A Lover’s Return
By AlTonya Washington
Copyright 2016 AlTonya Washington
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License
Notes
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personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given
away to any other people. If you would like to share this book with
another person, please purchase an additional copy for each
recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or
it was purchased for your use only, then please return to your
favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.
For my amazing readers who insisted that this story would require way more than three books!
To my amazing street team- You Guys Are the Best! It’s been a long, twisty, sexy road guys.
On behalf of the Ramseys, Tesanos, DeBurghs
and McPheresons thanks for all the motivation and all the love.
To Masee Long for allowing me the use of one
of his dynamic fighting moves!
To my wonderful friend Sara Lee who was pure
sweetness, an absolute angel and a true Ramsey Fanatic. I love you
and I miss you.
FIRST PROLOGUE
Dolores, Colorado~1974
Blood wasn’t the blaring red color that it was portrayed to be in the movies and TV shows. It was the dominant color, yes, but there were also undertones that; if one looked closely enough, portrayed many other hues.
At least that was the way she saw it. The red merged with darker tinges of blue, perhaps black and gave it a rich, almost wine-like intensity.
This substance was a seemingly ordinary one and yet it encompassed so much more. This substance built empires, forged alliances and amassed wealth if shared to create life or...spilled to hasten death.
Evangela Leer transitioned from where her thoughts had taken her and put her full focus on the task at hand. The bitch was moaning now. Good. There was more that this one would endure before it was all done-had to make this look authentic after all.
Evangela smiled, noting the dingy tarp she’d taken, was betraying signs of use. Traces of the reddish, bluish, blackish blood spotted the sack she’d brought along for her brutal mission. She never once thought she’d be unable to do it. Never once thought she’d lose her nerve.
No...a part of her had almost ached, clamored to satisfy a clawing curiosity. A curiosity driving the need to know, not only the color of blood- blood spilled by her own hand- but to feel the power she was sure to embrace as a life force ebbed to nothing. There would be power and the knowledge that she would be the last image captured in eyes that had witnessed a lifetime.
This spilling of blood wasn’t about building an empire or amassing wealth-though she supposed that would come in time. To do that, she’d need an army of sorts- a group of likeminded individuals to have her back. This spilling of blood would be necessary to secure an alliance- one she knew would be her strongest asset.
She kicked the tarp again- smiling over the agony in the injured woman’s voice. This one had to go. They were too close. She’d influence her, eventually turning her into an enemy. Same as Tammy would’ve done had she not given her up to be raised by another. Otherwise...it might be mommy dearest lying beaten and bloodied inside the tarp.
Eva stooped then, sitting back on the heels of her scuffed saddle shoes and considering the tarp before whipping it back to reveal the blood and tear-sheened face she’d pummeled.
“No offence, Miss Odie, you’re just too much of a challenge. You should feel flattered. If you were as stupid as your perverted husband I might’ve let you live.”
Odessa Raymond scanned Eva’s face in panic. She could feel her one good eye swelling rapidly and she knew it would soon be puffed shut like its twin. She couldn’t cry out. Her tongue felt swollen in her mouth. Her jaw felt strange as well, like it wasn’t quite connected to the rest of her face.
Eva was talking again. Eva- a girl she’d known almost from the child’s infancy. She was a little thing, Odessa thought. It wasn’t strength that fueled the majority of the attack Odessa had suffered over the last two hours, though. It was rage-a rage fueled not by strength, but madness. A frighteningly intelligent madness.
She would die there, Odessa knew. She would die there in that filthy alley, behind that filthy place. The least- the very least the little witch could do, was tell her the reason.
Mustering just a sliver of cooperation from her ravaged face, Odessa labored to fix her mouth in hopes of forming a single word.
“Why?” It was a distorted attempt at speaking, but enough for her terrorizer to decipher.
Eva looked directly into the face of her
victim. “You give her hope. She’s no use to me with hope. She’s
gonna be a beautiful monster, Miss Odie. It’s in our blood, you
see? After all, we’re Ramseys.”
SECOND PROLOGUE
Sambava, Madagascar~ 1981
“Doc?”
Only the slightest grimace tugged at Jasper Stone’s mouth when he heard the call. His people knew him to be an easy going sort and that the ‘easy going’ manner could easily be shaken when he was distracted from the one thing he seemed to treasure above all else: time in his lab.
Samuel Cruden; Jasper’s friend and trusted advisor, wouldn’t have interrupted unless it was of dire importance. With that in mind, Jasper changed his grimace to a cool smile and waved the man into his sanctum.
“Apologies Es, but you wanted to speak with Jake,” Sam kept his voice soft, another testament to his sorrow over the interruption.
Jasper’s cool smile defined and with it a curious concern filtered the warm brown pools of his eyes. “Thanks Sam, send him in.”
Sam offered a smile and went to open one of the double doors that led to an outer room of the lab. He looked out, spoke a few words and, moments later, Jake Shannon stepped into view.
Shannon proceeded slowly, well aware whose privacy he was invading and how such things were frowned upon.
Jasper stood from the large, brown leather swivel chair that allowed him to roll between the various black-topped lab tables in the spacious work area. Jasper lifted a hand to beckon the man forward. As Shannon approached, Jasper took note of the scientist’s unassuming appearance.
It was a presentation that encompassed a brilliant mind. Lately, however, that mind had endured its share of distractions.
