***
Chapter 1 Score! Colin Woods pulled his baseball cap further down his forehead and slowly guided the metal detector to the next spot. He was only a few feet from Sam Knight, but she didn’t see him. He knew she had already checked out the beach for any threat hiding in the bushes. Her threat was in plain sight. He looked like an ordinary man hoping to find treasure. Damn waves were getting his pants wet, but it was worth it. Having the metal detector made him blend in with everyone else. She was smart enough to suspect someone was gunning for her. Though not the reason. Colin would keep that fun fact to himself until he had her just where he wanted her. His plan to destroy her had been in place for months, and now he was ready to strike. The woman was a magnet for trouble, a fearless warrior, an advocate for the downtrodden, but she’d made one too many mistakes—a mistake she’d pay for. He’d been careful. Going out of his way not to call attention to himself. He knew from watching her these past few weeks that she liked this beach, volunteered at a shelter, lunched with friends, and had a lover. Her life was perfect. His not so much—but it would be. Following Sam Knight was a gift that kept on giving—giving him pleasure, giving her grief. Watching and planning her demise consumed his life. Soon, he would take hers. What was that expression? Oh yeah. Tit for tat. And it would be. *** Samantha “Sam” Knight walked along the shoreline of Moon Beach, ignoring the seagulls’ antics and avoiding the lightly rolling waves drenching the sand. It was quiet this time of year. The seasonal visitors, aka ‘snowbirds,’ as the locals called them, were trickling down. In another month, the beach would be crowded again with a swarm of pale bodies. Most would leave red as lobsters. There were a few white, fluffy clouds on the horizon but lots of blue sky. The sand felt cool on her feet as Sam dug her toes deeper. She zipped her sweatshirt higher and stuffed her hands into the pockets. Although Black Pointe, Florida, was warm in the fall, a cold front had come in. The beach was her special place for solitude and peace, but both were alluding her today. Something was tugging at her memory, and she couldn’t grasp what it was. But it was unsettling. Sam inhaled the salty air and laughed as a couple of seagulls competed to steal some food from an unoccupied blanket. Silly birds. Several little kids in bathing suits were gleefully making sandcastles, racing back and forth to refill their buckets with water while their moms looked on. She couldn’t understand why they weren’t cold. Well, maybe she could. A similar scene from the past with Danny and her parents at the beach flitted through her mind. She sighed. So long ago. She missed her parents, and their death still hurt. It was a typical cold day at the seashore. Several couples were walking hand in hand, laughing, or avoiding the waves. A woman with a dog on a leash walked by. Dogs weren’t allowed on the beach, but nobody was there to enforce the law. A man was going up and down the shoreline with a metal detector, bending when he thought he struck something of value. She had time to reflect on her life. Her business, KnightGuard Security, was doing well– too well. There wasn’t a lot of downtime for anyone on staff, and she had been on a hiring spree. No complaints there. For the past couple of months, though, she’d felt uneasy. Her intuition told her someone was watching her. Her gut never let her down. After her friend Grace Winslow’s freaky stalker incident, she imagined stalkers everywhere. This felt different. No one had approached her, sent her messages, or dialed the phone and hung up. None of the usual nonsense that stalkers do. But she felt—no, knew—she was on someone’s radar. Sure, she was in the protection and security business, but without some proof of harassment, she didn’t want to involve the staff, especially since everyone was flat out busy. The tide was going out, and she walked to the edge of a dune and sat down. Her mind was cluttered with so many things that she hoped the walk on the beach would help, but it hadn’t. Her brother Danny and Hailey, one of her best friends, were getting married in two days. Tomorrow, she would put her party face on and engage in the pre-marriage celebrations. She was beyond happy for them. Danny had been in love with Hailey for a long time but kept his feelings hidden while Hailey came to grips with problems she was having. Hailey kept Danny out of her life while she focused on her sister Melanie, who’d been having sex for money to buy drugs. She finally trusted Danny to help her find Melanie. They