Synopsis for Blood Red Rage Book One in the Littlemoon Series.
They’re starting anew.
Julian and Tori Littlemoon are venturing out and are now their own bosses. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.
As they struggle to build up a business and make a name for themselves, they have other problems facing them down.
Someone is collecting women.
It’s a new dangerous game, and since they no longer have the power of the FBI to back them up, they’re learning on the fly.
And it isn’t easy!
They’ve been hired to bring home one missing girl, and no one believes that it’ll be anything more than a simple open and shut case. Unfortunately for the team, it leads them deep into the bowels of something far more sinister.
Dark.
Twisted.
Evil.
With the help of the family, and an unexpected ally with a ‘gift’, they begin to unravel the mystery of who is taking these women to create the ultimate collection.
The truth will be set free, but can they live with the consequences of what is to come?
The chaos is the least of their worries. Now, the team has a far bigger concern.
It’s the Blood Red Rage, and maniac with an appetite to own them all…
Excerpt:
Blood Red Rage
~Book One
© Copyright 2014 by Morgan Kelley LLC All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or in an information storage or retrieval system without written consent from the author. All characters are fictional and any similarity to real life or individuals is coincidental.
~Prologue~
He was a collector.
All of his life, he always wanted to find the best things out there and make them his. It had been his mission, even from his prepubescent years.
When something sparkly, pretty, or lovely crossed his path, he was compelled to make it his.
It started with simple stones.
One would think that it was innocent enough, but it prepared him for the future ahead. The rocks were just the beginning and made him want more and more.
He would go out into the river and find the ones that nature had worn down in its current, and he would bring them home. At first his mother didn’t mind, but then…
Like so many things, it became his obsession.
The collection grew and grew, taking over his space and his brain. It went from hobby to fixation incredibly fast. When his mother tried to step in, he was filled with hate and anger.
IT WAS HIS!
How dare she try to stop him?
Even at a young age, the rage filled him when someone tried to touch his possessions. So, as time went on, his mother turned a blind eye. She ignored his obsessive tendencies and let him have it his way. The day that he exploded in rage, she backed down and would never contest his collecting again. Even she feared what may happen if he were provoked.
This hobby opened so many doors for him.
After rocks, it was leaves and then figurines.
There was nothing wrong with that, right?
Before long, as time slowly ticked by and childhood ebbed into adulthood, the needs changed and grew. The objects he longed to collect no longer were little things. As their size grew, their value to him also became greater.
Until that one day, when he stumbled upon the ultimate collection.
Beautiful women.
As he went off to college, a whole new world opened around him. Since he had been home schooled his entire life, he never really understood the importance of the opposite sex. Granted, he spent his days with a woman; his mother. What was so special about her? If anything, she was mediocre at best.
He didn’t get it until that day when he was surrounded by them. It was as if something unlocked inside him, and he finally knew the truth.
There were blondes, brunette, and redheads. They smiled and smelled like heaven. Some had curly mops and some had hair that was poker straight.
This was a brand new world.
He was a kid in a very sexy candy shop. Every time that he blinked, a new woman appeared before him. All he needed to do was find the one who called to him.
So, like any good collector, he started at the beginning and prepped with photographs. Taking a few snapshots was easier than talking to them, so pictures would come first, and then he would see where it led.
Maybe in time, he could approach them and make them his.
A good gatherer didn’t put a limit on a newly sought after prize.
He let the spirit move him.
Well, now, he was feeling it like never before. As he would sit in his classes, he would watch them all. The brunette liked the one jock. She would bat her eyelashes at him and hike her skirt up pretty high. The blonde was the smart one. She didn’t even care about what was going on around her. All that she focused on was the man at the front of the classroom and her notebook. Then there was the redhead. She snapped her gum and looked infinitely bored, as she continued to glance at her watch. Each were very different, and yet so much alike.
Yeah, they were all oblivious to him watching. Part of him wished that they knew the truth of what was floating around in his brain. If they could see the intent on his face as he admired their different colored hair and body types, maybe then, they wouldn’t look so lackadaisical. To him, they were special.
Once class was over, he would follow the one that he liked best. When she never noticed that he was behind her, it gave him more hope that he would finally get her picture for his collection.
When she went to the commons and found a place to lie in the green grass, he did the same. Only, he stayed far enough away to openly admire her.
Oh, and did he ever!
There were shots of her licking her lips, flipping her hair, and falling asleep on her back in the sun.
