Open Season is only .99 for Kindle and Kindle apps, so, for the duration of this contest, I’m lowering the price of the other two books in the series to match that. Now is a great time to get all three books at a deep discount. Stalking Season ** Desperate Season
By the way, Open Season is also available in audio.
To whet your reading appetite, here’s an excerpt from Desperate Season that comes early in the story. When these two girls are found dead from an overdose, it really ramps up the pressure on the Detectives to find out who is bringing this cheap street drug to the streets of Dallas.
Sunday, March 11
Melinda followed Ashley to the back of the restaurant toward the restrooms. The old Chinese lady who let them in had bought Ashley’s story that she had an urgent problem. “You know, with my period. It came early.”
Sometimes Melinda couldn’t believe what her friend could get away with. If she tried to lie like that, it would never work. She couldn’t hold eye contact for one second when telling a lie, but Ashley was so good she could probably pass one of those tests for finding out lies.
What they were doing was so wrong, but Melinda couldn’t turn her steps around. Not if she wanted to save face. When Ashley had first asked her if she wanted some Cheese, Melinda was foolish enough to ask, “What kind?” She really thought Ashley had been talking about Velveeta or some other cheese to eat. That was two months ago, and Melinda had tried to pass it off as a joke. But Ashley knew. She knew that Melinda had been brought up sheltered and wasn’t one of those kids who waited for parents to crash, then snuck out at night to hook up or do drugs.
That’s why Melinda was compelled to prove something to her friend. That’s why she followed her down the darkened hallway, even though she’d rather not.
Ashley led them to the women’s restroom and went to the far end of the counter. She pulled a baggie of powder and a straw out of her purse.
Melinda glanced quickly at the door. “What if that woman comes in? Shouldn’t we go in a stall?”
“Chill. We’ll be quick.” Ashley laid a mirror on the counter and smiled at Melinda. “Can’t do this off a toilet seat.”
In a practiced move, Ashley got two short rows of powder on the mirror, then she handed the straw to Melinda. “You go first.”
This part always felt weird to Melinda, and a little silly. That was until the drug hit. Then she just felt good. Spinning a little. Like she might just float up and away off the earth, but the prospect didn’t scare her. Maybe she should just float away and never come back. Nobody would miss her. Not really. Her parents would pretend to be devastated, but she knew better. They were so wrapped up in their jobs, it might be a relief not to have her making her little demands on their lives.
She reached out to hand the straw back to Ashley. At least that’s what she thought she did, but she seemed to be having trouble getting her hand to go where she wanted it to. It seemed to be operating outside the control of her mind. Ashley giggled and grabbed the straw. “Hitting you hard, is it, girlfriend?” Then Ashley bent to take her hit.
As Melinda watched her friend sniff the dope, her eyes blurred and she fought back a wave of nausea that started in her toes and gained momentum as it swept toward her stomach. The light around her slowly dimmed until the room was shrouded in darkness. What was happening? This wasn’t like all those other times. Where did the high go?
“Ashley, I don’t feel so good.” She could hardly get the words out. She imagined they were baby birds fighting to crack through a shell.
“What’s wrong?” The response was muted, as if Ashley were speaking through a heavy cloth.
“I don’t know. I just …”
Those were the last words Melinda ever said.
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt.