Scavenger Hunt!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Deadlock(June 25th!), my publisher has arranged a Scavenger Hunt! Follow the links at the end of each stop and collect clues along the way! At the end of the Scavenger Hunt, enter your clues to be entered to win the grand prize: a Nespresso Espresso maker and coffee goodies to keep your all-night hacking (or reading) sessions going strong. You might find a few bonus giveaways in hidden links throughout the Scavenger Hunt, too, including print copies of Deadlock!

To get you started, here is the first chapter of Deadlock! I’m so excited for you to meet Lindsey and Jace.

Chapter 1:

I’m going to kill my sister.

Lindsey Morris gritted her teeth into a smile for the photo her jolly Aunt Martha snapped, the silent threat in her head becoming more of an inevitable truth with each passing moment. God knows, it wasn’t unlike her twin sister Lena to flake out on her, but their parents’ fortieth anniversary party was something the two of them had been planning for months. All for Lena to leave Lindsey holding the bag. Again.

Relieved from picture duty at last, she left her parents and hustled in her towering heels across the banquet hall to check on the champagne, dodging cousins and uncles and aunts. She hadn’t seen some of them in years. If a certain sister hadn’t left her running this entire show, she might have had time to stop and catch up with each of them.

All of it had come together nicely, though. Her parents were beaming in front of a life-size poster of one of their wedding pictures, forty years having done nothing to dim their happiness and love for each other. Lindsey snapped a picture of her own before slipping out the door into an echoing hallway to dial Lena. As expected, her sister’s voicemail greeting chirped in her ear.

“Hello?” A long pause ensued, during which Lindsey’s blood pressure spiked. “Gotcha! Sorry, you don’t get to talk to me right now. If you want to talk to me later, better make it good.”

Lindsey waited for the tone. “I don’t want to talk to you. I want to strangle you. Dammit, Lena, where are you?”

Hours passed before she could get away to the blissful solitude of her apartment, where she hoped a glass of wine and a Simpsons marathon might make her feel a little better. But even Bart and Homer’s animated antics weren’t enough. Her anger had burned away to sad ashes, and she couldn’t get her parents’ disappointed faces out of her mind. It would serve Lena right if none of them ever spoke to her again, as drastic as it sounded, but something about Lena made one eager to trust her and believe her when she made the promises she never kept. And the anger Lindsey felt when that inevitably happened could just as easily be turned on herself for enabling her twin, for never enforcing any consequences when Lena flaked out.

But how many times had she tried? How many times had it worked?

Then her glass was empty, and she poured another, sitting alone on her couch and staring at the way the light from the TV played hypnotically through the crimson depths as she swirled the liquid in her glass. Everything she was doing to make herself feel better was having the opposite effect. The fact she had no one to vent her frustrations to made it worse. Bad-mouthing her sister to their parents wasn’t an option, especially today—they were probably on the plane for their anniversary trip to Cabo San Lucas.

Lucky them.

“I need a vacation, too,” Lindsey told her wineglass. It was the only one there to listen. Then, sighing, she set it down on her coffee table and picked up her phone, shooting ramrod straight when she saw that she had somehow missed a text from Lena twenty minutes ago. She’d probably been in the kitchen scavenging.

Sorry. Ran into some trouble. Give Mom and Dad my love. I need a favor. Go to this address and ask him for help. Please. It will all become clear.

An address followed, which Lindsey’s eyes scanned without seeing. Her brain had shorted out on the word “favor.”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” she asked her phone, gripping it with a force that threatened to shatter it.

Lena in trouble was nothing new. Ever since high school, on through college, and even after, she’d been getting herself or someone else into shit she couldn’t always talk her way out of. Thinking Lindsey would simply forget about tonight and rush in to help her was simply par for the course, but Jesus, it had to stop sometime, didn’t it?

One thing was for sure. No way was she going to that address, wherever it was. To some strange place to ask someone she didn’t know for—what, even? Who was she supposed to be looking for? She wasn’t about to let Lena make her look like an idiot on top of everything.

No one else could get her off her warm cocoon on the couch to face the biting cold. She didn’t know what she might find at her sister’s apartment; she didn’t care, but she was going all the same. Lena probably wouldn’t be there, but maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to nose around and find out where she was. Then she would go find her, even if she had to hop on a plane to do it.

There were some things she desperately needed to say to Lena’s face, and it was well past time.

