Waves of Fate | Book 1 | First Fate

by Talbot, Kendall

  Not now though.

  Despite everything they’d been through, and as hopeless as their situation still seemed, not once had she wanted her life to end. She wanted to live for many, many more years. Decades even. And she wanted to share every one of them with Sterling.

  Even once they’d been rescued off the ship, and despite eight rough days in the cramped confinement of the life raft, their new, blossoming relationship had continued to grow. Their connection was so powerful, she was certain it’d been destiny that had trapped them together in that elevator.

  Sterling must’ve felt her watching because he met her gaze and smiled. With his shirt off, and the beads of water glistening on his toned chest, he could easily have graced the cover of any women’s magazine.

  “What?” He frowned, but his spectacular grin was clearly visible through his blond beard. He swam up to her and curled his hand behind her neck; the gentle touch of his fingers had delicious shudders threading through her body.

  He leaned forward, closing his eyes. She did too. Anticipation sizzled between them. When his lips met hers, fire and passion mingled together. Her heart fluttered and her mind melted into everything that was heavenly about him. About them.

  Their kisses, though way too brief given that Sykes was watching them, had her trembling both inside and out.

  When their lips parted, Sterling pulled her to his chest, and they remained in that embrace, treading water until Sykes hollered that their time was up.

  Until now, she’d been living as a robot, going through the motions of life and yet never feeling. Finally, Madeline was truly alive.

  She was looking forward to what their future held.

  But she still hadn’t told Sterling everything about her past. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to tell him. It wasn’t because he didn’t deserve to know. She just didn’t want him to change the way he treated her. People always did when they learned what her kidnapper had done. Her own mother was testament to that.

  When the time was right, she’d tell him everything. She just hoped that when she did, Sterling wouldn’t look at her like she was a victim. She hoped he’d look at her like she was a survivor.

  And once they were rescued, both of them would have incredible survival stories to tell.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Gunner drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he opened his eyes, the light inside the raft was different. Completely dark from the blackness of night. Bright with piercing light from the break of a new dawn. Or like now—the sepia hue from the afternoon sun.

  Yet the raft carried on, bobbing in the water. Floating the ragged survivors in a never-ending nightmare to an unknown destination.

  He lost track of the days and nights in the raft. Was it three? Was it ten? Fifty? Whenever he woke, Max and Gladys were there, fussing over him, checking the bandage on his wrist, giving him water and the sickly baby formula.

  It seemed like forever before Gunner could sit without throwing up. It was even longer before he could recall everything that’d happened. It was as if his brain had deliberately fogged over the gory details, allowing him to forget while he healed. But he’d never forget. Not the pain. Nor the look in Zon’s eyes when the psycho had brought down that axe.

  His hand throbbed and stung. Well, not his hand. That was gone.

  It was weird though; he could still feel his fingers. He could still feel the blinding agony from when they’d been trapped in the winching bracket.

  Gunner stared at the bandage. Bile shot to his throat as he recalled Gladys sewing up his bloody stump. Max had been there too, holding his arm for her while Sykes had pinned him down. Although he’d faded in and out of oblivion, he’d felt every sting of that needle and worse, the thread pulling though his skin.

  And the blood . . . there’d been so much blood.

  His blood.

  The bandage he had on now wasn’t as bloody as the one he’d seen last time he’d roused; obviously Gladys had replaced it recently. Or maybe the bleeding had stemmed somewhat. He hoped it was the latter.

  He went to twist his wedding ring and his heart nearly stopped. It was gone. Of course it was gone. His whole fucking hand was gone.

  His heart shattered to a million pieces as his thoughts shot to Adelle and Bella. His beautiful wife and daughter. He’d never clasp their faces in his hands again. Or hold his mother’s hand in his when he next visited her in jail.

  Tears flooded his vision. A lump in his throat burned and swelled. He couldn’t breathe.

  He wished Zon had left him there on the ship.

  He was the Captain; he should’ve gone down with Rose of the Sea.

  He should be dead.

  A flood of heat blazed through his veins. The urge to throw up gripped him.

  He had to get out of there. Dragging himself upright, he clutched onto the handrail above him and squeezed past people’s knees, aiming for the open hatch.

  It was the first time he’d stood since he’d been thrown into the pod. Everything spun in long, lazy circles as he inhaled the fresh, salty air, breathing life into his limbs. Waiting for the dizziness to subside, he clutched the ladder and scanned his surroundings.

  Their four pods were strung together. Sykes had done an elaborate job with the ropes. The rafts were close, but not so much that they bumped into each other non-stop. But close enough that they could easily reach more supplies as they needed them.

  The afternoon sky was magnificent shades of orange and pink. A scattering of clouds was visible and a few stars already dotted the darkening backdrop. A seagull caught his eye. Another one joined it. The pair ducked and swooped on an invisible updraft, gliding through the air with all the time in the world. They did it again, up and up, and then turning in a long, lazy loop as they swooped toward the ocean.

