Beneath
the Surface
Secrets
In Oak Creek Book 2
by
B.K. Stubblefield
Genre:
Mystery, Romance
“He
clutched his head in his hands. His shoulders shook, but no sound
came. Minutes stretched, interrupted only by the pop of burning
wood.”
Ryan
Collins had it all – financial freedom, an exciting career, and
attractive women. A favorite photographer in the glamorous world of
fashion, his lifestyle is the envy of many. Only a few know of the
demons that haunt him.
When
Ryan and Emily Carmichael discover Oak Creek’s dirty secret, they
become witnesses to a drug crime. With Ryan’s plans for a career
change temporarily on hold, the physical and emotional attraction to
Emily grows strong. But a twisted truth taught so many years ago
spirals to the surface and strangles his heart. A romantic
relationship just isn’t meant to be.
While
assisting a friend with a documentary in the African wild, Ryan is
forced to confront his terrors. As the battle within rages will he be
able to permanently silence the voices this time? Will he find a way
back to Emily, and the happiness he so desperately craves? Or is
it too late?
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CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
Twenty-nine years earlier
Startled, the little boy awoke.
Confused and scared, his eyes fluttered then opened wide as he gazed into the darkness of the room. Strange noises had woken him. Or had it only been a bad dream? No, not a dream… there they were again. His heart sprinted at the low growls, shrieks, and whispers. Was someone hurt? He couldn’t tell, but it scared him.
His ears pricked, and he strained to pick up any sound. He knew no monsters hid under his bed or crouched in the corners of his room. But still… what if?
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed and split the night sky with an erratic zig-zag across the horizon. The boy relaxed. Scaredy-cat he chided himself aloud. It’s only a storm. The low moan of the approaching storm had roused him from his sleep.
Storms didn’t scare the little boy–his dad had taught him how to stay safe. And his dad was his hero – he was a soldier and knew everythingabout safety. The boy watched and learned, bonding with his dad over fun outdoor trips … like when they went camping. Just the two of them. But his dad wasn’t home that night. His unit was on a military field exercise. The boy closed his eyes and said a prayer for his dad’s protection.
His fists uncurled, releasing the bedsheet from a steely grip as he counted the seconds to the next crashing boom of the thunderclap. As the thunder rolled, he thought he heard the strange noise again. What was that? Did the rumble disappear into the night? No. The sound came from the end of the hall.
With his frightened heart slamming against his ribs, he gathered the courage to get out of bed and hitched up his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajama pants. Barefoot, he padded across the room. With great care, he quietly turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway.
He had to pee but didn’t have far to go. The bathroom door across the hall from his room stood open. He slipped inside, softly closing the door behind him. When he finished, he opened the water faucet just enough to wash his hands under a warm trickle before he slipped back into the hall. That’s when he heard it again. That noise. Without making a sound, the boy crept along the wall until he stopped in front of his parents’ bedroom. Pressing his ear against the flimsy wooden door, he listened.
There! The sounds he couldn’t label came from inside. Fright washed over him. Mom! What’s wrong? Why are you crying? With a racing heart, and hands clammy with a cold sweat, he turned the knob with great care. He eased the door ajar, just wide enough to peek through the opening.
Heavy drapes obscured the faint lights of the night sky, causing the boy to blink a few times against the dim shadows. His eyes adjusted, and he tried to make sense of the burly shape silhouetted against the inky dark of the room. The boy stood motionless, his feet rooted to the hardwood floor, blood pounding in his ears. In horror, he watched the dark shape bending over his mom. She whimpered. To the small boy’s ears, the sound was a cry of pain. Like when I fell and scraped my knees the other day, he remembered.
A high-pitched cry broke the boy’s paralysis. “Mom?” he probed. BOOM! Another thunderclap cracked the air. “Mom? Mom…. are you hurt?” the little boy cried out as he flung the bedroom door wide open.
“Fuck!” He heard the man’s cuss at the same time his Mom screamed.
“Ryan!” she shrieked and grabbed a throw blanket as she jumped off the bed. “Get out!” Enraged, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway. “Why the hell aren’t you in
bed? You should be asleep!” His mother’s voice sounded harsh as she dragged him to his room and pushed him inside. “Go back to bed…and stay in your room! Go to sleep!”
Confused and hurt the boy hurled himself onto his bed. Embarrassment and shame twisted in his tummy. But why, he didn’t know. He’d angered his mom. She’d been furious, – but he had just wanted to help. A sick feeling settled in his belly.
The boy knelt on his bed and propped his elbows on the windowsill. His hands cradled his face as he watched as the lightning strikes became fewer and fewer. The storm finally moved away. As Ryan watched dark clouds rush across the night sky, tears rolled from big blue eyes, dripping onto his pajama sleeves. He felt all tangled up on the inside. What is this man doing to my mom, and why is she so mad at me? He’d just wanted to check out the weird noises and see why she was crying.
When dad had left, he’d hugged Ryan. “Take good care of Mom for me, buddy,” he’d said, and the boy nodded his promise.
His mind shaped a large cloud into a dinosaur, and he wished he could ride it across the sky to visit his dad. His battle buddy–that’s what dadcalled him.
The storm had long passed when the boy awoke again. His mom was in the kitchen, reading the newspaper and drinking her morning coffee when he’d shuffled into the room.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Looking up from the paper, she sounded pleasant. But the boy was suspicious. Is she still mad at me?
