Lightning Strikes, Season 2, Episode 4 (Rising Storm) Read online

  “Brittany,” Ian summed up.

  “Women.” Logan sat back with a sigh. “Our lives would be simpler without women.”

  “And completely devoid of any value,” Dillon said. “Sometimes we just fall for the wrong ones. It seems to be our family curse.”

  “Joanne is afraid. She’s scared,” Ian said quietly. “I don’t think she was choosing him as much as she was afraid of him.”

  “If she was scared, she’s got plenty of people to turn to,” Dillon replied with a sullen shake of his head. “She refuses to reach out. I have to think that maybe it’s because she really loves that bastard and she’s willing to do anything to stay with him.”

  “I don’t know about that. But I do know he won’t stop abusing her. Men like that never stop until someone takes care of them.” Ian’s eyes seemed a bit darker than before.

  “Well, she sounded pretty damn strong when she told me to get out of her house.” Dillon stared at his beer and Marcus figured he was probably going over that moment again in his head. “She looked at me like I was a piece of trash she wanted to sweep away.”

  Was his mother a lost cause? He didn’t want to think so. He’d come to adore the strong woman she’d been when Hector was out of the picture. How could she go back to him? How could she not see that there were people who truly loved her and wanted to take care of her?

  Everything had fallen apart so quickly.

  He’d come home to help his mother move into the future, but the minute she could, she’d chosen the past.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Sometimes it made a man strong to admit his weakness. Ian had taught him that.

  The man he wished had been his father reached out and put a hand on his. “We’ll figure it out, son. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

  Logan’s hand came out, covering Ian’s like they were a team about to head on the field. “I’m in for figuring out Marcus’s life. It’s gotta be more fun than figuring out my own.”

  For the first time since the scene at Marcus’s house, Dillon’s lips turned up in the approximation of a smile. He let his hand join theirs. “Sure. I’m in. Unless I have to fight to keep my job.”

  “I’ll make sure you don’t,” Marcus offered. “One way or another, we’ll make sure my sister keeps her mouth shut. My father won’t talk. He won’t want anyone to know he was beaten by you. And if it does come up, we deal with it together.”

  “I’ll get us another round, brothers,” Logan said, breaking the connection.

  But he had a connection. This was what he hadn’t had the first time around. Brothers.

  He stared down at his phone. He couldn’t call her back now. He had thinking to do.

  At least he wouldn’t do it alone.

  * * * *

  The story continues with Episode 5, Fire and Rain by R.K. Lilley. Click here to purchase.

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  Rising Storm story

  Storm Season: Ginny & Jacob – the Prequel

  by Dee Davis

  Rising Storm

  Storm, Texas.

  Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…

  Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

  But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

  Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.

  Look for other Rising Storm Season 2 titles, now available! (And if you missed Season 1 and the midseason episodes, you can find those titles here!)

  Click to purchase.

  Rising Storm, Season Two

  Against the Wind by Rebecca Zanetti

  As Tate Johnson works to find a balance between his ambitions for political office and the fallout of his brother’s betrayal, Zeke is confronted with his brother Chase’s return home. And while Bryce and Tara Daniels try to hold onto their marriage, Kristin continues to entice Travis into breaking his vows…

  Storm Warning by Larissa Ione

  As Joanne Alvarez settles into life without Hector, her children still struggle with the fallout. Marcus confronts the differences between him and Brittany, while Dakota tries to find a new equilibrium. Meanwhile, the Johnson’s grapple with war between two sets of brothers, and Ian Briggs rides into town…

  Brave the Storm by Lisa Mondello

  As Senator Rush’s poll numbers free fall, Marylee tries to drive a wedge between Brittany and Marcus. Across town, Anna Mae and Chase dance toward reconciliation. Ginny longs for Logan, while he fights against Sebastian’s maneuvering. And Hector, newly freed from prison, heads back to Storm…

  Lightning Strikes by Lexi Blake

  As Ian Briggs begins to fall for Marisol, Joanne and Dillon also grow closer. Joanne’s new confidence spreads to Dakota but Hector’s return upends everything. A public confrontation between Marcus and Hector endangers his relationship with Brittany, and Dakota reverts to form. Meanwhile, the Senator threatens Ginny and the baby…

  Fire and Rain by R.K. Lilley

  As Celeste Salt continues to unravel in the wake of Jacob’s death, Travis grows closer with Kristin. Lacey realizes the error of her ways but is afraid it’s too late for reconciliation with her friends. Marcus and Brittany struggle with the continued fallout of Hector’s return, while Chase and Anna Mae face some hard truths about their past…

  Quiet Storm by Julie Kenner

  As Mallory Alvarez and Luis Moreno grow closer, Lacey longs for forgiveness. Brittany and Marcus have a true meeting of hearts. Meanwhile, Jeffry grapples with his father’s failures and finds solace in unexpected arms. When things take a dangerous turn, Jeffry’s mother and sister, as well as his friends, unite behind him as the Senator threatens his son…

