About the
Book:
Title:
Every Broken Wish
Author: K.S. David
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 173
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: K.S. David
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 173
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Litha Adams cleared her schedule,
deciding to spend the day at home. She needed a break from her
chaotic life. She picked a perfect sunny day to relax and just hang
out in the garden. Nothing prepared her for the sudden appearance of
Ethan Garner. She had walked away from him and spent every day since,
building a life on her terms. By day's end, she had another problem.
Strangers were in her home. Litha found herself locked away with
Ethan as interlopers hunted for treasure. Then came the realization
that she was their target. They were hunting for her.
Book Excerpt:
Working the soil was a source of comfort for
Litha Adams. She liked to feel the rich black granules slip through
her fingers. She liked the sense of accomplishment she felt when
something as small as a minuscule seed erupted from the earth to
produce an edible crop or the vivid canopy of colors that lit up the
back wall of her estate. She had purchased Enchanted Island
specifically for that purpose. It was an eleven thousand square foot
brick-front colonial on ten acres, complete with its own private
lake, which she kept well stocked with ladyfish, spadefish, and
Alabama darter.
The estate was a collection of steep
undulating hills, surrounded by ten-foot sugar maple, loblolly pine,
and yellow buckeye trees, which closed off visibility from neighbors
and passersby. Once you turned off the residential road, drove up the
long shaded driveway, and passed through the tall black iron gates,
there was an immediate sense of isolation. The vast green acreage,
the colorful gardens, bubbling fountains, even the man-made lake, was
serenity for Litha and the few guests she allowed at her home. The
irony was that her quiet oasis was barely a heartbeat away from the
bustle of downtown Atlanta.
“Ms.
Adams,” said a voice behind her.
Litha sat back on her heels, removed her
lavender rose patterned garden gloves, and waited for her assistant
to continue. She rarely took time to do anything for herself, rarer
to work in the gardens. She needed a breather from the chaotic
treadmill of her life. Instead of hitting the office before sunup,
she decided to work from home and sneak in a little solace. She had
already run five miles and punched off a dozen emails before telling
Courtney, her assistant, to change her schedule. Courtney reported to
the house instead of the office and every appointment had been
canceled, except one. Even that had been re-routed to the house.
“You have a visitor. The guy didn’t give
his name, but he says you know him,” said Courtney.
Litha twisted around and glared at her. “What?”
Courtney shrugged. “He’s at the gate. He
insists on seeing you.”
“Here?” confirmed Litha. “You’re saying
some random man just drove up and wants to see me?”
Putting her hand on her narrow hip, Courtney
nodded. She wasn’t just Litha’s assistant, but her closest
friend. “Shaun has him at the gate. I already spoke with the guy. I
asked him to leave his name and a card and I’d have you contact
him, but he insists on talking with you himself.”
Courtney was impeccably dressed in a tasteful,
mid-calf, ice-blue sleeveless dress. She wore her hair natural, kept
it cut low and perfectly tapered on the sides and at the nape. A hint
of red on the edges of her hair set off her toasted-chestnut skin,
which was flawless. She had high cheekbones, full lips, and a sultry
come-hither voice that made most men stop dead in their tracks. She
was also a closet comedienne, with a wicked sense of humor, who had
the ability to lift Litha’s mood no matter what was going on. But
when Litha looked at her, she didn’t see that spark of wit bubbling
behind her dark brown eyes.
“What does he look like?” She imagined some
half-crazed man hanging from the twenty-foot gates. There were dozens
of charitable organizations always chasing her down; ladies
auxiliaries, educational funds, and church groups inviting her to
either speak to their masses, lend her name to their cause, write a
check in support, or all three. No one had ever tracked her to the
house. Litha had hired personal security eight months ago and kept a
guard at the gate twenty-four hours a day. She also had a man present
in the house at all times or by her side whenever she left.
Courtney considered the question and shifted
her iPad to the opposite hip. “If I may say so . . . he’s fine.
He’s well dressed. He’s driving an
Affalterbach. Speaks well. He’s very clear
about your association.”
Sighing, Litha slapped her hands together,
sending up a small plume of dust. She brushed off her jeans and
pressed her hand against the front of her t-shirt. “And he won’t
give his name?” asked Litha.
“No. Shaun wants to know how you want to
handle it. He’s ready to dial 9-1-1; he’s just waiting to finish
the call.”
Litha looked back at her unfinished work.
