Somebody had knocked.
That was what woke me up.
Somebody had knocked.
Swearing, I opened the door.
Nobody.
Absently, I glanced down. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have seen it.
But there it was.
A large padded manilla envelope, crumpled and battered, like it had been mailed to hell and back.
Mouth dry, I bent down and picked it up.
Blood started to roar in my ears and it wasn't from the alcohol. I knew what it was without needing to see my name scrawled in black marker on the front of it.
I half fell against the door to shut it as I opened the envelope with shaking hands.
“Sir—”
I vaguely recognized Doug’s voice. I’d been wrong. He hadn’t left.
Several things fell out.
“Sir, you shouldn’t touch—”
“Shut up,” I said dully as I sank to my knees.
The thick, gleaming locks were tied together messily with a piece of what looked like twine. I had no trouble recognizing the heavy curls.
“Iz,” I whispered, broken.
“I’ll call the police.” Doug’s voice was quiet, oddly gentle.
My hand shook as I picked up the folded paper that had also fallen out and read it.
Printed on plain paper, block letters, it listed demands, simple and stark. Money in exchange for Isadora.
I read it through once, twice, three times.
I’d be contacted.
I’d better be ready.
The letter fell from my numb hands as I sat down. It was only then that I noticed the other envelope that had also dropped to the floor. It was smaller, bound closed with rubber bands. I picked it up.
Doug's voice came from above me. “If I tell you again, you shouldn’t touch, will you listen?”
“No.” I was careful though, only touching the rubber bands as much as I had to, handling only the edges of the envelope. Once I had it opened, though, the weight of its contents did the rest.
Photographs spilled out. Dozens of them. My eyes tracked over them, trying to make sense of what I was looking at.
It was Doug who started to reach out this time. I caught his wrist just before he would have touched the one lying nearest to us. The very sight of it chilled me right to the bone. It was Isadora and me, her hand tucked inside mine. I couldn’t see either of our faces, but it was no puzzle as to who it was. It was us.
So was the next one, and the next one…
More than a dozen.
“Some of these are old,” Doug said softly.
I nodded, staring at the photo of the younger images of my sister and me. Standing together, dressed in our finest, as we went to visit our parents' graves. It had been raining that year. I didn't remember anybody photographing us. But then again, I wouldn’t have. Not on the anniversary of their death.
Whoever had taken this had wanted to make sure they weren’t seen. There was something stealthy, secretive, about the pictures.
That feel was echoed in every last one of them, reading right up to the most recent one. It, like the others, had been taken on the anniversary of our parents' death, which had been three months ago.
It didn't matter if that one had been taken before or after Isadora and I met Toni. Even if she'd been some mastermind criminal and had been stalking us for months, there was no way she could've taken those old photographs. She would've only been twelve or thirteen when the first one had been taken. Her brother wouldn't have been much older. Their involvement didn't make any sense.
I closed my eyes, but I could still see the hurt on Toni's face. “What in the hell have I done?”
Marcum's voice answered my rhetorical question. Congratulations. You helped ruin that girl's life.
Continues in Blindfold Vol. 2, release September 25th. Click Here to received an email reminder on release day.
All series from M. S. Parker
The Pleasure Series Box Set
Exotic Desires Box Set
Pure Lust Box Set
Casual Encounter Box Set
Sinful Desires Box Set
Twisted Affair Box Set
Serving HIM Box Set
Club Prive Vol. 1 to 5
French Connection (Club Prive) Vol. 1 to 3
Chasing Perfection Vol. 1 to 4
A Wicked Lie
A Wicked Kiss
A Wicked Truth
Blindfold
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FREE BONUS: Casual Encounter Book 2
Casual Encounter
Vol. 2
By M.S. Parker
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Belmonte Publishing LLC
Published by Belmonte Publishing LLC.
Book Description
When I found out that Cade Shepard was my white knight, I let myself believe that I could fall in love again. And then I realized that everything had been a lie.
Twenty-five year-old Bree Gamble feels betrayed by her best friend after discovering that the man she thought could help her get over her broken heart is nothing more than a paid escort.
But Cade surprises her. He shows up at her door with an apology and a proposal. He offers to teach her how to become the kind of woman that no man will ever be able to refuse. He just has one rule: She can’t fall in love with him or the deal is off.
Will Bree give in to the temptation and risk losing her heart in the process?
The second installment of Casual Encounter by best-selling author M.S. Parker is a must-read seductive roller-coaster.
Chapter 1
“Come on, Bree. How do you think? A great fuck was the entire reason I wanted you to date my guy in the first place. When you want something done right, hire a pro. Cade's a gigolo, Bree. A professional escort and lover. A damn expensive one, but worth every penny. Consider it an early Christmas gift. Surprise!”
My best friend's words still echoed in my mind even though I'd hung up on her more than a minute ago. I kept expecting anger to come to my rescue, to break me from this catatonic state. It might come later, but at the moment, I was numb. I sank back against my pillows and stared at my phone. It vibrated and began to ring. I didn't even have to look at the screen to know it was Adelle. Even if it hadn't been her ringtone, I would've known it was her.
I turned off the ringer and watched as her call was sent to voicemail. The second time she called, the anger came. Couldn't she take a hint that I didn't want to talk to her? Tears stung my eyelids and I squeezed them shut. I didn't want to cry. I'd spent too much time crying after Ronald had left. I'd shed enough tears over one bastard. I wasn't about to shed anymore over the one Adelle had paid.
I pressed my hands to my face as a stab of hurt pierced through me. I should've known better than to get my hopes up. I knew I idealized Cade as my mysterious white knight, but even after I forced myself to admit he wasn't perfect, I at least thought he liked me.