Good evening all,
How are you tonight? How was your weekend? Happy Monday...what's left to it. Those up north, how are you liking to first real snowfall of the year?
I know I promised my adventure of the weekend in my next post, but today was a long, cold day and time has seemed to slip away. I need to wind down for the evening. Usually I read for a while, but tonight I think I'm going to spend some time in my own little world. (Elle's World!)
Last year for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I took on the challenge of writing a 50k word novel in 30 days. Every November brave writers take to the task of completing the challenge by the end of the month (It breaks down to 1667 words written a day). Last year I finished the challenge with about 5 min to spare. With the winners stamp attached to my work of art my brain slipped into a writer's block, which more or less has stayed intact since Dec 1st 12am, 2013. Sigh. I won't bore you with details.
Tonight after my long day, I think I'm going to sit back and do a little reread and editing of my last year's NaNoWriMo novel. I've yet to touch it since I clicked the submit button last year. While I read tonight, I'd love it if you join me. Below is the prologue and chapter 1. I would love your feedback/questions/comments/edits. Please keep in mind this is the first draft. (For those of you who have read 'Hideaway Hill', this is a spin off of that story). Happy reading.
Hidden Promises
Prologue
Ten years earlier
Gwendolyn jumped from the
back seat of the car before the chauffeur could pull the limo to a stop. She’d
been antsy all day waiting for last period. The test scores were in for what
she thought was the hardest test of her life. With her mother’s help and aide
from, Chloe, her private tutor, Gwen still thought she would fail. As the
teacher slid the thick test booklet in to view on her desk, she almost leapt
from her seat with joy. Ninety-eight percent. No one expected her to have good
grades. She was pretty, wealthy and the daughter of Victor Mann. The biggest
mobster crime lord the city had ever seen.
“There may come a day
when you’re not bathed in all the luxury, Gwen. Beauty and money can fade with
time,” was what Elizabeth Mann, her mother told her every day as she sat down
to work on her studies.
“Mom!” Gwen called as she
dashed in the house. She caught a glimpse of herself as she slipped by the
hallway mirror. Her long brown hair was windblown from the high fall winds and
what used to be her crisp white blouse was now wrinkled. Jeff, the family’s
driver strolled in and set her backpack on the floor before heading back out to
wipe down the car, like he did every afternoon after picking her up from
school.
“Mom, I’m home,” call
Gwen again. Where is she? Her mother
was always in hearing distance when Gwen came home. Gwendolyn glanced around
the mansion. It was quiet for the middle of the afternoon. “Hello?” Her voice
boomed, echoing back. The sound of her shoes clicking across the marble floor
was her only companion as she traipsed further into the house. First the family
room, then the kitchen. Room after room Gwen wandered until she came to her
parents’ bedroom in the east wing of the house. The door was slightly ajar so
she knocked. “Mom, are you in there?” With no response, Gwendolyn pushed the
door open and entered.
A small cry slipped from
her lips and she halted mid-room. There on the floor laid her mother, covered
in blood. The test booklet fell from Gwendolyn’s fingers as she dropped to her
knees cradling her mother’s head in her lap. “No, no. Mommy, wake up,” she
wailed. Her breath caught in her throat and she gasped for air. Tears streamed
down her cheeks diluting the smeared blood on her mother’s pale face. From the
other side of the bedroom, another door opened and her father and two of his
men entered.
“Gwen, you’re home,” is
all he said. He didn’t glance at her mother as he strolled over to remove his
tie from the bed.
“What did you do?” hissed
Gwen. She tried to pull her mother’s limp body closer to her.
Through the reflection in
the mirror, Victor leveled his sight with his daughter as he adjusted his tie
and said, “The same thing I’ll do to you if you ever try to rat me out.” With a
snap of his fingers, a black object with a long cord appeared on the floor next
to her. “If you don’t mind, Gwendolyn sweetie, these men have a job to do. And
please quickly change your clothes. Don’t forget, we have dinner with the mayor
and his family tonight.” Before exiting the room, Victor leaned over and kissed
Gwen on the top of her head.
One week later
Numb. It was the only
feeling Gwendolyn had left. Early that day, they’d buried her mother. Those men
who ripped her mother’s lifeless body from her arms had made it look like it
was a suicide. Small signals from her father reinforced that if she didn’t keep
her mouth shut, she, too, would be dead.
I thought he loved her. Loved us, she thought every time someone offered
Victor their condolences and he would proceed to grieve all over again. Most
believed Gwen was in shock, refusing to speak, eating very little and running
on very few hours of sleep. Am I in
shock? No, if I were in shock, I wouldn’t want him to pay for this. And he will
pay for this. That small spark of revenge is what fueled her. It kept the hateful
words she wanted to spew at her father inside, it nourished her in ways food
never had, and it kept her awake at night plotting, planning on the day that
Victor Mann would pay for taking her mother away from her.
Chapter 1
Present Day
“You’re not still pouting
because Blake wouldn’t let you throw him a bachelor party, are you?”
Veronica said and laughed. Miller threw back
the last of his drink and spun to face his best friend’s fiancé. It was a
little game Veronica Klark and he played. Since high school, when Blake and she
started dating, she and Miller purposely threw witty jabs at each other, trying
to send the other one running. Was Miller annoyed Blake didn’t want a real
bachelor party? Of course he was! What man didn’t want to sever the last little
bit of his single manhood in style? Yet, as he glared at Vee, he understood why
none of that matter to Blake. She was stunning, smart, funny and the mother of
Blake’s kids. Her light brown eyes twinkled as she waited for his comeback.
“Pouting? I don’t pout,”
he said. They both knew that was a crappy response. “Besides, no one said I
agreed to his terms.”
Veronica pursed her lips before saying,
“Where’s your date?” Miller pointed to the tall blonde wearing the mini skirt
and very high heels who was surrounded by half the men at the party. “I
should’ve guessed she was with you. She better not be a stripper.” Miller
smirked but didn’t respond. “Ulfred, I swear, if she starts prancing around
here taking her clothes off, I’m going to strangle you.” Vee’s voice was so
sweet sounding a chill ran up Miller’s back.
“Vee she’s not a
stripper. Just my date.” Tonight, at
least.
“Hmph, what’s her name
then?”
“Why do you care?”
“Ha! I knew it. You don’t know her name.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay, Ulfred. Whatever.” Veronica was the
only person that called him by his first name. As she sauntered away, she called
over her shoulder, “Just remember, if her clothes start to come off, my hands
around your neck will be the only show you get.”
It was hard not to watch
Vee go. It was instinctual to watch a woman walk away. But not Blake’s woman.
She was the only one off limits. Even if the blue dress she was wearing hugged every
one of her curves perfectly he would not watch her walk away.
His attention shifted
back to his date. Sure, he knew her name. It was Sugar Bun or Honey Bear or
whatever other sweet and fluffy name she would answer too. He was positive she
told him her real name, but at that moment, he couldn’t think of it.
Miller was contemplating
on getting another drink when someone slapped him on his shoulder.
“Someone wants to say
good night before heading to bed.”
Behind him, Blake stood holding, BJ, Veronica
and his nine month old son. Blake Junior had been the life the party for the
first hour or so, bopping around from guest to guest. Receiving kisses from all
the ladies and giving high-fives to all the men, (Miller taught him the hand
trick) Miller saw the evening wearing on his nephew’s eyes. Like his father,
they both had crystal blue eyes, but BJ’s complexion was almost as dark as his
mother’s. Like every time BJ saw Miller, tired or not, his chubby little
fingers reached out for him. This would be the only reason Miller would have
wanted kids. BJ buried his head under Miller’s neck and they rocked for a
while. He hoped the kid couldn’t smell the liquor on his breath. Some of the
women at the party walked by and cooed as Miller held BJ. He’s already a chick magnet. Miller smirked and rubbed his hand up
and down BJ’s back.
“Wanna give him his bottle before bed? I’ll
head up with you.” Blake sloshed a half filled bottle in the air and spun
towards the stairs.
They ascended the steps
in darkness, but they didn’t need lights to know where they were headed. This
house was a home away from home. The Mayor’s mansion had been in the Darwood
family since the town of Surpatch was erected in the middle of Iowa. Since
Blake and Miller had been childhood friends, Miller had spent almost as much
time there as he did at home. BJ’s room was Blake’s old room. Lots of memories
flooded Miller’s mind every time he stepped into the room. Inside the nursery,
the men sat in silence as the baby drank the bottle. Once the kid was asleep,
Miller let Blake lay him in the crib. It worried Miller that he might hurt the
baby’s neck placing him down wrong. Blake assured him every time that BJ wasn’t
as frail as he thought, but Miller still refused. As the cover went over his
little frame, Vee popped into the room and kissed him goodnight too.
The three of them walked out the room and as
soon as the door was shut Miller said, “Now it’s really time to party.” He did
an erotic little dance, thrusting his hips and wiggling his eyes at Blake and
Vee.
