One block beyond were a few young hustlers. Three of them. One was a tall, lean black boy with a shaved head. His shoulders were broad and his arms muscular. Not him. The second one had dark hair and a feminine stance. He smoked a cigarette while talking and gesturing wildly with his hands. Italian. No good. And too many facial piercings. The third one was more clean-cut with short blond hair. His jaw was square and he had a dimple in his chin. He hadn’t quite yet filled out. His limbs were slim and well-formed. He wasn’t overly tall, either. He looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen. He would do.
He walked over and asked the young man for a cigarette. The other two hustlers gave him the once-over, noting the quality cut of his clothing, and looked envious. They waved at their friend and moved off, leaving him alone with the man.
* * *
Berlin, Germany
Nighttime
The temperature dropped as soon as the sun went down. Anthony de Luca walked around downtown, trying to capture the nightlife of the city on camera. The images would be part of an article he’d been contracted to write for an online tour guide about Berlin. He was being paid for the job, compensated for his hotel and expenditures, and they promised to promote his guide books. He was famous for unearthing the unusual about any city he photographed along with the normal tourist sites. With that in mind, he found himself on a side of town that wasn’t quite the best. Still, it was all part of Berlin.
For fun, he’d photographed a few street walkers trying to lure in some business. They were pretty bold, approaching cars as they slowed down to ogle the local ‘talent.’
As he aimed and clicked the shutter, he noticed a distinguished looking man walking quickly out of a back alley with a young blond man behind him. The blond was walking fast and shouting at the man in the cap. He was speaking in rapid German so Anthony had no idea what he was saying, but he seemed pretty pissed.
The blond reached out and grabbed the gentleman’s arm and tugged. That was when Anthony noticed the cane in the older man’s other hand. That cane came around and connected with the blond’s head. Hard.
Shocked, Anthony aimed his camera again, and began shooting picture after picture. The older man continued to strike the younger one on the head, back, shoulders, and legs just outside the alley. Head bleeding, the blond raised his arms to fend off the blows while trying to hit back. He wasn’t strong enough for the older man.
Two men came running, one black and the other white with dark hair, and chased off the older man. Anthony kept shooting.
As he half-walked, half-ran away, the older gentleman looked around him. His eyes landed on Anthony standing across the street with the camera in his hands. The slightly panicked look changed to one of dark anger.
“Shit!” Anthony turned and ran back toward the city center. He didn’t wait around to see whether the older man would follow him. He knew he could outrun him.
The man did try and follow, but Anthony was soon swallowed up into the crowd, gone. The man stopped to catch his breath.
He wasn’t worried that the blond hustler would report him to the police for not paying for play. He hadn’t intended not to pay him, but discovered too late that he’d left his wallet in his room on the bedside table. No other way to deal with that situation since the deed was done, but someone else might report him to the police. Someone else with an expensive camera, who was not a prostitute trying to protect himself. Someone who was most likely legitimate. Someone who now had his image on film committing a crime.
He’d have to leave Germany sooner than he planned. He’d have to leave that night; leave before he could set up a meeting with Mistress Elsa. He sighed.
He hailed a taxi. A quick trip back to his hotel had him packed and off to Tegel within the hour. He had no time to spare. If the man with the camera had reported him to the Polizei, his image would be on an all-points bulletin shortly, and he’d be unable to get out of the country and back home. He’d find another way to gain what he most wanted.
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Camael’s Gift (Angelic Hosts Series Part One)
In the heavenly realms, conflict and war are as routine as escorting souls to the other side. For Camael, his routine has just been disrupted as he finds himself irresistibly drawn to a human woman he encounters while comforting her dying child. To give in to the temptation could damn him to the fallen forever.
Hannah Adams’ heart is broken. Her grief drives her to desperate actions that bring Cam into her life. Her attraction is immediate, but dark forces arise drawn to her for reasons unknown. Her very soul is in danger.
Camael finds himself torn between his loyalty to the Almighty, and his love for a human woman, and with the stakes climbing higher, must choose a side, and play his part as the battle for power between heaven and hell begins.
Camael’s Battle (Angelic Hosts Series Part Two)
When an angel falls in love, his heart forever belongs to that one soul. For Camael, loving Hannah Adams has been the blessing of his very long life. The only thing more amazing is the fact that he is going to be a father. However, his joy may be short-lived as the forces of darkness plot to release Lucifer from the pit of a thousand years unleashing hell on Earth, and they plan to use Hannah and her child as the key!
With the goddess, Astarte, orchestrating her fallen lover’s release from hellish incarceration, secrets long buried are revealed causing chaos and throwing obstacles in Camael’s path to rescuing his true love. Even with help from the rebellious Gabriel, and reluctant Michael, he might not make it in time. Can Camael save Hannah and their unborn child or will Lucifer rise to lead an army of darkness into battle for dominion over the heavens and the Earth?
