Deep Shade

Deborah LeDrew

Description

Mikaela O’Hara appears to be the desire of every man and the envy of every woman. But within her lies a deep, dark secret which haunts every breath of her. When her aunt dies mysteriously, she realizes that things are not as they seemed to be. When her father sends her flowers to her hospital bed, her nightmares escalate and begin reveal a truth that she is not prepared to accept. Every aspect of her existence is challenged, from her faith to her own identity. But within her cloud of darkness, she finds a light that proves that love, trust, and loyalty do exist. As fragile as she seems, her own strength is pronounced to her. When she can accept that who she is, is far more important than what she is, the seeds of hope begin to sprout through the ashes of despair.

Sujets

• Classics
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 22 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781496939159
• Langue: English

Extrait

Deep Shade
 
 
 
 
 
Deborah LeDrew
 
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2014 Deborah LeDrew. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  09/21/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-4969-3913-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4969-3914-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4969-3915-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916588
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
About the Author
About the Book
Chapter 1
Mikaela sat on a stool behind the cash register at her pet shop. She leaned back against the wall, scanning the store. She had spent the past two hours cleaning every cage, from the hamsters to the birds to the three-foot iguana to the mixed-breed puppies in the playpen beside her. The store looked clean with its white walls and floors—almost too clean for a store filled with animals. The air had the soft scent of lemons. She leaned down and lifted the furry chin of her two-hundred-pound Newfoundland dog. “Well, Sailor,” she said, smiling, “all we need now are some customers.” He looked at her lovingly with his enormous face, his eyes and lips drooping down as far as his skin’s elasticity would allow. He licked her hand with his wet, warm tongue. Then he returned his chin to her feet, where he would remain loyal and content beyond any human capacity, until she moved again.
Mikaela looked out the window that was the whole front wall of her store. Although it was nine o’clock in the morning, there was no sun to be found. The skies were dark and gray, and cold rain was pouring. It felt more like mid-November than early September. Crashing thunder followed by brief flashes of light startled the tiny puppies in the playpen. They jumped from their sleep, crying loudly, scurrying in every direction, looking for a place to hide.
She looked at the little puppies and smiled. “What’s the matter, puppies? It’s okay. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” As the thunder ceased, the rain continued, pacifying the puppies. Five of the six returned to their snug huddle in the corner of the playpen. They appeared to be a multi-colored ball of fluff, indistinguishable from one another—except one. The sixth puppy sat in the center of the playpen whining softly and gazing at Mikaela, pleading to hear her soft, sweet voice again.
Mikaela slid her feet from under Sailor’s chin and walked over to the relentless puppy. “You’re such a silly little puppy. Do you know that?” She lifted him up and held him in the air, tipping him from side to side. “Yes you are, yes you are, yes you are,” she said in her soothing voice. The puppy wagged his tail frantically, and she nuzzled him in against her large breasts.
The bell on the door rang. She turned to see a tall man fully dressed in a suit and tie and shiny black shoes. It seemed strange to her that, with all the rain, the man’s suit was without a raindrop. His eyes were a gray-blue, and they smiled as he walked toward her. His hair was dark blonde and slicked back. The scent of his cologne was overwhelming. Mikaela took a step backward.
“What I wouldn’t do to be that puppy right now,” he said with a straight face. His eyelids fell dreamily as he stared at her breasts.
She turned around and placed the puppy in the heap of fur in the playpen. Clenching her teeth, she was prepared to turn around and say, “Go back to the farm where you can roll around and be the pig that you are.” But no, that would not be very business-like of her. And she wanted his money in her till. She wanted him to leave and tell all of his friends about the good value, courtesy, and cleanliness of Pet Palace. Then his friends and his friends’ friends would come in and make purchases. Her till would become so full she would not be able to close it. Then she could pay the rent for the store and the rent for her place, and all would be fine.
