Here's an excerpt from the book, where Cassie finds herself in another dangerous situation.
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“Just keep your mouth shut and I won’t hurt you,” whispered
Dwayne, covering my mouth with his calloused hand as he pulled me into
the darkness. Although he’d somehow removed my knife, he had no idea what he’d
started. Weapon or not, there was no way I’d go down without a struggle. In
fact, I’d purposely allowed him take me outside and away from the church, as I
figured kicking someone's ass in a holy place had to be
sacrilegious.
I nodded, trying to
appear scared and as unthreatening as possible. The truth was, after everything
I’d been through, I figured this would be a walk in the park. Plus, I needed a
little sparring practice. I was getting soft.
He dragged me around
the church and that's when he made his first mistake.
He released me.
I turned to face
him. “What do you want?”
“Just to talk,” he
said, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.
I snorted. “Oh,
that’s how you get a girl to talk? You must have been quite the catch back in
your hometown.”
“I was,” he said,
moving closer. “Gals lined up to be with me.”
I smirked. “Lined
up, huh? You must be referring to the showers at that prison you were incarcerated at.”
His face darkened
and he grabbed me by the throat.
Crap.
“That’s not funny.
Don’t joke about things like that,” he spat, his eyes bulging. “You have no
idea what a man has to do to survive in a place like that. What he has to give
up. No clue.”
My eyes were
watering. I tried digging my fingernails into his hands but unfortunately, I’d
bitten them down to the skin. I then tried to position myself so that I could
‘knee’ him between the legs, when he suddenly released me and took a step back.
I bent over to catch
my breath. “Sorry,” I rasped.
“That's better.
Apology accepted.”
“No,” I said
straightening up. “Sorry that I underestimated you.”
Then, before he had
a chance to respond, I spun my leg around and delivered a roundhouse kick to
his chin, using as much force as I could. He fell backwards with a grunt and I
smiled in satisfaction.
Good thing I hadn’t taken off my mountain boots.
“You bitch,” he
growled, scrambling back up.
“Is that what they
called you in prison?” I taunted as he launched at me. I ducked his attack,
then turned and kicked him in the back of the leg, sending him into a prickly
Evergreen bush.
“What’s going on out
here?” hollered Henry, who stepped out of the darkness with his shotgun raised.
“He, um, started
it,” I said, smiling sheepishly.
Dwayne stood up
slowly, a grimace on his face. “Just wanted to talk is all. Had no idea she was
such a crazy broad.”
“If you knew what
was good for you,” muttered Henry. “You wouldn’t call Wild a broad and you’d stay away from her.”
I frowned. “Hey, I’m
also not crazy.”
Henry ignored me.
“Looks like you’ve overstayed your welcome, Dwayne. Now, you need to get your
friend and high-tail it on out of here.”
He scowled. “I don’t
think that’s your decision. Besides, this is a church. A place of God. He
doesn’t turn anyone away.”
“Once you turn him
away,” said Sister Theresa, stepping around the corner of the building. “There
is only darkness.”
“And an exit door with your name on it,”
said Henry.
I just couldn’t
resist with the gay jokes. “That' shouldn't be too difficult for him to find.
Dwayne is no stranger to the 'exit door'.”
He shot me a look of
death and I was relieved that Henry was the one holding the shotgun.
“I’m not sure what’s
going on out here,” said Sister Theresa, her face solemn. “But this is a sacred
church and we don’t condone any immoral behavior. Now, for the protection of
the children and our other guests, I suggest that you, and your friend Travis, leave without giving us anymore
trouble.”
“You people are all
nuts,” said Dwayne, shaking his head. “I haven’t done anything but received a
few lucky kicks from this crazy chick.”
“They were
deliberate, not lucky,” I snapped,
putting my hands on my hips. “And you
were lucky that Henry saved your ass or I would have handed it back to you on a
platter.”
“Right,” snorted Dwayne.
“Right,” snorted Dwayne.