by Annie Jocoby
It was then that I noticed that she had a little dog in her arms. It looked to be a Maltese or a similar breed. It was small and white and furry, with a bow in its hair. A very pretty and petite dog, much like his owner. I tried to see if this woman had a ring on her finger, although I couldn’t ever imagine being married to him.
I bolted my door and sat down on the floor. I put my head in my hands and tried to block out what I was feeling. I tried to soothe myself with words, but it just wasn’t working. I was telling myself that I wasn’t seeing who I thought I was seeing out there, but that wasn’t working, either.
The walls started to close in on me, and I felt just like I did when I was 17 and out in the woods. I hated this feeling, and I wished that Slade would hurry up and get to my home. He couldn’t, though. He had to talk to his mother, and I understood that. That was my fault, after all. If I had never meddled, everything would have been just fine. But I did it, and I would do it again if I was faced with the same choice. Margot was the only one who was going to suffer. Except for Malcolm, of course. Poor bastard was in mortal danger, and I doubted that he even knew it. I guess that was what he got for lying down with a dog like Charlotte.
No, Charlotte wasn’t a dog. Dogs were innocent of malice, and only wanted to please. Charlotte was as far away from a loyal pet as anybody could possibly be. I didn’t want to besmirch the name of dogs everywhere by associating them with Charlotte.
I got up and looked out the window again. The dogs were both down at my heels, also looking very interested in what was going on. Bella started to whine a little, her tiny body going crazy.
He looked over at me from where he was. He saw me peeking at him, and I got a look at those eyes. Those penetrating blue eyes that made every girl fall at his feet. They turned my stomach to look at them, for I saw only evil. I saw only malice. I saw behind those eyes, and I saw that this man had no soul.
In spite of how I felt about him, he seemed to smile at me, and he pointed at my house when blondie came along with another box. I looked down at my hands and saw that I was shaking. This couldn’t be happening. Why would it be happening? How could a ghost from a small town in Maine follow me here, literally across the country? How could he possibly know where he needed to haunt? And he was going to land right next door to me? What were the odds of that happening?
I shook my head. There had to be something I was missing. This man, this Derek, who caused me so much pain in my youth, wouldn’t just show up next door to me. I put my head in my hands, feeling the rush of a massive headache that threatened to engulf my entire body if I didn’t nip it in the bud. The dogs both came up to me, and licked my face while they leaned their little bodies against mine. I put my arms around both of them, feeling their warmth. That was important to me, feeling that these little dogs were there. They calmed me down, even in the worst of circumstances.
Slade’s words rang in my head. Anybody is capable of murder under the right circumstances. I’ll never tell you that I’m not capable of killing somebody, because I am. Everybody is - Even you. I wasn’t sure if those were the exact words, but they expressed his sentiment. I wondered if that would be the case with me. I was being faced with my tormenter from all those years ago, and he was apparently moving in right next door. If there ever was somebody that I was capable of killing in cold blood, it would be this man; this horrible man.
At some point, my doorbell rang. I got up off the floor, and peeked out the window at my stoop. It was blondie and she had in her hands what looked like some kind of baked goods. Probably poison, Serena. Besides, they’re probably made with butter and eggs.
I opened the door, and blondie looked at me hopefully. “Hi, my name is Maggie, and I’m your new neighbor. Well, me and my boyfriend, Derek. Anyhow, I wanted to give you these. I baked them myself.”
I nodded my head, not wanting to automatically suspect this innocent looking girl. “Thank you.” I then took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t necessarily want you to bake a bunch of things for me in the future. I’m a vegan, and I can’t have any kind of food that has been prepared with dairy products or eggs. As most brownies have both of these things in them, I’m afraid I can’t eat them.”
Maggie looked so crestfallen, I felt sorry for her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”
I put my arm around her. “Of course you didn’t know. That’s why I’m telling you. I always have to be open with people, because they mean well when they bring things over, and I always feel awful that I can’t eat their gifts. At least you seem to understand. Some people get really angry when I tell them that I can’t eat whatever it is they brought over.”
“No, I admire your conviction.”
It was then that I noticed it. Around her eye, there was a very, very, very faint bruise that apparently had healed a few weeks ago. She looked down at the ground, apparently afraid that I was onto her secret.
