Salutis Meae

SALUTIS MEAE JOCELYNE SOTO MYSTIC LUNA PUBLISHING, LLC Copyright © 2022 by Jocelyne Soto, Mystic Luna Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Cover by Opulent Swag and Designs This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, please visit www.jocelynesoto.com CONTENTS Author’s Note Prologue 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 Books By Jocelyne Soto About the Author Join My Reader Group Newsletter I always thought that I would never see past the age of nineteen. Growing up the way I did, that was normal. It was normal for parents to plan their kids' funerals. But I was able to get out of that life and create a better one for my family and myself. Even if I was still being seen as a lowlife. Most people saw the tattoos and the clothes and would steer away, most people except her. Savannah Campbell. The cheerleader. The rich girl who had no business getting involved with the boy from the bad side of town, but she didn’t care. I hated her until I didn't and in a short period of time she became my everything. Including my salvation. We were happy. That is until everything I feared came knocking and brought everything down. Now I have to ask, if I was able to live past the age of nineteen… Am I going to live past tonight? AUTHOR’S NOTE This book touches upon the subject of gun violence, gang violence, and death. It also touches upon the subject of sharing while in a relationship. Some scenes are explained with detail. If that is something that you are not comfortable with, please do not read. If you would like more information please follow the QR code below. Thank you. PROLOGUE Savannah The road is slick from the rare Los Angeles rain. I should be more cautious as I make my way through the busy streets. Especially since it seems that people forget how to drive when a little bit of water starts to hit the asphalt. But I don’t, because there’s this nagging feeling in me saying that something is wrong. He didn’t show up to class today. I waited and waited for him to walk into the lecture hall but the door never opened to reveal him. Yes, we had a fight. Yes, he’s angry at me, but that wouldn’t have stopped him from showing up. School is way too important to him to not show up, especially on a day with a test. I should have left the second that I put through my head that he wasn’t going to be there. I should have forgotten all about the test and walked out of there, because I just knew something was wrong. Now as I drive to his house and him not answering his phone, I know that I’m right. Is it him? Is it his mom? What if it's Celeste? Or worse yet Mia? So many scenarios pop into my head, causing me to push down on the gas pedal some more and take the last exit that I need to get to his house way above the suggested speed limit. My knuckles are white as I grip the steering wheel. Maybe it’s as a precaution because of the rain, maybe it’s from the nerves because I don’t know what’s going to greet me once I reach my destination. Car horns sound out as I pass by, but I don’t care. I need to know that everything is okay. Making the last turn onto his street, I relax as I drive closer to the house. Why? Because not only do I see his car in the driveway, but I see him getting out and heading to the front door. His figure is small given my distance, but I know it’s him. He’s here. Thank God. I take my foot off the gas and continue to make my way down the street to him. When I’m a few houses down, I decided to honk my horn at him to tell him that I’m here and he can’t keep ignoring me. My hand is about to push down on the steering wheel when the sight in front of me stops me. There’s a car at the end of the street that is driving in my direction a lot faster than legally possible. Just like I was driving to get here, but where I’ve slowed down, the car doesn’t look like it has any plans to stop. From the looks of things it's coming right at me. Instead of hitting the horn to notify the man that I see more than any ordinary boyfriend, I do it to call attention to the car, but it doesn’t do anything. The car continues to move down the long road lined with houses. Not wanting to get hit, I pull to the side, and keep an eye on the moving vehicle. Lucas must have heard my horn go off or the car coming down the street because I’m able to see him turn to see what all the commotion is about. The car keeps driving down the street, coming closer and closer to the house and to me. I think that it’s going to crash into a car that is parked near me, but it doesn’t. It continues