This was heaven.
Already, his body was stirring, and he was feeling things that he never knew possible. Who would have thought that this beautiful collection was out there, wandering the world so freely?
Why had he not decided on this hobby long ago?
As his eyes flickered around the commons, he saw the truth. Beauty was everywhere, and now he could focus on it.
There was no one to stop him.
He stayed until she did, blowing off his last class of the day, only to watch her head home. He was so enraptured, that he didn’t want to miss a second of observing her. If he did, surely something miraculous and wondrous would happen.
Fortunately for him, her apartment wasn’t far from campus and along the tree lined street. If she turned around, he could dive for cover and not be seen. If caught, it would ruin it all.
In his mind, he already had it all planned out. Not only would he take pictures, but he would study his subjects and find the best of the best.
This woman had piqued his interest and would hold a special place in his heart.
He was sure of it.
As he followed, his excitement grew. His body tightened and his response confused him. In his life, he had never wanted anything more. While his other collections brought him joy, this one made him feel. It filled him and made him so very warm with bliss. It astounded him that his own mother had failed to mention the effect of the opposite sex.
This was an endorphin rush.
It was amazing.
It was… addictive.
Deep in his mind, he knew that he was on the right track to find his next collection. With this response, it had to be right.
There was an inkling of warning, but it was pushed back down into his conscience for the momentary high. For now, that was all that mattered.
Once at her apartment, he noticed that she lived on the bottom floor. This would make it easy. Finding a place to hide in the trees, he waited until she made her next move. This was new to him, so he wasn’t quite sure what to do next.
So, he waited.
Once darkness had come, he was in his glory as he moved even closer to his new subject and prize.
He watched.
Moving as close to her window as he dared, he began taking pictures of her for his books. This subject would have one all of her own. Where usually his collections shared a scrapbook, this beauty would get the royal treatment. He was giddy at the prospect of constructing it. There were pictures of her partially clothed and just about ready to enter the shower.
Yes, she was the one.
Now, he knew for sure.
As he took the final shot with his camera, he stared longingly at the beauty. For the time being, she would be his muse. He was certain that it would lead to many more in the collection.
How could he stop at only one?
Backing away from the window, he made his escape into the night.
His new obsession had begun.
It was going to last his entire life.
Racing back to his apartment, he was overjoyed and exuberant. The energy vibrated through him. Never in his life had he felt this alive and happy.
Something about this woman and the prospect of the hunt, made him feel like he was living the dream. As someone who appreciated the beautiful things in life, he knew deep down that she was his pinnacle.
This was it.
Here was the culmination of everything that he had grown up loving and adoring.
Gone were the trinkets.
Now was the time for his works of art.
As he lay on his bed, his thoughts were focused on one thing. He knew that he needed a strategic plan of action. There needed to be a guideline to tell him where he should begin and how far he could take it.
Were pictures first?
Would they be enough?
He shook his head, as if to fight off the dark ideas bouncing around in his brain. He wanted so much more, but he knew that wasn’t possible.
Yes, pictures would be enough.
After all, he was an artist and nothing more. Then, he allowed the darkness a tiny segue into his mind. He was not only a man who appreciated beauty.
He was more…
He was the collector and was destined to have her.
Many Years Later
He watched her get into her car outside the bar, and she was a little bit tipsy. He had to admit that it made everything easier and turned him on even more. Now, all that he had to do was follow her away from there and make his move.
It was all so simple.
She would be the first in his collection.
For years, he’d watched and snapped pictures, but now it was all about the process of completing what he had always longed to do.
Now, he would bring one of them home.
As her car pulled away from the curb, he followed her a few miles to a location where he knew it would be safe. After all, he’d made this trip many times before, in practice for what was to come.
It shocked him how easy it was to get her attention. With the flashing lights, she immediately pulled to the side of the road, not far from her home. There was no doubt that on this deserted stretch, this would be the ideal spot to take her.
No cars would be passing by.
No one would question it if they did.
This plan was perfect.
When she pulled over, he stalked confidently towards the driver’s side window. Staring in, he noticed that there was a look of nerves and fear on her face.
That only made it so much better.
“Have you been drinking, miss?” he asked, as he tried desperately not to snicker or laugh.
She tried to calm herself before answering. If her words weren’t perfect, surely he would know the truth. “Yes, sir. I had two drinks at the bar, but I stopped a few hours ago.” Maybe if she was lucky, he wouldn’t Breathalyzer her and find out the truth.
