By Blood Sworn
Page 35
As they waited at a stoplight, the sun melted the ice that had formed overnight. He turned up the heat when Marcus complained. Payne stared at his smartphone, earplugs in, and laughed at the screen. The light changed and Becker weaved around the scattered taxis and buses in his way. Parked in a small lot somewhere in Brooklyn, he led the way to a 24-hour diner. The scrawny Christmas tree in the window was what drew him in.
It was warm inside—cozy, even. They took an empty booth in back and grabbed the plastic menus one by one. Their waitress looked to be about twenty years past retirement. She moved quickly though and greeted them warmly. Her name was Jackie and she owned the place. Her brother, Marv, was on the grill and was one hell of a cook, she remarked.
“What can I get you?” her smile stopped on each of them. In that moment, Becker knew he was going to leave a her a great tip. Smiles go a long way.
Once she’d taken their orders, Marv hustled out with a fresh, steaming pot of coffee while she went to the kitchen. Jackie came back with coffee mugs as Marv gave them a crooked grin with his chef’s hat squarely on top of his round head. Tufts of gray, wiry hair sat away from the sides.
“How come you fellas aren’t home with your families?” Marv asked. “It’s Thanksgiving.”
“This is family,” Marcus smiled and dumped too much sugar in his coffee.
“Yeah,” Marv sighed with a sad shrug of his hunched shoulders. “Me and Jackie,” he nodded, “that’s it for us too.”
“Well, then you guys should pull up a couple of chairs and join us,” Payne replied as he poured cream in his coffee, no sugar.
Becker just watched and sipped his black coffee. He didn’t really care much for holidays, and this one was no different. If the doctor hadn’t said anything, he would have been happy with thinking it was just another Thursday in a long line of them in his life.
“We don’t want to interfere,” Marv shook his head as he backed up.
“You’re not,” Marcus replied. “It doesn’t look like you got much traffic coming in this morning, so why not? You do eat your own food, right?”
Marv laughed with them and agreed. Jackie came from the kitchen with a big smile on her face and a tray perched on her arm. The smell of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage filled the air.
Becker stood and welcomed her into his side of the booth as she blushed. He called her darlin’ and that made her smile. He noticed she’d fixed her hair a bit and put on some lipstick.
As Thanksgivings went, Becker figured this was the most festive one he’d ever had—friends, old and new, around him, hearty breakfast, and good coffee. As Jackie and Marv told stories about their childhood, Becker sat quietly. Marcus and Payne laughed loud and hard.
It’s weird being with regular people, Becker thought. It was weird they didn’t ask what they did or why they were in New York. Maybe they didn’t really care. They were lonely and welcomed Becker and his friends with open arms. Maybe that’s what holidays are really supposed to be about—not just family, but being welcomed when you’re not family.
“Becker,” Marcus mumbled with a mouth full of toast. “Eat up, man! Jackie’s got pie!”
Becker took a forkful of pancake and eggs and joined the conversation. He put the last few days behind him with each bite. He also put that little voice inside his head to bed for the night. That voice had started to annoy him with all the “you betrayed your friend” jazz.
Even if it was right, he didn’t want to worry about it right now. Jackie had pie, and it was Thanksgiving, after all.
Acknowledgments
The best thing about doing a series is that you get to say thanks to more people. Jonathan, thanks for being there and never letting me forget I really am a writer. Chandra, no one on this earth is more proud to be your blood than me! Hold on. Kai, my third sister, my mother loved you like her own. Stay strong. Aunt Maryann and Uncle Mac, you are the light in the fog which I have come to depend on. Shine on. Robbie, Traci, Peggy, Helen, and Wynata, without you I would never hear my sister’s voice again; blessings on high. And Barbara B. and Deanna M., my unofficial and unpaid Street Team, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
About the Author
Being an introvert doesn’t mean you have no voice. It just means you have the ability to communicate in different ways. For author and champion introvert, Janice Jones, that way is writing. She began by reading anything she could get her hands on, but after college, she found herself in roles that required business-focused writing rather than fiction. This didn’t stop her; she continued to create her own stories to feed her passion for the written word.
Honing her skills as a paralegal for several years, Janice continued to feed the beast by spending every spare minute she could creating the world of her first fictional character, Alexa Stone. The idea for The Dagger Chronicles came during a rough time in Janice’s life, but she continued to write and focus on improving every way she could. Earning a Master’s in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, Janice was encouraged to continue The Dagger Chronicles.
Since In Her Blood was released, Janice has enjoyed meeting and hearing from new readers and writers. Although she can’t use all the feedback and suggestions, she does try to incorporate what she gets into all her writing. Janice is currently working a few new projects, including writing a screenplay for The Dagger Chronicles with her brother, Jordan. She appreciates all the feedback and encouragement she has received and is looking forward to the future. Janice would like to thank her family, friends and the team at Amberjack Publishing for this exciting opportunity.
Amberjack Publishing
228 Park Avenue S #89611
New York, NY 10003-1502
http://amberjackpublishing.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, fictitious places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Janice Jones
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, in part or in whole, in any form whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Names: Jones, Janet, 1965-, author.
Title: By blood sworn / Janet Jones.
Series: The Dagger Chronicles.
Description: New York, NY: Amberjack Publishing, 2017.
Identifiers: ISBN 978-1-944995-22-5 (pbk.) | 978-1-944995-38-6 (ebook) | LCCN 2017930879
Subjects: LCSH Bodyguards--Fiction. | African American women--Fiction. | Vampires--Fiction. | Werewolves--Fiction. | Supernatural--Fiction. | Fantasy fiction. | Action and adventure--Fiction. | Paranormal romances stories. | BISAC FICTION / Occult & Supernatural
Classification: LCC PS3610.O62563 B93 2017 | DDC 813.6--dc23
Cover Design: Dane Low