by J. A. Kerr
So many things had gone wrong. He had been enraged Siena was not at the house, only the stupid nanny. Somehow his contact missed Siena leaving. He’d told Nick he had a call of nature, as he put it. His back turned for a moment, but that’s all it took for her to slip out of the house. He planned everything but there would always be outside factors. The only thing he’d done right was to frame Katie. The police would surely take the bait.
They’d find her coat in Siena’s car where he’d left it. While investigating Nick, they were bound to discover her muddy boots in the flat. If removed for analysis, Nick knew it was only a matter of time before they matched them with the crime scene. Once she was a suspect, they would take her computer too. It would reveal even more. Internet and Google map searches on the Harrison address, for example. Internet orders for the drugs used to sedate the twins and nanny. The DNA evidence he’d planted would put her at the scene and her cries of innocence would go unnoticed. Throughout his relationship with Katie he fed her insecurities. Her jealously when he mentioned Siena which he did often was obvious. Siena became an imaginary rival in Katie’s mind. If he could see it...the police would too.
The Harrisons might be safe for now but did they think it was over? Nick hoped so. That would make his job easier. He was out for revenge and had only just started. This time he would not be denied. He would make them all pay—one by one.
COMING SOON...
The Braille Club Reborn...the final book in the series.
Chapter 1
The Braille Club Reborn
Benedict
Benedict sits in the dark. He senses it isn’t over, that Nick Waters isn’t finished. When released from custody, he’d checked into a hotel. That bastard’s alibi was shaky. Also he’d have to check in with his parole officer, but Benedict knew Waters was up to something.
When your home has been breached you never feel safe again. Nick Waters had by-passed all his elaborate security precautions. He’d simply walked into his home and taken his children. Benedict’s hands seemed to be permanently clenched into fists. His babies. He’d drugged them and buried them alive. The full horror of what Nick had done was sinking in. Benedict didn’t believe for a second it was Katie Burns. The CCTV footage confirmed someone wearing her jacket but nothing else.
The police were still gathering evidence, but preliminary finding pointed to Katie. She was still in custody while Waters was released. He was out there. He was free. Benedict had to do something. Modern day bounty hunters still existed. Guy had told him Evan Radley was the best. He came highly recommended and Benedict made enquiries.
Finally he let his emotions go. Tears streaked his face, his sobs muffled by the hand he clamped over his mouth. He was alone in the study that no longer felt like his; tainted like everything else in the house. Sometimes his mind replayed the horror of that day. If Reeva hadn’t been wearing Siena’s bracelet he’d have lost them...he bit his lip hard to stop the thought, but it was there. They would have died. Images of Leo’s pale, unmoving body crowded his thoughts. Reeva’s blonde curls covered in dirt.
Siena’s bracelet had been their saviour. She’d removed it before showering and forgotten about it as she rushed to meet him at the club. Reeva was fascinated by the charms and Siena had let her play with it. She must have taken it from the bathroom. The hospital staff found it in the top pocket of her pyjamas. He pulled himself back from the brink. They were okay, recovering, but as long as Nick Water was out there, they weren’t safe and neither was Siena.
The doctors were relieved the twins had bounced back so quickly with no memory of their ordeal. It was a blessing. Like all children, once they’d felt better they were back to their usual selves although they sensed their parents were deeply troubled. Reeva kept hugging Siena like the little mother hen she was.
“Why mummy sad?” she asked Siena seriously. Her face puckered in a frown. Leo had joined his sister in examining their mother.
Siena had laughed; a real laugh which reached her eyes. She scooped them into an embrace and tickled them. Their squeals of laughter bounced around the hospital room, her gaze found his and he plastered a smile into place. He saw her smile falter as she looked at him. He turned away. Benedict was prepared to do whatever it took to keep them safe. He was prepared to deal with the consequences. He had waited long enough for his moment with Waters. This time he would not leave him breathing.
Chapter 2
The Braille Club Reborn.
Evan
Evan Radley had been in the care system since he was four years old; his collection of injuries had removed him from his mother. Despite her protests she had never harmed him, no one listened to her. She wasn’t allowed to see him and he cried himself to sleep night after night at the hospital. The kind voices of the nurses his earliest memory. They would often stroke his face to soothe him. His bones mended and he was placed with a foster family. He didn’t like them, he wanted to go home, and he wanted his mum. He was back in the hospital three days later, having bitten off three of his own fingers.
He remembered the blood and the screams of his foster mother as she packed his dismembered fingers in ice as instructed by the hospital. The surgeons had done their best but they couldn’t be saved. He was left with two stumps on his left hand where his index and middle finger had been. His right hand lost a pinkie. The doctors started a battery of tests and discovered he had “Congenital Insensitivity to Pain.” He literally could not feel pain. They told his foster mother, better he’d chewed off his fingers than his tongue. They took the drastic step of removing all his teeth until he could understand and manage his condition better. His previous injuries were now explained. His mother hadn’t hurt him she just hadn’t protected him. When he’d fallen off the swing at the play park he’d broken his arm. That fall had ultimately taken him to the hospital. His arm had swollen to almost twice its size. It was only when he was getting x-rayed that other injuries were discovered.
