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!
For busy homeowners, hiring one company that does both repairs and painting is a lifesaver. I found a full-service painter via drywall repair denver? who handled drywall, caulking, and painting in one coordinated project.
On IR35 standing checks, self reliant reviews count. book contractor accountant consultation awarded a transparent SDS evaluation and documentation for my stop patron.
Solid portion sizes at mexican restaurant near me —great value in Winnipeg.
Since the admin of this website is working, no uncertainty very soon it
will be famous, due to its feature contents.
Well done! Discover more at personal loans .
The note about balancing bacteria by avoiding excessive bleach was useful. Got a dosage guide from commercial hydro-jetting .
The contractor-targeted insights on trade orders are very advantageous. Phoenix custom shower remodel
Asking questions are actually nice thing if you are not understanding something fully, but this piece of writing offers pleasant understanding yet.
Corporate picnic success thanks to portable toilets ’s restroom planning tips and accessory list.
Love that you included advice on how weather influences roofing materials—it’s essential knowledge for anyone living in Southfield, I’ll visit %%site%% shortly! Asphalt roof installation Southfield MI
Tried the birria tacos yesterday— mexican restaurant near me really nailed it. So juicy and rich!
Very helpful read. For similar content, visit payday loans near me .
We asked our portable toilet supplier the exact questions listed on individual restroom —super helpful.
I can’t believe how much they got done in a short time! whole house cleanout
I appreciate the emphasis on energy efficiency in home improvements. Southfield MI is perfect for these upgrades! Check out Home improvement services Southfield MI for more information.
Fantastic sourcing suggestions for hardware. I recommend comparing finishes and checking Phoenix kitchen contractor for concepts.
Thanks for listing common signs of failure. If you’re in Fayetteville, get a quote at https://www.google.com/maps?cid=8980889172433144635 .
OMT’? self-paced ?-learning platform allows pupils t? check out math at their ?ery ?wn rhythm, transforming irritation ?nto fascination ?nd motivating outstanding exam efficiency.
Unlock ?our kid’s full potential in mathematics ?ith OMT Math Tuition’? expert-led classes, tailored t? Singapore’s MOE syllabus f?r primary, secondary, ?nd JC students.
Singapore’? w?rld-renowned math curriculum highlights
conceptual understanding ?ver simple computation, making math tuition crucial
f?r students t? grasp deep ideas and excel in nnational examinations
?ike PSLE and O-Levels.
Eventually, primary school school math tuition ?s crucial for
PSLE excellence, as it equips students ?ith th? tools to
achieve to? bands and protect preferred secondary school placements.
?ith O Levels highlighting geometry evidence ?nd
theses, math tuition ?ives specialized drills to ensure pupils ?an take
on th?se with accuracy and confidence.
Attending t? private learning styles, math tuition guarantees junior college pupils master subjects ?t
th?ir o?n rate f?r A Level success.
?hat distinguishes OMT iss ?t? custom curriculum
t??t aligns w?t? MOE whil? focusing on metacognitive skills, ?howing
trainees ?ow to find out math succ?ssfully.
Aesthetic ?elp li?e diagrams aid picture ?roblems lor,
boosting understanding ?nd examination efficiency.
Singapore’s meritocratic ?ystem rewards hi?h up-and-comers,
making math tuition ? tactical investment f?r examination dominance.
?? web pag? secondary 2 math tuition (blogs-singapore.s3.us.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud)
What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious knowledge on the topic of unpredicted emotions.
extremeporn
Effortless junk removal! Will recommend to all my friends. estate cleanout
Thanks for the thorough article. Find more at ???? ????? ???????? .
Grateful witnessing transformations happening right before our eyes showcasing resilience within communities striving thrive above all odds remaining steadfast along paths chosen today onward forevermore always!!##:_anykeyword:## Los angeles home builder
Hi there! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us
so I came to look it over. I’m definitely enjoying the information.
I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Wonderful blog and wonderful style and design.
Inspired thinking leads directly towards successful implementations benefiting everyone involved ultimately—here’s wishing continued success across industries alike everywhere now too !!# # anyKeyWord ## los angeles general contractor
Me encantó la rapidez con la que atendieron mi llamada en servicios de cerrajero de emergencia .
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
I’m quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!
Thanks for the great tips. Discover more at ????? ??? ????? .
sydney sweeney fucked
Estoy pensando en comprar una nueva caja fuerte y necesito el asesoramiento de un abrir puerta sin romper blindada antes de decidirme.
Many forget to ask about Wi-Fi, technology support, and ways to stay connected. We encourage that on assisted living as well.
In7 Game Game Selection Guide gave me a clear starting point. More curated recommendations at In7 game .
The emotional comfort of being known and seen makes accepting help with ADLs so much easier for seniors. That’s why I’m more interested in options like elder care rather than large institutions.
I like that this location appears to focus on accessibility and convenience. optometrist Palm Court
For homeowners who value craftsmanship and communication, Woodland Hills home builder is a strong general contracting choice in Woodland Hills.
I’m impressed by how many small homes involve residents in light household activities as a form of gentle therapy. It supports both ADLs and a sense of purpose. I saw similar ideas mentioned on assisted living .
Helpful tips on energy savings — for AC Repair in Fayetteville, check bing.com .
This breakdown of the differences between Assisted Living, Independent Living, and Nursing Homes is really helpful. It makes it easier for families like mine to decide which option is best elder care
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a material! present
here at this web site, thanks admin of this web site.
Early eye exams can make a huge difference in a child’s confidence at school and at play. eye exam near Palm Court Shopping Center
I appreciate how Woodland Hills home builder walks Woodland Hills clients through material options and value?engineering to keep projects on budget.
San Dimas water can be pretty hard on appliances. If your filtration system is older or leaking, I recommend checking out water filtration replacement & installation san dimas for local water filtration repair options before replacing the whole unit.
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I
also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice procedures and we are looking
to swap techniques with other folks, why not shoot me an e-mail if
interested.
We noticed our filtered water in San Dimas had a salty taste. After a professional evaluation and repair scheduled with shower valve repair , we learned the issue was with the membrane and it was replaced the same day.
I found this very interesting. Check out Garage Door Repair for more.
In7 Game Game Selection Guide is exactly how I choose games: quick fit, then quality. Check In777 game download .
Thanks for the maintenance reminders — for reliable AC repair in Lewisville, my site lists qualified technicians. learn more
This was very well put together. Discover more at abogado laboralista .
It’s clear that investing in good SEO is essential—looking forward to working with SEO Agency Los Angeles CA soon!
I’ve had so much trouble finding a cabinet maker in Los Angeles who understands minimalist, European-style cabinets. From what I’ve seen, Custom Kitchen Cabinet Makers In Los Angeles might actually get the look I’m going for.