The Deception series boxset: FaCade, Cadence, Beneath Innocence (28 page)

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Authors: Ker Dukey,D.H Sidebottom

Tags: #The Deception Boxset

Faye. God, she was there again in my dreams, so vivid I could smell her scent. “Argh!” I screamed, smothering my face in her pillow, the one I traveled with. I didn’t give a fuck if that made me a pussy. Yeah, I was a film star but I was also human and I was dying inside without her.

My body wept in sorrow, my heart beat out of my chest. I wanted this crippling throb to ease so I could focus on anything but the hole in the pit of my stomach that swallowed another piece of me every day I woke up without her. I wanted to be set free from the ache that was constant since the day they told me her plane went down.

I loved her then and my love for her now was killing me slowly.

Men are funny creatures. We love fiercely when we find the right woman. Family, friends… none of it matters when you have the one. We fly the nest and our love and life, our everything, revolves around the love we harbor for our woman. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my family, friends but if it came down to a choice, she would have won every time.

I didn’t need anyone but her. Men don’t need much to function, it’s true what they say; you only need the love of a good woman. I had that and lost it.

I couldn’t believe she was gone. If she was dead, I would have felt it, I would have ceased to exist. I was barely existing now; an apparition of my former self. I was only breathing for the sake of living but not really present in the world. My heart was dying; there was still a beat but there was no sound.

Thoughts tore at my mind. Was she scared? The sound of the impact, the twisting and crunching of metal, the whooshing of air as it was sucked from the cabin. The heat from the fire that lit up the engine on impact. My beautiful girl, scared, screaming and crying. Did she think about me as fear took hold of her and held her in its grip?

They found no bodies. They said the fire was too bad and refused to allow us the pictures. I knew my woman was still out there. My soul was tethered to hers and it still sensed her essence. I would find her. I would never rest until I found her.

My phone buzzed, startling me. I reached across the bed and grabbed my cell. My best friend Jenson had finally text.

I have someone willing to take us to the location of the crash site. Be ready in one hour

At last, progress. I would start there.

An hour later I waited outside my hotel room for Jenson. I pulled my baseball cap down further over my sunglasses and tightened the hoody so my lips and nose were barely on show. I looked like a weirdo but that meant people stayed away. I couldn’t risk being recognized by a fan.

I ignored the heat as it soaked into the black fibers and made sweat pool in every pore. I sighed in relief when Jenson pulled up in a van, until he gestured for me to get in the back. My brow scrunched but I was too anxious to bother arguing. I opened the back and got in.

A scrawny guy sat in the back looking like someone was about to jump out and shank him. He was nervous, his eyes moving rapidly in his head, his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

I shut the door and ignored the guy itching at his arm like something was crawling under his skin. I was in the film industry and my best friend Jenson was a famous rock star. I knew a tweaker when I was shut in a van with one.

“Please tell me you’re not our tour guide?”

He looked up at me, then away, shaking his head. “No tour needed, sir.” Sir? I didn’t think anyone had ever called me
sir
before. I waved my hand in a continue gesture. I was being irritated at breakneck speed. “I work out in the field where this plane crash happened. It’s a vineyard. I pick grapes, sir. We were told not to come into work that day but I left something there the day before and I needed it, so I crept in.” His eyes kept darting to the door like he was waiting for it to fly open. What the hell was he scared of? His hand went back to tearing into his flesh. “A plane landed right out in the field, it was amazing. I have never seen a plane up close before.”

My heart was on a rampage, raging war with my ribcage. “When you say landed, you mean crashed?”

He stared straight at me, his eyes finding focus as he leaned forward. “There was no crash, sir. The plane landed perfectly and a car came. Men went on board and came out with a woman. She was unconscious and then they placed her in the car.”

My woman, my fiancée, the love of my life was alive… but taken, which meant she could be found and whoever had stolen what was mine would die painfully, choking on his own blood.

I couldn’t breathe. The anger, fear and relief all bombarded me at once. There was no air. My phone vibrated against my leg grounding me. Slipping it free the number was unknown.

“Who’s this?”

I heard a gasp then a drop of the phone. Then … her!

“I’m sorry. I’m going to get ready now.”

I scrambled to loosen the hood, pulling off my hat and glasses, trying to suck in oxygen. My Faye …

“Faye… Faye...”

The line was dead.

