A New Life Series - Starter Kit

by Samantha Jacobey

  Nobody's Angel

  Tori was a bundle of nerves the next day. The night before, while she drifted off to sleep, she had had a wickedly wonderful idea. She knew how to make sure Collin heard her song. The bad part though, everyone else would hear it, too.

  When she arrived at work, she took the contestant list and added her own name at the bottom. She knew she couldn't win, but she wasn't going to let that stop her, as winning wasn’t really the point. After she made the move, her nerves settled and she felt happy all day, knowing she’d get the chance to have her say.

  The rules to the contest were very simple. A panel of judges from the record label would choose five finalists from the fifty who were going to play that day. Those five would return the following afternoon for the final round. The grand prize winner would play live on stage with Indelible at their opening concert for their tour that started in a few weeks. The winner would be announced at a private concert the band would be putting on at the store in three days.

  The day started out fairly according to plan. Ten to twelve contestants played per hour, and things were right on schedule. They took an hour break at the halfway point for food and to give the judges a chance to rest and refresh. The young man who announced the contestants in turn had never been to the store during the set up and prep work that went into the event beforehand. Tori felt glad of this, as it increased the odds he would actually call her up, and she would make it onto the stage.

  When the lunch break had ended, the band and judges returned from the back, where they had been resting in the stockroom. Tori had avoided going in there since she was currently on bad terms with two of the band members, and had focused on running the store.

  While the next group of contestants performed, she began to pace behind the instrument counter, stealing peeks at her white beauty, the one that made her heart sing. When the list of names grew short, she unlocked the case and pulled it down, ready for her chance.

  Terry observed her actions from the other counter, but did nothing, not really sure what to make of it. Tori took deep breaths, exhaling slowly and trying not to panic.

  Finally, the last real contestant played on the tiny stage. Tori fluffed her hair and removed her jacket. She had worn a white tank top so she would not be overly warm, so her arms that were covered with scars were exposed and even her little Dragon mark showed. Today, she didn't care who saw them; they were her badges of survival, and she wore them with pride.

  Grinning to herself, she knew she would sing her song, and it would explain it all. The contestant on stage finished, and her ebony locks bounced as she headed out of the booth and towards the front. An audible gasp went up from the crowd when the young man announced the final contestant.

  Stepping onto the stage, Tori did not smile or wave, as many others had done. She simply snapped the lead into her guitar and adjusted the sound quickly. Ready to begin, she spoke into the mic, “Hey, Collin honey, this is for you,” and she nodded in his direction.

  Blasting her opening riff, she began her song that started out low, and no one moved to stop her from putting on her show. Her tone perfect, she belted out the lines she had written, first about her past and having grown up to do whatever men wanted, men who only used her because she was Nobody's Angel. During the chorus, Tori stole a glance around, and could tell most of the people were at least listening.

  The second verse, she sang about not letting the booze touch her lips nor lying with men now that she could choose and say no, because she was still Nobody's Angel. This time for the chorus, she played a special riff that made her feel especially good as her fingers worked nimbly across the strings.

  The final verse held the clincher, because she professed to be a murderer; a cold hearted bitch that would put you in the ground. And when she died, she knew she would do her time in hell, because, after all, she was Nobody's Angel. Again, she let loose with a lengthy burst of chords, then let the guitar drop as she ended the song and intended to get off the stage without another word.

  However, some of the contestants had already been to the judge’s table to protest her being allowed to compete; since she worked for the music store the conflict was clear. To head this off and try to appease everyone, the head judge himself had come to the stage to announce that Tori was not actually a contestant, and had no chance of winning.

  Standing beside him as he made his little speech, Tori found she could not control herself and quipped into the mic, “Pfft, I already won.” Looking him dead in the eye, she sneered, “I got the chance to play,” and without waiting for anything else, she stepped off the platform, and made her way through the aisle, heading for the back and grabbing her jacket on the way by.

  Some of the audience cheered for her while others were still upset, and a general chaos ensued. Tori pushed through the double doors, trying to catch her breath. Honestly, she could not believe she had made it through, and grinned profusely while she made her way to the office to have a moment of peace. Just before she reached it, a man stepped out in front of her.

  For an instant, Tori stood frozen in place, staring at a dead ringer for Henry Morgan. Her mouth hung open momentarily before she snapped it closed, and she suddenly realized that she actually stood gaping at Michael Anderson, who simply said, “Hi.”

  Clenching her jaw, Tori had no intention of replying. Her heart had begun to race and panic paralyzed her lungs. How the hell did he find me? Her mind spun out of control. If Michael had found her, then God knows who else had. Instantly driven by fear, Tori simply handed him the guitar that she had been holding, shoving it at him more like, and made an about face, bolting back into the crowded sales floor.