I had wondered what kind of a relationship a man like Derek would have with anybody, and I had my answer. He was apparently an abusive jerk. No small surprise there.
“Would you like to come in and have a glass of wine?” I asked her. “I have a really cool sunroom, and I hang out there all the time and watch the world go by. You can hear the ocean from my sunroom, especially when it’s high tide.”
Maggie looked over at her house, as if she were afraid of what would happen if she was gone for longer than Derek wanted her to be. But then she nodded, almost imperceptibly. “Maybe one glass of wine.”
I found myself putting my arm around her as we walked towards my sun room. Something about this woman made me think that she was a victim, as much as I was all those years ago. I closed my eyes, and I felt her vibrations. She seemed apprehensive, yet she also seemed happy. I wondered if she was happy that I was befriending her, yet apprehensive at the same time.
She looked around my sun room as she took a seat. “It’s very pretty in here. I love all the flowers and the palm trees that you’ve planted. I guess this room is almost like a greenhouse, huh? You can grow things in here all year round.”
“It is,” I said, bringing her a glass of wine. “So, tell me, where are you moving from?”
“Boston. Derek, uh, got a job out here. He’s an attorney.”
My heart started to sink and I swallowed hard. I somehow knew just what she was going to say, even before she said it. “He’s a criminal defense attorney, isn’t he? White collar, high level mafia, wealthy people doing bad things? That sort of thing?”
“Why, yes, yes. He was in the DA’s office in New York, but he got a very lucrative offer from a firm out here. Just out of the blue, he got this amazing offer. So, we high-tailed it out of freezing New York City, and here we are in sunny San Diego. I don’t quite know how I’m going to adjust to being out here, though. I’m very much an East Coast girl.”
“We have that in common, then.”
“You’re from the East Coast, too?”
I nodded. “Raised in Maine, lived in New York City for about ten years.”
“Maine. That’s where Derek is from.”
I nodded my head. “I thought he looked kinda familiar.”
She looked like she didn’t quite believe what it was I was saying. “Too weird. We end up living next to somebody from Derek’s home town.”
“I didn’t say he was from my home town.”
“But I think that he is. You seem to know who he is. Did you live in an unincorporated suburb of Portland, by any chance?”
“Yes.”
She nodded her head, suddenly seeming to understand something that she didn’t quite understand before. “I’ve always believed that there are no coincidences. So this is just bizarre.”
I put my hand on her arm. “I don’t think it’s as bizarre as you might be thinking.”
She hung her head. “You must think that I’m crazy, being with a guy like that. I mean, I heard about his reputation at your high school. I think that manwhore doesn’t quite do
him justice.”
“Hey, all of us were different in high school.” I tried to put on a happy face. “I’m sure he’s different now.”
“Maybe.” She looked over at the door. “Well, I’ve enjoyed introducing myself to you. I figured that you and I could try to get to know one another, as we’re living right next door. Maybe even become friends.” She smiled and patted my hand. “I’ll show myself out.”
“Don’t be silly, I’ll show you out.”
At that, the two of us went to my door, and she gave me a quick hug as she left. “Don’t be a stranger, huh?”
“I won’t be.”
As she left, I regarded her slight frame. Derek looked like he had kept in shape, so I knew that this woman couldn’t fight back against him. I hated him, but I knew that I had to hate somebody else more. There was somebody who brought this bastard into the close quarters of my life. Somebody who somehow knew what Derek had done to me, and had the power to bring him across the country to torment me.
I had absolutely no clue on how Charlotte could have gotten that information; probably by hacking my own medical records. I hadn’t told Slade this, but I did see a doctor when I was hemorrhaging. She confirmed that I was miscarrying, and I think that I put Derek’s name down on the form that was brought to me. He was the father of that child, after all, and it sickened me to name him.
That was the only thing that would have led Charlotte to know about what had happened to me. And I had no doubt that she was behind it all.
I wondered if Slade was right. Was I capable of killing somebody?
If I were, I would certainly start with my next-door neighbor.