After all, what was a little white lie? If it meant keeping her out of jail and the newspapers, it was certainly worth it. If worse came to worse, she’d pull the only big card that was left. There was no doubt that by using her daddy’s name, it would save her from getting in trouble.
“Can you please step out of the vehicle for me, miss?”
She did what he asked, and as she swung her long legs out of the car, her heel caught a piece of gravel and she stumbled. As she practically fell onto the man holding the flashlight, in her heart she knew the truth.
She was screwed.
“Yeah, you’re under arrest, miss.”
He pulled the handcuffs from his jacket pocket and turned her around to fasten her wrists behind her back. When she could no longer see his face, he grinned wickedly in victory.
This was like leading lambs to the slaughter. He should have done this years ago…
“I’m sorry! Please let me go! I won’t drink anymore,” she offered, willing to say anything at that point. Man, her father was going to be pissed off when she called him from the jail.
“You know that I can’t do that, Melissa. You’re going to have to come with me,” he replied, softly.
She wasn’t so drunk that she didn’t recognize the sound of lust in his voice. “Wait, how did you know my name?” she asked as her heart began pounding in her chest. “You never asked for my license or registration.”
With the last click of the handcuff, he finally leaned down to her ear as his body pressed against hers. “I’ve been watching you for so very long,” he replied, running his hand up her leg to her hip.
Suddenly, the need to escape overwhelmed her. There were so many things wrong with the entire scenario. Melissa just didn’t notice them before. Now that she did, the fear was pounding through her.
His calm laughter broke the silence of the night, drawing her attention, and up rose the possibility of trying to escape. She began struggling, and prayed that she could break away from him.
Fight or flight kicked in, and she wanted to put as much space between them.
The rage built in him and coated his vision in a fine sheen of blood. His prize was trying to ruin his collection. The last thing that he wanted was to put bruises on her body, but something had to be done, and desperate times called for desperate measures.
Grabbing her by the hair, he slammed her forehead off the roof of the car. As quickly as her struggles began, they ended. Sweeping her up into his arms, he carried her to the trunk of his sedan.
This didn’t please him at all.
As he placed her inside, he once more ran his fingers across her pale flesh and to the growing lump on her forehead. Yes, it would eventually heal and not leave a mark on his precious prize, but still, he was irritated at her unwillingness to hand herself over to him. How could he live with himself if he damaged his own collection?
Racing back over to the car, he quickly wiped down the outside and anything that he may have inadvertently touched. He didn’t want to give anyone a way to trace him.
Not that they would ever suspect him.
He blended in effortlessly.
He was the boy next door.
Racing back over to his car, he hopped in and pulled away. Tonight was an amazing night, and he was about to bring home the first woman who he ever loved.
Finally, patience had paid off.
A few hours later, she awoke.
Her body was inside some make shift cage. As she tried to sit up, she found that her ankles and neck were tethered with duct tape. Her head swam as she tried to figure out what the hell was happening.
“I was worried about you, Melissa. I thought that maybe you struck your head a little too hard.”
She glanced over towards the voice, as her eyes struggled to adjust to her surroundings. “Where am I?”
His laughter filled the room. “You’re in my home,” he answered, as he turned in a circle with his arms out. “I’ve built it just for you and the ones who will join you.”
“Who are you?”
He glanced over at her. “I’m a collector.”
She stared around the concrete room and counted the ten cages. No other ones were filled. She was the only one there. “If you let me go, then I swear that I won’t tell anyone. I don’t know where I am, so I can’t tell the police where you live,” she begged, already hoping that the man could be rationalized with on some level. In the back of her mind, she was memorizing his face. Something about it seemed… familiar.
His laughter said it all.
“Please?”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Melissa, and I am going to take very good care of you. I always do. When I decide to create a collection, I treasure it for a very long time.”
She was horrified.
Yes, she’d seen things like this on the news, but never did she believe that she would end up a victim to such a horrible crime. How did this all happen? Why was she locked in a cage in his basement?
He moved closer to the woman and began snapping more pictures to keep the memories fresh in his mind forever. Now, he could go back and relive this time over and over again.
This was perfect.
“So, you’re going to collect women?” she asked, the horror still evident in her voice. If she could hear it, certainly he could too.
He grinned without offering her a single word.
“Then what?”