  She could hear him calling after her, but she did not look back. Terry fell in beside her as she pushed through the crowd, and as soon as they were outside, she told him she had to leave right that second. He followed her for long enough to hear her reasons for running and that she would not be back, as the man she was certain would follow her was trouble from her past. Turning around, he went back to catch the guy and detain him, hoping it would give her enough time to make her get away.

  Looking back a few times, Tori did not see anyone behind her, and she ran all the way to the halfway house as fast as she could. She made it inside and did not bother to stop and catch her breath.

  At her bursting through the kitchen, Sharon knew something had happened, and followed her upstairs to find out what. The girl had no time to explain, and simply grabbed her bag from under the bed and began throwing her things into it.

  Sharon's face held utter shock when Tori pulled the pistol out from under the nightstand and shoved it into the bag. At that point, she grabbed the girls arms and insisted, “Tell me what the hell is going on!”

  Deeply perturbed, Tori gave her the briefest explanation she could. “One of the men from years ago found me somehow. He was at the store tonight. He saw me, and he tried to corner me in the back. I have to leave. Now. If I don't, you could all be in terrible danger.”

  Sharon considered the girl's words as she stared at the black Nano sitting inside her bag, and demanded, “And how did you come by that?”

  Tori released a loud, annoyed sigh. “I got it when Enrique first showed up, before I thought I could trust him. I don't really have time to explain how, I really have to go.” She zipped the bag and threw it over her shoulder.

  Sharon studied the younger woman’s face for a moment, and then realized there would be no point in arguing. She was free to go if she wanted; the court had granted her that right. Quietly, she drew in a long breath, then asked in a motherly tone, “Well, since I can see there’s no changing your mind, do you need anything before you leave?”

  Tori thought for a moment, and then replied with a nod, “Yeah, I could use a ride.”

  Run Away

  A few minutes later, Tori headed out to the grey Toyota that sat in the driveway. Tossing her bag into the back seat, she sat in the front, praying quietly to herself that they would
get away and that her friends would be safe after she left. Sharon had stopped to tell her husband where they were going, and for a moment Tori thought they were going to fight over who would drive her.

  Eventually, they decided that Brandon should stay with the house, in case the unwanted visitor turned up there, and Sharon would drive her to the bus station. He made his wife wait for a minute while Tori went on to the car, saying he needed to get something to send with her.

  Anxiously, the girl waited. A nervous wreck, she thought she had everything she could possibly need; let's GO, she sighed. As if she had heard the command, Sharon came dashing out and jumped into the front seat beside her.

  Driving straight to the bus station, Sharon parked the car and started to open the door as if she would go inside with her. But Tori stopped her, and insisted the older woman could not go; “It's time to say goodbye.”

  Tori fought to hold back the tears; the reason why she had wanted to sneak away, unseen, becoming clear. She did not want to face the fact she really wanted to stay in LA. An impossible notion, as tonight's events only proved she would be too easy to locate if she did.

  “All right,” Sharon agreed, “But hear me out before you go. I have two things to tell you. First, we want you to come back whenever you can. Whenever it’s safe or enough time has passed or whatever, we want you to come home. Second, we want to give you this.” She held a small white envelope towards her.

  Tori stared at it, speculating what she would find inside. Finally, she stammered, “I don't want your money.”

  “You don't have a choice. We insist. We know you don't have a lot saved up, and you’re going to need something to get you started. So take it, please, and be on your way.”

  Sharon managed to smile, but Tori knew the woman cried inside. She knew it because she cried, too.

  Reaching, she took the envelope with a trembling hand. It felt heavy in her grasp. Tucking it into the inside pocket of her jacket next to her lock pick set, she reached over and clung to her surrogate mother for a moment, and then stepped out into the evening sun, not looking back as she crossed the lot and headed into the terminal.

  Once inside, Tori went straight over to the ticket counter to purchase her ticket. I have to go to Denver. She thought about jumping on the first bus to anywhere, just to get the hell out of town. But surely they wouldn't find me here. Not this fast.

  Inquiring about the bus to Colorado, the ticket girl informed here there were many seats available, but it would be a two hour wait, as it would depart at 9:55 pm. Tori looked out the window at the setting sun and decided to wait for the right bus.

  She purchased the ticket and headed out into the waiting area to find an out of the way spot to hunker down. She wanted to be able to see anyone coming before they got to her. Finally, she chose a bench that sat partially behind a tall building support, largely out of sight by anyone looking around. By laying over on it, Tori could see behind the pole as well as in front. She laid her bag on the bench and leaned on top of it, covering herself with newspapers from the neck down.

  At a quarter to departure, Tori made her way to the bathroom. Doing her business, she began to grow tense, realizing that if anyone had found her, she would be confronted as she tried to board the bus. Trying to calm herself, she reached into her jacket and extracted the envelope. Inside, she discovered $5K in $100 bills; not the most she had ever seen, but the most that had ever been hers. Silently, she thanked her friends for their generosity and slipped the package back inside for safe keeping.