He’d a broken toe having stubbed it repeatedly against his bedroom door in a fit of temper. He had tantrums like any normal toddler but for Evan he didn’t feel a thing when he struck his head off the wall. A normal parent would have noticed his injuries but his mother, a hopeless addict, spent her life in a different existence, a drug fog, and he suffered neglect rather than physical abuse. She died when he was seven and all hope she would someday reclaim him was snuffed out for good. Evan had been called after his father. The worthless piece of shit had been his mother’s dealer but Evan had no desire to locate him, quite the reverse. His father was in prison doing time for dealing. He knew this because it was Evan who put him there. An anonymous tip off to the police was all that was required, and Evan had no hesitation in doing it.
Right from the beginning, other children sensed he was different no matter what Evan did to fit in. However, he didn’t fit in because he was different. Even the sexual predators that were prolific in the care home system stayed away from him. His finger stumps both fascinated and repulsed the staff and children around him. They knew he had bitten them off himself. This event would be superseded by others. The home was filled with angry and damaged children who grew into angry and damaged adults. Evan would suffer broken bones because of many of them, but in the end, they always left him alone. Unable to hurt or intimidate him they grew bored and moved on to someone else. He gradually accepted he would remain in the home as a long term case. The fostering was never repeated. Evan learned to use his affliction to his advantage. He became a protector of sorts. He was happy to stand up to the bullies to protect some of the younger children; absorbing vicious punches with a grin on his face. Yes, even then he was an enforcer of sorts.
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Bonus Chapter
Tess
Tess and Simon Lawrence survived what few couples had; a sexual scandal. There would always be that air of uncertainty about Si but their show was more popular than ever. Tess had no further problems with her pregnancy and was back at work within six weeks of giving birth. However, the dynamics of the show had changed.
She was still great with the guests; her warm and bubbly personality putting them at ease. However, it was Si who’d changed, and quite spectacularly too. Gone were the flirtatious overtones and casual come-ons; perversely, Tess almost missed them. Be careful what you wish for, right enough, she thought ruefully. She remembered Anna Dunbar’s words. “If he steps out of line, let me know. Have you still got those envelopes?”
Tess took a moment to understand what Anna was implying—blackmail. “Yes,” she said hesitantly, “but I don’t want to go down that route again.” Anna told Tess, Si had never pursued the matter again after she advised him nothing had been found from the envelopes.
Anna nodded. “Let’s hope you don’t have to.”
Her face had grown hot and she couldn’t meet Anna’s gaze. She wasn’t proud of what she’d done. Blackmailing her husband had been madness. Tess couldn’t imagine ever doing something so desperate again. Had she really been that person? Si had pushed even her limits but she was a survivor and a different person as a result.
Tess was free now and Si knew it; he no longer had a hold over her and he didn’t like it. His insecurities made him jealous. He saw every man...every guest as a threat. In a way, Si had become Tess. The role reversal had viewers glued to their televisions.
The biggest change in their lives was their job as parents. Their beautiful daughter, Amber, was the centre of their world. Tess loved her with astonishing ferocity. The old Si would never have coped with playing second fiddle. Events had made him a better father too. Their relationship had been rocky over the last months. This was often the case with parents of a new-born. They were both tired, juggling nursery and work, with the care of Amber. It was a joint responsibility. Tess sighed. They’d gone from sex addicts to complete abstinence and Tess was conscious they needed to reconnect for both their sakes. Tonight was a gamble, but even Tess realised sometimes risks must be taken. She felt a thrill go through her when their booking for the Braille Club was confirmed. When their life imploded...it was the last thing on their minds but Tess had never forgotten her sensory lessons. Strangely, neither had Si.
Tess dressed with care. Her parents were looking after Amber tonight to allow Tess and Si a much needed overnight stay at Harrison’s. She felt nervous. Although they shared the same home and bed, there had been no intimacy between them. Si treated her with such reverence; she thought he’d give a eunuch a run for his money. She was meeting Si there. He’d taken their suitcase with him earlier. When Tess looked at her reflection she saw a hint of her old self and frowned. Nerves did not suit her. Arriving at the club, her heart jumped as Si turned around. His face lit up when he saw her. A shot of pure desire travelled straight through Tess. Si looked so handsome and then he smiled, transforming his face and melting her heart. Tess felt for the Braille key she wore around her neck. She remembered the sensation of the sensory devices and the Braille chair. Tonight was going to be dynamite because this time they would experience a zone as a couple. Tess was looking forward to it because her husband had become almost like a stranger to her, but after the Braille Club zone experience...she hoped to remedy that.
The Braille Club
BOOK 1
The Braille Club Unbound
BOOK 2
The Braille Club Undone
BOOK 3
The Braille Club Reborn.
BOOK 4
Coming Soon
Acknowledgments
To all my readers who have supported me, thank you, you have been amazing, I feel truly blessed! Authors rely on reader reviews to gain visibility and find new readers. If you’ve enjoyed this book please, please and pretty please…take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon. Thank you again for all your support!
About the Author
I was born in the spring of 1967 at Paisley’s Ross Hospital in Scotland and grew up in Glasgow. I was an office administrator and latterly a recruitment consultant before marrying and relocating to The Netherlands with my husband. After two years, I moved to Cheshire where my first child was born and returned to work part-time. My final relocation took me back to my home town of Glasgow where I welcomed the arrival of my second child. I raised my family whilst harbouring dreams of becoming a writer. In September 2013, I took the plunge and started my first book.
When I set out to write these books, I wanted to create something that mirrored exactly the kind of books I like to read. My top picks are always originals featuring strong male and female protagonists with attitude. The Braille Club Series books are a great mix of genres. Although sensuality plays a big part, there is also intrigue and a touch of thriller.
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