got her into a rehab center, and Hailey finally gave Danny the love he deserved. She was standing up for Hailey. Something she was proud to do. Danny’s best friend and her lover, Mark Stone, would stand up for him. However, the upcoming marriage was causing her unwanted feelings of guilt and angst. Mark wanted to marry her. They had been together for three years, and Sam loved him. But not enough to marry him—yet. First, her business needed to grow more. Mark’s construction business was taking off, and he was hiring more employees. These were not insurmountable issues. So, what was the problem? Sam didn’t know. Yes, she did. The thought of giving up her independence and maybe her business was terrifying. Even more terrifying was thinking about giving all her love to Mark and his leaving her alone. Oh, it wouldn’t be because he didn’t love her but that he might die young. Silly, she knew that, but the mind was a fickle friend. She wasn’t sure her heart could take the emptiness of losing a loved one again. Not to mention, she was sure someone was watching her, probably watching her friends. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let her troubles hurt them. Whoever it was, was like the wind. You knew it was there, could feel it, see the wind action, but it was still invisible. Then there was the problem of kids. Mark wanted children. Was she ready? Who the hell knew? She and Mark both kept weird hours. Would they ever see each other? Who would take care of kids if they had them? How would it differ from the relationship they had right now? Why was love so complicated? Questions she didn’t have answers for. Why couldn’t her life be simple? Gah! Everywhere she turned, her friends were getting married or worked odd hours, having kids, and still making their relationships work. The wind picked up. Sand peppered her eyes, and she was shivering. She glanced to her left. The metal detector guy had left, as had most of the people who’d been walking on the beach. It was quiet, too quiet—a death-like quiet. Death. Oh, my god. Sam struggled to keep the bile churning in her stomach down. Today was the anniversary of Suzie Shaw’s burial. Suzie. Sweet, kind, beautiful Suzie. Suzie always had something nice to say about everyone, unlike Sam. She believed that everyone was redeemable and deserved a second chance, and look where that led her. Sam hadn’t known her best friend in high school had been killed the week after graduation. She and Grace learned about her death in the fall when they returned from their summer vacation in Europe. The summer that everything looked brighter until it didn’t. Was that what was bothering her? Maybe. But something bigger was going on. Her Spidey senses were in overdrive. Someone was gunning for her.Evidence of Revenge-excerpt
Blurb:
Samantha “Sam” Knight should be on top of the world. Her business, KnightGuard Security is thriving, she has great girlfriends, and a boyfriend who loves her.
But something isn’t right in her life. A nagging suspicion that someone is gunning for her has thrown her off her game.
Mark Stone left the SEALS to settle down and start his construction business. He loves it and Sam. She’s a warrior, a great lover and their relationship is strong. She’s it for him but he can’t get her to commit to marriage.
After the unexpected death of his sister, their lives are turned upside down. They adjust to the new addition but Sam is pulling away from him and he doesn’t understand why.
Sam knows that whoever is pursuing her wants to ruin her life. Does she have to walk away from all that she loves to protect Mark or can they destroy the threat together.
Chapter 1
Samantha Knight walked along the shoreline of Moon Beach, ignoring the seagulls’ antics and avoiding the lightly rolling waves drenching the sand. It was quiet this time of year. The seasonal visitors, “snowbirds,” as the locals called them, were trickling down. In another month, the beach would be crowded with a swarm of pale bodies. Most would leave red as lobsters.
There were a few white, fluffy clouds on the horizon, but lots of blue sky. The sand felt cool on Sam’s feet as she dug her toes deeper. She zipped her sweatshirt higher and stuffed her hands into the pockets.
Black Pointe, Florida, was usually warm this time of year, but a cold front had come in.
The beach was her special place for solitude and peace, but both were eluding her today. Something was tugging at her memory, and she couldn’t grasp what it was. But it was unsettling.
Sam inhaled the salty air and laughed as a couple of seagulls competed to steal some food from an unoccupied blanket.
Silly birds.
