THE CROOKED CITY
by Ryan Whitwam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Sci-fi Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Jonah
doesn’t want to run–he has to. There’s only so much pain one man can cause
before he needs to start over. Unstuck from his tainted past, he craves the anonymity
he can only achieve by vanishing like a specter in the night.
Before his new life is
even underway, a chance encounter leaves him in possession of a curious
object–something the mysterious Keepers of The Oracle will kill to obtain, but
there’s more to the Keepers than Jonah could possibly imagine. They have the
ability to do much worse than kill, and now he's in their sights.
The Keepers wield power
unlike anything Jonah has ever seen, and they’re closing in fast. He’s placed a
new group of innocents in danger this time, and he can’t run away again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
“Sit,”
Gordon said to her the instant they were alone.
“Go
to hell,” she replied. Gordon’s smile grew larger as he came face to face with
her in two large steps. He reached out and placed a hand on each shoulder. He
pulled and twisted, manipulating her center of gravity such that she fell back
into the chair. He stood behind the chair, keeping his hands on her. The
downward pressure he exerted was firm, but not uncomfortable.
“I
hoped I’d get a chance to see you alone before things got too hectic,” Gordon
said. She felt him leaning close. The heat of his breath wafted past her ear as
he spoke. “I know that you’re afraid of the fire. You’re afraid it will burn.
That it will eat up your pretty skin and scorch your bones. Don’t worry, love.
Have faith that at the end you’ll be clean again. I’ll take on all your sins.
You’ll be mine.”
“You’re
mad.”
Gordon’s
right hand slid from her shoulder, traced the line of her collarbone and
continued down. Kat tried to shift in her seat, but he tightened his grip.
“My
plans haven’t gone perfectly today, but I believe things will work out,” he
said, hand sliding down, slipping beneath her shirt to her breast. “I’ve worked
for a long time to maneuver events just so. The Oracle wouldn’t let me get this
close and fail. It is infallible, and I am its loyal servant.”
Kat
tensed every muscle in her body and suppressed a shudder when Gordon’s fingers
crept into her bra. Gordon kneaded Kat’s flesh while pushing down on her with
more of his weight. His groping didn’t feel sexual in nature. It was more like
one would judge the quality of an orange at the market.
Her
attention was drawn downward as she struggled against his grasp. Gordon's fingers
were narrow and finished with short, uneven nails—signs of a man who dealt with
excess nervous energy by nibbling at his fingertips. They scratched and caught
the fibers of her shirt as he worked his hand across her nipple.
“So
seldom do I get to really enjoy my work,” Gordon said. His voice slithered into
her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. “But I’m truly going to enjoy it this
evening.” Kat’s eyes widened as she pondered with revulsion what he could mean.
“Fuck
you,” Kat said quietly. She launched an arm upward, knocking Gordon’s hand from
her body. He grasped her by one wrist and reached for the other to restrain
her. Kat pushed back and reached upward in search of a soft spot. Kat’s grasp
found what felt very much like, and indeed turned out to be an ear. She dug her
nails into the soft flesh and pulled downward. There was a subtle chunk when
her nail pierced the cartilage. Gordon cursed loudly and pulled away, leaving
bits of skin lodged under her nail.
When
he was clear, Kat launched herself out of the chair and spun around, careful to
keep the piece of furniture between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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A really great and fascinating excerpt. I liked it a lot.
RispondiEliminaI have enjoyed the tour.
RispondiEliminaThis sounds like a great book and the cover is amazing! I’ve really enjoyed the tour and learning about you and your book! Happy Writing!
RispondiEliminaGreat excerpt, The Crooked City sounds like a thrilling read, I enjoyed following the tour and learning about it, thanks for sharing and good luck!
RispondiEliminaI have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.
RispondiEliminaGreat excerpt! Thanks for sharing :)
RispondiEliminaSeems interesting
RispondiElimina