She rushed through her apartment, throwing on a coat and shoving her feet into boots, her pulse pounding in her ears. No one else on earth could push her buttons like this. Lindsey hadn’t trusted Lena since college, her twin’s antics during that particular time of their lives having been the final straw.

Yes, she was her sister. Yes, Lindsey still loved her as such. Gossip sessions, shopping trips, friendship…those areas had always come easily. But real trust?That ship had sailed years ago, when Lena had pulled what was probably her cruelest stunt of all—at least that Lindsey knew of. The skeletons that could lurk hidden in Lena’s closet were enough to give her cold chills. The two of them had the same face, and Lena probably had enough enemies that Lindsey should look over her own shoulder when she walked down the street.

In the back of the Uber she called because wine and rage and driving didn’t mix, she white-knuckled her purse straps all the way to her sister’s apartment, going over everything she wanted to say in her mind in case Lena was there. Confrontation ordinarily tied her tongue up in knots, and no doubt it would this time.

She had to have her words straight in her head or they would slip right out. But niggling in the back of her mind was the fact that their parents would never get over an irreparable rift between them, no matter the cause. It was enough for her to rein in on a few of the epithets she wished to hurl at Lena’s perpetually smug face. But not many.

If Lena was off having a grand adventure with plans to show up next week thinking all was well—she added the epithets back in.

Long ago, Lena had given Lindsey a key to her apartment so she could water her plants while she was away. The plants had died anyway—Lena didn’t even take care of them herself after she got home from wherever she’d been. But Lindsey had hung on to the key, and it had come in handy more than once. She stalked directly to her sister’s door, lifted her fist to beat on it, thought better of it—she might not even answer—and fit the key into the lock.

The sight that greeted her as she flipped the nearby light switch caused her heart to stutter and her breath to catch, momentarily choking her.

Her sister’s apartment was trashed.

Scavenger Hunt: Where are Lindsey’s parents going for their anniversary trip?

Next stop, Melynda Price

Deadlock releases June 25th! You can pick it up in paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold. Add it on Goodreads!

 

 

 

Published by Cherrie Lynn

22,665 thoughts on “Scavenger Hunt!”

  2. Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
    Is it very difficult to set up your own blog?
    I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast.
    I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas
    or suggestions? Thanks

  5. Ultimate Guide to Mattress Shopping ?n Singapore:
    F?om Showroom Test to Long-Term Comfort

    Wh?n it come? to furniture singapore purchases, f?w
    decisions feel as personal ?r important as selecting t?e r?ght mattress singapore.
    ?ost people spend m?re tim? choosing a sofa set than the? d?
    choosing t?e bed fram? they use ?ve?y night. Megafurniture’? Somnuz mattresses give you a practical w?y t? compare t?e most popular mattress
    singapore types ?ide ?y sid? ?n one furniture
    store.

    Singapore’? unique living environment t?rns mattress buying ?nto a
    higher-stakes decision t?an many first-t?me buyers expect.
    Th? constant tropical humidity m?ans poor airflow ?an quickly lead t? musty smells o? mould concerns.
    Dust-mite sensitivity ?s fa? mo?? common he?e than most people realise.
    ?he widespread ?se of aircon ?t night ?an ma?e certain foam types feel firmer ?r less comfortable than the? did
    und?r bright furniture store lights.

    ?hen ?ou wal? int? ?ny furniture store in Singapore, ?ou’ll m?inly see four core mattress construction types
    worth comparing. Individual pocketed spring systems
    ?ive go?d support and stay noticeably cooler t?an solid
    foam blocks. Pure memory foam delivers excellent body contouring, ?et mmany Singapore buyers now prefer versions ?ith ?dded cooling technology.

    Latex mattresses stand ?ut f?r their responsive bounce, superior breathability, ?nd built-in resistance
    t? allergens ?nd mould. Hybrid constructions combine pocketed
    springs ?ith foam ?r latex comfort layers t? deliver the ?est of
    both worlds.

    The Somnuz range ?t Megafurniture ?as cre?ted to ??t Singapore buyers compare t?ese
    fou? categories directly ?nd easily. Firmness is th? most dis?ussed mattress feature,
    ??t it’? also the most misunderstood ?ecause ?t
    feels completely differ?nt depending ?n you? body weight and sleeping position.
    ?ide sleepers ?enerally benefit fr?m medium-soft t? medium firmness f?r proper spinal alignment.
    For b?ck sleepers, medium t? medium-firm ?sually ?rovides the best balance
    of support and comfort. Stomach sleepers ne?d firmer support
    ?o the lower ?ack ?oesn’t collapse int? th? surface.

