Blurb:
A smooth
talker with the ladies, Luther Evans has all the right moves and all the wrong
motives. Swindling
wealthy women and making shady business deals, he strings along his girlfriend
with promises of commitment and a flashy diamond engagement ring, despite his
playboy antics. Karma cashes in when he gets an outrageous wakeup call from a messenger
of death. Soon
after, he’s plagued by a bizarre string of deadly accidents he narrowly escapes
until the final incident. His narcissistic ways must suddenly change—when he
dies! Faced with the prospect of spiritual exile, our hero finds himself on an
urgent mission to save his soul.
Matched with his ethereal guide, Gabrielle, a
disinclined archangel who is a bit of a prankster, Luther faces temptation and
obstacles no mere mortal can overcome. On this perilous journey for his pursuit
of salvation, she tries to teach him the value of humanity. Will Luther strike
out and lose his soul on the road to redemption? Can Gabrielle save him from
eternal damnation despite the forces that try to stop them?
Excerpt:
“Mr. Evans, can I call a
cab for you?” He stopped and glanced over to find the cute nurse he flirted
with earlier peek out from behind her station.
“Cab?” He glanced
down at the incoming message. “No, thanks Ginny. I’ll drive home.” With his phone in
one hand, he patted his pant pocket with the other to confirm Jasmine had left
the keys to his BMW. “I’m good.”
“The doctor suggested you shouldn’t drive until
the….”
He
glanced at her again when she paused.
“Until the
medication wears off.” She eyed the front of his still-bulging pants, her heart-shaped face turning a pretty shade of crimson.
“Thanks, I’m fine.” He trudged down the hall and
forced his concrete-like feet, one in front of the other as he carried on down
the corridor. Sure, before I
was dying to get laid and couldn’t get it up. Here, I have a hard-on, and I have no interest in the
hot nurse, or even going back to bang Jocelyn. Is this night ever gonna end?
“Sooner than you think,” a
woman’s whisper filled his ear.
Luther
spun, but the hallway was empty. Great,
he could add a little auditory hallucination to top the evening off. The phone
buzzed in his hand again.
Sorry, buddy, Beth’s home so you can’t come
here tonight. Jazz told her
everything. She’s pissed off. You
should stay at the Plaza. Let me know when you get there, I’ll pop over.
“Perfect,” he grumbled. No way would he go back to the house tonight,
not while she packed to leave. He didn’t want to deal with the aftermath. Getting out of pinches was his forte, not facing them. To go to his father’s was out of
the question. Even if Jasmine hadn’t already told him everything, the need to
explain why he had to crash
overnight held no appeal and no reprieve for Luther. Marvin
was right. The Plaza seemed like the only viable solution.
Sure,
I’ll head there. Should be a half
hour or so. Gonna have a bite to
eat and hit the sack. I’m wiped
out. Luther
finished the text then tucked his phone into his coat and took his keys out. He
pressed the elevator button with a heavy sigh.
The
clanking metal door dragged open with an irksome ding. Empty. At least he
didn’t have to paint on a smile. He inched into the grimy box and pressed P5. A bed was all he needed
tonight, and no people to mingle with. The door scraped along the frame as it
closed then got stuck only six inches before shutting.
“Gimme a break.” He shoved his hand through to
push it open. Immovable, the cold metal resisted. Anger flooded him, and he kicked the door while wrestling
it back and forth, trying to get it to move. Without warning, the elevator door
slammed shut. He yanked his hand back in the nick of time, saving his fingers
from getting crushed. Luther’s chest pounded, and a rush of sweat covered his
forehead.
“That was close.” A sharp jolt shook the
elevator. Rattling sounded overhead, like a loose cable. The air grew thick.
He couldn’t breathe. Am I
about to meet my maker? He
snagged at the collar of his shirt then clicked the button again and again for
the main floor, but the death trap door didn’t budge. He stilled, terrified to
shift in case something broke in the dilapidated wreck.
The quiet besieged him and
rang in his ears. He waited, his pulse raced, his heartbeat thrummed behind his
ears.
Luther sidestepped slowly to the console. He pushed the open button once again. It
still didn’t work. “I can’t believe this,” he hissed. Pins and needles filled
his toes, traveling up his legs, followed by a prickling along his skin.
Desperation mounted and he
pressed every button on the board, hoping something would free him. Then, a
grinding sound, followed by the sudden plummeting, and his stomach bottomed out
with the weightlessness.
No! The elevator plunged downward. Images flashed
through his mind and words filled his head: If you wrong another person, you
will die.
Is my nightmare crossing
into reality?
With a
frightful jerk, the elevator stopped and the door slid open. Stunned, he fixed
his stare at the number P5, glowing above him. Luther bolted
out of the elevator, and the door eased closed behind him with the tactless
chime sounding again.
Speechless, even in his own
mind, he fumbled with his keys and pressed the alarm button, triggering
piercing chirps and flashing lights down at the end of the row. The commotion
revealed his car in the sea of metal and wheels. Clicking the alarm off, he
walked down the concrete path to the respite of his trusty BMW.
The sudden screech of tires
ricocheted throughout the lot. It grew louder and closer as he walked the
length of the parking garage. Luther spied the fast approaching car and jumped
out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. The car full of teens sped away, with
only the bass of blaring music sounding with rhythmic thuds, muffled by the
closed windows.
Great.
On top of the rest of the night, I’m paranoid, too. Weariness washed over him. He reached his
silver car and climbed in.
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Bio: Born and raised in Toronto, Kali now resides in the
exquisite eastern Ontario countryside where she enjoys the serenity of nature.
When she isn't busy being the married mother of two, certified trainer or
counsellor extraordinaire, she shadows worlds of paranormal passion &
intrigue.Kali strives to create emotional, compelling stories and characters you can't help but love, hate and cheer for. Captivated by her love of dragons, gargoyles and everything paranormal, she pens these delightful creatures into epic tales of romance and adventure and often infuses her passions of martial arts, music and ironic twists even she didn't foresee.
A good cup of tea with the crackling fire gets her creative juices flowing in the wee hours of the night, when the house is quiet and she can type away to her heart's desire.
Website: www.KaliWillow.com
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