by Paige Weaver
For Bev and Iris and Jennifer on my street team. You girls amaze me every day! Thank you for all that you do!
For Christy Conque – I have enjoyed our conversations and am truly happy that we met. You are a wonderful supporter of my books and a great person. Thank you for everything!
For Jess Jduadne who always assist me at signings. You volunteered for the job and I’m so happy you did. Everything always runs smoother because of you. Thank you!
For Krista Webster, my friend across the pond. Thank you for traveling to Kensington to visit with me and thank you so much for the offer of a real London dinner. I can’t wait for my next trip to the U.K. and a chance to see you again! (Oh, and thank you for Daryl. I love him.)
To my husband – Thanks for being the slayer of geckos and the master of hotel room faucets. Thanks for keeping me company while I traveled, finding a Starbucks for me in foreign cities, and making me do things I didn’t think I could do. Thanks for all the late nights, reading over my manuscripts and correcting the gun and/or male perspective lingo. Thanks for listening to me cry when all you wanted to do was sleep and acting interested in my excitement over a scene when all you wanted to do was watch the Discovery Channel. You didn’t have to help me with this journey but thank God you did. I would have been lost and a little bit confused without you.
Last but never least, I would like to thank the readers, especially the ones that waited patiently for Cash’s story. You are such loyal fans that I cannot begin to express how much you mean to me. I’ve been at book signings, in restaurants, at church, shopping, and even at a funeral, when readers approached me and ask, “When are we getting the next book?” You know who you are and I will never forget those moments. Thank you.
The following is an excerpt from Paige Weaver's first book, Promise Me Darkness.
Chapter One
This is the story of the end of life as I knew it. We thought the world would continue as it always had. Society would stay the same. People would stay the same. We were wrong. In a heartbeat, the world changed. I changed.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this!”
An Eminem song blared loudly from speakers as I followed my best friend through the smoky bar. Men covered in tattoos stood shoulder to shoulder with women in barely–there clothing. As for me, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my light pink sundress and matching sandals.
“Relax, Maddie. I just wanted to check the place out,” Eva said, bopping her head to the music as we walked through the crowd. I wasn’t sure if she noticed the nasty stares we were getting or was just oblivious to them. Knowing Eva, she just didn’t care.
I stuck close behind her, afraid of being separated among these people. Eva and I had been to many of the bars near our college and seen some crazy things but this place was just plain scary. Talk about a hole in the wall. The smoke was thick and suffocating. The music was the kind your mama wouldn’t want you listening to — loud and full of every damn cuss word that existed. Most of the bar patrons looked either like convicts or members of a local motorcycle gang. I bet a few even had switchblades hidden somewhere on them. Two college girls definitely didn’t belong in here.
“TABLE!” Eva squealed when she saw two empty chairs. Pulling on my hand, she charged forward, bumping into a couple of leather–clad men who scowled at us.
At least the seats were in the corner. Maybe no one will notice us here. Eva could have her fun and then we could leave. Hopefully, in one piece.
“WOOO HOOO!” Eva shrieked as one of her favorite rap songs started blasting from the speakers. It earned us a few more dirty looks.
To my dismay, she started rapping along with the song. The girl couldn’t sing worth a darn but I had to give her credit for trying. I hugged my purse closer to my body and glared at her. She was so drawing attention to us! I hushed her but this was Eva we were talking about; there was no hushing her.
Out of nowhere a waitress appeared next to our table. “You girls want anything?” she asked with a bored expression. Her blond hair was stringy, her tank top cut too low, and her tiny shorts didn’t cover her butt. She had about an inch of makeup on and it was starting to cake in her wrinkles.
“Two shots of whiskey,” Eva yelled over the music.
The waitress nodded and walked away, her shorts trying so hard to cover her behind.
“I don’t drink, Eva, you know that!” I leaned over to shout.
Eva waved me off as she went back to singing. I cringed as she rapped about sex and someone getting shot.
We were so different. She was the exact opposite of me. Spontaneous and unpredictable, Eva was a true wild child who wasn’t afraid of anything. Some people found it amazing that we were friends but I’ve known her since the first grade — fifteen long years now. We had been through thick and thin together. There was no separating us. That’s why I had agreed to come to this dive in the first place. Needless to say, she owed me big time.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some men staring at us, practically drooling. “Those guys are gawking,” I said.
“Wooo, baby, come to mama!” Eva growled dramatically as she studied them.
I rolled my eyes at her version of a sexy purr. She loved bad boys and these men fit the bill perfectly. They were cute if you liked the tattooed, muscular, badass type of man. I didn’t. My type was more the khaki wearing, BMW driving, tattoo–free gentleman.
The men were forgotten as the waitress appeared and delivered our shots. She took our money and stalked off, not thanking us for the tip or looking our way again. The customer service in here rocks.
I picked up the small glass and studied it closely. It was dirty and whatever was in it smelled awful.
“I’m not drinking this,” I said, sitting it back down with revulsion.
“You’ve got to. It’s bad luck if you don’t.”
I eyed Eva with skepticism. “That’s not true and you know it.”
