Title: Blackness Awaits (Book #2 of the Blackness
Series)
Author: Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Thriller
Release Date: April 2014
Hosted By: Book Promotions by Literary Nook
Synopsis
As he enters the room
looking like death personified, lifeless and haunting, she
knows…blackness awaits.
Aaron Kavanagh is not to be trifled
with. He’s powerful, commanding, fierce and currently homicidal.
The only thing that matters in Kavanagh’s world is Shannon Kelly.
She’s the beat of his heart (yes he has one) and the peace to the
fury that constantly simmers within him. Without her, his life is
empty and barren. Someone took what is his and he’ll stop at
nothing to get her back.
Dylan Kellerman is lost. The love of
his life has been ripped from him, leaving a tattered tortured shell
of a man. On the brink of murderous insanity he must battle to find
Shannon, even if she hates him. Dylan has betrayed her and he knows
she won’t forgive his indiscretions. None of that matters now. All
that matters is finding her. As long as she’s safe Dylan can
continue to live a sad wasted existence without her by his side.
Shannon brought Dylan back to life, without her in the world he’ll
cease to exist.
Shannon Kelly is gone. Stolen from
her home and loved ones, she must now fight. Fighting has never been
an issue for her, but this is a new opponent that she isn’t
prepared for…her past. When every reality she thought she knew is
called into question, Shannon learns her life isn’t what she
thought it was. With the promise of a future with Dylan stolen from
her before her world implodes, Shannon must rely on the family that
has protected her for the last thirteen years to come for her. She
won’t win this fight on her own…Shannon is going to lose.
Excerpt
Kavanagh
I’m going to commit murder. I can
feel it in my bones, in my pulse, in each breath I take. I’m pretty
sure O’Sullivan, Cal, and Aidan are on board with my plan. Kid went
upstairs with Kellerman and twenty minutes later Taylor dropped his
bomb. Kellerman got a fucking chick pregnant when he was in Seattle.
I don’t know specific dates on when he and Kid became a couple, but
I know he was all over her shit and fully warned before he went back
to Seattle in October. Yeah, I’m going to commit murder. We have to
get Kid out of here before we beat his head in.
“Make sure Kid’s not in the room
for this shit,” I say to whoever’s listening. I get chin lifts in
response. O’Sullivan has been cracking his knuckles and pumping his
fists since we saw the first picture of Kellerman and that chick.
She’s cute…that’s about all I can say about her. She’s
nothing compared to Kid. Kellerman must be a fucking idiot. The blood
is rushing past my eardrums with such force I don’t hear Kid and
Kellerman come down the stairs. I’m barely aware of the Army vs.
Navy game on the TV. The four of us turn to look at them as Kellerman
starts to talk.
“I beyond fucked up today guys,”
Kellerman tries to grovel. “I feel like total shit about it and I
can assure you, I’ll never let anything go that far again. I love
Kid more than I can even tell you guys and I know you all love her
just as much. I meant what I told Kav all those weeks ago. If I hurt
her I’d deliver myself to you all willingly. I’m here and I
deserve whatever you wanna give me. I was wrong.” I stand up and
move toward Kellerman never looking at Kid. Kid keeps her fingers
interlaced with his and I want to break everyone of his as they touch
her. I won’t do anything to him while she’s here. I won’t put
her in the middle like those two pricks did earlier. I can feel Kid’s
eyes on me while the guys approach my back.
“Kid go to the office and talk to
Taylor,” I order without looking at her. Kellerman maintains eye
contact with me, not in a confrontational way…he doesn’t know
what’s coming.
“Kavy,” Kid warns.
“Kid, we need Kellerman alone for
a few minutes. You need to leave,” O’Sullivan orders her from
behind my back.
“Go ahead Kiddo. I’ll be fine,”
Kellerman soothes her. I’m going to break that jaw he’s working.
Kid turns to walk away, and I relax
a little that she isn’t putting up more of a fight. Too soon was I
relieved, because she stops and turns back around.
“Guys, I know this is a man thing
that I’m not a part of. But you all are my family…Kel included.
He’s my future now too guys. I’m no cake walk to be with, but
he’s fightin’ for me like only you guys have. Think about that
before you do anything stupid,” she pleads before turning and
walking away. She won’t feel that way after she talks to Taylor. I
hate that she’ll be hurt, but she deserves to know.
Once she rounds the corner and I
hear the office shut it takes everything I’ve got in me not to
launch at this motherfucker.
“Pool house,” I growl at him. He
nods and moves toward the back door. I can’t risk Kid hearing us so
the pool house is the best place to get this done. Once Taylor
dropped this shit storm at our feet he told us he’d explain things
to Kid while we dealt with Kellerman. I don’t know how long we
have, but getting out of the house buys us more time.
We enter the pool house. Kellerman
goes in first followed by me, the guys trailing. No one says a word.
Kellerman stops in the middle of the room. His head is held high, but
I can see he’s apprehensive. I’d be scared fucking shitless
facing us in a room.
“We’re gonna kick the livin’
shit outta you,” I inform him in a growl resembling English. “Then
you’re gonna pack your shit, get on a plane, and crawl back to
Seattle.” His face is calm and collected with the first sentence,
strained and confused at the last.
“What’re you talkin’ about
back to Seattle?” Kellerman asks.
