Expected Publication: July 18th 2013
Publisher: Merit Press
Purchase: Amazon
Publisher: Merit Press
Purchase: Amazon
A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a gang rite kills his twin sister. Will Lucas win, or follow his sister Silver into the darkness?
After a hideous car wreck, Lucas wakes from a coma to find that his world is gutted. Not only is his beloved twin sister, Silver, gone forever, but Lucas is broken in body and spirit. He will never be a college athlete, and is robbed of what he now realizes was the most important bond of his life. Although they weren't identical twins, Lucas and Silver shared a bond so fierce it defied reason, and was nearly supernatural.
After her death, that bond seems to endure when Lucas sees Silver everywhere he turns. Either he's crazy, or Silver is trying to tell him something about the California gang initiation they stumbled into that cost Silver her life. Lucas is bent on revenge, turning on Raymond, Silver's former boyfriend; the one Lucas never wanted her to date. He forms a posse of vigilantes to take out the gangsters responsible for Silver's death, but he risks not only his own life, but the love of the new girl on his block, who knows more about Lucas and Silver than can be accounted for by mere chance.
Did ghost read minds?
Twenty minutes later, I climbed though my dark bedroom window, yawning. The night’s rush had sent me crashing.
“Lucas?”
I staggered against the nightstand, my pulses churning out palpitations. “What are you doing here?
The comforter rustled on my bed. “Where’d you go?”
“Out.” Reaching over, I turned on the nightstand light. Alyssa sat up, leaning against my wrought-iron headboard, clutching her stuffed baby sea lion. “What’s wrong?”
“It feels weird being in Silver’s room and I’m nervous about school tomorrow. Just wanted to talk. I knew you were hiding something at dinner.”
Alyssa and Silver were worse than two peas in a spacepod. They should’ve been twins. I perched on the bed, unlaced my hiking boots, and heaved them off. “Why’re you nervous? Aren’t you excited? You and Silver were always like that on the first day.”
She twirled a curly strand of her hair between her fingers, “It’s different. I don’t know anymore.”
I gave her a look of mock horror. “Dude, I’m not just anyone.” I lay back over her legs. She pulled a lock of my short hair. “I’ll hook you up. Have you met Tara and Denny next door? They just moved here. Started school yesterday.”
“Oh… awesome!” Alyssa wriggled her legs beneath my shoulders.
“Like I’d leave you in the dust.” Lifting off her, I jostled her halfway off the bed, tossed her sea lion at the door. “Now scram.” Stifling a yawn, I slipped off my sweat jacket and curled onto the bed. I zonked out before she shut the door.
Dreams of spiders crawling over my skin awakened me, leaving my heart racing. Only it was an insomniac ghost fanning my face.
“Are you seriously going to introduce Alyssa to Denny?” Silver’s voice bit into my head
I lugged the pillow over my face, groaned. “Duh, we live next door to each other. Besides you can’t have him.”
“If he was dead, he’d be all mine.”
I flailed my arms. The pillow thumped onto the floor. Sitting up, I went bug-eyed, scanning the room for her. I seriously needed to get a grip. “You’re not going to mess with him, are you?”
“Don’t let your paranoia hurt you, Pippy.” One of her favorite snarky sayings. “Kidding. I’m here for you. One for all, all for one. Oh… maybe for Tara, too.”
I blinked and she vanished. WTF? Sometimes, I felt like telling Dr. Beranger about my daily moments of ghostly delusions. Then I checked myself. No sense in feeding the meter.
Twenty minutes later, I climbed though my dark bedroom window, yawning. The night’s rush had sent me crashing.
“Lucas?”
I staggered against the nightstand, my pulses churning out palpitations. “What are you doing here?
The comforter rustled on my bed. “Where’d you go?”
“Out.” Reaching over, I turned on the nightstand light. Alyssa sat up, leaning against my wrought-iron headboard, clutching her stuffed baby sea lion. “What’s wrong?”
“It feels weird being in Silver’s room and I’m nervous about school tomorrow. Just wanted to talk. I knew you were hiding something at dinner.”
Alyssa and Silver were worse than two peas in a spacepod. They should’ve been twins. I perched on the bed, unlaced my hiking boots, and heaved them off. “Why’re you nervous? Aren’t you excited? You and Silver were always like that on the first day.”
She twirled a curly strand of her hair between her fingers, “It’s different. I don’t know anymore.”
I gave her a look of mock horror. “Dude, I’m not just anyone.” I lay back over her legs. She pulled a lock of my short hair. “I’ll hook you up. Have you met Tara and Denny next door? They just moved here. Started school yesterday.”
“Oh… awesome!” Alyssa wriggled her legs beneath my shoulders.
“Like I’d leave you in the dust.” Lifting off her, I jostled her halfway off the bed, tossed her sea lion at the door. “Now scram.” Stifling a yawn, I slipped off my sweat jacket and curled onto the bed. I zonked out before she shut the door.
Dreams of spiders crawling over my skin awakened me, leaving my heart racing. Only it was an insomniac ghost fanning my face.
“Are you seriously going to introduce Alyssa to Denny?” Silver’s voice bit into my head
I lugged the pillow over my face, groaned. “Duh, we live next door to each other. Besides you can’t have him.”
“If he was dead, he’d be all mine.”
I flailed my arms. The pillow thumped onto the floor. Sitting up, I went bug-eyed, scanning the room for her. I seriously needed to get a grip. “You’re not going to mess with him, are you?”
“Don’t let your paranoia hurt you, Pippy.” One of her favorite snarky sayings. “Kidding. I’m here for you. One for all, all for one. Oh… maybe for Tara, too.”
I blinked and she vanished. WTF? Sometimes, I felt like telling Dr. Beranger about my daily moments of ghostly delusions. Then I checked myself. No sense in feeding the meter.
Erin Richards writes SF&F romance and young adult fiction. Her YA debut novel, VIGILANTE NIGHTS, releases from Merit Press (F+W Media) on July 18, 2013. Erin has also published two adult romance novels: CHASING SHADOWS, a romantic suspense (EPPIE award finalist), now available in print for the first time (July 2012); and WICKED PARADISE, a fantasy romance, was released by Crimson Romance (F+W Media) in August 2012, available in eBook and print format. Erin Richards lives in Northern California. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, photography, and American muscle cars.
US ONLY
Cool excerpt. Thanks for participating :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for spotlighting VIGILANTE NIGHTS and joining in my tour! I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteErin