“Thanks,” he said.
The bitch rang up the last item and then looked at him with disinterest. “He hates to be bothered.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hector walked out of the convenience store, went around the building until he saw an old shed with a dusty sedan parked next to it. There was a small window high on the door of the shed, enough for him to peek inside and see that someone was there.
Instead of opening the door, Hector fisted his hand and knocked two times hard, then took a wide step back.
The door opened quickly. If he’d been standing closer, it would have knocked him over with the force of the man behind it.
The scowl on the man’s face quickly turned to a smile. “Hector. Long time.”
“Buddy. Have you got what I asked for?”
“Do you have the money?”
Hector pulled a stash out of his shirt pocket and showed the man.
“Come inside and I’ll show you something pretty,” Buddy said.
It took a second to adjust to the difference in light. The shed was small but it was lit with a bright yellow bulb in the middle of the rafters. At the far end of the shed, Buddy had a table set up with guns of every size and caliber spread out.
Buddy smiled as Hector studied the table. “I get a hard-on every time I look at these.”
Hector picked up a revolver. “Is it marked?”
“They’re all clean.”
After a quick check of the gun, Hector said, “This will do.” He handed Buddy the money and headed for the door.
“Nice doing business with you, Hector.”
Hector turned back. “Get yourself a woman, Buddy.”
He walked to his car, listening to Buddy’s harsh laugh at his back. He smiled as he climbed into the car. As long as Dakota kept his secret, his arrival in Storm would be a surprise. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Joanne’s face when she realized he was home.
* * * *
The story continues with Episode 4, Lightning Strikes by Lexi Blake. Click here to purchase.
Sign up for the Rising Storm/1001 Dark Nights Newsletter
and be entered to win an exclusive lightning bolt necklace
specially designed for Rising Storm by
Janet Cadsawan of Cadsawan.com.
Click here to subscribe.
As a bonus, all subscribers will receive a free
Rising Storm story
Storm Season: Ginny & Jacob – the Prequel
by Dee Davis
Rising Storm
Storm, Texas.
Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…
Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.
But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.
Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.
Look for other Rising Storm Season 2 titles, now available! (And if you missed Season 1 and the midseason episodes, you can find those titles here!)
Click to purchase.
Rising Storm, Season Two
Against the Wind by Rebecca Zanetti
As Tate Johnson works to find a balance between his ambitions for political office and the fallout of his brother’s betrayal, Zeke is confronted with his brother Chase’s return home. And while Bryce and Tara Daniels try to hold onto their marriage, Kristin continues to entice Travis into breaking his vows…
Storm Warning by Larissa Ione
As Joanne Alvarez settles into life without Hector, her children still struggle with the fallout. Marcus confronts the differences between him and Brittany, while Dakota tries to find a new equilibrium. Meanwhile, the Johnson’s grapple with war between two sets of brothers, and Ian Briggs rides into town…
Brave the Storm by Lisa Mondello
As Senator Rush’s poll numbers free fall, Marylee tries to drive a wedge between Brittany and Marcus. Across town, Anna Mae and Chase dance toward reconciliation. Ginny longs for Logan, while he fights against Sebastian’s maneuvering. And Hector, newly freed from prison, heads back to Storm…
Lightning Strikes by Lexi Blake
As Ian Briggs begins to fall for Marisol, Joanne and Dillon also grow closer. Joanne’s new confidence spreads to Dakota but Hector’s return upends everything. A public confrontation between Marcus and Hector endangers his relationship with Brittany, and Dakota reverts to form. Meanwhile, the Senator threatens Ginny and the baby…
Fire and Rain by R.K. Lilley
As Celeste Salt continues to unravel in the wake of Jacob’s death, Travis grows closer with Kristin. Lacey realizes the error of her ways but is afraid it’s too late for reconciliation with her friends. Marcus and Brittany struggle with the continued fallout of Hector’s return, while Chase and Anna Mae face some hard truths about their past…
Quiet Storm by Julie Kenner
As Mallory Alvarez and Luis Moreno grow closer, Lacey longs for forgiveness. Brittany and Marcus have a true meeting of hearts. Meanwhile, Jeffry grapples with his father’s failures and finds solace in unexpected arms. When things take a dangerous turn, Jeffry’s mother and sister, as well as his friends, unite behind him as the Senator threatens his son…
Blinding Rain by Elisabeth Naughton
As Tate Johnson struggles to deal with his brother’s relationship with Hannah, hope asserts itself in an unexpected way. With the return of Delia Burke, Logan’s old flame, Brittany and Marcus see an opportunity to help their friend. But when the evening takes an unexpected turn, Brittany finds herself doing the last thing she expected—coming face to face with Ginny…
Blue Skies by Dee Davis
As Celeste Salt struggles to pull herself and her family together, Dillon is called to the scene of a domestic dispute where Dakota is forced to face the truth about her father. While the Johnson’s celebrate a big announcement, Ginny is rushed to the hospital where her baby’s father is finally revealed…
Rising Storm, Midseason
After the Storm by Lexi Blake
In the wake of Dakota’s revelations, the whole town is reeling. Ginny Moreno has lost everything. Logan Murphy is devastated by her lies. Brittany Rush sees her family in a horrifying new light. And nothing will ever be the same…
Distant Thunder by Larissa Ione
As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way…
Rising Storm, Season One
Tempest Rising by Julie Kenner
Ginny Moreno didn’t mean to do it, but when she came home to Storm, she brought the tempest with her. And now everyone will be caught in its fury…
White Lightning by Lexi Blake
As the citizens of Storm, Texas, sway in the wake of the death of one of their own, Daddy's girl Dakota Alvarez also reels from an unexpected family crisis ... and finds consolation in a most unexpected place.
Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton
Lacey Salt's world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory's new boyfriend, Luis.
Dance in the Wind by Jennifer Probst
During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when
he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope.
Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione
Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.
Take the Storm by Rebecca Zanetti
Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.
Weather the Storm by Lisa Mondello
Bryce Douglas faces a crisis of faith when his idyllic view of his family is challenged with his son’s diagnosis of autism. Instead of accepting his wife and her tight-knit family’s comfort, he pushes them away, fears from his past threatening to undo the happiness he’s found in his present.
Thunder Rolls by Dee Davis
In the season finale …
As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.
Lightning Strikes
Rising Storm, Season 2, Episode 4
By Lexi Blake
Now Available
Click here to purchase
Secrets, Sex and Scandals …
Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.
As Ian Briggs begins to fall for Marisol, Joanne and Dillon also grow closer. Joanne’s new confidence spreads to Dakota but Hector’s return upends everything. A public confrontation between Marcus and Hector endangers his relationship with Brittany, and Dakota reverts to form. Meanwhile, the Senator threatens Ginny and the baby…
* * * *
Hector Alvarez sat in his car watching the house he’d bought, the one he’d provided for his family. He’d been the king of that castle until the damn sheriff had decided to come in and take what belonged to Hector.
He could still feel the humiliation burning in him, still see that bastard standing over him and telling him to get out of town or he would tell the town what he’d seen.
What had Dillon Murphy seen? He’d seen Hector dealing with his wife. Joanne was his. His. He had the right to deal with her any way he saw fit. He was the one who had put up with her for years, dealt with her lazy ways. Joanne required a firm hand.
The door to the house opened and he saw a man walk out.
Marcus. Marcus had come home. His only son had walked out, leaving his family for some ranch in Montana. Hector had thought it was a stupid fit at the time, a rebellion, but then Marcus had stayed away.
Now he was back and his son looked like a man. Marcus held the door open and smiled down at the girl who walked through.
Mallory. His youngest. Such a pretty girl, but far too influenced by her mother. She wouldn’t amount to anything because Joanne had ruined her. It seemed like it was his wife’s goal in life to make their children as weak as she was.
Mallory strode off, a bag over her shoulder. She walked down the street with a smile on her face. Like nothing was wrong with the world. Like she was happy.
Like she didn’t miss her father at all.
Marcus moved to his car, opening the door for his other sister.
Dakota. His baby girl. Now there was a daughter. He stared at her. Of all the things he’d done, leaving Dakota actually made him feel a little guilty. She was the only one who took after him, the only of his children to truly see him as he was. Dakota understood.
She slipped in the car and then Marcus took off.
It was not lost on Hector that the sheriff’s squad car was sitting in front of his house.
Was Dillon Murphy inside trying to take his place? Trying to get his wife in bed?
Rage threatened to take over, the emotion rolling in his gut.
1001 Dark Nights
Welcome to 1001 Dark Nights… a collection of novellas that are breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Some are paranormal, some are erotic. Each and every one is compelling and page turning.
Inspired by the exotic tales of The Arabian Nights, 1001 Dark Nights features New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
In the original, Scheherazade desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution.
In our version, month after month, each of our fabulous authors puts a unique spin on the premise and creates a tale that a new Scheherazade tells long into the dark, dark night.
For more information about 1001 Dark Nights, visit www.1001DarkNights.com.
On behalf of Rising Storm,
Liz Berry, M.J. Rose, Julie Kenner & Dee Davis would like to thank ~
Steve Berry
Doug Scofield
Melissa Rheinlander
Kim Guidroz
Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
Asha Hossain
Chris Graham
Pamela Jamison
Fedora Chen
Jessica Johns
Dylan Stockton
Richard Blake
The Dinner Party Show
and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
Book Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Brave the Storm, Season 2, Episode 3 (Rising Storm) Page 9