Shrill cries pierced the pristine night air as he dragged her through the dirt-covered track. Stones and twigs scraped her legs and left her with a dull sense of pain. A full moon illuminated the night sky. His brute strength gave her no opportunity to fight for her life. Getting raped was one of her worst fears and she was heartbroken that it seemed as though that fear was becoming a reality. A fountain of tears began to stream down her face. “P-p-please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded. He stopped dragging her, lifted her by her legs and held her over his shoulder without uttering a word.
They entered the basement of an abandoned building.
He punched in the passcode for the basement door and grunted as he placed her on the sole chair in the room. She had stopped crying and was now looking directly into his eyes. Everything about him was intimidating: his beady eyes, his tiny head, his ghastly enormous muscles, and the crimson red scar that ran from his left eye, down his cheek and across his upper lip. In the background, eerie shadows moved stealthily across the wall. Whether they were shadows of cockroaches or mice she wasn’t sure, but the scents emanating from the dingy mold-ridden room made her queasy. Her bare feet were caked with dust and mud. Her parched lips quivered in fear.
She knew this was the end and all she could think about was the smile that had captured her heart. A smile that made her feel safe, loved, and secure. A smile that she wasn’t certain she would ever be able to see again. His heavy-duty boots made squishing noises on the moist surface as he walked over to her. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him. She could feel the firmness of his manhood and began to panic. Using all the strength she could muster she hit his chest with her fists. “Calm down princess. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said in a coarse voice.
He moved closer and she instantly backed up against the wall, as if the wall would offer some sort of cushion against what she knew was coming next. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle the force of his brute strength; her feeble bones would crumble under the pressure. She braced herself against the wall and closed her eyes, preparing for her worst fear to come true. He hovered over her like a tower of evil. With his deep baritone he said, “Tell me what you know about your boyfriend’s story.”
“I already told you. I don’t have what you want. I know…”
“Is that your final answer,” he said with an eerie calmness. She stared deeply into his eyes hoping to see some sign of life in his hardened heart. All she saw was a dark vacuum, an emptiness that had made him cold as ice. As she opened her mouth to answer, a buzzer rang overhead. He ignored it, and placed his bulky arms against the wall right over her shoulders. “I’m going to ask you one more time.
Is that your final answer?” Fear rose in her chest, but before she could make an attempt to grab his nuts, a screeching noise pierced the calm air. Cursing under his breath, he turned around and walked briskly out of the room. Before closing the door, he looked at her with hatred in his eyes and said, “You better have an answer for me when I come back. Next time you won’t be so lucky. Such a pretty little thing.” He slammed the door shut leaving her trapped in the darkness that seemed to be strangling every breath out of her.
The Art of Deception: A Novella Description:
Mark finally had everything he could dream of – the perfect woman, friends and family who loved him, and a career-changing story at the newspaper about the mayor’s mistress and his seedy backroom deals. Little did Mark know that his big break was about to take a sinister turn when his girlfriend was kidnapped right before his story was to be published. Unbeknownst to Mark, the mayor was a member of a secret society that had been running the city for decades and would stop at no lengths to protect both its members and itself.
In a thrilling world where no one is what they seem, and every character is at the mercy of the all-powerful organization known only as “The Society”, will our hero be able to untangle the web of deception and save the love of his life in time? Through dangerous twists and turns in this new world obsessed with power, wealth, and secrecy, Mark must rely on his friends, and his own sheer determination, to take back the woman he loves from the evil grips of The Society. Part love story, part mystery and part thriller, The Art of Deception will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you begging for the sequel.