Several little kids in bathing suits gleefully made sandcastles. Their moms looked on as they raced back and forth, refilling their buckets with water. She couldn’t understand why they weren’t cold. Actually, she could. A similar beach scene from the past with her brother Danny and her parents flitted through her mind. She sighed. So long ago. She missed her parents, and their deaths still hurt.
She watched several couples walking hand in hand, laughing or jumping back to avoid the waves. A woman walked by with a black lab on a leash who pulled her whenever he saw a seagull. They didn’t allow dogs on the beach, but nobody was there to enforce the law.
A man was going up and down the shoreline with a metal detector, bending when he thought he struck something of value. She envied his optimism.
The quiet and solitude gave her time to reflect on her life.
Her business, KnightGuard Security, was doing well—too well.
There wasn’t a lot of downtime for anyone on staff, and she was on a hiring spree. No complaints there.
For the past month, though, she’d felt uneasy. Her intuition told her someone was watching her, and her gut never let her down. After her friend Grace Winslow’s freaky stalker incident a while ago, she imagined stalkers everywhere.
This felt different.
There was none of the usual nonsense that stalkers do. No one had approached her, sent her messages, or dialed the phone and hung up. No pizza deliveries or dead cats, but Sam felt—no, she knew—she was on someone’s radar.
Sure, she was in the protection and security business, but without proof of harassment, she didn’t want to involve the staff, especially since everyone was flat-out busy.
“Hi.”
Sam’s heart jumped. She was lost in thought and hadn’t seen the little girl with the huge brown eyes walk up to her.
“Hi.”
“Whatchadoing?”
Sam sighed. “Thinking.”
“Okay, bye.”
Sam’s goodbye got lost in the wind.
What was wrong with her that she wasn’t paying attention? This wasn’t like her. Her mind was cluttered with so many things. She hoped the walk on the beach would help, but it didn’t.
The tide was going out, and she walked to the edge of a dune and sat down. Sam watched the waves receding and exposing seaweed and whatever else washed up on the beach and couldn’t help reflecting that the ocean was like emotions; it could build you up but also leave you bare and exposed. Enough! She was thinking too much.
Her brother Danny and Hailey, one of her best friends, were getting married in two days.
Tomorrow, she would put her party face on and engage in the pre-marriage celebrations. She was beyond happy for them.
She was standing up for Hailey. Something she was proud to do. Danny’s best friend and her boyfriend, Mark Stone, would stand up for him.
The upcoming marriage, however, was causing her unwanted feelings of guilt and angst.
Mark wanted to marry her. They had been together for three years, and Sam loved him. But not enough to marry him—not yet.
Her business was expanding into other security areas. Mark’s construction company was taking off, and he was hiring more employees.
These were not insurmountable issues. So, what was her problem? If she was honest with herself, they were just excuses.
The possibility of giving up her independence and maybe her business was terrifying. Although truth be told, Mark had never asked her to give anything up. Even more frightening was thinking about giving her heart and soul to Mark. The fear he would die and leave her overwhelmed her.
Not to mention she was sure someone was watching her and probably watching her friends. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let her troubles hurt them. Whoever was watching her was like the wind. You knew it was there, could feel it, see it in action, but it was still invisible.
Then there was the problem of kids. Mark wanted children. She didn’t know if she was ready or ever would be.
She and Mark both kept weird hours. They rarely saw each other as it was. Who would take care of kids if they had them? And how would being married differ from the relationship they had right now?
Why was love so complicated?
Why couldn’t her life be simple?
Questions she didn’t have answers for. Everywhere she turned, her friends were getting married or working odd hours. They were having kids and still making their relationships work. Why not her?
The wind picked up. Sand peppered her eyes, and she shivered.
She glanced to her left. The metal detector guy had left, as had most of the people who’d been walking on the beach.
It was quiet, too quiet—a deathlike quiet.
Death.
Oh my God.
Sam struggled to keep down the bile churning in her stomach.
Today was the anniversary of her high school friend Suzie Shaw’s burial.
How could she have forgotten? She usually never forgot.
