by Taylor Hart
Then Sammy lifted her head. “Let me tell you the truth. The truth is that you’re a child of God and He loves you. Even if you don’t believe that, believe that I believe it.” She grinned. “And my friend once told me—”
Warmth flooded Zoey’s cheeks.
“—there’s always someone who sees the real you. Sometimes you just have to be willing to open your heart and hear the truth about who the real you is.”
The movie ended. The crowd erupted with applause.
Zoey hugged Sammy. “I’m so proud of you.”
Sammy leaned back, taking her hand and squeezing it. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She reached for Nicholas’s hand. “You both saved me. If you ever need anything, you know who to call.”
The cheerleaders wouldn’t stop hugging and laughing. Regular music came on, and all of the kids were up and dancing.
Nicholas nudged Zoey as they watched. “You were ready. You did good.”
She smiled at him, then leaned into him, their shoulders touching. “We both did good.”
He grunted. “So I guess we’re permanent partners now?”
“If you can stand ‘the Tumbler.’” She air quoted.
He laughed.
They slipped out of the party, and Zoey’s heart was light enough to fly. Her life had purpose again, and she liked it. She put her fist out for Nicholas to bump. “North Star!”
He fist bumped back. “North Star!”
All Books in the North Star to Freedom Series
www.NorthStarToFreedom.com
Girls being lured away.
Trafficking survivors trying to save them.
Taken meets The Thundermans meets 21 Jump Street with these quirky teams of teenagers going undercover into high schools to help keep other teens safe from creepy sex predators.
#Lost ~ Prequel (Free)
All billionaire Cyrus Black wants is a chance to spend a month in Paris and repair the fractured relationship with his wife and daughter. But things don’t go as planned. Frantic, he realizes his daughter has left without telling anyone where she’s going. When he finds her phone dumped in a garbage can, he grows even more frantic. Though the police assume it is a kidnapping, and tell him to wait for a ransom note, he calls in associates who might help him find her.
Teenager Marcella Black is looking forward to spending time with her parents, especially her father whom she’s hardly seen since her parents separated. But when her father is late—as usual—and her mother is having a melt-down, and she can’t face the fight that’s sure to come, she turns to the only person who understands her—@JamesKind. She met him briefly in Paris last year and has since fallen in love with him. When he asks her to come meet him, she happily goes. Because he loves her, too, right?
When the expected ransom note doesn’t arrive, Cyrus fears his daughter might be #lost—maybe forever.
#Seen ~ Book 1
Zoey Thompson never expected to get hand-picked by philanthropic billionaire Cyrus Black for an elite, undercover team to stop online predators from targeting teens. And she really never expected to have a broody, hot partner named Nicholas who keeps telling her not to ask about his past. Sheesh—he’s not the only one with secrets, so whatever!
Enter Sammy Lewis, sixteen-year-old cheerleader at Montrose High. Sammy has everything—a boyfriend, two best friends, and a shot at becoming cheer captain for the upcoming state cheer competition. Too bad she loses them all in one day. Good thing she has Instagram and @hunterlives, the only guy who really understands her.
Posing as cheerleaders, Zoey and Nicholas think they’re getting through to Sammy about the dangers of her situation. That is, until Sammy runs off in search of the guy who really isn’t her boyfriend at all.
Will they get there in time, or will it be the last time Sammy Lewis is ever #seen?
#Lured ~ Book 2 ~ Excerpt of the Next Book in the Series
#Seen ~ Book 1
Kaylee Roberts, sophomore and varsity soccer player, is furious when her arch nemesis not only beats her for the half-back position on the team, but then sends a picture of Kaylee’s eczema-covered face on fire to the whole school. It’s not like she needs a reminder about her skin condition. Lucky for Kaylee, she’s been chatting online with a basketball player from another school who appreciates her photography skills and likes her for who she is.
Seventeen year old Warren Scott’s plan to get out of juvie and rescue his best friend from a trafficker goes out the window when he gets into a fight defending another kid. He’s expecting a reprimand, but instead gets an offer: join a specialized team of sex trafficking survivors who go into high schools to find and warn teenagers who are being targeted by predators. The rich guy in charge promises Warren help finding his friend in exchange for his time.
Warren agrees, but while he and his partner are desperately trying to find the target, he starts having crippling flashbacks of his old life. In the meantime Kaylee’s amazing and supportive online boyfriend tells her he loves her. She loves him too, and wants to show him.
Can Warren find Kaylee before it’s too late, or will Kaylee be #lured away to a fate Warren knows all too well?
CHAPTER ONE
Kaylee
The prickling sensation behind Kaylee’s knee started right after she sat on the stool in biology, and it had been getting worse for the past hour. She reached down to scratch at it, but her fingers stopped an inch from her skinny jeans. She would never hear the end of it from her mother if she opened up any of the scabs, so she withdrew her hand and pressed her palm on the wooden table top.