  Blinding Rain by Elisabeth Naughton

  As Tate Johnson struggles to deal with his brother’s relationship with Hannah, hope asserts itself in an unexpected way. With the return of Delia Burke, Logan’s old flame, Brittany and Marcus see an opportunity to help their friend. But when the evening takes an unexpected turn, Brittany finds herself doing the last thing she expected—coming face to face with Ginny…

  Blue Skies by Dee Davis

  As Celeste Salt struggles to pull herself and her family together, Dillon is called to the scene of a domestic dispute where Dakota is forced to face the truth about her father. While the Johnson’s celebrate a big announcement, Ginny is rushed to the hospital where her baby’s father is finally revealed…

  Rising Storm, Midseason

  After the Storm by Lexi Blake

  In the wake of Dakota’s revelations, the whole town is reeling. Ginny Moreno has lost everything. Logan Murphy is devastated by her lies. Brittany Rush sees her family in a horrifying new light. And nothing will ever be the same…

  Distant Thunder by Larissa Ione

  As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way…

  Rising Storm, Season One

  Tempest Rising by Julie Kenner

  Ginny Moreno didn’t mean to do it, but when she came home
to Storm, she brought the tempest with her. And now everyone will be caught in its fury…

  White Lightning by Lexi Blake

  As the citizens of Storm, Texas, sway in the wake of the death of one of their own, Daddy's girl Dakota Alvarez also reels from an unexpected family crisis... and finds consolation in a most unexpected place.

  Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton

  Lacey Salt's world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory's new boyfriend, Luis.

  Dance in the Wind by Jennifer Probst

  During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope.

  Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione

  Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.

  Take the Storm by Rebecca Zanetti

  Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.

  Weather the Storm by Lisa Mondello

  Bryce Douglas faces a crisis of faith when his idyllic view of his family is challenged with his son’s diagnosis of autism. Instead of accepting his wife and her tight-knit family’s comfort, he pushes them away, fears from his past threatening to undo the happiness he’s found in his present.

  Thunder Rolls by Dee Davis

  In the season finale …

  As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.

  Fire and Rain

  Rising Storm, Season 2, Episode 5

  By R.K. Lilley

  Now Available

  Click here to purchase

  Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

  Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

  As Celeste Salt continues to unravel in the wake of Jacob’s death, Travis grows closer with Kristin. Lacey realizes the error of her ways but is afraid it’s too late for reconciliation with her friends. Marcus and Brittany struggle with the continued fallout of Hector’s return, while Chase and Anna Mae face some hard truths about their past…

  * * * *

  Travis Salt studied his wife with a carefully gentle detachment.

  She was a mess. She'd been unraveling for a while, it was clear. A slow and steady decline since Jacob's death, but things seemed to have taken a definite turn for the worse.

  "Can I get you anything?" His voice rang out pleasantly, and he hoped it showed the amount of concern she deserved, whether he felt it or not.

  They were in their bedroom, it was past noon, and Celeste clearly had no intention of crawling out of bed, let alone showering or getting dressed.

  His wife's red-rimmed eyes swung to him, but she looked right through him. There he was, sacrificing his own wants and desires to please her, and she barely saw him.

  When had this happened? And who was to blame? Which one of them had checked out of their marriage to the point that they took so little notice of each other anymore?

  He didn't let his mind linger on that question, because it didn't really matter. The fact was that he didn’t know what to do with her, and he'd been trying his best.

  Well, the best that could be expected from a man with one foot out the door.

  He frowned to himself. It was his day off from the pharmacy, but he'd already come up with at least a dozen excuses why he had to go into work.

  He wondered if he even needed to voice one aloud. He doubted Celeste would even notice in her current state.

  Then again, he supposed it could be worse. She could be passed out drunk at the cemetery again.

  "Perhaps some tea?" He eyed the full glass of water by the bed. He'd placed it there the night before. "A fresh glass of water?"

  She didn't respond but her eyes shut suddenly, fresh tears seeping out.

  In spite of everything, he felt something in him twist in pain, and not just for their lost son.

  Did he still love Celeste? Yes, he reflected. Some part of his heart would always remain soft for this gentle, loving woman who had put her all into being a mother to his children. He wanted her to do well, to get better, and to be there for their daughters. To stand on her own two feet without him.

  He wanted her to have that strength, yes. But mostly he had to admit that he wanted her to stand alone so that he would be free to leave.

  Because while some part of him might still love his wife, his heart belonged elsewhere. He was, above all, a man. A selfish one. And he'd become completely wrapped up in someone that made him feel passionate, alive again, and younger than his years.

  Kristin.

  1001 Dark Nights

  Welcome to 1001 Dark Nights… a collection of novellas that are breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Some are paranormal, some are erotic. Each and every one is compelling and page turning.

  Inspired by the exotic tales of The Arabian Nights, 1001 Dark Nights features New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.

  In the original, Scheherazade desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution.

  In our version, month after month, each of our fabulous authors puts a unique spin on the premise and creates a tale that a new Scheherazade tells long into the dark, dark night.

  For more information about 1001 Dark Nights, visit www.1001DarkNights.com.

  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven