Part 38 (2/2)
Available in March 2007, only from MIRA Books T here had been an explosion, she thought. Someone had screamed something about gas, and then a blast had seemed to rock the world. Yes, she could remember now, the feeling of being lifted, of flying...slamming hard against the wall. But...she wasn't leaning against the wall now.
She was looking down on a scene of absolute chaos. And she was in it.
She could see herself, who had been taken and placed in a line of sleeping people. She didn't recognize any of them. Matt...
where was Matt? Others were hurrying around the room, moving with purpose. They were all in uniform, firemen and cops. The freshly painted walls of the room were blackened and scorched almost to the doorway, evidence of the blast.
She hurt! Oh, G.o.d, she ached in every bone. The scent of charred wood-worse, charred flesh-filled her nostrils. She remembered the terrible sound, the way she had been lifted and thrown as the room was rocked by the explosion.
Now she looked down on herself, contemplated the others near and realized that the people she was lying with weren't sleeping.
They were dead.
She could see the open, glazed eyes of the woman beside her. And then she realized that a man was hunched down beside her own body. And it wasn't Matt. The man had his fingers against her throat. Feeling for a pulse?
”This one is alive!”
Of course I'm alive.
There was sudden confusion.
People rus.h.i.+ng over to her. Shouting.
”Quick! Move or we'll lose her! Her pulse is fading.”
People rushed around her. She couldn't see past them to see what was happening.
”Clear!”
She felt fire in her chest.
Every bone in her body seemed to be in sudden, raw, agony. She knew she needed to open her eyes, to rake in a desperate breath.
She blinked.
”We've got her! She's back.”
And she was. Back in her body, looking up at her rescuers, no longer staring down at the scene.
Recollection and awareness filled her, and her awareness of the scene around her was acute, agonizing.
There were four bodies against the wall. And one of them belonged to Matt.
Suddenly, there was no confusion, just knowledge.
Matt was dead.She started to choke, to scream....
”Calm down,” a medic said. ”You're alive, and we've got to keep you that way.”
Alive? Not really, not if Matt...
”No, you've got to help Matt. He's alive. I was just talking to him. You've got to help him. Help him!”
She saw the distress in the medic's eyes. ”I'm so sorry....”
Matt...
She was vaguely aware of a needle in her arm.
Then there was only darkness.
ISBN: 1-55254-575-X.
KISS OF DARKNESS.
Copyright 2006 Heather Graham Pozzessere.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same nameor names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
About the Author.
Heather grew up in Dade County, Florida, and attended the University of South Florida at Tampa, majoring in theater arts and touring Europe and parts of Asia and Africa as part of her studies. After college, she acted in dinner theaters, modeled, waitressed, and tended bar. After the birth of her third child, she was determined to devote her efforts to her writing: her dream.
She sold her first book in 1982.
Today, this author's success is reflected not just by reader response and the over 20 million copies of her books in print, but in many other ways. In addition to being a New York Times bestselling author, Heather has received numerous awards for her novels, including over 20 trade awards from magazines such as Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur, bestseller awards from B.
Dalton, Waldenbooks, and BookRak, and several Reviewers' Choice and People's Choice awards.Heather has appeared on Entertainment Tonight, Romantically Speaking, a TV talk show that aired nationwide on the Romance Cla.s.sics cable channel, and CBS Sunday News. She has been quoted in People and USA Today, been profiled in The Nation, and featured in Good Housekeeping. Her books have been selections for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. She has been published across the world in more than 15 languages and has published over 70 t.i.tles, including anthologies and short stories.
Somehow, this prolific author manages to juggle it all-family, career, and marriage-while reaching a level of success to which few can aspire.
Coming Next Month If you enjoyed the eBook you just read, then you'll love what we have for you next month!
<script>