“I guess they haven’t. Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being sweet and helping me get the fuck out of there. I think I just need to sleep a little more.”
We start for Hawthorne Manor.
“Do you remember the way to my house?” I ask as he turns a little too early, heading instead for one of the busiest intersections in town.
“Fuck, I knew this was the wrong turn.” He gets in the left lane to make a U-turn. “You’d think after all of those functions our parents made us attend there, I would have the directions seared into my brain. Remember when Sissy Henderson lit her hair on fire that one Christmas fundraiser?”
“We never served spiked eggnog again after that,” I laugh. Damn that feels good. Laughing wasn’t something that happened in my life enough anymore.
“I don’t think she will ever get her hair to look good again.” His hand slide over mine as he shoots a kind grin at me. “We had some good times at those things though.”
I trip down Memory Lane. Blaine and I were thrown together at so many of those damn functions.
Right as I was about to remind him of the time we stole cooking sherry from the kitchen when we were ten, the sound of crushing metal assaults my ears and my body lurches forward. My forehead slams against the passenger side window as I catch sight of the dark SUV that’s just plowed into my side of the car. Blaine’s car swivels in circles, careening across the intersection.
A scream explodes out of my chest, but all noise is muted. Pain courses through my right side, tears springing to my eyes as it sears my insides. Glass shatters around me, a million cuts stinging my face as the seat belt chokes me, burning my chest as I gasp for air.
I must have blacked out, because the next thing I know, I am sprawled out on the hot pavement.
I can’t breathe. I can’t open my eyes. All I can feel is pulsing aches.
“I told you, Charlotte. This is only the beginning.”
That voice. That low, calculated voice. How did he find me again?
I force my eyes open, but my vision is so blurred, I can barely make out shapes. I blink fast, seeing a large form bent over me. A few more blinks help me make out a blue uniform. A hat. A badge.
A cop. Thank God.
But wait…
I squint hard, trying to see the face hovered over me. I try to lean upward, to make out any details, but my body gives out, unable to support my weight.
I grit my teeth, trying again, when my eyes finally focus.
A yelp escapes my lips. “No!”
The man’s lips lift into a demonic smile, one I can now see very clearly.
“Scar,” I whimper, paralyzed by terror, before I start to slip away again. I battle the darkness, desperate to stay awake, to not succumb to the numbing cold that’s overtaking my body.
“Just remember one thing,” Scarface hisses as my head rolls to the side, tears spilling out of the corners of my eyes. I gasp for air, my throat constricted by his beefy hand as he grips it tight. But my hands are rendered useless right now. I have not even a sliver of energy to pry it off my neck.
“There are no accidents, Charlotte. Your dead brother knows that better than anyone.”
The End… For Now!
Thirsty for more? Pre-order PRINCESS now!
Acknowledgments
Who would have thought that writing an acknowledgement page would be so hard for me? There are so many people to thank and I am terrified to leave someone out. Anyway, let’s get on with it!
First of all, I want to give the biggest of shoutouts to the amazing women of The Red Hatter Book Blog, especially Ari and Brit! Ladies, you have helped me so much over the last few months, and I don’t know how to thank you enough. It means the world to me that you have jumped in with both feet to get my name out there! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Also, how could I not thank Gunner in here? His goofy face and hilarious antics keep me from pulling my hair out while I am writing a hard scene or trying to get through edits. That amazing, silly German Shepherd is one of the major reasons why I have stayed sane over the last couple of months, and I don’t know what I would do without him.
And I would like to take a moment to thank Elaine York, the incredible editor that has bent over backwards to make this dream of mine become a reality. I appreciate her hard work and timeliness greatly. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her insights, suggestions, and support.
And lastly, I want to thank you - the reader! Without readers this book world would not exist and I am so grateful that it does. Thank you for taking a chance on a new author and loving Xander and Charlotte as much as I do! You’re amazing!
About the Author
Londyn Quinn, shoe whore, beauty guru, and wine connoisseur, prides herself on the twisted, dark, and devious mind she hides so well behind her façade of flawless foundation and thick lush lashes. Sometimes, beauty really is only skin deep. Beneath all of the glitz and glam, she loves to concoct dirty and devilish stories about bad boys and the snarky, sharp-tongued girls they love to hate…and hate to love.
Stay Connected:
Website
Sign up for Londyn Quinn’s Newsletter!
Also by Londyn Quinn
Ridgeview Prep Series:
Prick
Puppet
Princess (Releasing April 30th 2020!)
Puppet: Ridgeview Prep Book 1 Page 18