    HDB ?nd condo bedrooms ?n Singapore are typically ?maller,
    ma?ing correct sizing essential ?ather t?an just chasing t?e biggest option. ?he
    cover material ?s one of t?e m?st unde?-appreciated features forr
    Singapore buyers. Models ?ith bamboo fabric covers stay noticeably drier ?nd
    fresher in humid Singapore bedrooms. ?he water-repellent cover on the Somnuz Comfort Night m?kes it f?r
    m?re practical f?r real Singapore family life.

    The Somnuz range fr?m Megafurniture maps cleanly ?nto t?e d?fferent ne?ds most Singapore buyers
    ?ave. ?o? va?ue-conscious buyers, t?e Somnuz Comfy delivers ?ood independent coil support ?t an accessible price ?oint.
    If you want better cooling and allergen resistance, t?e Somnuz Comforto ?ith ?ts
    bamboo-latex combination ?s ?ften t?e smarter pick.

    Th? Somnuz Comfort Night features a water-repellent cover ?nd ?? perfect
    for families w?th young children, pets, ?r anyone want?ng extra moisture protection ?n ?ur climate.

    Premium buyers ?ften choose t?e Somnuz Roman Supreme for superior materials ?nd ?ong-term comfort.

    Th? traditional ninet?-second showroom test most people do is ?lmost useless f?r m?king a
    good decision. To g?t u?eful feedback, spend ?t least ten minute? on each model in t?e exact position youu no?mally sleep in. B?th Megafurniture showrooms l?t you test the Somnuz mattresses properly ?n proper bedroom environments ?ather th?n on a bare sales floor.

    Mak? sure the retailer can deliver ?n ??ur exact
    timeline, ?specially if you’re furnishing a new HDB or condo.
    Check w?ether old mattress disposal ?s included and read
    the warranty terms carefully — not ?ll “10-ye?r warranties” cover t?e same things.

    W?th the ri?ht choice, a goo? mattress f?om a reputable furniture showroom
    ?ike Megafurniture ?ill serve you well for nearly a
    decade. If morning stiffness, visible sagging, ?r increased motion transfer ?ppear, it’s
    time to replace — the body ?ften compensates f?r a failing mattress ?onger than most
    people realise. Visit Megafurniture’s furniture store ?r
    browse th?i? full mattress singapore collection online t? f?nd the Somnuz model that matches
    your needs ?nd budget.

    Feel free t? surf to my website; coffee table with storage

  6. Great info. Lucky me I discovered your site by
    accident (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later!

  8. Thank you for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further
    post thank you once again.

  9. Thinking over my time in online gaming, I have observed that the latest casinos are shifting the method players play slots . To be fair, it feels that the house edge tend to be super random, which makes me think smart budget management is vitally crucial these days . Anyway, I checked out this useful resource telegra.ph/Ingestion-and-Strategic-Play-in-the-aviator-game-Landscape-06-08 – telegra.ph/Ingestion-and-Strategic-Play-in-the-aviator-game-Landscape-06-08
    telegra.ph/Ingestion-and-Strategic-Play-in-the-aviator-game-Landscape-06-08 where people share different winning strategies , and it has surprisingly valuable for keeping my risks low . Something I always advise others is to avoid trying to run after bad runs, because that’s usually how things gets messy . Lately, I’ve also been thinking if the real-time dealer options truly give a more authentic vibe than classic RNG software . How do you all feel about that, and did you found any reliable patterns recently? Let’s get a chat here in this thread!
    f8d76e0

  10. Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information approximately this subject for a long time
    and yours is the best I have found out till now. But,
    what in regards to the conclusion? Are you positive concerning the
    supply?

  12. I’m not sure where you’re getting your info,
    however good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much
    more or figuring out more. Thanks for great information I was
    looking for this info for my mission.

  13. I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.

    The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish.
    nonetheless, you command get got an shakiness
    over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably
    come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this hike.

  14. Thanks for the marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author.
    I will always bookmark your blog and will come back at some point.

    I want to encourage continue your great work, have a
    nice day!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *