Page 16 of Love Me in the Dark
Still, shadows hang over me sometimes. Like at night when I can’t fall asleep. When there’s a thunderstorm outside, or Elijah’s working the overnight shift at the front desk, and I’m alone in bed. I can’t help but wonder if they searched for us. If they figured out where we ended up.
So far, we haven’t heard anything or even seen anything that seemed off. No shadowy stranger watching us, no weird phone calls. We’ve made phone calls, though, reaching out to the police in Reno with tips about a human trafficking ring nearby. I always scour the news after we make those tips, but there is never any report about discoveries or even an investigation. Maybe they’re not taking us seriously because we stay anonymous and always call from different places. Once we crossed the border into Mississippi, another time, we called from Georgia. Just in case they’re tracing the calls.
I’m taking the garlic bread out of the oven when the front door opens, and my heart skips a beat. Elijah’s smile is weary, but it warms me inside anyway. Even when he’s tired after a long day, he always comes home wearing a smile.
“It smells amazing in here.” He wraps me up in a tight hug before giving me the sort of sweet, tender kiss that’s become a habit.
“Dinner’s almost ready. How was your day?”
“Full of kids coming in for spring break.” Yes, it’s amazing I managed to get a day off at all. We’ll both be working extra hard this coming week. Part of me wonders what it would be like to be one of them, to live a so-called normal life. Carefree, fun, full of parties and getting laid.
But no, this is better. Even though we’re not exactly rich, and we work our asses off, we’re building something real together.And no matter how hard the day has been, there’s always somebody to look forward to seeing when I get home.
“Dinner!” I call out to Tristan, who wastes no time sitting down at the little table in the kitchen. While I’m plating up dinner, he tells Elijah all about the big waves he jumped over today and the massive sandcastle we made together. The love that shines in Elijah’s eyes when he looks at his brother makes my chest hurt in the best way. He is such a good brother. One day, he’ll be a good dad, too.
The phone rings just as I sit down, and the three of us look at each other in surprise. We have a landline just because it was here when we moved in, but nobody uses it. If somebody’s calling from work, they call our cell phones.
Elijah shrugs before getting up to answer the phone mounted to the kitchen wall. “Hello?”
He turns to me, his eyes narrowing, and I jump up to lean in close as he holds the phone out for both of us to hear.
The voice is distorted, gravelly but clear. “Stop contacting the police in Reno. The police department is part of the trafficking ring at New Haven. They protect Rebecca and William. Making calls will only make it easier for her to find you.”
“Who is this?” I blurt out, gripping Elijah’s arm.
“How do you know about this?” he demands.
Their response is simple. “I’m someone who’s about to take down New Haven once and for all.”
And with that, the line goes dead, leaving us staring at each other in confusion.
Do you want to know more about this mystery vigilante? Check out Touch of Hate.
ABOUT THE C. HALLMAN
C. Hallmanis aUSA TodayBestselling Author who wrote her debut novel in 2018 and has since published over 100 books in various romance subgenres. Her works have been on numerous bestseller lists and have been translated into 8 languages around the world.
Born and raised in Germany, Cassandra attended business school in her hometown before immigrating to America when she was only eighteen. At nineteen, she married her husband, who was active duty military at that time. Together, they traveled the country for years, before finally settling down. Now, she lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband of sixteen years, their three children, two dogs, and one hairless cat.
With a love for reading, that love slowly transpired into writing she put her fingers to the keyboard and started writing about the dark side of romance.
MAKE ME BREAK
EMILY KLEPP
I wear my scars like a badge of honor. They’re a brutal reminder of why I do what I do. Under my knife, they are all the same. Their tears and screams for mercy are like music to my ears, but I will never offer them peace. I will never offer them a way out.
I work hard, but even I make mistakes. Sometimes that mistake is going after an innocent mafia boss with two brothers just as delicious as he is. Now that he is not my target, I am theirs. They want me to submit and give them complete obedience, but if they want me, they’ll have to make me break.
PROLOGUE
Phoenyx
Scream so they kill you there, because it’s better to be killed than to be dragged away and raped, right? That’s what people teach little girls. If someone tries to kidnap you, scream and make a scene so that they kill you on the spot. If they drag you away, you’ll be raped and then someone will find your rotting body God knows how long after. That’s all well and good until you are in their neighborhood, where no one is going to come to your rescue. They don’t care if you scream. Hell, they want you to scream and fight.
What did I do wrong? Did I lead them to believe I was interested? Was my dress too short? Maybe I was showing too much cleavage. No… That’s not it. I never spoke to them. I had loose fitted jogging shorts and an oversized shirt on. I was trying to get some milk so I could make some bread for my brother. A loaf of fucking bread. That’s it. That’s all I wanted to do. Why did I have to live on this awful street in this run-down apartment?Cade has tried for years to get me to use my inheritance, but none of it matters now.
I was walking back with my jug of milk when they came out of nowhere. I had a bad feeling about passing by that dark alleyway, but I didn’t listen to my gut. Now look at me… naked and terrified. They ripped my clothing off before tying my arms behind my back with rope. I am laying so that I am looking up at the sky with my arms under me. They circle me like I am prey, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. I have screamed so much at this point that my voice is broken and hardly any sound comes out.
