FURY OF DESIRE: Excerpt #2
Happy Friday everyone! I’m so glad you stopped by today, because…oh yeah. We’re so very close now. Less than a week to go before Fury of Desire, the next book in the Dragonfury Series, releases on October 15th. I cannot tell you how excited I am to share this story with you. So I thought…why not celebrate by sharing another excerpt with you ahead of time? Last week, you read a snippet about Wick. This week, it’s all about J.J. and her battle to outsmart the prison guard who wants her dead.
By no means an easy proposition considering she’s injured, in the hospital, with the officer in question on guard duty.
I hope you enjoy the read!
FURY OF DESIRE – An excerpt:
***
J. J. wanted to sleep but was too afraid to close her eyes. People always got killed when they weren’t looking. Horror movies proved it. Life and fate followed the trend, attacking when least expected. So elementary, my dear Watson. Fear was a natural part of the equation. At least in her book.
Alertness equaled living to see another day.
An excellent strategy, considering Griggs stood just outside her door. In the hallway. Less than twenty feet away. Yakking it up with his fellow officer. Fighting a yawn, J. J. stared at the uniformed pair. The glass that stretched wall-to-wall across the front of her room afforded her an excellent view. Good in some respects. Awful in others. The clear partition allowed her to keep watch while she waited for Griggs to make his move: the inevitable approach, the next vile threat, the feel of his hands wrapped around her throat.
Nausea churned in the pit of her stomach.
The pitch and sway tossed a bad taste into her mouth. J. J. swallowed, telling herself not to be stupid. Griggs wouldn’t try anything with the nursing staff around. She frowned. Would he? Her gaze glued to him, the question circled. His back to her, shoulder blades planted on the glass wall, he laughed. The dog-eared magazine he held jumped in his hand. Big hands. Unkind hands. Owned by a man without conscience or scruples.
Unease turned into dread, heightening her fear.
She shivered. Unable to control it, the quiver rolled into a series of tremors. The handcuff around her wrist rattled against the bed rail. The soft sound cranked her tighter. Oh God. She was trapped. Completely vulnerable.
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to call for help.
Fingertips gone numb, J. J. curled her free hand in the sheet. Cotton rasped against her palm, grounding her in the ultimate question. What to do . . . what to do? Dear God in heaven, she didn’t know. With the text message sent, she was out of options. Left to fend for herself, knowing that sooner or later Griggs would try something. His threats weren’t idle, neither was his nastiness, so . . . uh-huh. It was a no-brainer. The oily guard was slick with an extra helping of smart. If he wanted her dead, she’d end up that way.
Ice-cold. Toes pointed up. Laid out on a slab in the hospital morgue.
Wiping her sweaty palms on the blanket, she ran through alternatives. Death by strangulation. Murder by pillow suffocation. Overdose via whatever drug he could find. All were distinct possibilities with Griggs in the mix. Her heart picked up a beat, then another, rushing blood through her veins. The accompanying thump-thump made her chest ache as she glanced at her IV. Curled at the edges, strips of medical tape held the shunt in place, presenting the perfect delivery system . . .
For the perfect murder.
***
© 2013 Copyright Coreene Callahan
Thanks for taking the time to read a snippet of Fury of Desire. The scene goes on to reveal some interesting things, so I hope you pick up your copy of Fury of Desire today. For more about the Dragonfury novels and my other books, please drop me a line. Email me through my Website, visit me on Facebook or connect with me on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you!