That he pondered. Yeah, he couldn’t keep them forever. It would be a financial strain, and he didn’t want to damage any of them. “I guess when I finish gathering all my girls, then I’ll do the most responsible thing with all of you.”
She stared at him, her lower lip beginning to quiver. “And that is?” Melissa asked, almost terrified to know.
He shrugged, knowing that he really didn’t have many options. “I’ll sell you to someone else that wants to collect or I’ll have to hide you away forever.”
Melissa knew what that meant, and it made her wanted to vomit. When his hand entered the cage to stroke her like a pet, she began to scream.
Again, he smiled. She could call for help all that she wanted. There was no one to hear her or stop him.
He had made sure of that months ago.
“You can yell all you want, Melissa, but it won’t deter me from enjoying you while I can. Finding you and bringing you home took a great deal of work. I plan on taking my time and having fun with my treasure.”
Panic reverberated through her body as she fought against the restraints. She watched him open the front of the cage and pull a hypodermic needle from his back pocket. His handsome features twisted in anger.
“We could have done this the easy way, Melissa, but you had to be difficult.”
She shook her head and tried to avoid the long needle by moving her body as far as she was permitted. God, she couldn’t let him do this! Who knew what was in that hypodermic.
It gave him an iota of pleasure as he shoved it deep into her thigh and pumped her full of drugs.
“Please,” she begged. “Please don’t do this to me. I didn’t do anything to you,” Melissa slurred, as the drug began to take effect.
He ignored her words, as he straightened her disheveled club wear and waited until it was safe to take her out and play with her. After all, he liked his women to be kept neat and orderly.
“You did lots to me, Melissa. You made me want you and fall in love with you. Now, you have to be mine.”
There was no reply from her, as her head dropped back and her eyes rolled up into her head.
“Welcome to my collection, Melissa. You have the pleasure of being my brunette.”
With that, he set her free of her bonds and took the time to thoroughly enjoy his newly acquired treasure.
Like any good collector would.
Buy Link:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1lK3WjU
Lost & Broken
Book Two in the Littlemoon series
They say you don’t pick your cases when you’re a private investigator, they pick you.
Well, that’s exactly what has happened for the Littlemoons. Since closing the biggest case of their careers in the private sector, the jobs are pouring in.
Now, they just have to pick the ones that pique their interest.
Their next case seems easy and almost too good to be true.
All they have to do is find a missing Bible with a hidden birth certificate.
How hard can that be? It’s an all-expense paid trip to the Derby, and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
As the team arrives on the scene, of a famous Kentucky farm known for its ghostly haunting, it’s a lot more dangerous than it seems. Someone’s out to make a killing, and they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.
Lost books.
Stolen lives.
And things that go bump in the night.
It all means one thing.
Julian, Tori, Kane, and Christina have to stay one step ahead of the person willing to kill, or the team too will have something in common with the spirit haunting the place.
Excerpt:
Lost & Broken
~ Book Two
© Copyright 2013 by Morgan Kelley LLC All rights
reserved. No parts of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or in an information storage
or retrieval system without written consent from
the author. All characters are fictional
and any similarity to real life or individuals is
~Prologue~
Kentucky
Hesser Plantation
Nineteen Fourteen
God! She couldn’t handle the creaking anymore. It was beginning to drive her absolutely insane. If she didn’t know any better, she would think that the house was haunted.
How was that even possible?
There was just no way.
Hesser Plantation that old, so there shouldn’t be anything creaking or groaning. No one died here, so how could they have a ghost?
Climbing out of their bed, she crept as quietly as possible to the cradle. Once there, she stared down at the little baby sleeping safely inside.
He was her pride and joy.
Her only son.
Gently tucking him back in, she glanced over to the now vacant bed. At one time, she would enjoy coming here to sleep. Now, that wasn’t true. When her husband lost his favorite little piece of fluff, he became almost unbearable. It was as if he blamed her for the trollup running away.
Who knew that he had so much of an attachment to the little whore he bedded in his free time? Maybe if she was a chambermaid, he might actually see and pay attention to her once more.
The most astounding part was that as of yet, her husband hadn’t replaced his mistress. Certainly, he should be able to do it without much effort. After all, she was nothing more than a local girl who worked in their scullery cleaning up after their family, and tending the bedrooms.
What he even saw in that blonde piece of trash, she had no idea. Her parents barely spoke in complete sentence as they toiled away in the fields. How he could ever even be attracted to her, appalled and astounded her. It had to be the fact that she’d open her legs for any rich man who passed her by.