“You’re so disgusting,”
Vee snorted and slapped him on his head before walking back down the hall.
Laughing, Blake joined in mimicking Miller’s
moves. Before Vee got too far Blake grabbed her, trying to pull her closer all
while gyrating his hips. Veronica covered her mouth to keep from squealing
before pulling away and dashing down the hall, back to the party. The guys
followed, dancing the entire way.
Tegan looked around the
small apartment. This was her new life. A little town in Iowa called Surpatch.
It sat between Webster City, Iowa and Kamrar, Iowa with a population of a
little more than two thousand people. It was nothing like the huge city she’d
grown up in but all of that was now in the past. Her moving process had been
precise. During the dinner hour, when most of the residents would be distracted
with their evening routines she and her belongings were ushered in. The
apartment was already furnished. None of the furnishings were hers, but it had
been a part of the agreement.
“We’re all set,” called agent Reed. Today was
the most casually dressed she’d ever seen the agent who handled her case. Tegan
doubted she would ever think of him as a friend, there always seemed to be
something holding him back from being overly friendly. “Business like” at all
times, is what Tegan thought when she looked at the average height, middle aged
man. But over the last few years he had kept her safe, trained her for a new
life and helped to relocate her.’ All in a day’s work’ he would tell her. “I
made sure the fridge is stocked and there’s some money to get you through the next
few weeks. You’ll need to start looking for a job soon. Remember what we talked
about, nothing from your past life. A fresh start.” Agent Reed gave her a small
smile and headed towards the door. “It was nice meeting you, Gwen.”
A few years ago, this would have gotten a
reaction from Tegan, but now she calmly smiled back at the officer and said,
“I’m sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Tegan
Judd.”
“Sorry for the confusion
ma’am.” Reed bowed slightly and pulled open the door. “Take care, Tegan.”
“You too, and thank you.”
As the door shut, the realization of her goal, the promise she made years
before had finally come true.
Flashbacks of finding her
mother’s lifeless body on the floor flooded her memory and Tegan fought back
the tears. Not tonight. Not on the first
night of my new life. She paced for a while. Biting her nails, a nasty
habit she picked up over the years. Her mother would be horrified to see the
awful numbs that now replaced what used to be beautifully manicured nails. The
soft click of her teeth gnawing away on her already too short nails soothed
Tegan. Time seemed to slip by as she
paced, wearing a hole in the already faded carpet. I did it. I finally did it. No more acting, no more sneaking around,
and no more pretending to be someone I’m not. With that thought, she
pondered, But who am I? Gwen is gone. Am I still
pretending, now only as someone new? Thoughts continued to run through her
thoughts as the night went on. She didn’t stop pacing until she heard a loud
bang in the outer hallway. Her heart raced while she looked for something to
protect herself with. Tegan chastised herself for letting her guard down.
Another loud bang thudded against her wall as she finally removed a blunt
object from the box closest to her. That’s when she heard giggling.
“Shh, you’ll wake the neighbors,” claimed a
deep male’s voice. His company giggled again and said,
“And they’ll call the
cops. Aren’t you a police officer?”
“I’m off duty.” She giggled again and another
loud thump and moans now entered Tegan’s apartment. “Where are your keys?”
asked the man.
“You’ll have to find them,” cooed the female.
Tegan had enough. There was no way they were
going to keep this up any longer. It was God-only-knows what time in the
morning and the two idiots in the hallway were going to wake the whole complex.
She jerked open the door, just as the couple made their way into the apartment
across the hall. All Tegan saw was a tall blond male carrying what looked like
a female, whose legs were wrapped around him into a dark apartment. The lady
caught a glimpse of Tegan from over her date’s shoulder and gave a wave,
wiggling her fingers like a child would do. Before the male could turn around
to see who his date was talking to Tegan slammed the door. Glancing down at the
weapon she yanked from the moving box, she discovered she held a book. What the hell was I going to do with this?
Read them to death? She shook her head and dropped the hard covered book
back in a box. It was a romance of all things. She’d never seen or read the
book before. Agent Reed must have selected the book to help add character to
her new life. Tegan snickered. Romance books were nothing more than dreams that
would never come true. No one lives
happily ever after.
After checking her watch
and seeing it was well past three in the morning, Tegan rummaged through a few
boxes until she found a comforter and curled up on the sofa. She didn’t feel
like making her bed and the sofa seemed to be comfy enough, if only for the one
night. As she closed her eyes, she reminded herself this is what she wanted.
She had her revenge. What could go wrong now? She was in the small town of
Surpatch, Iowa.