When he didn’t answer, his mother frowned. “Swallowed your tongue, boy?”
“Mom, who was that man last night?” He moved towards the table, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“What are you talking about, Ryan?”
“The man in your bedroom… what did he do? Did he hurt you?”
Her tone sharpened. “Ryan, come here.” Grabbing his small arms, she pulled him until he came to stand between her knees. “Look at me,” her stern voice demanded. But the boy kept his eyes glued to the kitchen floor.
His mother’s manicured fingers shot out to push up his chin. He stared into her eyes with a blank face.
“You had a nightmare. No one tried to hurt me.”
“But I saw him.” The boy knew he wasn’t supposed to talk back, but he disobeyed.
“Nonsense Ryan!” She shook the boy’s small shoulders, but the defiance didn’t leave his eyes. “There was no man! And nobody was in my room. Stop making up stories. Do you hear me? And Ryan? I don’t expect you to bother your father with this make-believe monster story when he comes home. Do you understand?”
Ryan nodded. He understood this tone; he’d experienced it often.
Sour-faced, she released him from her grip with a dismissive push. “You’re just like your father.” The boy’s throat closed, and his eyes watered at the dislike he heard in those mumbled words. It didn’t take much to irritate his mom. She was often agitated–with him and his dad. As much as he wanted to please her, on certain days, he could do nothing right. No matter how he tried. She doesn’t love me.
“I asked you a question, Ryan!” A final shake of his shoulders and the boy answered, as if on autopilot. “Yes, ma’am.” But he knew because he had seen the man. When he’d watched the clouds move, he saw him coming out of their house, get into his car and drive away.
It was the first time Ryan realized his mom lied.
Secrets
in Oak Creek
Secrets
In Oak Creek Book 1
A small town with a dark secret. A new arrival in grave danger. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up the next victim?
The
best part of Emily's childhood may have been the time she spent with
her quirky aunt. So when her favorite relative passes away, she drops
everything to attend the funeral in the small town of Oak Creek. But
she never expected to inherit her aunt's entire estate, including her
massive black dog Bentley. Just as she starts to get the hang of
small-town life, an unknown driver runs her off the road and sends
her to the hospital.
As
doctors tend to her and she makes a connection with a charming Oak
Creek resident named Ryan, Emily racks her brain to figure out who
would want her dead. When sparks start to fly between her and the
Good Samaritan that sat by her bedside, they team up to solve the
mystery. Digging into the crime starts to reveal a dark side to Oak
Creek and long-held secrets nobody wants revealed. Emily and Ryan
must uncover the truth before her assailant comes back to finish the
job.
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TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON I-65, bottleneck traffic is slowly dissipating. Rush hour is over, but the recent storm has kept many employees at their offices past their normal office hours, while others have fled the streets to remain safely inside restaurants, bars, or shops.
Starting to relax, Emily turns up the volume of the country station tuned on the car’s radio. She hums along as Keith Urban’s sexy voice fills the interior of her aunt’s old 4-runner… “Baby, Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
Her exit was just a few miles ahead. Another twenty minutes after that, and she’d finally be home. Home…How strange that sounds, she thinks to herself.
Cars and trucks are passing by fast as she keeps her speed steady at the posted limit. The experience of flashing blue lights pulling her over has taught her to be cautious at this particular stretch of interstate. Driving in the far right lane keeps her from speeding.
Whoa…buddy! How about a little distance?
“Get off my butt, will ya?” A black pickup truck has sped up fast behind her, closing in on her tail. The vehicle looms large and menacing in her rearview mirror.
“What…are you freaking nuts? GET OFF MY ASS!” she shouts as she steps on the gas in an attempt to create more space between them. With rising anger, she flips him the bird and watches in horror as the truck then speeds up. Front and rear bumpers are within an inch of touching each other.
Frantically checking her rearview mirror, she can’t see the driver’s face but realizes the truck is relentless in its pursuit. But why?
In sudden fear, Emily’s heart begins pounding rapidly inside her chest. Her knuckles turn white as she curls her hands tightly around the steering wheel in an effort to brace for what she instinctively knows will come next.
Shiiit… NOO! This is gonna hurt…briefly flashes through her mind. Panic burns in her chest as adrenaline floods her body at the sound of metal crunching.
B.K. Stubblefield is
a new writer with a passion for animal rescue. After adopting her new
dog Harper, she was quickly overwhelmed with the challenges of
raising a "puppy on steroids". Together with her close
friend, Debra Wagner, she published 'Rescued: A Tale of Two Dogs',
two nonfiction tales of love, patience and commitment.
In an
effort to help bring awareness to animal neglect and abuse in our own
neighborhoods, B.K. Stubblefield shares several short stories of
animals brought out of the shadows and into the light of love in her
second book "Rescued: Out of The Shadows."
Fictional
short stories and memory books/journals continue to carry the theme
of dog rescue.
B.K. Stubblefield is also a contributing author
to "Be Their Voice: An Anthology for Rescue, Volume I & II
Her debut novel,
'Secrets in Oak Creek', a mystery/romance, was published in November
2017.
Born and raised
in Germany, the author has spent many years supporting her husband's
military career. Moving between Europe and the United States, she now
makes her home in the small rural town of Elizabethtown, Kentucky
where she enjoys the slower pace of small town living. Early morning
weekend walks with her dog Harper are among her favorite activities.
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