She felt his eyes thoroughly checking her out from behind. As she turned around, he appeared pleased to return his invasive eyes to the front of her. “How may I help you today, sir?” She smiled.
“I’m here to buy some dog food—whatever you’ve got. One forty-pound bag.”
“What kind of dog is it?”
“It’s for my brother’s dogs. He’s got a dogsled team. They’re like huskies—or something. They’re strong, fast dogs, but they’re bitchy as hell. They won’t let me anywhere near them. My brother was in here a couple of days ago. Tall, skinny guy. Those dogs eat—let me tell ya!” He was looking at her from head to toe, undressing her with his eyes as he spoke.
She walked over to a stack of forty-pound bags of high-energy dog food. She lifted a bag, brought it over to the till, and laid it on the counter. Walking behind the counter, she said, “Will that be all?”
He passed her the money, and she went to hand him his change, but he held his hand up. “No, keep it.” He picked up the bag and tossed it over his left shoulder. Placing his left hand on top of the bag to hold it, he reached into his pants pocket with his right hand.
She felt her arms begin to shake. She folded them tightly under her breasts, attempting to conceal her fear.
He leaned forward over the counter as if to tell her something he wanted no one else to hear. But there were no other people in the store. His right hand remained in his pants pocket.
Sailor had made his way back to Mikaela’s feet. The only indication that there was life within that massive heap of wavy, black fur was the occasional snore emerging from his huge nostrils. He was a dog that would save Mikaela’s life despite his own, not only Mikaela’s but her offender’s too. Anyone in need, whether he be dying, drowning, or bleeding to death, could count on Sailor to rescue him. But not a moment before.
This time when he spoke to her, he looked directly into her ice-blue eyes. Her eyes, elegantly embraced by her long, black eyelashes, welled with tears of terror. She gazed back into his stone-cold eyes that had no more depth than the cavity that contained them. She knew not to blink. She knew she must not release the tears that would roll down her cheeks, crying out, I’m helpless, I’m horrified, I’m at your mercy. She could remember her mother’s words as if she were right there whispering in her ear. “Mikaela, I cannot tell you to never be afraid. Sometimes fear creeps through the cracks of the heaviest suits of armor. But never allow your enemy to see your fear. If he sees your fear, you’ll lose your power to him. You’ll be at the mercy of his evil.”
Mikaela had seen enough evil in her twenty-eight years to last a lifetime and then some. She would not blink. She would not blink. She would not blink.
“I have seen many, many women in my life,” the overly dressed, overly groomed, overly scented man said. “But never, ever have I seen a woman as astonishingly beautiful and attractive as you.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said politely, without a break in her voice. “Have a nice day.”
He pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed a white business card face down on the counter.
“If you ever want to make some real money—money in a day that would take you a month or two to make here—call me. You are definitely denying your calling, ignoring God’s given gifts, wasting your days away sucking fish shit out of aquariums.”
He ran his fingers through his seemingly wet but probably gelled hair. With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Mikaela stood frozen and then slid her feet out from under Sailor’s chin and walked over to the door. She placed a sign on the door that read, Back in Five Minutes. She locked the door and quickly walked into the back room to the toilet. She vomited, over and over and over. She couldn’t stop until there was nothing left in her. Her long, silky, blonde hair hung in the toilet water along with everything that had emerged from the pit of her stomach and the depths of her soul. Now, she allowed her tears to be released, and they flowed continuously like a dripping faucet. The five minutes turned into thirty minutes. She had to compose herself. She had a business to run. She cleaned her hair and her face in the sink, refusing to look at her reflection in the mirror. She took a small paper cup from its holder, filled it with tap water, and quickly drank it. She went back into the store, unlocked the front door, and removed the sign.
Mikaela opened the door and poked her head out to get a breath of fresh air. She looked up and down the walkway to see if any customers had been waiting. There was no sign of waiting customers. And there was no sign of a stranger carrying a large bag of dog food. She