  Gunner’s heart skipped a beat. His brain kicked into gear.

  Holy shit!

  He jolted upright. Seagulls usually remained near land.

  Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, his only hand, he scanned the horizon in a slow circle. The ocean was a giant indigo blanket that stretched on forever.

  There!

  Something. A slight shadow. A variation to the never-ending horizon.

  “Quick! Someone give me the binoculars.” He waved in the pod but didn’t shift his eyes from the anomaly. Binoculars were shoved into his hand.

  Max popped up beside him. “What is it?”

  “Not sure yet.” Out of habit, Gunner went to use both hands to hold the binoculars. It was a brutal jolt of reality. His insides churned. He would never be able to do that again.

  Casting that bullshit aside, he clutched the binoculars, scanning for the variance that’d caught his eye in the distance.

  There! Yes!

  Holy shit! It’s an island.

  It was a fair distance away, but it was the best thing he’d seen in a very long time.

  “Sykes!” he yelled across to the other three life rafts, unsure which one Sykes would stand up in.

  Seconds later, Sykes appeared in the raft to his right. “Gunner, you’re awake.”

  “Get your glasses.”

  Sykes didn’t even question him; he just bobbed below, and reappeared with Quinn and Cloe at his side.

  “Good to see you, Captain,” Quinn said.

  Gunner didn’t respond; he didn’t want to lose sight of the island. “Over there.” He pointed without lowering his glasses.

  “I see it!” Sykes’ voice elevated with excitement. “I see it! It’s an island! Compass—someone get me the fucking compass.”

  Gunner lowered the binoculars. Both relief and misery shared the same space in his mind.

  They’d made it. He didn’t want to say it was a miracle. Not when there were only seventy two souls remaining. A miracle would’ve been saving every single passenger.

  The survivors broke into spontaneous cheering.

  Yet, as much as Gunner wanted to celebrate with them, he couldn’t. />
  He peered through the binoculars again. The island looked small.

  Way too small. He searched for signs of civilization. Boats. Smoke. Hell, even a bottle on the beach would have done it. But as they moved closer, and details became firmer, there was still nothing. Not a damn thing.

  Despair barreled through him like a tsunami.

  They were still a very long way from a rescue.

  He lowered the binoculars and stared at the brutal stitching at the end of his arm.

  Just like his hand, they were cut off from the rest of the world. “God help us all.”

  TO BE CONTINUED

  Dear Fabulous Reader,

  Thank you for reading First Fate. I hope you loved following their incredible journey of survival.

  But their nightmare is far from over.

  After surviving the EMP blast that crippled their cruise ship, the exhausted passengers from Rose of the Sea finally reach dry land. But the deserted island has a sinister history, and one wrong step on its sandy shores can mean the difference between life and death.

  Gunner. When Gunner loses his position as leader, he fears the threadbare semblance of order will fray into lawlessness—and nothing will be left to stand in the way of desperate humans.

  Gabby. Now also caring for an orphaned child, Gabby is determined to see herself and her tortured family to safety on the mainland. But without her epilepsy medication, her condition is a ticking time bomb.

  Zon. Hungry for power, Zon appoints himself as leader of the fracturing group. When a reckless decision leads to a deadly accident, he finds himself at the mercy of the island and those he tried to control.

  Tempers are high. Supplies are low. Will the group shatter into chaos? Or will the island’s deadly secrets destroy all they have left?

  Hi there, I hope you loved First Fate so much that you are keen to know what happens next. Well you don’t have to wait long. You could pre-order Feral Fate now: Feral Fate

  Or if you prefer, you could fill out this simple form and you’ll be notified when Feral Fate is released on 18th of February 2021:

  https://forms.gle/BZNuNfgzZBXsWNmJA

  By the way, if you enjoyed First Fate, would you consider placing a review on Amazon or Goodreads? They really do help other readers discover my books. Here’s the link if you’re interested: First Fate

  Cheers to you,

  Kendall Talbot

  Keep turning the pages for more thrilling books by Kendall Talbot.

  But before you go, would you like a FREE book? I’d love to share my crime thriller Double Take with you. Double Take is set in my home town of Brisbane, Australia and it’s a thriller that will have you guessing to the very end. And if you sign up to my newsletter, you get it for FREE.

  Here’s the link to receive your FREE book: https://kendalltalbot.com.au/doubletakefree.html

  Jagged Edge

  A grieving detective with nothing to lose. A dying town with everything to hide.

  After the shocking death of his daughter, suspended detective Edge Malone who seeks oblivion in a bottle and plans to photograph a rare blood moon in isolated Whispering Hills, California. But his night takes a deadly turn when a high-tech drone is shot from the sky—and a ruthless gunman murders an innocent bystander who dares to visit the crash site. Driven by instinct, Edge seizes the drone and escapes into the woods.