Jaylynn, Kaylee’s best friend and table partner, sent her a questioning look with her brown eyes. Kaylee smiled back and returned her attention to Mr. Demolon. He hit a button, and the flat screen at the front of the room came to life. A matrix of pictures appeared.
Kaylee held her breath. Flowers dotted the screen.
Mr. Demolon looked down his pointed nose at them all. His gaze brushed Kaylee, and a shiver wiggled down her spine. “I must admit that, in general, I find your lack of creativity...disturbing.” He chuckled at his own joke, which Kaylee didn’t get. “I asked you to take a picture of the most interesting plant you could find growing outside.” A red dot appeared on the screen and began zipping from flower to flower. “Surely there are more than roses and daisies out there.”
Jaylynn tapped Kaylee’s leg with her foot. “You nailed it,” Jaylynn whispered.
A surge of excitement bubbled in Kaylee’s stomach, but she kept her face impassive.
“Everyone but a dozen students in all of my classes decided to go for flowers.” Mr. Demolon shook his head. “You guys are on Instagram and Snapchat all day, every day. Surely more than a few of you could find something more interesting than flowers.”
A thin, pale hand that ended in cute, pink nails shot up. “But Mr. D, flowers are pretty.” Allison Jones flipped her long, red ringlets over her shoulder and smiled.
“Yes, flowers are pretty. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t attract bees, which in turn wouldn’t pollinate them, which would lead to their decline. However, flowers are not the only interesting plants.” He clicked the remote, and Kaylee stopped breathing.
The picture she had submitted filled the whole screen. An explosion of green came from the center of the milk thistle. Leaves with edges that looked like white-tipped maple leaves growing one on top of the other traveled like streams of fireworks off the screen. It had taken her ten shots hanging off the seat of a chair to get the picture.
“Kaylee,” Mr. Demolon said, “why did you decide to photograph this plant?”
All eyes turned to her, and she felt pinned to her chair. She took a breath, straightened, ignored the fact that the boy in front of her looked at the rash on her face before averting his eyes, and spoke. “I found a milk thistle with no flower. The plant is edible and has obvious means of defense from predators. From the side they’re ugly, but when I saw it from the top like that, I noticed it was beautiful in
its own way.”
Mr. Demolon nodded. “Thank you.” The screen switched photos and a rose appeared. “Allison, why did you take a picture of a rose?”
Allison wiggled into perfect posture and clasped her hands. “Roses are very interesting plants. They smell good, and the petals are edible. They are used to garnish ice cream and desserts, as well as salads.”
#Caged ~ Book 3
Autumn Eldridge considers herself one of the lucky ones—after all, she got rescued from a life of horror after just six months. That was three years ago. Now she has a black belt in karate and she is never going to be a target again. So when billionaire Cyrus Black invites her to help other teens from being taken in the first place by joining his elite team, she jumps at the chance. She is partnered with the mysterious Noah Fuller, and she wonders why he is on the team, since he’s the only team member who was never trafficked.
Destiny Wexler has had an incredibly bad year. First her mom died, then her dad remarried way too quickly, and she just found out she’s pregnant. When her jerk of a boyfriend breaks up with her, she turns to a friend she met last year in a chat group for teens who have lost their mothers. Finally, things are starting to look up. She’s just met two new friends. Even better, her chat room friend is going to fly in and take her to lunch.
But when she lies to her new friends—who she doesn’t realize are on the team trying to save her—and meets her “friend,” she finds herself #caged and betrayed. She can’t believe how deep the lies have gone and she’s terrified no one will be coming to save her.
Author’s Note
I was inspired to write a book about sex-trafficking, after watching a FB Live between Tony Robbins and Timothy Ballard. (Both men are heroes of mine.)
As I was watching, Tony asked Tim how people could help. Tim put out a plea to the audience, asking them ‘to talk about the topic, blog about this topic, write a book about this topic—something. Just use your talents to help STOP this!’
And, I felt the hand of God on my back, giving me a nudge and telling me that I could write a book about it. At that time, I argued a bit with God, told Him I didn’t write books about sex trafficking. (I sigh at my arrogance now, to argue with God.) Over the course of the next few months, I prayed and asked for help and I had the privilege of meeting Cammy Bowker, who started giving me first hand information about sex trafficking.
God also led me to these amazing ladies—Jo Schneider and Heather Horrocks. They have ROCKED this project with me. They have brought ideas and energy and written AMAZING stories!
