Soulless

Copyright © Clan Whelan Publishing. Cover design by Psycat Studio. Cover copyright © Clan Whelan Publishing. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book contains content that might be troubling for some readers, including, but not limited to, gun violence, sexual encounters, and adult language. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers. Acknowledgments This is a work of love and it would not have come to be without the love shown to me by those at my side. To my parents, Jennifer and Donald, thank you as always. You’re both a positive and supportive drive at my back. The love you both showed me will always live on in my heart. I truly don’t know where I would be without you. Daniel, thank you for your influences, both good and bad, and being my big brother. I love you, Danny. To my Aunt Terrie, thank you for your diehard support since day one. I always smile when I see you liked or followed a social media post or update on the series. Thank you for being one of the loudest in my cheering squad. I love you. To my friends, you have no idea how grateful I am to have you in my life. I know there are times we don’t talk or don’t see each other as much as we want to. I blame adulthood. Despite this, I know if there was a need or a reason you would be there in a heartbeat as I would be for you. Thank you for being there for me. To the ladies of Clan Whelan Publishing, Liz and Anne, thank you ladies for believing in me and my ideas to make this series a reality. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am in my author journey. Mel, Anastacia and I are eternally thankful to you. And to my ever present writing companions and fur children, Kameko, Delaney, Duke and Ollie, thank you for the countless hours you were at my side and being silent sound boards so I could talk out the plot holes… and not judging no matter how crazy I sounded. Finally, thank you to all of you, the readers. Without you I would only have a book filled with pages. You all make the characters live. Dedication To my Dad Who sparked my interest in Criminology and law enforcement. Even as it didn’t end up being my path, thank you for being my guide. Half of this book would be nonsense to me if it weren’t for you. I love you. Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Playlist Author's Note Review and Read More CWP Newsletter and Partners CWP Authors and Books The darkness swallowed everything more than an inch from Anastacia’s face. She clenched her eyes closed, slowly blinking them open to adjust to the complete black, hoping to find the outline of the door. At this point, even a sliver of moonlight would be a godsend. Panic clawed in her mind. Barely able to push it down, she remembered there were worse things in the dark than a man who thought he was a predator and she was his prey. He was in for a rude awakening. Her eyes rendered useless, her other senses went into overdrive. Putting a hand on her chest to calm her thundering heart so she could hear over it, she listened for any other signs of life. Half a dozen officers and a couple of detectives were in the same building, searching for both her and the man who trapped her in the dark room. Her ears strained to hear footfalls from outside the door she was dragged through when conducting her search. Controlled breathing puffed just feet behind her as the stale scent of old wood and body odor became more potent by the second. A whisper caressed the back of her neck before she was shoved forward, catching a breeze of movement at the back of her legs. A body barreled through the air behind her. A loud crash filled the air followed by a groan. Some hunter this guy was turning out to be. The touch from an invisible hand guided hers until she connected to the hard wood of the door’s edge. Fingertips skimmed over the rough texture of the wood grain, leading to the smooth doorknob. Giving the door a test pull, it barely budged, locked solid in its frame. Her hand ran over the knob feeling for any kind of lock button, only to find a single keyhole. “Of course, it's locked,” she seethed, wanting to kick the door in frustration, her heart rate climbing to a frantic pace again. The groans from the dark corner grew louder and the sound of shifting feet caught her attention. Eyes closed, she pressed her back against the door to become as small as she could. One hand stayed on the knob, a futile twist to will it open. The presence was back and surrounded her as if in solidarity. An audible click pulsed under her hand, and the knob twisted with no hesitation. Anastacia kept her eyes closed and turned to the door, flinging it open and running into the flood of fluorescent light. An angry bark of pain shouted behind her. Blinking rapidly and swinging herself behind the door frame and out of sight, she scanned the room for the quickest escape. Peeking through the space between the