She’d been planting larkspur and penstemon for added color in the
garden. Small black containers waited to be transplanted. “I’ll
go see what the guy wants,” she decided.
She and Courtney took a narrow cobblestone path
that rounded the east end of the home. As they stepped onto the paved
driveway, Litha noticed the shiny black car idling outside the gate.
The heavy tint on the windows made it impossible for her to see who
sat in the driver’s seat. Shaun stood at the edge of the guard’s
house holding a cell phone.
The extreme security measures hadn’t been her
idea, they’d had been put in place at the insistence of Ed
Mitchell, the Chief Operating Officer of her company. He was afraid
that the recent protest at the company could spiral out of control.
After weeks of cajoling, begging, and pleading, Litha finally
conceded to a personal escort, the fortress-like gates circling the
property, the armed guard, handpicked drivers, and the fleet of
secured vehicles. Her personal staff had swollen and been required to
submit to extensive background checks, polygraph exams, take basic
training in selfdefense, sign rigid confidentiality agreements, and
had been taught to remain on alert at all times. Litha agreed to all
the changes even though they resulted in every facet of her life
being utterly and completely invaded.
A walk to Starbucks for an iced coffee was an
act of defiance. Ed and the entire team would spin into action,
hustling about in a fury trying to find her. When they did, they'd
swoop in like a SWAT team to form a secure bubble around her.
Slipping away occasionally was her way of keeping her sanity,
retaining her independence, and proving to Ed that his concerns were
unwarranted. It was also her way of reminding all of them that she
was the one in charge.
Courtney slowed her pace then touched Litha’s
arm to halt her. “I . . . I don’t know about this,” she said.
“Maybe it isn’t such a good idea. He didn’t look crazy, but you
never know.” Then deciding. “I’ll have Shaun just get the guy’s
name and number. He’ll have to be satisfied with that. Ed would
kill me if anything happened to you. The protocol . . .”
Litha held out a hand. “Whoa. Stop.” She
turned to Courtney. “Has
Ed been harassing you about what goes on in my
house?”
“Not exactly harassing,” evaded Courtney.
She was uncomfortably aware of the tension that had developed between
Litha and Ed Mitchell recently. She wanted to stay clear of it. “You
know him,” she urged, “Ed’s all about rules and has his ideas
about how things should run.”
Litha sucked her teeth, crossed
her arms, and said, “I haven’t abdicated control of my life to
anyone. If Ed Mitchell thinks any differently, then he’d do well to
remember who owns the company, who he works for and
this house. If I choose to walk to my gate, then I will.”
Not offended by Litha’s directness, Courtney
pursed her lips, snapped her fingers. “Alright, Boss Lady.” She
stepped aside and pointed toward the gate.
At their approach, the car door opened. Shaun’s
hand swung to the gun on his hip. “Sir, please stay in the car.”
Ignoring him, a tall, well-built man stepped
out in a crisp, tailored suit. He had skin like whipped dark
chocolate, a broad regal nose, a firm jaw, and narrowed eyes that
went immediately for Litha.
She stopped. Her heart thumped in her chest so
hard it hurt. In a quaking breath, she huffed, “Shit.”
“You okay?” asked Courtney, protectively
stepping between Litha and the gate.
The man closed the door, letting her see the
full measure of him.
“Sir, please get back in the car,” said
Shaun. “I’m going to have to call the police if you don’t
comply.”
“I’m fine,” said Litha, regaining her
composure.
She willed herself to steady and pinched her
hands closed for a moment to stop the shaking. Imagining herself a
bar of unbendable steel, she stepped around Courtney, walked toward
the gate. Wrapping her fingers around the bars and she stared at the
man for a moment.
When the man took a step forward, Shaun pushed
his hand into the stranger’s chest and warned, “Sir, I’m
serious. All I have to do is hit ‘send’ and I’ll connect with
the police.” He held up the phone.
In a voice that had turned cool and hard, Litha
said, “Shaun, put the phone away. Let him through.”
About the
Author
K.
S. David lives in the Mid-Atlantic with her husband, their three
children and a menagerie of pets.
New
storylines are constantly running through her head and she keeps
notebooks tucked in pockets of the car, the nightstand and makes
voice recordings just about all day long. She's addicted to true life
mysteries and crime shows, both of which marry well with a great
romance. Some of her favorite things are long walks, reading in bed,
baking and of course, writing her next novel.
For More
Information
No comments:
Post a Comment