I also had a ‘miracle’ happen to me, that proved to me that I was supposed to keep pushing forward with this project; I had the chance to meet Timothy Ballard in person. And, as I reflect on it, I’m certain it wasn’t a miracle to him…but maybe I’ll have a chance to talk to him about this one day…
When I first decided I would do this project, I told God that I wanted to meet Timothy Ballard. But I knew that was pretty much not possible. He’s a super busy guy—rescuing kids, making movies, writing books, traveling all over and speaking about this topic. But, I was coming out of the mall, on a rainy day, and—bam—he was there. I just saw light walking toward me. I’m not kidding.
And he got to me and I asked, “Are you Timothy Ballard?” And he said, “Yes.” I got to thank him for all the work he’s doing to save children and raise awareness and I also got to talk to him about this project. At that point I thought I would be writing a book directed at moms. But he said, ‘Write one for the teens, there are more and more who I get calls about everyday.’
About the Author ~ Taylor Hart
Taylor Hart is a best-selling author and Amazon top seller of Billionaire, Football, and Military Romance. All of her books have themes that are inspirational and faith-based. She is a mentor and coach and is obsessed with principles on success and self-improvement.
Her greatest joy is that she is a mother and a wife. She has four amazing boys that remind her of little MMA fighters! She is grateful for her amazing husband who supports and loves her!
Taylor has a deep love of God and feels a deep loyalty to her Savior, Jesus Christ. She gratefully acknowledges His healing love and forgiveness in her life.
Taylor also takes extreme pride in being an American. She is so grateful and proud of the men and women that support and preserve our freedom.
You can find Taylor at: https://taylorhartbooks.com/ or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at the links below.
Also by Taylor Hart
Here is a list of Taylor's books, grouped by series:
Coconut Bachelor Beach Romances by Taylor Hart
The Guy Next Door Billionaire by guest author
The Geeky Billionaire by guest author
The Nanny’s Billionaire by guest author
Last Play Masquerade Romances:
The No Regrets Groom (A Brady Brother’s Romance)
The Bighearted Groom by guest author
The Ever After Groom by guest author
The Blindsided Groom by guest author
Last Play Christmas Romances:
The Betting Groom (The Legendary Kent Brother Romances)
The Risky Groom by guest author
The Haunted Groom by guest author
The Midnight Groom (A sequel to The Football Groom)
The About Face Groom by guest author
Christmas Romance Series:
Her Hollywood Fake Fiancé (The Legendary Kent Brother Romances)
Texas Titan Romances (I recommend this order to read them)
The Tough Love Groom
The Second Chance Groom
The Dream Groom
The Prince Charming Groom
The Good Groom (A Brady Brother’s Romance)
Navy Seal Romances
The Broken Warrior
The Found Warrior
Bachelor Billionaire Romance Series (I recommend this order to read them)
The Football Groom
The Country Groom
The Unfinished Groom
The Barefoot Groom
The Masquerading Groom
The Christmas Groom
Rescue Me (Park City Firefighter Romances--Cross over with Bachelor Billionaire Romances) (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Lost Groom (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Undercover Groom (Freestone Brother Romances)
The Lone Star Groom
Last Play Romance Series
Last Play
The Rookie
Just Play
A Player for Christmas
End Zone
Hail Mary
Snow Valley Romances
A Christmas in Snow Valley: The Christmas Eve Kiss
Summer in Snow Valley: First Love
Spring in Snow Valley: The Bet
Fall in Snow Valley: The Better Man
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Boyfriend
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Girlfriend
The Real Thing Suspense, Romantic Series
Book 1 On the Run
Book 2 Going Rogue
Book 3 Get You Back
Stand Alone Books
A Girl Named Grace
The Secret
Prom Diaries
Part of Anthology
Kissing a Billionaire Anthology—The Forgotten Billionaire by Taylor Hart
Collections
Snow Valley Collection
The Legendary Kent Brother Collection
Country Star Romance Collection
The Freestone Brother Collection
Bachelor Billionaire Romance Collection
Football Romance Collection (Last Play)
Taylor’s Football Collection (Texas Titans)
Christmas Romance Sampler Collection
Receive a FREE STORY for signing up for Taylor’s New Release Newsletter Here!
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Thanks to our awesome #NorthStar Tea
m—Heather Horrocks and Jo Schneider. We had our ups and downs on this project. Truly, there were times when I didn’t know if it would come together or not, but I’m so so so grateful for you both! I am so thankful to come together—with combined faith in Jesus Christ—to make this happen!
Huge shout out to Cammy Bowker at Global E.P.! She worked tirelessly to provide us details and stories and first hand knowledge. Without her—this project wouldn’t have come to fruition! Love you!
Rights & Copyrights
Copyright © 2019 @ArchStone Ink
Cover Design: Steven Novak, NovakIllustration.com
All Rights Reserved ~ This includes the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions.
Work of Fiction ~ This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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