  Now being hunted, Edge unwittingly thrusts Nina Hamilton into the chase—a street-smart beauty who is no stranger to men with dangerous motives. But when the drone data leads them to a shocking discovery, they quickly learn that no one in Whispering Hills can be trusted. The truth of the small town is anything but quiet, and the price of secrets runs six-feet deep…

  Jagged Edge is a full-length, stand-alone thriller that will have you turning the pages all night long.

  Download today at Amazon, or free with Kindle Unlimited: Jagged Edge

  Extreme Limit

  Two lovers frozen in ice. One dangerous expedition.

  Holly Parmenter doesn’t remember the helicopter crash that claimed the life of her fiancé and left her in a coma. The only details she does remember from that fateful day haunt her—two mysterious bodies sealed within the ice, dressed for dinner rather than a dangerous hike up the Canadian Rockies.

  No one believes Holly’s story about the couple encased deep in the icy crevasse. Instead, she’s wrongly accused of murdering her fiancé for his million-dollar estate. Desperate to uncover the truth about the bodies and to prove her innocence, Holly resolves to climb the treacherous mountain and return to the crash site. But to do that she’ll need the help of Oliver, a handsome rock-climbing specialist who has his own questions about Holly’s motives.

  When a documentary about an unsolved kidnapping offers clues as to the identity of the frozen bodies, it’s no longer just Oliver and Holly heading to the dangerous mountaintop . . . there’s also a killer, who’ll stop at nothing to keep the case cold.

  Will a harrowing trip to the icy crevasse bring Holly and Oliver the answers they seek? Or will disaster strike twice, claiming all Holly has left?

  Extreme Limit is a thrilling, stand-alone, action-adventure novel with a dash of romance set high in the Canadian Rockies.

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  Treasured Secrets

  His secrets are tearing them apart.

  But the truth may get them killed.

  When Rosalina left Italy to pursue her culinary dreams, she didn’t expect heartbreak to be on the menu. Archer Mahoney is the man of her dreams—handsome, wealthy, and filled with adventure—except for the recurring nightmares he refuses to talk about.

  Archer has spent a lifetime hunting for lost treasure, but his own buried past now threatens to destroy his future. Each night he relives the horrific dive that claimed his father’s life twenty years ago. But the events of that day, and the truth surrounding the golden medallion he found on the dive, are mysteries he can’t solve alone.

  When Rosalina shockingly connects the medallion to the stained-glass window of an ancient Italian church, she believes it may be the key to mending the ocean between them. But some treasures are buried in blood, and a deadly priest will stop at nothing to keep a nefarious secret contained…

  Treasured Secrets is a thrilling action-adventure novel with a dash of romance. If you love your romance, high on the suspense, this is for you.

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  Deadly Twist

  An ancient Mayan Temple. A dark family secret. A desperate fight for survival.

  When a mysterious ancient Mayan temple is discovered by a team of explorers deep in the Yucatan jungle, the world is entranced. But Liliana Bennett is shocked by the images sweeping the headlines. She’s seen the temple before, drawn in detail, in her late father’s secret journal.

  Now, the explorers at Agulinta aren’t the only ones digging up secrets. Liliana is consumed by the mysteries surrounding her father’s sketches and, refusing to believe she’s out of her depth, she heads to Mexico, determined to see the temple for herself.

  To reach the heart of the jungle, she’ll have to join forces with Carter Logan, a nature photographer with a restless heart and secrets of his own. But a journey to Agulinta means battling crocodiles, lethal drug runners, and an unforgiving Mother Nature.

  Lost and alone, they stumble upon something they should never have seen. Liliana’s quest for answers becomes a desperate race to stay alive. Will Agulinta be the key to their survival? Or will Carter and Liliana become victims to the cruel relentless jungle and the evil men lurking within?

  Deadly Twist is a gripping, stand-alone, action-adventure novel with a dash of romance, set deep in Mexico’s Yucatan Jungle.

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  Zero Escape

  To survive, Charlene must accept that her whole life was a lie.

  For twenty years, Charlene Bailey has been living by the same mantra: pay in cash, keep only wha
t you can carry, trust no one and always be ready to run. That is until her father is brutally murdered in New Orleans by a woman screaming a language Charlene doesn’t understand. When police reveal the man she’d known all her life was not her biological father, Charlene is swept up in a riptide of dark secrets and deadly crimes.

  The key to her true identity lies in a dangerous Cuban compound run by a lethal kingpin, but Charlene can’t reach it alone. After a life of relying on herself, she’ll have to trust Marshall Crow, a tough-as-nails ex-Navy man, to smuggle her into Havana.

  The answers to Charlene’s past are as dark as the waters she and Marshall must navigate, but a killer in the shadows will stop at nothing to drown the truth.

  Zero Escape is a heart-pounding, stand-alone, action-adventure novel with a dash of romance that crosses from New Orleans to the back streets of Havana, Cuba.

  Download today at Amazon: Zero Escape

  Lost In Kakadu

  Together, they survived the plane crash. Now the real danger begins.