The tweaker’s audible gasp brought me back. God, of course he would recognize me, fucking figures. Why was he scrambling for the door? Usually they scrambled towards me.

Turning to me, his head shook from side to side as his wide eyes filled with fear and confusion. “You were there. Is this a test? Please don’t kill me.”

Shit, he was tripping out on something; a bad batch of whatever he pumped into those veins. He was so pale, you’d have thought the devil had appeared to him.

“Dude, relax, you’re about to stroke out.” I tried moving towards him but he flinched and started crying. I banged on the adjoining wall to get Jenson’s attention.

I heard his door open and close before the back of the van opened. The tweaker spilled free, landing in a heap at Jenson’s feet. “It is him! He killed Rahul and stole the woman!” he yammered at Jenson in a panic.

It took five seconds for it to register. A further two for me to collapse to my knees. And one more before his name left my lips in disbelief. My brother… my twin brother… “Dante!”

Continue their story in book 2… CADENCE ← Don’t grumble we warned you!

Keep reading for a sneak peek at other work and upcoming releases

Okay, here comes the soppy bit!

We always start with the word ‘Thanks’ at this bit – such a simple word, but never used enough. Yet sometimes, it isn’t enough either.

‘Thanks’ doesn’t seem the appropriate word for my gratitude to my children and my Mum. ‘Thanks’ isn’t appreciation enough for their relentless support, belief and encouragement. ‘Thanks’ is nowhere near adequate for the days when they feed me when I forget to eat, tackle the huge ironing pile I overlook, or when they shop to sustain my caffeine addiction when I am too engrossed in a book to visit the store. Or even the way they each take care of me, as well as each other on the days when the words swallow me.

There isn’t a word, or even a phrase, out there that can define what I want to say to them, apart from, I love you, because as simple as it is, it says everything.

And yet again, here comes that inadequate word; Thanks. But this time it is to the five special friends in my life. Vickie, Michelle, Debbie, Kelly and Nikki. When the darkness threatens to devour me, you are each there, flicking on the light that chases the shadows away. You make me laugh when I cry, you give me hope through all the impossibility and you hold me up when all I want to do is fall, but more than that, you protect me from my own demons – you keep me breathing! I love each one of you.

And finally, to a very special woman. Miss Ker Dukey. I know you will cringe and hate me for saying this, but you’re my guardian Angel, my best friend, my soul sister, and my sanity. Not a day goes by when you don’t make me smile.

This career can bring the most gruelling stress, the utmost heartache and the greatest agony, but for all those difficulties, there are infinite valuable rewards. And the most treasured of those is that it brought us together, not just as writers but as friends.

But above all, I want to thank you for having enough faith in me to allow me to write alongside your amazing talent.

And one day, when we are rich enough to retire to the Bahamas with our families, I will kiss your sweaty, but damn sexy, feet.

Luv ya’ babe ♡

As always thank you to my family… who lose me every time a character demands their story be written. I love you and appreciate all you do.

Thank you to Dawn for entertaining me when I asked, “you want to write this book with me? A woman wakes up with no memory and…” ← And that was it, she cut me off and said, “Hell yes!” Boom! A couple of funny phone calls to outline the story, a couple of months of back forth and endless messages of ideas and FaCade was born.

Dawn you have been so easy and a pleasure to work with, your talent is endless. You are the twist in my spiral, the dark in my black, the crazy in my insanity and the kink in my depravity. I freaking love you.

Thanks to our amazing Kittens and hardcore fans who pimp us all the time! You get us out there and we love you. My girl Crystal who loves me. My girls Kiki and Judi who are not only my publicists but friends who I adore even when Judi’s sexy hubby makes me blush ;)

To all the blogs who review, pimp and promo us. Thank you!!

A special thanks to Kirsty Moseley for guest reading beta ARC. You rock lady!

Thank you to the people who make it all happen.

Authors- D.H Sidebottom & Ker Dukey

Beta’s – Vickie Leaf, Vikki Ryan, Kelly Graham, Jillian Crouson–Toth, Terrie Arasin, Katie Theobald, Michelle McGinty.

Editor – Kyra Lennon

http://www.kyralennon.com/

Proof read – Jillian Crouson

Cover model - Justin Marcoccio

https://www.facebook.com/Justin.Marcoccio.info

Photographer – Christopher John

https://www.facebook.com/CJCPhotography