The story continues with Dark Temptations, available now! https://goo.gl/m9Q4w2
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About the Author
Romance novelists are absolutely no different from anyone else. Me personally? I’m just a tad nutty in real life. A bit scattered, a bit of a dreamer, never together. I wanted to originally create a character based upon myself, because I felt that people could relate to somebody who is decidedly imperfect. And have her get the dreamboat man, because, let’s face it, we all want that, right ladies? That was my inspiration for the story of Iris and Ryan in my Illusions romance books. Those novels were so well-received, that I just decided to keep on keeping on. Scotty, the current heroine in my Broken romance novels, is so much more together than myself. So it’s been fun to write her. And Nick has turned into a revelation – he seems to be a bit of a tough guy who is nothing but a womanizer, but I’ve found his soft side. I’m a little bit, okay a lot, in love with Nick and Ryan myself, and who wouldn’t be? I’m having the time of my life writing these books, and I want to keep on writing them until my fans decide that they’ve had enough!
My romance novels all have things in common: they all combine a touch of mystery and intrigue with drama, love, and lots of hot sex. Some of the books have action and even some criminal elements in them. My current book, in fact, is my first book that would be classified as straight romantic suspense, although it also combines definite elements of the thriller genre! If you’re in the market for a book that is fast-paced, where the heroes are beautiful and wealthy, and the heroines are strong, vulnerable and flawed, then try my romance novels out!
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Annie Jocoby
www.anniejocoby.com
[email protected]
Part I
Dark Temptations
Temptations Series Book Three
Copyright © 2016 by Annie Jocoby
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Also by Annie Jocoby
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Chapter 1
Serena
I continued to look out the window, watching for Slade. I had to get out of here, but Derek was sitting on his porch, looking over at my house. I didn’t know if he was doing that to intimidate me, but if that was the reason, he was succeeding.
Come on, Serena. You’re braver than this. He’s only a man. A man who managed to ruin my life, to be sure, but still only a man. What was he going to do? What could he do to me that he hadn’t already done?
He was still violent, though. I knew that from meeting his girlfriend. Maggie was covering up as best she could, but I knew her secret. Since I knew that Derek was still violent, I really needed to make sure that I avoided him as much as I could.
Slade finally arrived, and came straight into the house. I wrapped my arms around him and held him ever so tightly. I wanted to just feel him, and know that with his arms around me, I felt truly safe. He would take care of that jackass next door if I needed him to. I knew this.
“What’s going on Serena?” he asked me finally, after I had held onto him for what seemed like an eternity.
“My new next door neighbor. It’s him. Derek. The man who has haunted me my entire life. He’s living right next door.”
He looked at me with understanding, and I could tell that he had suspected that this was going to happen. “I’m not surprised. Charlotte is getting her revenge. She can’t kill you, but she can certainly make your life a living hell.”
“I think that I need to leave for awhile. Can I stay w
ith you?”
“Of course, I was hoping you would say that.” He hesitated. “But Serena, I have a feeling that you’re not going be able to totally get away from him.”
“What does that mean?”
He took a deep breath. “Charlotte and I have some understandings, and it’s very delicate right now. I don’t know if I can trust her. I have these blackmail documents, so she’s restrained somewhat. But one false move and you could very well find yourself in grave danger.”
I didn’t like the way he was talking, but I had to let him finish. “Okay. Go ahead and tell me what’s going on.”
“One of the stipulations that Charlotte made was that your firm would have to be the one to represent my mother in her murder trial, assuming that there is a murder trial, of course.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Okay. That doesn’t seem so bad so far.”
Then it hit me. Maggie told me that Derek had a very lucrative offer with a law firm in town. I suddenly knew exactly which firm he was going to work for.
Slade confirmed my suspicions. “I have a feeling that Derek is going to be working at your firm.”
I felt my heart drop to my knees. “Okay. Well then, I’ll just have to find another job.” I hated that I still felt that I couldn’t be around him. I felt like a total coward, just cutting and running, but I couldn’t have him around. My psyche felt fragile all of a sudden, as what had happened to me in those woods so long ago came flooding back. I felt like it was yesterday in a lot of ways. It was certainly still haunting me as if it were yesterday.
He nodded his head. “Yes, you will have to find another job. But my mother has to be represented by your firm.”
“Well, that’s impossible. I want to represent her. I need to represent her. I can do an awesome job on her case. I’ve tried cases like hers before, and I can be very persuasive with a jury.”