Well, she had news for her. The man of this house wouldn’t be divorcing his high society wife to shack up with some waste of skin and bones.
Unfortunately though, now that she was gone, he was miserable as sin. Thankfully, he had taken the time out of his busy fornicating life to impregnate his wife. At least now she had a rightful heir to their family fortune. Her future was ensured the second a son was born into the Hesser family.
She did what no one else had rightfully done. She’d given him a legitimate child to carry his name and bloodline.
Kudos for her.
Then, anger filled her. When she had found that the little trollup was pregnant with her husband’s child, she wanted to retch. No, she wanted to grab her greasy blonde hair and bash her head off the floor that she scrubbed. Well, fortunately for everyone involved, that situation was handled. It wasn’t hard to scare the little piece of trash into submission. The night that baby was born, it was taken and sent off.
There would be no Hesser child unless it was born from her womb. If drastic measures needed to be taken, so be it.
Thankfully, the girl’s parents were upset that their daughter had disgraced herself by getting pregnant by a married man. Once they found out, that was easily rectified. They were wise enough to know that their daughter committed an unforgivable sin. A few choice words, and they realized that her loose morals could cost them everything. When she showed up with the sheriff to terrorize them, it didn’t take much. It was funny, since she would have bought the child, just to sell it off to someone in a foreign country.
Yes, that was how angry she was.
To add to it all, her husband wasn’t even told that she had given birth. The family promised the little whore would stay away and keep her mouth shut.
Or else.
That was the part she liked best. If the family wanted to lose their land, their oxen, and asses, it could be brought to fruition.
Little did he know, that this was all for the best. It wasn’t like her husband was the only one the trollup was sleeping with. Rumor around the house was that she had tried to bed her husband’s brother and cousin too. Unfortunately, he was the weaker man, unable to keep his dick in his pants. Had she known that he was like this before she married him, there never would have been a wedding.
Who was she kidding?
That almost made her laugh out loud.
Her husband was the wealthiest bastard in Kentucky. She would have married him anyway. Allowing him to have his little side pieces was fine with her. It meant less time that she had to tolerate his voracious sexual habits.
Thankfully, he managed to give them a son. At least she could look past having to sleep with him because of that. Even after thinking it, there was a little piece of her that mourned their marriage. She was stupid to believe all the sweet words he had once whispered in her ear when they were courting.
Moving back to their bed, she once more heard the sound. Since she was alone, it terrified her. It sounded like weeping.
But how could that be?
The hired help lived downstairs or in the other building, so no one was in the rooms surrounding hers. This floor was exclusively for her and the man of the house. The private wing was off limits to anyone but them.
Walking to the balcony, she stared out at the plantation that was legally half hers. They had an empire here, and she was damn glad. It was perfect, and that’s the way she liked it. In her life, there could be no distractions to ruin it. Some might call her ambitious, but she knew the truth. Love brought her into this marriage, but business made her stay.
She just wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yet, that was another lie. She would trade it all to go back in time to when he loved her.
Really, truly loved her.
Again, she heard the noise but this time, it sounded like singing. No one would dare be making noise at this time of night near their room. If they woke the baby, they would be immediately terminated.
Glancing around, she listened to the sound and prayed that he would come home. Even if he was drunk, it would mean that she wasn’t going to have to be there alone. Sometimes you needed to take the lesser of the two evils in life.
Every evening, after the trollup’s disappearance, the house scared her. It seemed to come alive with some noise. In her mind, she knew that was impossible. There had to be a rational reason. Possibly the grand plantation was settling. All the new wood was finding its final resting place, or maybe she was a witch and cursed them before she left.
There were no such things as ghosts, and yet, she swore that she had seen one. Not face to face, but from the corner of her eye.
It was always in passing.
It seemed to speculatively watch her. Wherever she would go, or take the baby, the spirit would follow.
A cool breeze wafted in through the window, blowing the sheer curtains around. They appeared to be hands, reaching for her. In fact, the cold icy touch caressed her skin and gave her goose bumps.
It was June, and it shouldn’t be this chilly.
Then, she heard the laughter and knew she wasn’t alone. There was someone there with her. She could feel the malevolent eyes watching her.
Spinning around, she scanned the room and finally picked up the sight, albeit diminished by the lack of light in the room. What she saw scared and terrified her. The cradle, untouched by human hands, began rocking. It swayed as if someone was standing beside it and lovingly tending to the sleeping babe.