“Okay, well, just drink it for me. You need to relaaaax.”
I picked up the dirty glass and sighed. The things I did for a friend.
“Okay, on three. One, two, THREE!” Eva said, smacking the table with each count.
I tossed back the drink quickly. Fire raced – no, scorched – down my throat. My eyes watered, making it hard to see. I squeezed them shut, feeling the burn as the whiskey traveled from my throat to my stomach. Oh, shit! That was terrible!
Eva started giggling as she watched me. “Another!” she laughed, pushing the second glass my way.
“What? No freakin’ way! That was awful!” I shuddered in disgust.
“I bought it for you. Drink up. You need it.”
I knew Eva would win this argument so I threw back the drink. My throat instantly felt as if someone dropped a lighted match down it.
“I love this song! Let’s dance.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me out onto the dance floor before I could protest or recover from the drink.
There were only a couple of people dancing but Eva didn’t care. She started moving to the bass, really getting into the music. By now, my muscles were starting to relax thanks to the alcohol. Moving my hips to the pounding beat, I began dancing.
By the second song, we were having a good time. Eva turned to shake her butt at me, sending me into fits of laughter. We started rubbing against each other, grinding to the music and acting silly.
After the song ended, I noticed we had gathered an audience. Many of the rough looking men were now standing on the sidelines, watching us. I nervously scanned the crowd, afraid we were over our heads here. These men looked at us like we were their dinner and they were starving.
I was about to tell Eva that we should leave when someone caught my attention. He was at a pool table in the back, lining up to take a shot with his cue stick. A voluptuous blonde was rubbing up against him like a bitch in heat. She wore a short black skirt, plunging neckline blouse, and five–inch stilettos. Her hands were all over him.
I wat
ched as he took the shot and straightened up to survey the table. Turning to the woman, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer.
I sucked in a breath when I saw his profile. His ball cap was pulled low and unruly brown hair peeked out from the edges. His broad shoulders were outlined beneath a black shirt and well–worn jeans fit his long, muscular legs perfectly.
I would recognize him anywhere.
“Who’s that hottie?” Eva asked when she noticed me staring.
“It’s Ry…”
She beat me to it. “Holy shit! It’s Ryder!”
I felt my heart rate go spiraling out of control as I watched him laugh at something the blonde said. When he leaned over to whisper in her ear, I couldn’t look away.
Ryder Delaney was a legend around here. The women couldn’t keep their hands off him and the men were scared to death of him. He was good–looking and dangerous. A little bit bad and a whole lot sexy. And just like Eva, he was wild and liked to live life to the fullest (sometimes a little too much). He had no rules and did what or who he wanted. Apparently, he was working on his latest who — the blonde wrapped around him.
Believe it or not, besides Eva, Ryder was my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were little kids playing house in my daddy’s barn. When I was six, my dad bought the small farm next to his parent’s ranch, making us neighbors and eventually friends.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Eva said, dancing in place.
“No, he looks busy,” I mumbled with a smidgen of jealousy. His hand still rested on the blonde’s waist. The tattoos that started at his right wrist and circled around his arm captured my attention. I remembered when he got those tattoos. I had been there.
“Pleeeease! The guy can stop kissing on that slut long enough to talk to us,” Eva said, looking the blonde up and down.
Without waiting for me, she headed their way.
Oh, crap! I rushed to catch up with her. Eva and Ryder didn’t mix well together and that was putting it lightly.
“Hey, stranger!” Eva shouted over the music when we were within a few feet of him.
Ryder stopped sweet–talking the blonde to look our way. Under the brim of his hat, I saw his eyes widen in surprise.
Oh, wow. The color of his eyes would never cease to amaze me. They were a clear blue that put the color of the ocean to shame. Combined with his dark tan and sun–kissed brown hair, the blueness of his eyes was striking. Breathtaking. Gorgeous.
Seeing him again, I realized how much I had missed him since leaving for college. Was I supposed to feel this way about a friend?
My stomach did a weird flip. He was so much taller than me. The top of my head hit the middle of his chest. On a good day, I was five feet two inches; short by most people’s standards but next to Ryder, I was tiny.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked, detangling himself from the blonde’s arms. She pouted, which made me want to smile and do a fist pump.
“Clubbing!” Eva answered as she looked over at Blondie. “I would ask you the same but it’s pretty obvious.”
He ignored her sarcastic comment.
“When did you get into town, Maddie?” he asked, leaning toward me to be heard over the music.
“A few days ago,” I answered. “I texted you but I never heard back.”
Okay, I’ll admit he was the first person I texted when I arrived in town. When he didn’t immediately answer or show up on my doorstep like he usually did, I was slightly upset. How sad was I?
“Sorry. Damn phone is a piece of crap,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.
“I’ve heard that before,” Eva muttered, rolling her eyes.
Ryder shot her a look of annoyance. The blonde chose that moment to lean closer, pressing her ample breasts against him. Yeah, we know you’re still here, Blondie.
He detangled himself from her grasp with ease. “I’ll catch you later, Mandy,” he said, dismissing her without a second thought.
