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Lori J. Gordon is the author of Victims of Circumstance,
The Lost Night series (BlackNight, Castle of Doom, Beginnings) and she is currently working on her fifth novel.

March 2012, Rebel Ink Press Presents


Victims of Circumstance

Victims of Circumstance

It always happened in the dark.

Kari Stewart bolted upright, blinking. She shoved her fingers in her ears trying to drown out the familiar yelling.

Not again. The eight–year-old climbed down to her younger sister on the bottom bunk.

It was a stifling July night in rural Kansas. The small house didn't have the luxury of an air conditioner, so the girls sweated under the blanket Kari had pulled over their heads. In the glow from the flashlight she kept hidden under her pillow, Kari soothed her five-year-old half sister, Marie Milton—it was what a big sister was supposed to do.

Tonight the screaming was worse than usual, so with her arms wrapped around Marie, Kari whispered the Twenty-Third Psalm.

"I…I'm scared Kari."

"Shhh," Kari squeezed Marie's shoulder. "It will be over soon."

Huddled under the makeshift tent, Marie clinging tightly to her, Kari closed her eyes and prayed for the fighting to stop.

"It's never been this bad," Marie sniffed as glass shattered while their mother screamed words not intended for children's ears.

The slamming of the front door had Marie letting out a high pitched yelp. Kari had just managed to cover Marie's mouth when the bedroom door crashed open.

Towering over them was a man both girls feared more than anything else in life.

He stood inches from them, illuminated by the eerie glow from the blanket-covered flashlight Kari saw the shotgun held at his side.

A squeal escaped from her quivering lips before she begged, "Pleeease God… oh please help us..."

"SHUT UP!" He shouted while making his way to the tiny bedroom window.

Kari silently thanked God for the wail of sirens coming towards them. He had sent them to save her and Marie.

After what seemed like forever, someone was pounding on the front door. When the shouting began, Kari held her breath.

"Police."

More banging.

"Open up."

The butt of the shotgun slammed against the bedroom window; glass shards rained over the blanket. "I've got a gun," he yelled. "Stay out or I'll kill her fucking brats! I swear to God I'll kill them." As he spun around to face the girls, his eyes caught in the glow from the police car lights streaming through the broken window—devil's eyes eyes that would forever burn in her nightmares.

He placed the shotgun's barrel against the side of her head and the distinct cocking sound, She screamed.

"Great hook, you pulled me in right away."
(Victims of Circumstance)
 

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"This is a fun and entertaining manuscript. The characters are fabulous, as is the plot."
(The Lost Night-Black/Night)
- Cynthia Sherman

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PRO Member of the RWA

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Active member of the SVRWA Chapter

Contributing Author of:

Paw Prints - Rebel Writers with a Cause

What happens when twenty five writers get together with a story idea geared toward helping better one small corner of the world? Meet Kylie Wright and Buster and find out this December in Paw Prints, a brand new story created by Rebel Writers with a Cause.

Buster was a bait dog, the kind used to teach others like him to fight to the death. Left for dead on the side of an empty country road, Kylie Wright finds him and sets into motion a whirlwind of events that offer both she and Buster a second chance at life. With his new master and a handsome vet tech, Jason, at his side, Buster might have just found his very own Shangri-La. That is if the people who abused him, the very same people threatening both Kylie and Jason, can be brought to justice.

Will Buster finally have the life and family he deserves or will fate deliver each of them at the feet of the cruel men running the death pit?

Paw Prints will be available at these fine retailers:

  • All Romance ebooks.com
  • Amazon.com
  • Barnes & Noble.com
  • Bookstrand.com
  • www.rebelinkpress.com