“You sly dog, you.”
Atlas shook his head. “Can we talk about something else?”
“I heard Bri and Trevor were denied bail. They’re stuck in jail until they face a judge.”
“That’s definitely good, but I don’t want to talk about that, either. I’d rather forget about that whole thing.”
“You and me both.” Emmett slammed his locker shut and grinned. “That reminds me, I have a great idea.”
“I’m not sure I like where this is going.” Atlas closed his locker.
Emmett’s eyes shone with excitement. “I have an idea for a video. It’ll go viral for sure.”
Atlas groaned. “I’m not sure I’m up for another viral video.”
“This one will be on our terms.”
“Please tell me it has nothing to do with an abandoned building.”
Emmett laughed and put his arm around Atlas. “No, it definitely doesn’t. But it’ll go viral for sure.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“You’re going to love this.” They walked down the hall as Emmett shared his new idea to bring them fame.
Sneak Peek of Girl in Trouble
The rickety wooden boat swayed slightly as the tall man sat, clutching the edge. He watched as the girl’s body sank lower and lower until it was completely underwater and out of sight.
She hadn’t been the one.
He’d been sure she was, but once again, he’d been proven wrong.
He waited until the bubbles stopped.
It was over.
Until next year.
Then it would be time to find the next girl. Would she finally be the one?
He grew tired. Exhausted, really. Not enough to stop his search, though. He needed to right the wrong from so many years ago.
Next year would be thirty years.
Thirty.
That was a big anniversary.
Perhaps next year’s girl would be the one he’d waited so long for. Year thirty could be when he finally received his big payoff. He was starting to get too old for this. His shoulder ached.
Everything would be made right.
Next year would be his year.
All he needed was just a little patience.
He had a full year to plan everything out.
The tall man glanced back out at the still lake.
Another lake, another girl, another year.
When would all this finally end? Would everything finally be as it should?
Next year. It had to be next year. No, it would be.
He grabbed the oars and rowed back to the shore, already making plans for next Halloween.
* * *
More information: https://stacyclaflin.com/books/girl-in-trouble/
Preview of The Gone Trilogy
Sitting in his warm truck across from the park, Chester Woodran watched her walk across the open field. An overhead light turned on as she passed under it in the dusk. Her long, dark hair swished back and forth behind her. She wandered around the playground, walking between the climbers and slides until she stopped in front of the swings.
He had spent hours watching her. Studying her. He knew her almost better than she knew herself.
The moment of truth would arrive soon. She’d come a few minutes early, but he wouldn’t deviate from the schedule. He would act exactly on time. He’d laid the groundwork. He wasn’t going to let her change a thing.
Chester pulled out his phone and scrolled through the pictures, stopping at his favorite. It was the girl in the park for sure, although he couldn’t see the details of her face up close yet. He would have to wait a few minutes.
From the phone, her light brown eyes shone at him. Her shy, almost insecure face smiled sweetly.
His heart sped up at the thought of many weeks of work coming together at long last. The waiting was about to end.
Clenching the steering wheel with all his might, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Every precaution had been taken. Prepared with painstaking care. There was no chance of anything going wrong so long as he stayed with the plan.
The alarm on his digital wristwatch beeped. He turned it off and then leaned back into the seat, adjusting his over-sized glasses.
It was time.
* * *
More information: https://stacyclaflin.com/books/gone
Other Books by Stacy Claflin
You may enjoy some of Stacy Claflin’s other books, also. She’s a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex characters overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her romances, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through bringing an experience readers don’t soon forget.
* * *
The Gone Saga
The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over
Dean’s List
No Return
* * *
Alex Mercer Thrillers
Girl in Trouble
Turn Back Time
Little Lies
Against All Odds
Don’t Forget Me
Tainted Love
* * *
Curse of the Moon
Lost Wolf
Chosen Wolf
Hunted Wolf
Broken Wolf
Cursed Wolf
Secret Jaguar
* * *
Valhalla’s Curse
Renegade Valkyrie
Pursued Valkyrie
Silenced Valkyrie
Vengeful Valkyrie
Unleashed Valkyrie
* * *
The Transformed Series
Main Series
Deception
Betrayal
Forgotten
Ascension
Duplicity
Sacrifice
Destroyed
Transcend
Entangled
Dauntless
Obscured
Partition
Standalones
Fallen
Silent Bite
Hidden Intentions
Saved by a Vampire
Sweet Desire
* * *
Short Story Collection
Tiny Bites
* * *
The Hunters
Seaside Surprises
Seaside Heartbeats
Seaside Dances
Seaside Kisses
Seaside Christmas
Bayside Wishes
Bayside Evenings
Bayside Promises
Bayside Destinies
Bayside Opposites
Bayside Mistletoe
* * *
Indigo Bay
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Reunion
Sweet Complications
* * *
Standalones
Lies Never Sleep
Dex
Haunted
Fall into Romance
Author’s Note
Thanks so much for reading Lies Never Sleep! My other thrillers all involve characters from my Gone saga and Alex Mercer thrillers, so it was a bit of a challenge writing about all-new characters. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did - there were surprises that I didn’t know about until the characters made them happen.
* * *
I’d like to invite you to sign up to receive occasional book updates. You’ll even get three free novels when you join: Sign up here: https://stacyclaflin.com/newsletter
* * *
I’ve spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team who has helped me with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any, please contact me through my website and let me know so that I can fix them for future editions.
* * *
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Reviews are critical to independently published authors.
* * *
Thank you for your support!
Stacy
Claflin
About the Author
Stacy Claflin is a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex women overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through.
Decades after she wrote her first stories on construction paper and years after typing on an inherited green screen computer that weighed half a ton, Stacy realized her dream of becoming a full-time bestselling author.
When she's not busy writing or educating her kids from home, Stacy enjoys watching a wide variety of shows like Reign, Supernatural, Walking Dead, The Originals, Designated Survivor, Pretty Little Liars, Stranger Things, Haven, and Once Upon a Time.
For more information:
stacyclaflin.com/about
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Did you love Lies Never Sleep? Then you should read No Return by Stacy Claflin!
Family comes first. Until it kills you…
Rusty Caldwell is a lonely victim of tragedy. After losing his wife and kids to a drunk driver, he spends most nights towing drunks to keep them off the streets. His one-track existence takes a turn when he finds out his estranged sister Mandy has committed suicide.
After flying out to offer his support, Rusty learns there's much more to the story. It turns out his sister had been cheating on her husband Chris with Travis Calloway, the rich CEO of the biggest company in town. Before Mandy died, she claimed that Travis fathered one of her children and demanded that he pay up…
While Rusty is trying to figure out the truth, Mandy's friend Laura offers to help look into Travis. Sparks start to fly between her and Rusty, and soon neither can deny the attraction. Before they can catch a break, they receive death threats.
With Travis and Chris both looking guilty, Rusty better find out the truth before he or Laura are the next one to fall.
No Return is a compelling suspense dealing with themes of love, loss, and forgiveness. If you like gripping page-turners, twisted villains, and surprising twists and turns, then you'll love Stacy Claflin's latest chilling creation.
*This is a standalone spinoff from the USA Today bestselling Gone Trilogy. It can be read by itself.*
Read more at Stacy Claflin’s site.
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