The girl gave me a dirty look before sulking off, wobbling slightly on her high heels. A tiny bit of jealousy flared up again. She was tall and beautiful, just the way he preferred them.
“You shouldn’t be in here dressed like that,” Ryder said, pointing to my sundress. “You trying to get killed?”
“What’s wrong with my dress?”
“Nothing except you look like a little girl trying to play with the big kids,” he said, smirking.
“Well, it was Eva’s idea to come here!” I blurted, feeling as if I had just got caught doing something wrong.
Ryder’s blue eyes slung to Eva, turning cold and calculating. In return, she gave him her best ‘I–dare–you–to–say–something’ stare.
I saw an argument brewing between the two of them as usual. Before I could put a stop to it, Ryder grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, out of the way of three large men walking by. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I lost my footing and landed hard against his chest. I had to admit, it wasn’t such a bad place to be.
“Have you been drinking?” he asked, dropping his hand away from me.
“Two shots,” I answered.
He didn’t look too pleased.
“Eva made me do it,” I explained, laying all the blame on her.
He looked over at Eva again, not happy in the least. She smirked at him boldly and danced around us, not afraid of him at all. I watched Ryder grind his teeth in frustration, something I did quite often around Eva.
He turned his attention back to me, trying to ignore her. “I’m going to the bar for a drink. Want anything? Maybe a water?” he asked.
I shook my head no and couldn’t help but watch as he walked away. More than one woman stopped to admire him and a few tried to strike up a conversation but he simply smiled and moved on.
“He’s so good–looking. Too bad I can’t stand him,” Eva said as she watched him with a dreamy expression.
Before I could tell her to behave, two men were standing in our line of vision. Both were covered in leather, piercings, and tattoos. Just Eva’s type.
“We were watching you dance earlier. You were really good,” one of them said to Eva.
She smiled at him with a sexy smile that made me want to gag.
“Thank you,” she said, holding out a well–manicured hand. “I’m Eva, by the way.”
Within seconds, she was out on the dance floor with the guy, leaving me alone with guy number two.
He smiled down at me, stretching his pierced lips wide. I tried not to stare at the numerous rings in his lips and ears. He had a shaved head and skeleton tattoos crawling up and around his neck. To say the guy was scary was an understatement. And apparently he was also drunk, swaying on his feet as he took another swig of beer. Great.
“My name’s Jacob,” he said, holding out a hand tattooed with numbers and letters.
I forced a smile on my face and placed my hand in his. “Maddie,” I said. I didn’t want to give him my name but what else could I do? My daddy raised me to be polite.
“You from around here?” he asked. I tried not to cringe at the bad pickup line or the way his eyes moved up and down my body with interest.
“Yes,” I answered, looking around the club. Maybe if I looked uninterested, he would take the hint and leave.
“Nice dress,” he said, staring down at my chest.
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. I attempted to walk around him but his hand slipped around my waist.
“Let’s dance,” he slurred.
I moved out from under his arm and started to walk away when he stepped in front of me.
“Just one dance,” he pleaded, drunkenly.
“No, thanks.” Polite me again.
He was about to say something else when there was a commotion at the bar. I heard yelling and glass breaking. Looking around ‘Jacob the Drunk,’ I was stunned. What the hell? I think my mouth even dropped open.
Ryder and a very large man were fighting, looking ready to kill each other. All I co
uld see were fists and fury.
People started rushing over, scrambling to get a good view of the fight. I left Jacob behind to push through the crowd, just in time to see Ryder’s head snap back and blood go flying. I shoved my way to the edge of bystanders, watching as Ryder recovered and swung an uppercut to the big man’s jaw. When the guy’s eyes rolled back in his head, I thought it was over. Instead, he shook his head to clear it and threw a hard jab. His fist connected with Ryder’s stomach, shoving him backward.
Someone grabbed my arm and yanked. I swung around, prepared to do battle myself, but found only Eva.
“What the hell is going on?” she shouted. The crowd surged around us, everybody wanting to get closer to the action.
“Ryder’s getting his ass kicked! We have to help him!"
“Are you crazy? We can’t do anything!” Eva shouted as she struggled to stay on her feet against the jostling crowd.
The sound of beer bottles shattering had me turning back around. I watched as Ryder’s fist connected with the man’s face followed by his elbow whacking the man’s jaw, all in one fluid movement. This time the stranger went down cold.
I rushed to Ryder’s side as he flopped down onto a nearby barstool. His lip was cut and a nasty bruise was already forming on his cheekbone. He was wiping the blood from his nose when his eyes met mine.
“What the hell was that all about?” I shouted over the music.
“I told you that you shouldn’t be in here!” Ryder said, loudly.
“What has that got to do with you fighting?” I asked, trying to ignore how close I was to him.
“The bastard was talking shit about you in that dress.”
“What did he say?” I asked, watching as the man’s friends tried to peel him off of the floor.
“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” Ryder growled. He stood up gingerly, wincing at the movement. When the pain passed, he grabbed hold of my arm.