Shattered Lives Series #2
Published: February 28, 2017
Cover:
Models: Victoria Morin & Chad Demchik
I was a woman on a mission. I wanted to be.... Somewhere I belonged.
My life as a small town gal kept me cautious, but I wanted to go travel the world, be free and not stuck in a bubble. I traveled through the states and kept moving until I got to Vegas. Flashing lights, casinos and the man in Armani who made traffic stop with his sparkling smile… A smile I quickly learned belonged to the devil.
Not anyone else’s devil – he was my devil.
Then, my world came to a crashing halt one night – the night my life went from dangerous to ready to flatline.
On the ride of my life, I went back to the past I’d abandoned years before. Back to the past that has never been the past. It could have been the present but I was too stubborn to see it.
I'm running back to the arms of safety.
To the arms I should have never left.
Last night I was out with the boys. A night out, drinking - only one beer for me, since I was on duty the next morning - and a few tables of pool. Trevor, his brother Peter, and a few others were yucking it up at a scratch I made when Drew came barreling into the bar. The look on his face made me move from the table and meet him halfway. What in the hell had happened now? Everything had been quiet here over the last couple of years. Ever since his then girlfriend - now wife - Dani Lynn had been kidnapped. Quiet was good. That look said shit was about to get real though.
“What’s that look for?” I asked as he looked around at the faces in the bar. My brow arched and when he looked at me, I saw that look. I had seen it before. “What? Has something happened at my mom and dad’s?”
“No,” again, he scanned the room. “It’s your sister…”
“Alana?” my voice rose as my gut clenched? “What happened? Is she okay?”
“Alana is fine,” he paused as I stepped closer. “Charlie, it’s Anna. Dani Lynn needs you at the center. That’s all I- She’s with Anna… and she’s hurt. That’s all I know.”
“Anna?” I turned to see Trevor standing there, his face a hard wall of nothing. The boy was good at hiding shit, but I saw that look in his eyes. He still loved her. I knew that much. He’d said it before, but until that moment, I hadn’t seen it.
“I’ll be right there,” I said as I turned and lunged past Trevor, grabbing my shit from the table and jogging out to my bike. “Go, Drew, I’ll meet you there.”
Drew nodded and slipped into the car. I took a deep breath and called my dad. As the phone rang, Trevor and Peter came out. They stopped while I waited for someone to pick up. No answer. I cursed and slid my phone into my pocket. I looked up at them.
“If you’re coming, hurry the fuck up,” I said, starting up my bike. I revved it a minute before pulling out onto the road. The three block ride took only minutes. Thank God. My heart was racing as I ran up the walkway. When I hit the door I saw Mama Jay there, a deep frown on her chubby face. She opened the door and let us in. We followed Mama Jay down the back hallway towards the office and exam area. My heart was already thudding, but it skyrocketed when I saw Dani Lynn with tears on her cheeks, covered in blood. “What happened?” I asked her as I stopped before her.
“I-I don’t know,” she swiped at her eyes and put on her game face as she looked up at us. She glanced from me to Trevor and back to me. When I nodded she continued. “I was leaving to head home,” she sighed. “I saw someone stumbling down the sidewalk. When she collapsed I ran to her… there was blood everywhere…” she shook her head and I rested my hand on her shoulder.
~Meet Barb Shuler~
I’m a Carolina Girl by right and a Texan by birth. Best of both worlds. I have the brass sass to keep up with my Texas sized temper. Living and working in both states i’ve learned a lot about hard work, adapting to your surroundings and making the best of the path that you have been led down. My grandma Dollie once told me I would know what I was meant to do when it happened. She was right, as always.
As with most book lovers, I am an avid reader. Reading has always been a hobby - a passion, really and a way to get lost in other people’s lives, their drama and other worlds. It’s a private movie in your imagination that you get to cast and navigate through, at your own pace. Reading helps to expand the perimeters of one's mind. That is what got me into writing. Writing has been something that I have done since I was a kid. If I had paper, I was writing. Nine out of ten times it made no sense but what are words if they are not to be used to your advantage? Words are a part of us all. Why not use them, right?
During the day I work as a ‘desk jockey’ and help the residents of my county navigate themselves around our little, but not too little country town. By night I am either blogging with my best friends, doing PA work for some of my favorite authors or fighting with the voices in my head. They can be stubborn at times. It’s a blessing and I am cherishing every moment. Tomorrow is never guaranteed so I want to make sure I live the day as fully as possible. For what is my creation, can become someone else's treasure.
~ Connect with Barb here ~
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