Dancing with the Devil

The feeling of doom that had been dogging him hung in the air like the sickly sweet smell of death. They would be forever bound and changed by this moment. You couldn’t take a life and not be changed in some way. He wondered if she would deal with it or push it down deep and let the numbness blanket her, impervious, until nothing could get through, not even love.

 “Go now and hide, don’t come out no matter what you hear.” 

Angel’s life had gone from bad dream to nightmare in the last year. She had run away from her abusive father only to become Carlos’ sex slave, and now she had killed him. Was her life even worth saving anymore? There was only one thing she was sure of at this moment-she didn’t want this man to die. He took her in his arms and kissed in a way that sent shivers down to her toes.

“Please, go. I’ll come for you if I can,” he whispered.

Angel heard the shouts of Carlos’ men as she ran out the back door and knew he was going to die.

Nick threw the gun down; when the men burst through the door he raised his hands in surrender. They checked Carlos on the floor and found he was dead. One of them hit Nick with a rifle butt and the lights went out.

Unsure if he was alive or dead, Angel watched from the garage as they carried Nick back to the main house. Men scurried around the compound like angry ants. She wiped away a tear and saw his blood staining her hands, and she cried until there were no tears left. The corner of the grounds next to the garage was hidden by trees; she had spent months looking for a way to escape but she heard the coyotes at night, so close she could hear them lick their lips in anticipation of her delicate flesh. What would happen to her now would make death by coyote a mercy. Was life with Carlos worse than being torn to shreds by hungry animals? Now she had no choice, she would run for herself and to get help for the man who had stolen her heart. Angel climbed quickly and hit the ground running, she ran for the tree line clutching the cross and praying he would survive.

Dancing with the Devil

 Here's an excerpt from the new book. I'm trying out the new title as well. Enjoy!

Nick circled the block in the borrowed car then parked the next street over. The scent of fire wafted through the air; he was back in California and it seemed something was always burning. It had been a long time since he felt this kind of fear and excitement. He watched and listened, all of his senses heightened by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had to stay calm and focused; his son’s life depended on it. Whatever demand Angel made he would do it. All that mattered was seeing his son back safely in Kathy’s arms. He knocked on the door He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves before he knocked on the door. 

 “Come in,” a muffled voice yelled from behind the door.

His breath left him when he saw her in front of the window. Her skin glowed and light danced on her hair. Bathed in the soft glow of sunset she looked like an angel, and in that instant she was his Angel, then and forever.

His anger turned inward and all he wanted to do was touch her, to feel the flesh, to hear her sighs. He realized he was hers and a piece of him always would be. He had never stopped craving her, any more than he would a line of coke or a shot of Jack Daniels. Each woman he loved carried a piece of him with her; only death could break that bond. Angel was a painful part of his past and had no place in his future. He wondered if you ever stopped loving someone you once loved.

Angel’s breath caught in her throat. At long last the man she loved stood before her, but the look of hatred in his eyes was for her. She scanned the room quickly for a way out, or a weapon if she needed it. Deep down she knew she’d never be able to hurt him anymore than she already had. What could be more painful than killing his wife and stealing his child? Yet somehow her fate was worse, never having held or seen her child before it was taken away. How long did she have to wait to feel her daughter in her arms? She inched her way towards the hallway. This was all a horrible mistake. His dark angry eyes never left her for a moment. She’d forgotten how lethal he was, like a cat - quick, silent, deadly. His silence was what terrified her most.

“She’s not dead.” In a heartbeat Nick closed the distance between them. “You bitch, I can’t believe you did this to me!” he screamed.

Angel backed into the wall; the broken pictures sent shards of glass falling around her feet. To see her again was like opening an old wound; the pain leaked from him like the blood of his victims; it covered him, engulfed him until he thought he’d drown in its depths. His sins had been cast upon his son.