Her heart began pounding.
Not her child!
Her job as a mother was to guard her babe at any cost!
There was more laughter, and then the gentle sound of a lullaby being sung. It was one which she remembered all too well. It was the same dreaded melody which his mistress sang to her newborn child, just before it was taken away. It spoke of love and holding onto the child forever.
This couldn’t be.
She was gone.
The whore had run away!
It had been handled by her personally!
Much like it started, the song stopped without warning. In its place were the horrible wails of her child, calling out in some kind of agony. Every mother knew her child’s cries, and something was hurting her little angel.
The babe continued to wail, and the sounds pierced the night, shattering the silence. If she hadn’t been standing there, she would assume the child was in distress. The wails were becoming muffled, as if someone were placing the blanket over his face, trying to smother him in his sleep.
She needed to act!
No one could hurt her only reason to live.
Rushing to his side, she scooped him up in her arms and held him protectively against her body.
“You can’t have my son!” she screamed, holding her baby as if she were the only thing that stood between him and the end of his life.
There was more laughter, but it morphed, turning evil and malevolent.
“Leave my house! You’re not welcome here!” she demanded, as her son screamed at the top of his lungs.
The gentle caress on the back of her neck made her gasp in horror, as the cold fingers touched her flesh.
“Go away! What do you want?”
The laughter exploded around her as the curtains whipped in an angry invisible wind, found only in her bedchamber. It was as if they were reaching for her, and she was forced to take a step back to save them both.
“I want my revenge,” the voice whispered, and then like it began, it suddenly ended.
No trace remained.
The room calmed.
There was peace.
She carried her son to the bed and stared down into his precious face. The screams had ended, and she was thankful. He stared up at her with tear filled eyes, blinking and trying to focus on the calming voice above him.
“It’s okay, my little love. No one is going to hurt you. Momma is here, and I’ll die to keep you safe.”
He stared up at her with his father’s eyes, and immediately began sucking on his fingers to sooth the fear he had been feeling.
“You’re safe,” she reassured, kissing him on his soft baby skin.
When the bed creaked, her heart began pounding in her chest. She could see the imprint of something moving across the flat duvet. Then, there was breath on her skin and a whisper in her ear.
It had her full attention.
“No, he’s not safe,” came the hushed voice. “He’s going to be mine.”
This time, it was her screams that filled the night.
Buy Link:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1inNRRZ
Sinner Repent Synopsis
Book One in the Carter Chronicles.
Doctor Callista Carter only wants to heal. Running from a near life destroying case, she’s licking her wounds in a small town and off everyone’s radar.
Only, she’s drawn quite a bit of attention.
Someone’s taking lives, disguised behind the Seven Deadly Sins. It’s stirring up the small town, making waves.
The killers want her eliminated.
And the sheriff just wants her.
When Quinton Gaines is handed a slew of killings, he’s at a loss. He, too, has escaped to sleepy Myrtle Springs to regroup. Now, he’s reminded that death has no qualms with nipping at his heels. Yet, this may be the perfect opportunity to snag the elusive doctor, who has stolen his heart.
Or so he hopes…
When the killer gets personal, Quinn wishes he didn’t drag Callie into the mess. Now, not only is she in danger for helping him, she’s marked to die.
Time’s running out.
Can love beat back the vicious claws of hate?
One truth is crystal clear. Quinton Gaines has to stop running in order to save his home and woman.
It’s not going to be easy with a madman hell bent on getting one thing…
REVENGE.
The killers won’t stop at anything. It’s time to get ready, and like any good Sinner… Repent.
Excerpt:
© Copyright 2014 by Morgan Kelley LLC All rights reserved. First Edition *
No parts of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or in an information storage or retrieval system without written consent from the author.
All characters and locations are fictional and any similarity to real life or individuals is coincidental.
Cover art by Laura Gordon. www.thebookmachine.com
SINNER REPENT
~ Prologue ~
Saturday Late Evening
As Sissy Parker slowly began to wake, she had no idea where she was, or how she ended up there. Trying to move her arms, Sissy could tell they were restrained above her head, and immediately began to panic.
Struggling to get her bearings, Sissy blinked rapidly, trying to take everything in. All around her there were candles and shadows. Deep down, she had this building feeling of horror, as she could sense that there were malevolent eyes watching her from the creepy darkness.
