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Xpress Yourself Publishing, June 2, 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9779398-7-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9779398-7-9
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Trade Paperback
$14.95

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Also available in major bookstores everywhere.

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LINDA R. HERMAN is the author of Consequences: When Love Is Blind, Consequences, Cost of Our Affairs, co-author of Somebody Prayed For Me and co-founder of Authors Support Authors. While raising two teens and a two year old as well as holding down a full time job as an emergency 911 dispatcher, she makes the time to read and write. She resides in South Georgia with her husband and their three kids.

 Linda is a strong advocate for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and abuse of any kind. Her novel Consequences is a tear-jerker that raises the awareness of HIV/AIDS to all who read it. In fact, Xpress Yourself Publishing has received emails from readers who were tested after reading Consequences.

Chapter 1

            Trees. When her eyes finally fluttered open, all India saw were thick rows of trees. She tried to sit up in her seat, but her head felt like lead. It was pounding and her mouth was dry. She could’ve sworn a thousand drummers were marching inside her cranium while Sammy himself tap-danced on her brain.

            “You awake, Sweetheart?” The sound of his voice made her heart skip a beat, and she prayed that she was dreaming. Wake up! She screamed inwardly. It can’t be him.

He stretched his right arm over and gently caressed her cheek with the backside of his hand.  His touch alone made her flesh crawl. She felt like a thousand bees were stinging her.

India managed to roll her head over, coming face to face with her ex-lover, Mario Thomas. He smiled at her lovingly, and her eyes stretched wide in fear, almost popping out of their sockets. India tried to scream, but the sound was trapped inside her taped mouth. She tried to move her arms and feet but realized that they too were duct-taped and despite her weak and sluggish efforts, she couldn’t move. Fear caused her heart to race as chills shot down her spine. She wasn’t dreaming; it was real.

Turning her head toward the window was a chore, but she couldn’t stand the sight of him. She noticed the sun was now peaking over the horizon, signaling daylight’s arrival, evidence they’d been traveling for quite some time. She had no idea where they were. At some point, he’d stopped for gas because she remembered having only a quarter of a tank. Why didn’t anyone help me, she wondered as she tried to remember the details of the previous night.

            “Everything’s going to be fine, Sharon,” he cooed, still caressing her cheek, making her flinch. Bile rose in the back of her throat and she feared choking off her own vomit.

“In a few hours we’ll be in our own paradise, far away from those crazy people who think they’re your family. Sharon, you’ll soon remember our life together, and you won’t even think about those people anymore. We’ll make a family of our own.”

            Tears streamed down her face as she listened, the words of a sick man terrified her and waves of nausea turned her stomach in knots. She wanted so badly to slap his hand away from her face. She didn’t know how, but she knew she had to get away from him. Why am I so weak?

Mario needed help. It was obvious that he’d stopped taking the medication the doctor prescribed after the death of his wife. He fell into an even deeper depression and became delusional. India was terrified of what he may do next if she didn’t cooperate. She had to think fast and act even faster. Her only chance of survival was to pretend to be the woman he was convinced she was.

            Again, she turned to face him and stared at him intently, silently pleading with him to remove the strip of tape that covered her dry mouth, all the while praying to God for strength. The sight of him was almost unbearable. Those eyes, she thought, why didn’t I see the evil before?

            Taking his eyes off the road, Mario smiled sweetly before snatching the tape from her mouth. As if she’d been under water, India gasped for air, heaving loudly as she hungrily inhaled.

            “Water. I need water,” she pleaded when she finally found her voice.

            Mario didn’t respond. Focusing on the road, he kept smiling and caressing her cheek as if all was well. Twenty minutes later, he turned into the parking lot of a small gas station.

            After parking the car and shutting off the engine, he leaned over and kissed her lips, bringing even more bile to the back of her throat. Knowing her life depended on her every action, India managed a small smile despite the fear and hatred that made it difficult for her to swallow.

“Be right back.” Again, he kissed her, opened the driver’s door and headed toward the store’s entrance.

            She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as her mind raced with thoughts of her escape. How do I get myself out of this mess? Her arms and legs were still bound in tape, but looking down, India noticed her purse lying at her feet. If only she could reach it. Her cell phone was in there. She could call for help.

Fueled by determination, she kicked off her shoes and used her bare feet to shuffle the purse around on the floor of her car, spilling its contents. Finally, her phone fell out.

“Thank, God,” she exclaimed. Using her toes, she pressed the number three key on the phone’s keypad. That was her mother’s speed dial.

            “Hello?  India, baby we’re worried about you. Are you okay?”

            At the sound of her mother’s voice, India’s heart filled with hope. “Momma, help!  I don’t know where I am. Mario’s got me!”

            She could hear her mother’s terror-filled gasp. “Don’t hang up the phone, baby. I’m calling the police. Just don’t hang up, India.”

            “Momma, he’s coming back,” India warned as she saw Mario exiting the store, bottled water in one hand and a bag of food in the other. “Don’t say anything, Momma. Don’t say a word.”

            Using her feet once again, she did her best to kick the phone out of sight. Just before he opened the door, she sent the Envy sailing under her seat. She prayed that the call was not disconnected.

            Mario opened the bottle of water and pressed it to her dry, cracked lips. She tilted her head back, allowing the cool water to slide down her throat. He opened up the bag and removed a ham and cheese sandwich. She bit it hungrily, gulping it down in a few bites.

            “How long do I have to stay taped up, honey?” she asked sweetly.

            “Sharon?” His eyes lit up and his face glowed like a full moon.

            India nodded affirmatively. If being Sharon Thomas was going to save her life, she’d do her best to be the dead woman.

            Mario pulled a knife from his pocket. Her initial reaction was fear, but the pounding in her heart subsided when he used the knife to cut the tape that held her prisoner. Elated, Mario pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her deeply, savoring her sweetness. When she didn’t resist, he held her tighter, kissing her even deeper. He wanted to make love to her again, right there in the car, in front of the old gas station, but he knew he had to put more miles between her past and their future.

            Despite the nausea she felt, India grinned widely when he finally released her. The throbbing in her head was subsiding and she focused more on her surroundings. The name of the gas station was Stanley’s.

            “Baby, I’ve never heard of Stanley’s before. Where are we?” she asked as he guided the car out of the parking lot, heading west.

            He shrugged his shoulders. “We’re somewhere between Alabama and Mississippi but don’t worry. Before long, we’ll be some place where no one will ever find us. We’re just going to keep moving west for now.”

            India turned away from him and stared out of the window, a true smile on her face this time. She was sure her phone was still open and hoped that her mother and the police were listening. It was only a matter of time before they’d track them down in her car.

            How the hell did I get myself into this shit? She wondered as they passed miles and miles of more trees. Her only hope was being the late Sharon Thomas until the calvary came to her rescue.