her cheeks. “The building wasn’t
abandoned, just old.” She wasn’t a runaway. People loved her, cared for her.
Her godfather would move heaven and earth for her. But the man in front of her
saw only what he wanted to see.
“We’re
not going back to Baltimore. I contacted Mrs. Arnold, my foster care caseworker
this morning during one of the breaks between SAT tests.” Jennie fussed with
her cotton skirt. “There was a big misunderstanding. Mr. Stephenson is fine.
Nick only knocked him out. We thought . . . well he’s alive and well.”
She
forced down a lump in her throat and shuddered at the memory of the last family
she had been placed with. She could still feel Mr. Stephenson’s hands on her
body, pinching her breast, trying to force his tongue down her throat. The
memory made her want to heave her breakfast muffin and coffee. And the way his
body dropped to the floor, the horrid sight of blood staining the carpet after
Nick slammed the base of a lamp over his head, still gave her nightmares.
“And
your plan is to turn your back on all I can offer you for what? To live under
the roof of a child molester?”
“No,
of course not. Mrs. Arnold will find us another family until we finish high
school next year.”
She
couldn’t pull her eyes away from his. Contempt and scorn radiated from his
pores. Jennie held her breath and stiffened her leg muscles to keep from
fidgeting. When Mendoza finally spoke, his voice was laced with something
Jennie had never heard before.
Hatred.
“Jennifer
Marie, who else did you speak to during your break?” He broke eye contact, his
concentration fixed on the computer monitor on his desk.
My God, he
hates me. Why am I here?
“No
one.”
“I
don’t believe you, mi querida.”
Jennie
couldn’t breathe. His eyes turned black, cold. The stench of revulsion filled
the air.
He knows. God, he knows about Jared.
Mendoza
eased back in his chair. “We haven’t spent much time together during your stay.
That’s my fault. I thought you understood.” His eyes met hers. “No one betrays
me.” He reached for the monitor on his desk and turned it toward Jennie. When
she didn’t break eye contact, he nodded to the monitor.
“Your
actions have consequences.” His voice was so calm, it chilled her to the bone.
Jennie
didn’t want to see what was on the monitor. Fear pierced her soul. Oh, Nick.
Where are you?
Mendoza
rose and moved beside her. His hands grabbed the sides of her head and forced
her to face the monitor. The security camera overlooked a patch of lawn off the
rear patio by the pool. Several of Mendoza’s men circled a man with dark hair
grown down below his shoulders. His T-shirt clung to his athletic body. It took
only seconds for the horror to slam home.
“Nick?
No, make them stop!”
Each
man took a turn striking Nick, his face beaten almost beyond recognition. Blood
streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth. His knees buckled and he dropped to
the ground. One of the men kicked him in the ribs.
Jennie
began to tremble. She yanked out of Mendoza’s hold and dashed to the French
doors. Mendoza grabbed a fistful of her hair and heaved her up against him.
“This
is what happens when you betray me, mi querida.” He clamped hold of her
elbow and dragged her through the French doors. Her feet stumbled on the stone
slab of the patio, but he didn’t slow his pace.
When
he reached his men, Mendoza yanked her arms behind her and held her against
him. Nick’s bloodshot eyes bore into hers. He screamed out when another foot
landed on his kidney.
“Make
them stop. They’ll kill him. God, please make them stop.”
Mendoza
took her face in his hands. “It’s time for you make a choice.” He glanced over
Jennie’s head and then back to her.
“What
choice?” Jennie sobbed.
Mendoza
twisted her in the direction of the pool. “Which man lives?”
Four
men dragged another man toward them. It took every man to hold him. He fought
like a caged animal. “Jared?” Jennie glared at Mendoza. “What have you done?”
The
right side of Jared’s face was turning a dark, blackish-blue color, and blood
pooled at the corners of his mouth where his lip had been split open. His left
forearm jutted out from his elbow with an unnatural tilt.
