A centuries-old spirit of vengeance, born from the brutal suffering of enslaved Africans on a Grenadian plantation, awakens in the modern day. Sadia Baptiste, a historian, inherits her grandfather's estate and uncovers a horrific truth: a ledger detailing atrocities and an ancient slave collar that serves as a key to controlling the entity known as the Jab—a shadowy force with lips of blood that drinks the life of the wicked.As the Jab begins its bloody harvest, Sadia is forced int...

There exist, in the heart of every garden, an unspoken law. It is a law written not in soil or stone, but in the gaze of those who pass by. It decrees that the vibrant shall be cherished, the delicate shall be protected, and the radiant shall be celebrated. It is a law, in other words, that confuses ornamentation with virtue. But, what if the opposite were true? What if our most cherished standards of worth were not only arbitrary but actively harmful? What if the creature we pedestalize i...

Harriet's detective agency sets off to rescue a young lady kidnaped in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. The rescue is successful, but Harriet is left stranded with no money, phone, or passport. She has a price on her head because she was responsible for the previous drug cartel demise. The police department is tainted, where can she go?Excerpt:She had 300 thousand in her briefcase, the compliments of Senor Gutierrez. He could be generous after completing a four million drug deal. S...

My dress was being ripped.Strong hands took everything.My underthings tearingUntil I lay naked.I couldn't move!My arms and legsPinned to the dirt,"Please, God! Mother!"The Nurse above me.Her huge frame outlinedAgainst the setting sunSurrounding her in flames.The devil herselfWas attacking."God! She wants my soul!"Fear wrung through me.The tip of her bladeFlashed in the...

Blinding headlights behind, now beside her. Curve ahead, she slams the brakes. It misses, smashes through the rail. She hears it strike the rocks below. Silence, only the darkness. Her arms shake. In the city, headlights again. The ship, the Marines will be there. She skids to a stop at the gangplank, no one. The black car pulls up behind her, doors open. She accelerates, as bullets take out the windows. She stops at the edge of the pier. It’s quiet, she hears footsteps. Raul why, I love y...

She looked over. She saw Judy moving up beside her, smiling. Suddenly a laser flashed. Judy was gone.Ana immediately kicked the thrusters in, shoved her stick forward going into a sudden deep dive as another laser just missed her tail. She turned the craft as she went into her loop and came up behind the two Starfighters that had fired their lasers. She unlocked her laser locking in the Starfighters.The two Starfighter started to separate when Ana fired taking out the one on ...

Scared, she did not dare move. It was not feeling like a raccoon. It was much bigger and dangerous. She wished the lantern was working. She could hear it breathing. It was on the branch above her. If it jumped, it would land right on her.Slowly she placed her left hand over the cooked fish protecting them. She heard the animal move on down the branch until he was part way in the boat beside her. She felt the boat tip sharply to her left. Yes, it was very large.Suddenly she f...

Mrs. Stone has left for St Louis taking George with her. Rose’s father built their house and barn on Indian land as did many of their neighbors. The Indians were scared off the land twenty years ago when the Indian massacres were taking place. Now Indian smoke is seen again. Have the Indians come back, and what do they want as old hatreds surface?

She looked at her cards. She had all spades (flush). She turned to Laurel."I pass," he said and threw his cards in. He glared at Rose, "I can pass too!"I'm not passing," Clinton said, "I bet two thousand!" He stared at Rose, "You going to pass on this one too?"She shook her head slowly and placed two thousand in the pot."Now deal me one card!" He yelled. He threw away one card from his hand. It flipped over revealing a ten of spades.Rose looked up at him,...

Rose worked her way down the stairs."Hurry Rose!" Leonard yelled, "Before the next wave."Rose felt her way down the next two stairs and started for the bar when the water came rushing in. It caught her at the waist and sent her flying towards the door and Leonard. She managed to catch part of the door and hold on. She felt the water go over her head and out the door. She couldn't breathe. She wanted to scream, but that would mean taking in water. Everything was dark. She held...

Mrs. Donovan gave him her arm as he led her off the gangplank. Rose delayed stepping on the gangplank for fear she might tip it slightly. She thought about waiting for the Colonel and delayed a little longer.She heard someone coming down the stairs in a hurry and decided she would go on across to be out of his way. The footsteps picked up speed and came up fast behind her. She felt pressure on her side and found herself falling into the water. Something hit her head, and she blacked...

Wounded, her arms shaking, she held her colt forty-five against the wall, and moved down the hall. A dark shadow appeared, a flash, she pulled the trigger, and felt pain in her side. The assassin fell back in the room. Screaming, she sent bullets into the wall until the Assassin threw his gun out. The monitor instructed her to put her revolver down. The assassin wounded, disappeared out the partition. Against the wall, she slid to the floor unconscious with her side and arm bleedin...