A Little Teaser

Here is an excerpt from The Second Seal: Bernard's Prophecy (note the nifty new title)

As Marji lay in the ditch with a gun pressed against her head, she'd been certain she was going to die. Those had been the longest minutes of her life, just laying there helpless, in silence. He knelt beside her with one knee in the middle of her back and the barrel of his gun against her head. She tried to keep her face out of the slime in the ditch but figured since she was going to die, it didn't really matter. Her only thought was please, God, don't let me die like this. She was nearly hyperventilating but she didn't speak, didn't beg for her life. Marji feared that whatever it was that stayed his hand, that kept him frozen next to her with his gun against her head, wanted the silence. If she spoke, he would kill her. The seconds ticked by and she braced herself for the bullet. She hoped at the very least, it wouldn't hurt for long.

Then his cell phone rang. Marji twitched before she realized he hadn't shot her. It was just his phone.

Kane took several steps away from her. "Hello?"

Relief flooded through her. When he answered the phone he'd lowered his gun.

"Hello? Hello? Goddamn cheap phone," he muttered and jammed it back into his pocket. Then he gave Marji a cold, hard stare.

Run, she thought. Run, idiot.

She scrambled to her feet quickly but he was quicker. He tackled her at the knees, knocking her to the ground. Marji put her hand out to catch herself, but there was some sort of muck in the bottom of the ditch and she slipped. Face first, she fell into the muck with Kane on top of her. He wasn't a big guy but he was strong. Pinning her with his body, he hit her on the side of her head. The blow was hard enough to make her ear ring. Then he hit her again, And again. Then everything went black.

When she awoke, everything was still shrouded in darkness. Marji's throat burned and it hurt to breathe. Her head ached horribly and she was nauseous. But she was alive. From what little she could see and hear, she guessed she was in the trunk of Kane's car. Her hands and feet were bound and there was tape across her mouth. Unfortunately, the revolting taste of the ditch muck was still in her mouth. Marji felt her gorge rise but knew if she vomited with a gag over her mouth there'd no place for it to go except back the way it had come. She knew she didn't want to deal with that, so she took deep breaths and tried to mentally force her stomach to behave. Thankfully, it worked.

That wasn't the last of it, however. Most of her nausea was caused by the slight concussion she'd gotten when Kane knocked her out. It wasn't going away. The bad taste in her mouth wasn't going away, either. Then there was the whole experience of riding in a trunk. The exhaust fumes burned her throat , her eyes and her nose. It also didn't help the nausea. She could feel every bump in the road. Occasionally, they'd hit a big one and she'd bounce enough to hit the lid of the trunk. The lid didn't fit very tightly, either. It bounced and rattled with every bump and she was certain it would eventually pop open. Then she'd bounce out and hit the pavement at sixty miles per hour.

I'd rather have a bullet to the head than that, she thought. Then they hit another bump and her stomach lurched once more.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally, thankfully, the car slowed. Marji thought they might stop soon. She was wrong. The car moved more slowly, but it was stop-and-go. There were also turns. Marji wished miserably that they would stop or at least get back on the highway. Where the roads were straighter.

Finally, they stopped. Marji heard the engine die and breathed a sigh of relief. The sudden silence was deafening. Then the trunk opened and daylight flooded in. She squinted at Kane's silhouette. He said nothing as he reached in and cut her bindings.

He yanked the tape off her face. "Get out."

She sat up quickly and the nausea hit her once more. It was stronger this time and, before she knew it, she threw up. It went all over the trunk and all over her.

"Shit," Kane exclaimed. He jumped back and glared at her. "You're fucking lucky you didn't get any of that on me, bitch. Fuck. Come on. Get out before someone notices. People don't usually ride in trunks, you know."

She climbed out slowly. She was still woozy and clutched weakly at his arm for support. He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling and another wave of nausea washed over her.

"You gonna hurl again?" he asked. She nodded. He managed to jump away just before she did so. Marji stood bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to calm her stomach and trying not to fall over.

Kane grimaced. "Warn me if you're gonna do that again. Now, move."