  Not having any type of disguise, she would have to hope for the best. She pulled the pistol out of her bag and shoved it in her pocket, her pulse thumping loudly in her ears. Rubbing it gently, it brought her a small amount of comfort, recalling it had been the reason for choosing the bus over a plane; she would never have made it through security at the airport with it in her possession.

  Heading outside, she got in line, and then climbed onto the transport. Swinging her gaze around the interior, she did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Making her way to her seat, she discovered she would be next to the window. Shoving her bag underneath, she placed her hand in her pocket with the pistol and stroked it lightly. Putting her elbow up against the glass, she covered her face so that no one would recognize her if they saw her from the outside.

  Her breathing began to slow as she considered they were about to depart. She smiled to herself, joy at having made it away, while hoping her friends were safe and would not be harmed. Tori felt the brush of someone taking the empty seat beside her. Turning to see who her neighbor would be for the next eight hours, she felt her smile fall away as she looked squarely into the familiar face.

  Entwined

  Book 3 of A New Life Series

  Samantha Jacobey

  Lavish Publishing, LLC ~ Houston

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ENTWINED. Copyright 2014 ©

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Lavish Publishing, LLC.

  First Edition

  2015 Lavish Publishing, LLC

  Book 3 of A New Life Series

  All Rights Reserved

  Published in the United States by Lavish Publishing, LLC, Houston

  Cover Design by: Nicolene Lorette Design

  Cover Images: SHUTTERSTOCK

  Paperback ISBN

  ISBN:0615996493

  ISBN-13:978-0615996493

  www.LavishPublishing.com

  .

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Indelible

  One Way Ride

  Tainted Trophy

  Waiting Game

  Long Road

  Small Towns

  Hidden Treasure

  New Beginnings

  Everything Is Fine

  Lost Loves

  Small Surprise

  First Christmas

  Pandora’s Box

  The Stuff of Dreams

  Old Friends

  The Life You Have

  Eddie’s Prize

  By Chance

  Dangerous Ground

  Who I Am

  Make a Home

  Safe Place

  Hidden Agendas

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Glancing down at the number of the incoming call, Michael Anderson flipped open his phone, “Yeah.”

  “Hey, Mike, how you doin’ little brother?” drawled a familiar male voice.

  “Hey Henry, I’m good I guess. Long time no hear,” his tone jovial, he sounded pleased to get word from his older sibling.

  “Oh, ya know, life on the road. Listen, I gotta make this quick. Eddie’s got a job that needs doin’. Was hopin’ to put ya up for it.”

  “Eddie Farrell? Ah, you know I just got out a few months ago. Been thinking about finding a different way of life. Figure I got enough blood on my hands.” Having worked with the group a couple of times in the past, Michael knew what his brother’s crew, the Dragons, were into and had hoped to stay clear of it.

  “Naw, man,” Henry turned on the charm, “It’s not a hit. Real easy job. Long term, too. He’s got some guy he needs looked after. No blood and guts. Easy money.”

  Michael rocked his jaw side to side as he deliberated the offer. “Where you wanna meet?” he finally relented; might as well, right?
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  Henry released a quiet laugh. He knew his baby brother wouldn’t say no. He gave him an address to a small bar in Little Rock, “Two days from now, ‘bout eightish, meet ya in the back.”

  Michael stared at the phone for a moment before returning it to his pocket, a dull ache in the pit of his stomach. I always do what my big brother wants; he sighed. Someday, I’m gonna learn to make my own way. Just not today.

  Indelible

  Peeking out through the swinging doors that led onto the sales floor, Michael could see his target standing inside the counter to his right, watching the contestants keenly. Allowing the door to close, he nervously walked away, knowing he would soon make his move.

  He had noticed the girl a few days ago, when they had been in and out of the shop for the autograph session. Ever since then, he had been waiting, not so patiently, for the right time to make his presence known. This’s it, he reassured himself. Time for me to keep my word. He knew he could ignore his promise, but then he would be letting his brother down. Can’t have that.

  Shuffling in a large circle, he continued to pace the floor. Stopping next to the work bench, he ran his fingers through his thick brown hair, his mind going over exactly what he would say for the umpteenth time.

  It had been over four years since they last met, and he wasn’t sure how she would take his suddenly showing up there, without any warning. His mouth dry, he licked at his lips anxiously. God, I can’t take this, he thought to himself with a shake of his head. I don’t even like this girl. But Henry does...

  Once again at the double doors, he could see her making her way up to the stage, carrying a white guitar. Moving out into the crowd, he took a position next to the glass counter on the right. He panned the crowd; this is a pretty tame group, considering. Watching as she made it to the front, he leaned his rear end against the glass, tapping his boot anxiously.