I opened my mouth to scream, but the man held a finger up to his lips, effectively silencing me. Tears blurred my vision and I blinked at them, causing them to splash into the water surrounding me.
He found me.
He’d come back for me.
I wasn’t going to survive this time.
“Alina?” a voice called out.
I looked up. Derrick was walking out onto the balcony. He hadn’t come to the edge yet, so he couldn’t see me down in the pool. I swallowed, unable to form words from the sheer terror of what would happen next.
When I glanced back down, he was gone.
That was my warning. He was never going to let me escape anyway. He was coming back for what he owned.
a
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, if you are reading this…THANK YOU! I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for anyone who is willing to read my work. It means the world to me. This is my first venture into writing something in the Dark Romance category and it’s a bit terrifying to put yourself out there for others to read. I hope you enjoyed Derrick and Alina as much as I did. These characters have been with me for years and they’ve been screaming at me to tell their story. But this is FAR from the end of it…so stick around! There is no K.S. Marshall without your support and I appreciate each and every single one of my readers.
Also? Join my FB group. Check for the link on the next page. ;) Austin and Bella— as usual, I do this for you. You guys are too young to understand what mommy is writing, but I love that you guys are so supportive of me. Hopefully when you’re older, this won’t embarrass you too much.
To Sean, mi amor, you are amazing. I know I say that a lot and you’re probably desensitized to it by now, but you really are. Thank you for encouraging me to keep going when I doubted myself, for stepping in and helping me by playing Mr. Mom so I could lock myself in the room and write for several hours, for letting me read out loud to you and for celebrating mini milestones as I’ve gone along the writing process. You look at me the same way Derrick looks at Alina and it’s the love I’ve wanted my whole life. Thank you for loving me. Te amo.
Thank you to my writing friends and mentors who’ve been able to talk me off the ledge whenever I call over something I couldn’t fix or handle on my own. This book is complete because you guys wouldn’t let me quit. Thank you for your encouragement. Also, who knew being an indie author required you to do so much non-writing work?
To my reader group, XO by K.S., your enthusiasm for my work is humbling. Thank you for making me feel like I can actually do this thing.
To my family, thank you for your support. I mean it. Hearing you all proudly proclaim that I am an author and you love my work makes me feel so dang good. My favorite is when you call or text me after reading one of my sex scenes. SIKE! Just kidding…stop doing that. It’s embarrassing.
Lastly, in the midst of writing this book, a whole bunch of life happened. I dislocated my knee and needed extensive surgery, which also afforded me a lot of downtime to work on the book during recovery.
And my brother, Noahl Conley, passed away. These two events rocked my life. Both were completely unexpected and threatened to derail everything I’d been working on. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that trauma and bad stuff will always happen. It’s up to you to choose how you let it shape your future. I know my brother would want me to push forward and “do the damn thing”, so that’s what I did. I dug deep to finish this book in the midst of my grief. May we all attack life that way.
I am extremely blessed to have writing as an outlet for my creativity and a way to leave my imprint on the world.
xo.
ALL ABOUT K.S. MARSHALL
Labeled as “super emotional” and “dramatic” very early on in life, it became second nature to journal. K.S. realized her overactive imagination and her affinity for creating stories from thin air helped her as a writer. She is drawn to characters that are relatable; people that you might know or find within yourself. She enjoys a good plot twist and using elements that have you anxiously turning the page to figure out what happens next.
Currently, Pittsburgh is where her small family resides and her kids have asked if they could not move anymore. Three states in five years is apparently too much. Her pets, Weston and Luna, also prefer for her to pet them incessantly, so delays in writing are typically their fault.
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Document Outline
TITLE
COPYRIGHT
PROLOGUE
ONE | Alina
TWO | Derrick
THREE | Derrick
FOUR | Alina
FIVE | Alina
SIX | Derrick
SEVEN | Alina
EIGHT | Derrick
NINE | Derrick
TEN | Alina
ELEVEN | Alina
TWELVE | Derrick
THIRTEEN | Derrick
FOURTEEN | Alina
FIFTEEN | Alina
SIXTEEN | Alina
SEVENTEEN | Derrick
EIGHTEEN | Derrick
NINETEEN | Alina
TWENTY | Alina
TWENTY-ONE | Derrick
TWENTY-TWO | Alina
TWENTY-THREE | Alina
TWENTY-FOUR | Derrick
TWENTY-FIVE | Alina
TWENTY-SIX | Derrick
TWENTY-SEVEN | Alina
TWENTY-EIGHT | Derrick
TWENTY-NINE | Alina
THIRTY | Derrick
THIRTY-ONE | Alina
THIRTY-TWO | Derrick
THIRTY-THREE | Alina
THIRTY-FOUR | Derrick
THIRTY-FIVE | Alina
THIRTY-SIX | Derrick
THIRTY-SEVEN | Alina
THIRTY-EIGHT | Derrick
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ALL ABOUT K.S. MARSHALL
Losing Her (Lost and Found Book 1) Page 36