One Step Closer

Book Main Description:
Lara Martin is a woman haunted. After a bitter divorce and a custody battle that leaves her without her two children, Lara finds she is as far from the girl she once was as she could ever remember being. Haunted by the choices she has made every day is a struggle. When a friend faces a life changing tragedy, Lara is inspired to reclaim her life but her chance may be cut short when she catches the eye of a stranger and is unwittingly put on the path of a cruel and malicious man.

Detective Brian Hammond is a man who relies on his instincts to get the job done. Meeting Lara, he is instantly beguiled by her beauty and pain. Things quickly become complicated when a new case emerges and he discovers the very man he’s hunting has been hunting Lara. Can he figure out the mysteries of the case before it’s too late or will Lara have to fight for the very thing she wants most, her life?

To My Readers:
The Lara Martin series is semi-autobiographical dealing with personal experiences that I have overcome. Personalities of my main characters are based on people I know who have guided me, given me strength and sometimes grief but overall help Lara overcome self doubts to realize her full potential.

Book Excerpt:
“What do you want??!” the woman screamed beating her fists against his chest. She tried to push him away. “Please don’t hurt me!”

She’d woken up to a hot, sweaty hand over her mouth. She reacted instantly twisting her head to the side and screaming loud enough to hear it reverberate off the bedroom walls. She wiggled off the bed away from him but he caught her in the living room pushing her against the wall and putting his wet lips against her ear. She heard him breathing. His breath was even and steady. He wasn’t nervous or agitated and that scared her even more. He knew exactly what he was doing.

The instinct to survive was strong and she twisted in his arms and fought. Grabbing both her hands in his he pulled her roughly toward him. Jerking her arms and dipping his forehead he head-butt her in the face, darkness swept across her vision. Feeling wetness on her lips she realized he’d broken her nose. Pulling her off her feet he dragged her back to the bedroom.

“No, no no no,” she whimpered her feet barely touching the ground. She tried to keep her wits about her, remember his face, a feature, the color of his eyes but he was a blur to her. Darkness and pain were all she saw and like an animal she kicked and scratched at him. With astonishing strength he threw her on the bed and she bounced up slamming into the headboard. Dazed she lay quiet.

She heard sounds in the shadows, the clink of metal on wood, the rustle of clothes and then the sound of a zipper. It was that sound that catapulted her out of her stupor and she lunged up her nails raking his cheek before he could duck away. He didn’t make a sound. He drew back his fist and punched her. She went down. He pulled her to the edge of the bed parting her knees. She cried.

With his face right next to hers he whispered to her and the words sealed her fate. “How does it feel?”
Then he entered her.
~~~~~~~

Hammond’s cell phone went off about quarter past 2 in the morning. “Hammond.”

“It’s me,” he heard Ballard on the other end. “We got another one but this time is worse.” He gave him the address.
“We’re waiting on a female officer.” Female officer meant rape.

“Damn it,” Hammond swore. “I’ll be right there.”

He looked over at the other side of his bed and swore again. Sometime in the night Jamie had snuck into his bed. He watched him sleep peacefully under the covers. Hammond dragged himself to the bathroom to use his cell phone. “Cindy, its Brian, I have an emergency. Can you come over?”

Cindy lived next door. She had never been married and was going on fifty. She worked from home, something to do with computers, and didn’t mind watching Jamie on a sporadic schedule like his.

“Sure,” she didn’t sound tired at all. “I was online.” Sounded like an addiction but he let it go.

“Thanks. I’ll see you in a few.”

He brushed his teeth, ran a brush through his hair and looked around for his pants.

“Dad?” Jamie was looking at him from the bed.

“Sorry, kiddo,” he sat down and found his pants on the floor. “I have to go to work.”

He finished getting dressed and kissed him on the head. “Cindy is on her way over. Go back to sleep.”
Jamie lay back down and closed his eyes. ‘Wish sleep was t