Suzie—sweet, kind, beautiful Suzie. Suzie always had something nice to say about everyone, unlike Sam. Suzie believed everyone was redeemable and deserved a second chance. And look where that got her.
A shallow grave by the side of a path and her body exposed by dogs who dug her up. Sam shuddered.
Sam didn’t know her best friend in high school was killed the week after graduation.
Killed just a week after they hugged each other goodbye and promised to get together at the end of summer to party and celebrate.
Sam and Grace learned about Suzie’s death after they returned from their summer vacation in Europe.
That summer when everything looked brighter until it didn’t.
Was that what was bothering her? Maybe.
But something bigger was going on. Her Spidey senses were in overdrive.
Someone was spying on her.
She glanced around the beach again. Could feel eyes on her.
Her gun! She slowly reached for her purse, dragged it to her lap. Opened the clasp.
A whisper of wind at her back. Her hand was in her purse, grasping the gun.
Her heart was beating wildly. Would someone actually attack her out in the open? Why not?
She was now the only one on the beach. Damn.
“Hey, sweetheart,” a soft voice whispered in her ear.
Sam jumped when two arms wrapped around her and the familiar scent of bay surrounded her.
“Mark! You scared me..” Sam willed her heart to stop frantically beating. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew I was back here.”
“Why would I?” Sam had been so busy thinking about who could be watching her, she wasn’t paying attention. Not paying attention could get her killed. What was her problem?
***
Chapter 2
Score!
Colin Woods pulled his baseball cap farther down on his forehead and slowly guided the metal detector to the next spot, closer to his car. It was time to leave. The small, thatched-roof concession stand was closing. No customers. The beach was empty. He didn’t want to call attention to himself.
His scalp itched from the wig and the damn waves had soaked his pants, but they were small inconveniences.
He had been only a few feet from Sam Knight, but she didn’t see him, although her head was swiveling, looking for a threat. His heart thumped wildly with excitement. Would she recognize him as the threat?
What would he do if she did? He had a gun hidden in his belt behind his back under his shirt; he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.
He had other plans for the bitch.
She looked so small and inconsequential sitting there. But he knew Sam had already checked the beach for danger hiding in the bushes. Little did she know that her threat was right in front of her.
Splurging on the metal detector may have set him back a few bucks, but it helped him blend in on the beach. He looked like an ordinary man hoping to find treasure, but he was a man looking to get revenge.
Sam was smart enough to suspect someone was watching her, but not the reason.
Colin would keep that fun fact to himself until he had Sam where he wanted her—ready to kill.
His plan to destroy her had been in place for a month, and he was almost ready to strike.
The woman was a magnet for trouble, a fearless warrior, and an advocate for the downtrodden. None of that mattered to him. Unfortunately for Sam Knight, she’d made one too many mistakes—mistakes she’d pay for.
After her friend’s body had been found, Sam went on a mission to find out who killed her. She just couldn’t leave anything alone. She chased down the two bitches who lied about Tony and convinced them to testify in court.
Tony was convicted and sent to jail for ten years. The drug business that Colin hoped to take over, that Tony had groomed him for, was almost destroyed. Now he was practically penniless because of that bitch. Tony died in prison a couple of months ago, but before he did, he’d made Colin promise to take care of Sam Knight. A promise he would keep.
For the past month, Colin had been careful, going out of his way not to call attention to himself. Spying on her and her friends.
Disguises were wonderful distractions. He looked like a businessman one day and a beach bum the next. He’d filled in his cheeks, wore different hats, changed sunglasses and outfits. He liked to think of himself as a chameleon.
He knew from following Sam these past few weeks that she liked this beach, volunteered at a shelter, lunched with friends, and had a lover.
Her life was perfect. His, not so much—but it would be.
Following Sam Knight was a gift that kept on giving—giving him pleasure, giving her grief. Watching and planning her demise consumed his life. Soon he would take hers.
What was that expression? Oh yeah. Tit for tat. Soon it would be.