Who had fate chosen to take from me this time?
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Thank you so much!
M.D. Melai and C.S. Leigh
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, we would like to thank God for blessing us with this opportunity and giving us the love, guidance, and strength to complete this story.
We would like to thank our family and friends who encouraged us through this long journey we started five years ago. Without your constant support, this book would not have happened.
Patsy, we would like to thank you for your dedication and constructive criticism. You pushed us to be better writers and think outside of what we knew.
Erica, you have been here from the beginning. We can’t thank you enough for sticking with us through many, many drafts and your feedback has been most helpful.
Jessica. Thank you for doing the cover. It looks awesome!
M.D. Melai would like to give a shout out to her husband and son for allowing her to pursue her dream and for putting up with the endless hours of brainstorming and late night writing sessions.
C.S. Leigh would like to thank her mother, father, and siblings for the constant support and reminders that we need to finish so they could finally read it. And a special thank you to her father for the financial guidance and making this possible, without you we wouldn’t have made it this far.
About the Authors
M.D. Melai and C.S. Leigh are a cousin writing duo from North Central Texas.
They began the first draft of Deceptive in 2009 while attending college at the same time. The idea began in a kinesiology class that they took together, and they built it up from there as each class was full of brainstorming. But in too short of time, life got in the way and Liliana’s story was put on the back burner.
Over the next five years, Liliana’s story never left their minds or hearts as it was discussed sporadically.
So when April of 2014 graced them with its presence, the two decided that, after all the time that had passed, it was time to finish their dream, so they began working on Deceptive once again. And from that point on the two were inseparable as they wrote and released the entire series in two years. All three books were self-published by the authors and have been on the rise since.
M.D. Melai is a stay at home mom of an active son. When she isn’t being a mom, a wife, or a sideline cheerleader, she tries to fit in writing time whenever she can. She also enjoys reading as much as possible, and spending time with her family. Melai hopes to one day finish her Bachelor’s in History and English.
C.S. Leigh spends her days working for a hospital, and her nights consist of writing her first solo novel or reading. In any spare time that she has, she spends it with her friends and family. She is also very active as she still plays soccer for a local adult league. Sports are a huge part of her life and you can catch her at local sporting events. C.S. Leigh has her bachelor’s degree in business, but has decided to follow her passion of writing. She hopes to one day go back to college and get her degree in English or Creative Writing.
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Here’s a sneak peek at
FUGITIVE,
the enticing sequel to Deceptive.
Chapter 1
I screamed as I shot straight up in my seat. It took me a moment to find my bearings, and when I did, I looked around the immediate area and tried to remember exactly where I was.
It all flooded back to me as the sound of the plane’s engine buzzed in my ear. I was on an airplane heading back to New Jersey. Violet was patiently sitting beside me when I turned to face her. Her eyes were full of concern as she stared back at me. I tried to speak, but my breathing was still unsteady.
“You were dreaming again,” Violet said as she wrapped her arms around me and brought me in close. “Shh, it’s okay,” she whispered. “It was just a dream.” I felt her fingers run through my hair as she tried to soothe me.
I took a few deep breaths before gaining full control. I leaned forward, placed my elbows on my knees, and buried my face in my hands. My face was wet and hot from the tears. I hadn’t realized until that moment that I had been crying. I smeared my make-up as I wiped them away.
“Do you know where you are?” she asked me after a few seconds.
“I’m on a plane,” I said lifting my head to look at her. “I had a nightmare, not a head injury.” I slightly smiled.
“Smart ass.” She smiled back at me, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. I knew she was worried.
“Did I scream while I was dreaming?” I asked as I scrunched my face. I knew that I had screamed when I shot up, but I didn’t know if that was the first time.
“Yes,” she answered back.
“Awesome,” I said sarcastically. “I go from one haunting dream to another. I just can’t get away from what happened that night no matter how hard I try.”
I will always remember the night I was kidnapped: the running, the screaming, and the echo of the gunshot through the air, every last detail.
The Heinrichs had kidnapped me, held me hostage, and were going to use me for leverage before Lucas helped me escape. Lucas, who had been my love, had done the most unforgivable act, he betrayed me.
Dante and Emilio somehow found me out in the middle of the forest. Our reunion was cut short when Nikolas’ voice rang out.
“Lucas, where are you?” he called out. My eyes immediately flashed towards Lucas.
“Over here,” Lucas yelled back.
It was chaotic as Emilio gave orders to Dante as he pushed me towards him. Faith’s voice rang out next as she asked Lucas where he was.
“Get the hell out of here,” Emilio yelled at me and Dante before he took off at a dead run towards Lucas.
I yelled for him, but Dante grabbed my arm and pulled me the other direction. I watched as Lucas and Emilio collided with each other and then hit the ground with fists flying.
“Let me go!” I demanded Dante, but he just picked me up and pulled me into his chest as he took off into the woods away from Emilio and Lucas.
Dante and I were arguing when we heard it: the echo of the gunshot.
The silence that followed was deafening. Dante had stopped dead in his tracks as he stood there holding me. Both of us listened for something, anything, but nothing came.
“Emilio,” I whispered as I started to flail in Dante’s arms. My reaction stunned him, so it was easy to wiggle my way out. I didn’t waste any time.
“Emilio!” I screamed as I took off running back towards him. The sound of the gunshot still rang in my ears as I pushed myself harder. I needed to reach him. “Emilio!” I yelled again.
Dante quickly caught up with me, and in one swift move, he jumped in front of me and blocked my way. I tried to go around him, but I couldn’t. He wouldn’t let me take another step.
“Stop! What are you doing? Let me go!”
“Lily stop, we have to keep moving,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me and dragged me back the opposite direction. “We can’t go back.”
“Emilio,” I screamed as I struggled to loosen Dante’s grip. “Let me go, please!”
“Dammit, Lily! Stop!” Dante yelled as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Emilio can take care of himself. He would never forgive me if I let anything
happen to you.”
Dante took off running again. I still don’t know how he managed to hold on to me as I fought to free myself. Luckily, he didn’t have to run much further before we emerged from the trees and into an open area.
“Okay, I’m going to set you down. Don’t run,” he said breathing heavily. He slowly set me down as he kept a firm grasp on my forearm.
Wrong move.
I turned around and with every ounce of strength I had I swung. My fist connected with his nose and I felt it break under the force. He immediately let go of my arm as he lost his balance and stumbled backwards.
“What the…,” Dante yelled, but I was already gone.
I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was I needed to get to Emilio. I wasn’t leaving without him.
Searching the area as I ran, I tried to remember which way we had just come from. I saw a pile of branches stacked against a tree, so I knew I was going in the right direction.
“Liliana!” Dante called out. He was close by.
I slowed my pace as I looked back to see if I could see him, but he wasn’t there…yet. I was about to turn my head back around and take off running again when I slammed into someone. He was hard and warm as he wrapped his arms around me. I hesitated for a minute before I threw my arms around him, buried my face in his neck, and breathed him in. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was. It was Emilio. I prayed this was real and not a figment of my imagination. He scooped me up in his arms and took off in a dead sprint.
“I have her!” he yelled.
When I heard his voice, I knew he was real. I clung to him while he ran. I listened to his heavy breathing and felt his heart pound against his chest. At that moment I never ever wanted to let go of him again. When we reached the tree line, he kept holding me and didn’t put me down.
Dante came into view a few feet behind us. His face was covered in blood and he was using his shirt to catch most of it. I felt bad when I saw him. I knew he was only trying to protect me. He was never going to forgive me for what I had done.
Emilio and Dante ran for a little longer before they slowed down.
Emilio set me down and I took a look around the area. There were trees on both sides of us. I turned around and saw Dante’s jeep idling. I still wasn’t sure where I was, but I knew I was safe. I glanced in the direction that the jeep had come from and I could barely make out a tightly wound trail that I guess led to a main road.
“Lily,” Emilio said as he turned me around to face him. “Look at me.” He placed his hand on my cheek that had been cut and I winced from the pain. I almost forgot that it was there.
I didn’t meet his eyes at first, but when I did a moment later; his stormy grays were staring back at me intently.
I don’t remember a lot after that. Everything was still unclear. I know Dante drove while Emilio sat in the back with me. We refused to let each other go. When the car eventually stopped, Violet stood there waiting for us with a private jet in the background. Emilio pulled me close and held me like it was the last time he would see me. Then he kissed me and handed me off to Violet.
I didn’t understand, and I definitely didn’t want to leave him. I held onto him as I pleaded with them to let me stay, but in the end, I let him go and Violet pushed me up the stairs and onto the plane. Moments later we were in the sky, destination unknown, at least unbeknownst to me. I didn’t speak a word for the first hour of the trip, and Violet let me be.
When I was ready to talk, Violet was there to answer all my questions, and one by one, I pieced together what happened with them once we parted ways.
She told me that Dante, Emilio, and she were almost to the club when Emilio’s phone went off alerting him that the panic button had been hit at the office. I thought when I had gone to press it that I had missed it, but apparently I hadn’t. Violet said Emilio immediately dialed Lucas’ number and it went straight to voicemail. Then he checked his phone before realizing what he was looking for was around Violet’s neck, the locket. She said Emilio freaked out and screamed at her, and that Dante had to step in. The locket had been a tracking device, which is why Emilio told me to never take it off.
Violet talked about arriving at the office and seeing the destruction. The plants had been knocked on their sides, papers were thrown everywhere, and the furniture was all over the place. She said as soon as Emilio saw blood, he started yelling and saying he was going to kill them all. Violet said, looking at me now, she realized the traces of blood must have been from me, but not before asking how bad the other guy looked. I smiled at that before she continued.
She explained how Emilio and Dante dropped her off at the house and told her to pack our essentials, grab our passports, and be ready to head to the airport on a moment’s notice. Dante told her they had an idea of where I might be and that they would call her as soon as they found me.
Violet didn’t know much more after that. She said she ran around the house packing everything she could. Once she had finished packing, she waited for a good two hours. Violet said just waiting around to see if her best friend was still alive was the worst thing she had to endure in a while. She told me that when Dante called, he said they had me and that I was in pretty bad shape. He told her to meet them at the airport and that Lorenzo and Paolo would be taking her.
When Violet was done, she asked me about what happened once Lucas and I left the house. I told her about how I had drove to the office and Lucas complained about how terrible I drove. I was surprised he even noticed, because he was constantly on his phone.
I then told her how I went inside, flipped on my lamp, and searched for the documents for our meeting the next day. I looked everywhere and was about to give up when I heard a noise. Next thing I knew, I was being attacked. I described how the attacker flung my head against the desk, pulled my hair, and then I slammed my stiletto into his foot so I could get away.
She listened as I described how I was almost out the door before the attacker grabbed my ankle and dragged me across the carpet. I dug my nails into the carpet and tried to add resistance to his pull.
Violet flinched as I talked about how he taunted me and cut my face before he threatened to kill me if I spoke again. I told her how he dragged me towards the back of the building, blindfolded me, taped my hands together behind my back, and then dumped me into the trunk of his car. We traveled for a long time before the car came to a stop. Then the trunk door flew open and two people pulled me out. They led me inside a house and into an almost empty room. They sat me down and one by one slowly revealed to me who they were: Faith, Nikolas, and then Lucas. All Heinrichs, and all my enemies.
Violet looked shocked as I told her how they revealed that my family was head of the Italian mafia and their family was head of the German. Both families had been feuding for years and the Heinrichs were looking for redemption, which started with a document they needed from my father.
I told her how Lucas created a diversion and helped me escape into the woods. He eventually caught up with me and tried to explain himself. He told me how at first it was strictly business and that the Heinrichs were trying to combine both families using him as the link. But, the more he got to know me, the more he fell in love with me.
I watched as Violet’s eyes grew wider as I explained how I told Lucas I didn’t care what his excuses were, anything he said would be considered a lie in my eyes. His situation was unexplainable.
“Then I heard Dante’s voice come out of nowhere and he rushed to my side. Emilio followed, but soon charged Lucas after ordering Dante to take me away. He didn’t get me far before we heard the gunshot.” I paused before I finished telling her the events that happened next.
“What about Lucas?” she asked.
“I don’t know and honestly at this second, I don’t care,” I replied.
Violet helped me get cleaned up afterwards and told me as soon as we landed we needed to get my cheek looked at. She said it looked deep and may require stitches.
We landed in Jamaica a couple of hours later and, true to her word, we went straight to the nearest hospital. The cut wasn’t as deep as we both initially thought, so it didn’t require any stitches. Instead, eight butterfly band aids held my cheek together. Minimal scarring the doctors assured me. That was the least of the “scarring” I was worried about. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the reality of the last twenty-four hours had taken a toll on my body and mind.
What started off as a six week escape, eventually turned into a three month long vacation away from everyone except Violet. We had a private villa and, at first, we rarely left it. It was small and quaint. There were two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a living room. The entire area was open and all of the rooms had windows. We were right on the beach, so no matter where we went in the house, we always had a beautiful view.
The nightmares consumed me every night for the first four weeks. I would wake up screaming and Violet would lay with me and stroke my hair until I would fall back asleep. She begged me to go and talk to a therapist about everything, but I didn’t need to. All I needed was some time and space.
Emilio called and checked on me every day. He told me, just in case I was wondering, that Lucas was alive and doing well. I told him I didn’t care. And why should I?
He tried to explain Lucas’ plea to me, but I would immediately cut him off. When I did that, the only thing he would say was that one of these days I would have to listen to what he had to say, or let Lucas explain it himself.
I wasn’t interested in anything Lucas or Emilio had to say. I finally told Emilio if he brought it up again, I wouldn’t speak to him until I returned home and maybe not even then. What Lucas had done was unforgivable and he didn’t deserve a chance to explain himself.
Violet had filled Dante in on what had happened to me after Lucas and I left that night. That was the missing part that my family still didn’t know and I couldn’t tell it again. It was hard enough reliving it when I told Violet, much less trying to explain it to my family.