She knew that something bad was coming.
As the fear rushed through her, Sissy’s body shook in terror at all the possible scenarios that were forming in her head. Having a wild imagination wasn’t her friend at that moment.
It was her worst nightmare.
Getting her bearings, she knew what to do.
Sissy screamed.
What caught her completely off guard, was when no one tried to stop her frantic wails for help. Instead, she was met with laughter.
Terrifying laughter.
Finally, after a brief amount of time passed, the first shadow stepped forward. Sissy stared at the figure, trying to adjust to the dim light in the room.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice shaking.
Certainly, this had to be some kind of bad dream. Any second now, she would wake up.
There was no answer to her question, and that scared her just as much as what she suspected to be the truth. In fact, the silence was chilling.
“Please, what do you want from me? Why am I here?” she begged softly, as the words came out more like a whimper.
The figure moved forward, running a hand slowly down her naked body.
Sissy tried to pull away from the whisper light caress. At that point, she would have dislocated her own limbs to move out of her abductor’s reach.
“Stop! You’re scaring me. This isn’t funny. What am I doing here?”
Laughter came from another direction in the darkness, and Sissy whipped her head toward the sound.
Oh God! There was more than one!
At that moment, Sissy knew that she was in some serious shit. Even she wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of it with her pretty smile and nice clothes.
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” she screamed, as two other figures moved into the dim light beside the first one.
They were all clothed in hooded black robes tied with red silk belts. The first figure, the one who had touched her, must have been the leader, as that robe didn’t match the others.
“We are The Brethren of the Blood.”
That didn’t sound good at all. In fact, that sounded bad.
REAL BAD.
“What do you want with me?” she asked, scared out of her pretty little mind. The last thing that she remembered was a sharp pain in the back of her head, and then…
She woke.
Naked.
And in big trouble.
“We’re here to cleanse the sins which are suffocating our town.”
Sissy glared at the figures who were moving into a circle around the table she was lying on. The tears came as she pleaded for her life.
“I’ll do anything if you let me go. Please, this has to be some kind of mistake. You have the wrong person!”
“No, Sissy, we have the right one. You’re a vile example of humanity, and we’re here to fix what’s broken.”
Suddenly, the words registered. “What do you mean cleanse? How are you going to do that?”
“We’ll make you our offering, purifying the town of the first sin.” They began moving around her, touching her naked flesh with their hands.
“Please,” she begged.
At the contact, the bound woman began getting more agitated. Her face was etched with desperation.
And yet, they paid her no mind.
Sissy began to struggle, pulling at the bonds holding her to the table. She knew she needed to fight.
“There’s no use in struggling. We’ll do what needs to be done, and then make our offering.”
Reality hit, as Sissy finally understood what they were going to do to her. In the back of her mind, the logical part of her brain was warning her of what was to come. The confusion was finally overcome, and now it demanded she flee.
“What…are…you…” She didn’t get to finish.
The maniacal laughter was enough to tell the tale.
Sissy was going to be murdered.
“No, please! I’ll do whatever you want! Please don’t kill me!” The begging had escalated and was now more desperation than anything else.
More laughter emanated from the circle, as they moved closer to the woman. Her struggles only incited them, making the inevitable more enticing to them.
The first figure began opening the red robe as Sissy stared in horror, shocked to see who lay beneath the hood.
It couldn’t be!
There was no conceivable way that what she was seeing was true.
“Oh, God, no,” she whispered at the thought of what was about to happen.
“It’s too late to call his name now.”
The other two joined in with laughter.
Looking up into the face, it was completely void of any emotion. It was as if there was no concept that what was coming was wrong.
One by one, they each undid their robes.
Horrifyingly, they were all familiar. Sissy knew each of them personally.
Trying to get their sympathy, she gazed into each set of eyes and pleaded her case. “No! Why me?” she asked. “I never did anything to hurt you!”
Her words fell on deaf ears as they moved toward her naked body.
Sissy started to scream, praying that someone would hear and rescue her. Before long, Sissy could feel something being stuffed into her mouth. It was then taped shut with a large piece of duct tape.
Her body reacted. Immediately, she began gagging as the tears stung her eyes.
“Hood her,” said the first figure, picking up a shiny silver blade. The intent was to let Sissy Parker see it as her final memory in this world. From the look on her face, as the hood was drawn over her features, it did what it was intended to do.
There was nothing but fear present, as the end came closer.
Sinners needed to pay.
