Barrier
by
D.C. Renfroe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
Romance Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When
Claire Luna is kidnapped and taken to a remote island, her
predictable life is torn to shreds. She thought she understood grief,
loss and loneliness. But nothing prepared her for the island.
Tucker
Knight had his world turned upside down when he was a young teen.
He’d known love, security and normality. But things changed, and
somehow he lost his innocence along the way.
Barrier
takes you on a compelling, thrilling and sometimes brutal journey of
Claire and Tucker, who in a bid to control their destiny, must learn
about trust and submission. And also about love.
The
island is under the control of Dr. Stephen Bell, a scientist obsessed
with the secrets of humanity through genetic engineering. Claire is
part of his obsession, and quickly comprehends Bell’s twisted
intentions. She is forced to decide between submission and
life-altering consequences. In her desperate attempt to survive,
Claire surprises Bell and Tucker with her strength to fight.
But,
can she trust Tucker? Is he her enemy or her savior? Claire
understands that to surrender means to survive, but can she endure?
Tucker can’t help but be enamored by the spirited and determined
Claire, but to survive, he must face and overcome his haunting past.
Up until Claire’s arrival on the island, he had never thought
himself capable, or deserving, but perhaps this was his chance to
finally do the right thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
I dug my
feet into the carpet. If I was to choose the path that surrendered me
to this island, it would not be without a fight.
Tucker
saw the defiance in my face, the change in my stance.
“Don’t
do this, Claire.” He came closer. I didn’t respond. “Please,
it’s just a few tests.” He was inches away. His voice was low. He
shifted his eyes from me to the door.
I felt
the betrayal I had on the beach, when I realized he was stopping me,
keeping me here, like Bell.
He must
have seen my skepticism. His expression twisted into hurt.
“I’m
not your enemy, Claire.”
I braced
myself for flight, poised like a cat ready to pounce. My knees bent
slightly. I rotated to the balls of my feet for more sprint speed.
“Claire.”
His voice was a warning.
I
sprung. Toward the back of the house, where there were less guards.
He
bolted after me. I was a tenth of a second faster than him. He made
it to the door of the bedroom, just as I was closing it, his hands
hit the door. I locked the knob. His fists slammed into the wood.
“Claire,
don’t do this. Please, you don’t know him like I do.” He was
talking about Bell. A painful burn filled my stomach. He was right. I
didn’t know him like he did, which only reminded me he was the
adversary. He was a part of the assemblage I was fighting against. He
was who I was running from.
I pushed
the window open, pushed the screen, and climbed out. My feet landed
in the soft grass. I paused, looking in each direction.
The
guards were at the front door, expecting me to emerge from the house
with Tucker. Tucker’s pounding on the door would only give me
seconds before they realized what I had done.
My knees
bent and flung me forward. I ran toward the fence. If the barbed
wired didn’t slice me to pieces, the tower guard would surely shoot
me, but so be it.
I ran
hard. My heart rate pounded in my ears like music, a rhythmic,
steady, swift beat.
My hands
landed on the fence, it clattered and sung from the impact. One foot
lifted and fit snugly in one of the rungs of the fencing. My other
foot lifted and almost made it into its place before strong hands
flung me from my place. The hands hurled me to the ground. I thumped
against the hard ground. I felt the air leave my lungs. Each breath
was like sucking through a straw.
One of
the guards was standing over me. He put one foot on each side of me
and crouched down. He wrapped his hand around my throat. I closed my
eyes. This was it, the moment I had prayed for since I had been
snatched into that van. Surely he would kill me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
I
began writing many years ago and put it aside to raise a family. I
put myself through college working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in
Communication, which I have almost completed. I took every writing
class that was offered and finally put pen to paper after dreaming of
completing a novel for almost twenty years. In the meantime, I worked
as a freelance journalist for a local newspaper briefly and wrote a
personal blog while living in south Florida. I currently work as an
Instructional Designer based in Austin, Texas. I am a mother of four
and truly believe they are my greatest creation! Two of my children
inherited my love of writing and I encourage them to write every
chance they get!
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