Sophie’s Wish (Angelic Hosts Series, Part Three)
A child of destiny, Sophie Fairchild’s origins were a mystery to her parents, Nanette and Charles. Unable to conceive on their own, Nanette had prayed to God every day at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre located on the Rue du Chevalier-de-Barre in Paris that He would bless her and her husband with a child. Found on their doorstep one winter morning tucked away in a wicker basket, surrounded by two fat cats and several doves, Sophie was the answer to their prayers. Five years later, the Fairchild’s find themselves once again wondering from where and whom Sophie came. After bringing home countless animals from stray cats to injured birds, she has now befriended a homeless girl with no family of her own. Dogged by tragedy, the young girl experiences heartbreaking loss. Stalked by darkness, she enters the Basilica seeking change to buy bread, but ‘borrowing’ from the donation box turns disastrous. Sophie watches as a child with sticky fingers runs out of the church as if the very devil himself was in hot pursuit. Concerned, she takes off after her, finding her hiding in a dark alley. Still, Sophie knows she has nothing to fear, and once again, she brings home a homeless stray determined to help, unaware that darkness follows. With Christmas fast approaching, Sophie seeks a way to give her new friend, Cecilia, a very special gift...with the help of an angel or three. But will she be safe from the prophesy that her kind act has put into play
Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown (The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series Book I): (Novel; crime, suspense, thriller)
Sarah Brown sets out on a journey to sensual self-discovery and falls face first into danger. In Barcelona, Anthony de Luca, a renowned travel author and photographer, unleashes the full force of his charm that threatens to steal her heart, a prize he openly admits he doesn’t want. Still, she can’t resist him, and finds herself experiencing the heights of ecstasy and the lows of heartbreak as her lover leaves without a word. In Berlin, Paul Christiansen, a handsome Dutch Lothario with a sordid past, works his wiles to seduce her body while in the shadows, a predator stalks a young boy close to Sarah determined to get what he wants or kill anyone who gets in hi
s way. One of her two lovers has led a dangerous criminal straight to her door, but which one, and who can she trust?
Welcome to The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series; your passport into a world of dark passions, international crime, and ever-present danger.
The Evolution of Elsa Kreiss (The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series Book II): (Novel; crime, suspense, thriller)
From spanking bad men to arresting them, Elsa Kreiss’s life takes a sharp turn from enforcing the rules of her dungeon to enforcing the rules of law after she joins the German police force. An unsolved case of three missing girls from Charlottenburg pulls her mentor, Kommissar Joseph Heinz, back into the dark abyss just as love finds him. While he searches for a killer, she fights an attraction to a very bad boy. Lukas Trommler is everything she likes in a man; cocky, confident, and hot. An art buyer at a local gallery, Lukas exudes culture with an edge of danger. He invites her into his world where she comes face to face with a familiar monster, Yuri Ivchencko, one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world with ties to the Russian mafia. His obsession with the sick and twisted side of human nature expressed in art offends Elsa, who doesn’t hesitate to say so. Her outburst lands her squarely on his radar. A note signed by none other than Ivchencko is delivered to her hands. Their worlds are about to collide, and not everyone will survive. Can Elsa trust Lukas or is he far more dangerous than she imagines? What does Ivchencko want of her, and how is he connected to Lukas? Who is the killer, and who will be killed? Time is running out, and Elsa must embrace her inner dominatrix to save her friends and family.
The Redemption of Joseph Heinz (The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series Book III); (Novel, crime, suspense, thriller)
Kommissar Joseph Heinz goes rogue in Russia to solve an old cold case that has haunted him for years. New information leads him to St. Petersburg where the Bratva, and its leader, the Butcher, rule. His investigation will land him in danger that only a tenuous favor granted to his protégé, Officer Elsa Kreiss, can cash in to save him. Will he finally solve the case or will his obsession kill him before he can walk down the aisle and say “I do” to the woman he loves, his partner, Det. Birgitta Mahler. From Berlin to the USSR, the intrigue and suspense will keep you biting your nails and turning the next page!
The Making of Herman Faust; a Checkpoint, Berlin Novella Prequel
Herman Faust is the no-nonsense Direktor of the LKA (The LandesKriminalamt), and long-time friend of Kommissar Joseph Heinz. His career spans thirty years, and he is now on the cusp of retirement. Although usually cool and in control, a man of dry wit, it wasn't always so for Faust. With experience, came wisdom. Hard won wisdom for which he paid a high price.
In 1988, two years out of the police academy, Faust arrests a man for smuggling his own sister out of the East and into West Berlin. After bringing them in for questioning, the man disappears, the woman is found inside her holding cell...dead, and the American CIA wants answers! As clues come to light linking his superior to the dead woman, Faust begins receiving anonymous calls that threaten to end not only his budding career, but his life. The stability of West Berlin is at risk, democracy is losing, and if Faust fails to solve the case, it will be war! This is his story. This is the making of Herman Faust.
Harvest (Harvest Trilogy Book I): (Horror/Science Fiction short story)
Mankind is being watched...judged. Human greed and gluttony can exist only so long before consequences catch up to actions. For Dave Forrester, the actions of every human living were about to be addressed in his home town of Farley, Oklahoma. A haunting memory from the past is about to become a nightmare. The people of Farley have disappeared without a trace leaving only bloody clothing behind, and glimpses of unearthly creatures morphing through sulfuric black wisps. It's up to Dave to figure out why, and how to save the few that survive....the harvest.