Sissy tried to cry out in pain, as the razor sharp knife began tearing through her body. From the motions, she could feel something being carved into her flesh.
The blackness surrounded her, as what little she could see swam in swirls. It was coming to swallow her.
Her only thought was how grateful she was that once in the abyss, she wouldn’t feel any more agony.
As the three cloaked figures stood around Sissy’s body, they began the long awaited ritual. It was now underway.
The Brethren had deemed her life forfeited.
She was unclean.
Sissy was the first one chosen.
There were words spoken over her as blood rushed, gushed, and spilled on the ground.
As it coated her body, the room was heavily tinged with the scent of copper pennies. The only thing lingering there, which was more powerful, was the silence.
In absence of all talking, one message was clear.
It was just the beginning, and they enjoyed every second of what they had just done.
This was power.
This was strength.
This was… perfect.
When the ritual had ended, they moved Sissy’s barely alive body to the field out past Walker’s Point. They found the perfect spot and laid her in the grass.
Who knew how long it would take the law to find her body? Yet, if it was meant to be, it would happen.
The leader of the group pulled the black hood from Sissy’s head and stared down at the wide-eyed look on her face. It was quite obvious that she had suffered greatly.
Now, it was time to end it. With one slice to her neck, the blood trickled out and coated the message sickly.
With a gasp, she struggled for her last breath, as her life ebbed away.
This woman fought for life, every step of the way.
For that, they were grateful.
Stepping back, the three stared down at their masterpiece and admired their handiwork.
Sissy Parker may have been the first one to die, but practice didn’t have to make perfect.
They had done it to the letter of their law.
At first there was worry about making a mistake, but that had long since passed. Their only hope was, as the next ones came to them, that they too, would each be just as special.
No one said anything as they turned to leave.
Each of the three were living in the moment, in their own way, and committing this night to memory.
Everything had changed, and now there was no turning back to what used to be.
As they left the beautiful woman alone in the wet grass, the next mission would be to head home and climb into their warm beds. There was nothing but pure unadulterated satisfaction filling them. Hopefully, they would each be able to sleep, despite the adrenaline still surging over a job well done.
This sacrifice was going down in the books.
With one glance back, the moon eerily shone down on the destroyed life of Sissy Parker. Even from where they stood, the final ominous word was visible.
Each saw ‘PRIDE’, carved grotesquely into her chest, and they were jubilant.
Now, everyone would see her for her true sin.
There would be no doubt as to what had caused her death.
This was on her, and it was only beginning.
Buy Link:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1qDnOsq
Morgan Kelly’s Other Titles & Amazon Author Page:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1uV8GUU
Stand Alone Novels
The Junction
Serial Sins
The Blood Betrayal
Romance/FBI Thriller Series
Elizabeth, Ethan, and Callen
The Killing Times (book 1)
Sacred Burial Grounds (book 2)
True Love Lost (book 3)
Deep Dark Mire (book 4)
Fire Burns Hot (book 5)
Darkness of Truth (book 6)
Devil Hath Come (book 7)
Consumed by Wrath (book 8)
Redemption is Here (book 9)
Dead Shall Speak (book 10) Spring 2015
Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Series
Greyson and Emma Croft
Celestia is Falling (book 1)
Vegas is Dying (book 2)
Christmas is Killing (book 3)
Love is Bleeding (book 4)
Heaven is Weeping (book 5) January 2015
The Littlemoon Investigations Series
Julian and Tori Littlemoon
Blood Red Rage (book 1)
Lost & Broken (book 2)
Unthinkable Games (book 3) March 2015
The Carter Chronicles Trilogy
Callista, Nathaniel, and Lucas
Sinner Repent (book 1)
Sinner Realized (book 2) winter 2014
Sinner Reborn (book 3) Summer 2015
The Oracle Chronicles Series
Nathaniel Carter and Avalon Miller
Oracle Rising (book 1) Christmas 2015
Harcourte Vampyre Society
Jolie, Jacques and Flynn
Dangerous Revelations (book 1)
Dangerous Choices (book 2)
Dangerous Misery (book 3)
Anthologies
All the couples in one book
Illegal Fantasies-
Behind Closed Doors(1)
Romance Under Arrest- winter 2014
Behind Closed Doors(2)
Holiday Reinforcements-
Behind Closed Doors (3) 2015
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Please feel free to visit her at her website
www.morgankelley.com, or visit her blog at
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