“You think we’re gonna let you
stick around and go back and forth? Kid deserves better than that and
you fuckin’ know it,” Aidan seethes moving to my right. Aidan’s
a big motherfucker. I’ve never seen him as pissed as he is right
now, scary isn’t the right word.
“Back and forth?” Kellerman
repeats.
“This is not Sesame Street
motherfucker. You heard him,” Cal jumps to his brother’s side.
Cal can go off the rails but it’s rare. He’s the calmest of our
bunch, but he’s hell on wheels when he gets going. O’Sullivan
moves to my left and I can feel the fury oozing from every inch of
him. He’s a fighter through and through. I have no doubt that he
can, and will, end Kellerman. Kid’s the soft spot for all of us and
we would all gladly sacrifice anything for her.
“I’m startin’ to feel like I
don’t know what’s goin’ on,” Kellerman says as he looks at
all our raging expressions.
“He explained it,” O’Sullivan
says motioning to me. “Don’t see the problem.” He’s so
furious I’m surprised he can form words much less sentences.
“I get the ass beating. I put my
hands on her and shouldn’t have. I’m down for whatever you four
got planned. I’m not fuckin’ leavin’ Kid though. I don’t know
what makes you think I would leave her, but I’m stayin’.”
Kellerman’s confident as he talks. I have no doubt he’ll take the
beating, but he’s not making Kid a stepmom or taking her away from
us to Seattle that’s for damn sure. She deserves the world not some
slut’s sloppy seconds.
“Fuck this shit,” O’Sullivan
roars and lunges at Kellerman. He lands a brutal right hook along
Kellerman’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. Kellerman stumbles
but doesn’t go down. O’Sullivan is a man possessed now that he’s
started. He grabs Kellerman’s shirt to hold him in place as he
repeatedly crushes his face. Kellerman doesn’t fight back.
“Fight back you pussy!”
O’Sullivan screams as he releases Kellerman’s shirt only to
connect a left cross splitting the skin below his eye. Stumbling back
Kellerman falls to the floor. He’s breathing hard as he stays down.
“Who’s next?” Kellerman asks
without a hint of snark. He’s really going to let the four of us
beat his ass. We’ll kill him. He looks done after O’Sullivan; the
three of us on top of it is too much. I have to be the voice of
reason in the room as I see Aidan making his way toward him.
“He’s had enough,” I state
firmly. Aidan snaps his head back to me with a look of shock on his
face.
“You’re lettin’ him off that
easy Kavanagh?” Aidan grumbles.
“He’s gotta be able to walk
through the airport.”
“I’m not goin’ to the
airport,” Kellerman mumbles spitting blood into his shirt. This
sets me off.
I pick Kellerman up by the throat
and pin him against the wall squeezing as I speak, “You will get
your sorry ass on a plane. Today! She’s had enough pain in this
life, you motherfuckin’ piece of shit.” I squeeze harder the more
I speak, because the more I speak the more infuriated I’m becoming.
“If you think for a second I’m gonna let you take her from me,
you’re sadly mistaken. What she’s learnin’ today about you, you
dickless fuck, is gonna wreck her. Get outta this fuckin’ city
today or we’re comin’ for you.” I squeeze one more time before
I let him drop. He slides down the wall gasping for air, coughing and
choking.
“I’m not leavin’ her,”
Kellerman gasps out. Aidan hurls forward and kicks him over and over
and over in the torso.
“You fuckin’ are!” Aidan
screams as he lays his final blow. Kellerman falls to the side
spitting out blood from what I’m guessing is some internal damage
at this point. Maybe we are going to commit murder. This motherfucker
seems intent on dying in our pool house.
“Not,” Kellerman mumbles before
he passes out.
“What the fuck?!” Cal bellows.
“Is he insane? Why’s he lettin’ this go on?”
Aidan bends down and starts checking
Kellerman’s vitals. His doctor brain must have just kicked in gear.
No pun intended (maybe a little pun intended).
“Guessin’ his spleen is damaged
maybe his liver too,” Aidan explains without much concern in his
voice while standing up. “We need to decide what we’re doin’
here.”
“Wait for him to wake up. See
where his head’s at,” I say. I can’t put him over my shoulder
and walk him out in front of Kid. He has to leave on his own. We all
sit around the breakfast table and stare at Kellerman waiting for his
pathetic ass to wake up.
Author Bio
Blackness Takes Over is
Norma Jeanne’s debut novel. What began as an homage to the home
town of a homesick Midwestern girl, unfolded a story of
love, danger, humor, and trust. She’s currently working on her
untitled sophomore effort. We can’t wait to see what thrilling
saga she leads us through next!
Originally from Kansas City,
Missouri, Norma Jeanne recently found herself relocating to the
United Kingdom. Now living in Belfast, she took hold of the
opportunity to kick the 9-5 job for a chance to become an author. The
best part: working from her home office, she gets to spend more time
with her cast of crazy characters (written and real).
In her free time Norma Jeanne is a
voracious reader and consumes books as readily as meals. She is a
people watcher by nature and uses her experiences in life, observed
or otherwise, to build the worlds and characters that thrive in
her books. A believer in the strength of the human spirit, Norma
Jeanne writes the stories of people that persevere when all
appears to be lost.
“Rage, rage against the dying of
the light.” –Dylan Thomas
Book #1
Giveaway
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