Hybrids, (Harvest Trilogy Book II short story): Previously published as Celluloss
In 1962, Sergeant Trent Wilkins looked forward to finishing out his military contract pulling guard duty on the underground bunker built into a field in the small town of Schertz, Texas. Little did he know, he was about to get sucked into a government cover up of the murder of one of their own top research specialists. Fifty-two years later, the secret they tried so hard to bury escaped seeking revenge on those involved.
Colonel Louis Reed sought to profit from what the Air Force found in that field all those years ago, and it was working. But now, following a massive explosion beneath the Samuel Clemens football field, he and his fellow conspirators find themselves in danger. ‘It’ was out and coming to get them.
Danny Edwards and Jay Hernandez thought high school was hard, but after being gassed by an unknown entity, and seeing shocking blue orbs flying over their hometown, they knew tougher times were ahead. Danny’s grandfather has a secret, and that secret puts him and his best friend, Jay, and the girl he loves in danger. Schertz is under attack, and no one is coming to help them, least of all, the military who’ve surrounded the city cutting off all exits and entries as they advance on the deadly, sulfuric creatures invading the sleepy suburb.
Time is running out fast. Can three teenagers and one old man save the city of Schertz from extinction?
Census (Harvest Trilogy Book III, short story)
Texas, population 3,700, is so small, if you blink driving through, you'll miss it. One area business owner is awarded 'Tastiest Meats in Town' by the Chamber of Commerce. John Hester's family-owned meat market is a staple in the region. Respected by the locals, he is above reproach. When he befriends new resident, retired 9/11 firefighter, Jack Callaghan, things get weird. Stranger still are the disappearing residents, unsolved cold cases Callaghan discovers as he and his wife try to settle in. When they begin receiving veiled threats from the Reverend Harcourt Cane warning them to leave, Jack must find a way to protect himself and his wife, and help the FBI solve the mystery of the fifty-years of census that never budges...
Darkest Communion (Paranormal Romance/Vampire)
Marku Anghelescu has lived eight-hundred lonely years wondering exactly what happened to the woman he loved. Mihaela disappeared on the night they were to run away together and be married, defying his father's will and walking away from the arranged marriage between himself and the daughter of his father, Dragos', dearest friend. Marku knew of only one person who would stand in the way of his happiness - Petre Petrescu, the ex-fiance of Mihaela. She fears him, and with good reason. Petrescu is petty, domineering, and cruel. But as the son of a noble landowner of the very place the gypsies called home, Marku was the law. He made the rules. He decided their fates, and he chose Mihaela as his own just as surely as she chose him.
Denied his prize, Petrescu seeks help from the village shaman, an old gypsy witch with undeniable power. Everything changes that night. Mihaela disappears, as does Petrescu as tragedy strikes Marku. He awakens confused, broken-hearted, and filled with an insatiable thirst!
After spending eternity trying to solve the mystery, and resigning himself to never holding her in his arms again, Mihaela reappears in his life.
Meghan Hartley arrives in Bucharest, Romania, excited to begin her year as a college exchange student. When a creepy sociology professor begins pursuing her, she seeks the help of her new friend, Dana Veleru, a mathematics instructor, and to Meghan's delight, an honest to God gypsy! While the new friends bond over good food and better wine, another suitor makes his presence known. Dana grew up on stories about the Strigoi as told by her gypsy grandmother, but never truly believed them...until that night. As handsome as an angel, the man sets his sights on Meghan, and offers a warning to Dana! His message comes through loud and clear; Do not get in my way...gypsy!
Loyal to a fault, Dana ignores his warning and seeks the help of her family to protect her new friend. As the situation escalates, Mark makes a surprising discovery—Petrescu is alive, and he still wants Meghan!
A suspenseful and thrilling love triangle, Darkest Communion enters the rea
lm of supernatural nightmares where love is twisted, dark, and deep, and the hero bites!
Heat level: Moderate.
Waiting a Lifetime (Contemporary Romance YA and NA Short Story):
Wade Walker had his whole life planned out. He was going to earn his law degree, marry his high school sweetheart Arlene Richards, and live the perfect life. But life doesn't always go according to plan. Betrayal was about to derail Wade's well-laid plans, and he would soon discover that he'd been on autopilot heading in the wrong direction. Melissa Ryan had never been in love. A car accident that robbed her of the full use of her legs as a child left the grown woman too shy to even try and date. Melissa spent her time building up her photography business, but despite all her efforts to avoid men, one found his way to her front door anyway. Wade knew his buddy Jed's sister was shy. Hell, she ran to her room every time he came over. He'd barely gotten a look at her, but when she finally wandered into Pelican's Market, the opportunity to say hello presented itself, and he took full advantage. There was something pretty special about this quiet girl, and even her crutches couldn't take away from the fact that she was simply beautiful. For the first time in years, Wade felt alive. Melissa brought out the best in him, and he proved to her that she was a desirable woman. Their love was destined, yet his ex-fiancé couldn't let go. And one stormy night set actions into motion that would have devastating consequences. Wade knew he found the love of his life, but would it be this life or the next before they could be together?
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