Let me tell you a bit
about Rebecca Kingston. She's a hardworking, devoted mother of two, with an
abusive husband who has a gambling problem. And she's had enough. Though not an
easy decision to make for most abused women, Rebecca knows she has to protect
her children and herself. So she sets things in motion…
Here's a peek at the
first time you meet Rebecca:
Chapter Two
Edmonton, AB – Thursday, June 13, 2013 – 4:37 PM
Rebecca Kingston
folded her arms across her down-filled jacket and tried not to shiver. Though
May had ended with a heat wave, the temperatures had dropped the first week of
June. It had rained for the first five days, and an arctic chill had swept
through the city. The weatherman blamed the erratic change in weather on global
warming and a cold front sweeping down from Alaska, while locals held one
source responsible. Their lifelong rival—Calgary.
"Can we get
an ice cream, Mommy?" four-year-old Ella said with a faint lisp, the
result of her recent contribution to the tooth fairy's necklace collection.
Rebecca laughed.
"It feels like winter again and you want ice cream?"
"Yes,
please."
"I guess we
have time."
They hurried
across the street to the corner store.
"Strawberry
this time," Ella said, her blue eyes pleading.
Rebecca sighed.
"Eat it slowly. Did you remember Puff?"
Her daughter
nodded. "In my pocket."
"Good
girl." Rebecca glanced at her watch. "It's almost five. Let's
go."
Her cell phone
rang. It was Carter Billingsley, her lawyer.
"Mr. Billingsley,"
she said. "I'm glad you got my message."
"So you've
decided to get away," he said. "That's a very good idea."
"I need a
break." She glanced at Ella. "Things are going to get ugly, aren't
they?"
"Unfortunately,
yes. Divorce is never pretty. But you'll get through it."
"Thanks, Mr.
Billingsley."
"Take care,
Rebecca."
Carter had once
been her grandfather's lawyer and Grandpa Bob had highly recommended him—if
Rebecca ever needed someone to handle her divorce. In his late sixties, Carter
filled that father-figure left void after her father's passing.
Her thoughts raced
to her twelve-year-old son. Colton's team was up against one of the toughest
junior high hockey teams from Regina. With Colton as the Edmonton team's
goalie, most of the pressure was on him. He was a brave boy.
She bit her bottom
lip, wishing she were as brave.
You're a coward, Becca.
"You're too
codependent," her mother always said.
Rebecca figured
that wasn't actually her fault. She'd been fortunate to have strong male role
models in her life. Men who ran companies with iron fists and made decisions
after careful consideration. Or at least worked hard to provide for their
families. Men like Grandpa Bob and her father. Men who could be trusted to make
the right decisions.
Not like Wesley.
Even her
grandfather hadn't liked him. When Grandpa Bob passed away two years ago, he'd
sent a clear message to everyone that Wesley couldn't be trusted. Grandpa Bob
had lived a miser's lifestyle. No one knew how much money he'd saved for that
"rainy day"—until he was gone and Colton and Ella became
beneficiaries of over eight hundred thousand dollars from the sale of Grandpa
Bob's house and business.
Grandpa Bob, in
his infinite wisdom, had added two major conditions to the inheritance. Money
could only be withdrawn from the account if it was spent on Ella or Colton. And
Rebecca was the sole person with signing power.
Wesley moped
around the house for days when he heard the conditions. Any time she bought the
kids new clothes, he'd sneer at her and say, "Hope you used your
grandfather's money for those."
Once when he'd
gambled most of his paycheck, he begged her for a "loan," and when
she'd voiced that she didn't have the money, he slapped her. "Lying bitch!
You've got almost a million dollars at your fingertips. All I'm asking for is
thirty-five hundred. I'll pay it back."
She'd refused and
paid the price, physically.
From Cheryl Kaye
Tardif, the international bestselling author that brought you CHILDREN OF THE FOG, comes a terrifying psychological
thriller that will leave you breathless…
"Submerged reads like an approaching
storm, full of darkness, dread and electricity. Prepare for your skin to
crawl."
—Andrew
Gross, New York Times bestselling
author of 15 Seconds
Two strangers
submerged in guilt, brought together by fate…
After a tragic car accident claims the lives of his wife, Jane, and son,
Ryan, Marcus Taylor is immersed in grief. But his family isn't the only thing
he has lost. An addiction to painkillers has taken away his career as a
paramedic. Working as a 911 operator is now the closest he gets to
redemption—until he gets a call from a woman trapped in a car.
Rebecca Kingston yearns for a quiet weekend getaway, so she can think
about her impending divorce from her abusive husband. When a mysterious truck
runs her off the road, she is pinned behind the steering wheel, unable to help
her two children in the back seat. Her only lifeline is a cell phone with a quickly
depleting battery and a stranger's calm voice on the other end telling her
everything will be all right.
Learn more about Cheryl Kaye
Tardif at http://www.cherylktardif.com
and follow her on Twitter.
Enter
Cheryl’s Kindle Fire HDX Giveaway: https://www.facebook.com/cherylkayetardif