Mendoza
gripped Jennie’s jaw and forced her to meet his gaze. “Jennifer Marie, which
man do you choose?”
“I
don’t understand. Let them both go. I’ll do anything.”
A loud crack echoed across the lawn. The eerie
sound bounced off the trees and vibrated back at them. The next instant, a
bullet pierced Jared in the right upper thigh. A wet stain of blood seeped
through his trousers. His leg collapsed from under him and he stumbled. One of
the men grabbed hold of his broken arm and heaved him back up. A roar full of
pain escaped his lips.
Jennie’s
eyes darted toward the location of the shooter. All she saw were trees. She
wrenched herself free of Mendoza’s hold and dove in front of Jared, blocking
his body with hers.
“You
made your choice.” Mendoza turned and raced toward the helicopter.
Men in police uniforms and FBI jackets charged
the lawn, guns drawn. Mendoza’s men froze before all hell broke out. A couple
of men lifted their guns but were hit in the chest before they got off one
shot. The rest dove for cover.
Jennie
heard none of it. Her heartbeat drowned out all sound. Everything around her
grew silent, still. All her focus was on Elías Mendoza as he stepped into the
helicopter. He turned and their gazes held. Even though he was a good thirty
yards away, she heard every word he spoke as if he stood right next to her.
“Mi
querida, they live because I allow it. You live because I allow it.
Usted pretence a mí. You belong to me. Only me.”
Jennie
couldn’t move. For an instant, her nightmares collided with her reality.
You live because I allow it.
Six words—night after night, year after year. The
dreams had begun right after the death of her parents six years ago. A faceless
man hovered over her and those words echoed in her head until she jolted awake.
Oh God. How is Mendoza connected to Mom and Dad?
Jennie’s
hands went to her throat. She couldn’t catch her breath. Stop him, don’t let
him get away screamed inside her head, but she couldn’t move. Her feet felt
like they were encased in cement. The doors slammed shut and the helicopter
lifted into the air. The next instant, a bullet grazed her arm. Jared slammed
her body to the ground as another shot sliced through the air inches from her
head.
She
searched for Nick. His eyes met hers. He struggled to his knees and stood.
“Nick,
drop,” Jennie screamed, but her warning was too late.
Time
slowed.
The
third bullet whizzed over Jennie’s head and sliced into Nick’s cotton shirt. In
her mind’s eye, she saw the slug tear through his skin, and then bone, until it
perforated his heart.
“No!”
A
sharp stabbing pain erupted from deep inside her. On her hands and knees, she
crawled across the grass to Nick. She lifted his head in her arms and slammed
her hand down hard on the hole in his chest. Warm blood pulsed against her palm
and seeped through her fingers.
“God,
don’t leave me. Nick?” she cried, but nothing came from the eighteen-year-old
boy in her arms. His lifeless eyes stared up at her. She dragged his shoulders
into her arms and rocked him back and forth as she wiped the sweat, blood, and
tears from his face.
“Jennie,
he’s gone. Get down. There’s a sniper in the woods,” Jared yelled, shielding
her body with his.
“No.
He can’t . . .” The words clogged her throat. “He can’t leave me.”
She
glanced down at her hand covering the wound. The blood no longer pulsed.
The childhood pact they had made
to each other flashed into her mind. His silly handshakes, his laughter, the
warmth in his dark brown eyes when a nightmare tore her out of a deep sleep—it
was all gone, Nick was gone.
Jared
placed his hand over hers. “Jennie, there’s nothing you can do for him.” His
voice shuddered.
Her
eyes met his before she broke contact and cradled Nick’s head in her arms.
“Mendoza killed Nick. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he ordered it.
Why?” she sobbed.
“I
don’t know, but he won’t get away with it.” Jared gaze followed the helicopter
as it flew out of sight. “I’ll find him and he will pay.”
Jennie
heard the words but didn’t respond. Nick was gone. For the first time in her
life, she knew what it felt like to be completely alone.
