Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44)

Read Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) Online

Authors: Jools Sinclair

Forty-Four Box Set

Books 1-10

Jools Sinclair

You Come Too Publishing

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in, or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Praise for
Forty-Four

*****

A FANTASTIC novel!
44
was just about impossible to put down once I started. From the very beginning, there was an air of mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat… I highly recommend this fantastic novel!

The Caffeinated Diva

*****

Everything from the setting, to the time frame, to the characters, was beautifully developed. This book is truly a gem and I highly recommend it. It literally took my breath away.

Avery’s Book Review

*****

Sinclair sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt. She brings mystery, love, and friendship to the book and weaves a lovely tale.

Just Another Book Addict

*****

IMPRESSIVE!
44
is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and will take readers by storm. With so much information in such a small book it will impress readers to the detail and depth in so few pages. The conclusion will take your breath away. Don’t miss you chance to check out this amazing story.

The Book Whisperer

*****

Fantastic, edge of your seat thriller. A MUST READ! It twists you about and as soon as you think you have it all figured out, throws you for the final loop with an ending that will break the hardest heart.

Wormhole

Forty-Four…

Last year after falling through the ice, seventeen-year-old Abby Craig woke up from death.

But she woke into a world she barely recognizes. She can’t see colors, memories have been erased, and her friends all hate her. And then there’s Jesse, who she loves, but who refuses to forgive her the one mistake she made long ago.

Just when she thinks it can’t get any worse, the visions begin. In them, she sees a faceless serial killer roaming the streets. While the police believe that there have been a lot of accidents in town lately, Abby knows differently. And she soon realizes that it’s up to her to find him.

But to stop him, she’ll have to confront more than just the killer. She’ll have to face something else that was lost in those dark waters.
The truth.

CONTENTS

Forty-Four

Jools Sinclair

You Come Too Publishing

to C and M…

the best of the best of the best

Forty-Four

Jools Sinclair

PROLOGUE

I know I’m lucky.

Lucky to be alive, lucky to be able to walk again, to inhale the juniper-laced air and watch the soft leaves change into crispy ones scattering in the wind. I can spend afternoons with Jesse as he plummets down the steep hills around town on his skateboard. I can watch Barcelona soccer games, eat pizza, and even see those dumb reality TV shows late at night.

I’ve been on the other side and I’m grateful that I’m here. My life is good, most days.

But this morning wasn’t like most days.

The wind had a bite and as I stood at the edge of the river, ice pellets drilled into my face. The sky was tombstone gray, with low clouds pushing down around me.

She was there. Floating under the footbridge, snagged and hidden in bony branches and moving in a subtle, unnatural rhythm that the dead dance to when submerged in water. The river rushed around her, forming small riffles at her feet, as if she had always been there, belonging like a large boulder or a rooted tree.

In my vision the night before, I watched her die. It started soon after I drifted off to sleep. The night was pitchfork-sharp and her fear radiated in waves through me as she ran, trying to get away from him. She slipped, falling hard onto the icy pavement, her screams lost in the hollow, empty night. He squeezed her neck until she fell quiet into his arms.

I stood in the shadows and watched like it was a scene from a movie. I knew I could do nothing. He picked her up, brought her to the water, and held her head down. Then he sat next to her, stroking her hair.

But this time, I was ready. I only needed a glimpse. If I could see his face in my vision, I could find him in reality. I summoned my courage, forced myself to swallow the bile that shot up in the back of my throat and followed him as he strolled arrogantly away.

The moon was bright, beams threading through the trees, leaving thick shadows. I backed into the darkness as he suddenly stopped, even though I knew he wouldn’t be able to see me. His breath leaked out in ghostly wisps as he stood silent.

Finally, he turned around, his eyes hooking into mine. He saw me. Somehow he cut through my murky vision and
saw me
.

But I saw him too. And now I knew who he was.

He stared a while, still and contemplative, as I fought my urge to run. But he didn’t come after me. The bastard just stood there, and then smiled, before stepping away and disappearing into the lonely night.

CHAPTER 1

Five Months Earlier…

“Can you get the door?” Kate yelled from the bedroom.

I was sitting on the sofa, watching that show where three guys lock themselves in abandoned hospitals and prisons and then videotape one another pretending to see ghosts. Mostly the show made me laugh, but once in a while it gave me chills.

It was dinnertime, so I was sure that it was Matt, Kate’s boyfriend. As I swung the door open, I sighed loudly. Then I jumped back. It wasn’t Matt.

“Hi, Abigail,” Dr. Mortimer said.

“Oh, hi,” I said, a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m not whoever you thought I was,” he said, smiling.

He stood on the porch, his thick, black hair full of soft white snowflakes. His eyes were bright and as he smiled, small wrinkles surrounded them, making him look extra happy.

“Please, come in,” I said.

“I was just in the neighborhood,” he said. “Thought I would check on my favorite patient as long as I was out and about. If that’s okay?”

“Of course.”

Dr. Mortimer had gotten into the habit of stopping by a few times a month to check up on me. He worked the night shift in the emergency room and even though he saved my life and I liked him quite a lot, I was never comfortable around him. I felt like he was always studying me.

I took his coat and hung it up on the rack and we walked to the living room.

“Can I get you a soda or something?” I asked as he sat on the sofa.

“Oh, no. But I’d take a glass of water.”

I was hoping that Kate would emerge from her room and join us. She was good at talking to people effortlessly about anything, plus I was still holding out hope that there could be a romantic spark between them. Dr. Mortimer was perfect for Kate. He was young and good looking, ambitious, and had a nice relaxed way about him that could balance Kate’s intensity. I also knew that he liked her a lot. I just wished that she would notice him, take an interest, and forget about Matt.

But she didn’t come out and I was on my own. I headed back from the kitchen and handed him a small bottled water.

“Thanks,” he said, twisting open the cap and taking a long sip.

He looked tired. It must have been all those long night shifts, stacked one after the other.

“How are you feeling by the way?” he asked.

“Okay,” I said.

He looked around the house for a moment and we let the silence sit. Eventually his eyes wandered back to mine.