Gwen
When I close my eyes and manage to block out the horrors going on around me and ignore the aches and pain in virtually every inch of my body, I can still hear the cheers of the audience as I’m lifted into the air by my teammates. For those few brief moments as I remember toppling from the top of the pyramid I feel like I’m flying, I’m free and nothing can hurt me.
But, I was wrong…
How long would it take before they stopped missing me; stopped looking; before I was forgotten about completely? A month? Six months? A year? I’m no longer a person. I’m a commodity.
Lance
I have a plan, years in the making. It’s perfect – foolproof. All I need is to keep myself focused on the big picture – my ultimate goal. But then she arrived…
She tests my patience and my will. She angers and frustrates me, making the darkness within scream to be released. I want to ignore her, but I can’t. I need to let her go, but can’t seem to allow her to be sent away.
She’s going to ruin everything…
Genre: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / GeneralHas been in the B&N top 100 and as low as #36 in the Amazon kindle store with thousands of copies sold. From a New York Times and USA today bestselling author
Prologue
Gwen
When I close my eyes and am able to block out the horrors going on around me and ignore the aches in virtually every inch of my abused body, I can still hear the cheers of the audience as I’m lifted into the air by the other cheerleaders. The cheers feel so good to imagine that a smile briefly spreads across my chapped and cut lips.
The Fort Louis Cheer Squad is one of the top cheer squads in New England; we were going to take the national championship. I knew it in all my heart, maybe they still will, but I suspect it will be without me. I spend more time than maybe I should wondering who will take my place as captain of the squad; Becky Peters, I bet. She’s petite, popular, everyone loves Becky. Yeah, she would be taking my spot.
When I really concentrate I can remember the feelings of freedom as I let myself go and fall from the top of the pyramid, into the waiting arms of my teammates. I trust my teammates will catch me and they always do. For those few brief moments as I topple I feel like I’m flying, I’m free and nothing can hurt me.
But I was wrong...
How long would it take before they stopped missing me; stopped looking; before I was forgotten about completely? A month? Six months? A year?
Until now, I lived a life of privilege. I was popular, cute, was the girlfriend of the captain of the lacrosse team and had a family who loved me dearly. But that’s gone now and I’ve been thrown into a living hell. I was optimistic when I was first taken that I’d somehow be free again, someone would save me, but now I’m starting to think differently.
I’m no longer a person. I’m a commodity. Gwen Anderson is dead and slave number 342 has taken her place.
