paradise Place

Believe In Me…Prologue

Posted on by natalieannbooks

Prologue

“This is going to be a record year for you, Caden,” Mike Chambers, one of the partners at their firm, said slapping him on the back as he took a seat at the table.

“It seems that way,” Caden said. He’d blown by last year’s earnings last quarter. With most of the month of December to go, he was closing in on the top earner.

“You’ve got the magic touch it seems. Knowing what to buy and when. What’s you’re secret?” Kyle Roberts asked, another partner at the firm. The two men he looked up to the most. The two that took him under their wing when he started.

He knew he was asked here to this dinner with the big guys because he was pulling in major revenue at just thirty-five years old. “Lack of sleep,” he said, grinning.

Mike and Kyle laughed and Caden decided to not tell them it was the truth.

He was working himself into the ground just like he’d done most of his life from the day his mother brought him to a modeling agency. He hadn’t really thought much of it back then even though he knew he was good looking. It wasn’t as if he’d never looked in the mirror.

It hadn’t taken long for him to get signed, and the need to make more money and keep going to be the best filled his blood with adrenaline.

But he’d also been in the running for valedictorian and couldn’t let that slide. Protein, energy drinks, and exercise kept his body in good shape for the modeling, and his brain awake and alert for school.

Bad habits started young and they just carried over into adulthood, only worse. He hadn’t slowed down once.

“Keep up the good work, but don’t burn yourself out,” Mike said. “I’ve seen it happen to one too many.”

Too late, he wanted to say. The waiter came over and poured them all a glass of wine. He hadn’t eaten much more than a protein bar around noon and several cups of coffee that he’d exchanged for those energy drinks years ago. He reached for the glass and took a sip hoping it’d ease the burning he was feeling in his stomach from hunger.

When the wine didn’t work, he went for the water and hoped some bread was brought out soon. The lightheadedness was getting to him too.

“That’s why I do research when I’m working out,” he said. “Live and breathe it.” The TV was always playing tech news and trends when he was home. He never shut it off and never really tried either.

He was still grinning and his two bosses were shaking their heads at him, but continued to smile too. They probably didn’t care too much about his habits if he brought in the clients and kept them all flush.

“As long as you’re still breathing,” Mike said. “I’m starving. I’ve had a big steak on my mind all day.”

Caden picked the menu up. Steak sounded good. Protein always helped him. But when he was looking over the menu, his eyes started to glaze over and his heart was pounding so hard it was almost as if he could hear every beat. Not good at all.

He picked up his ice water and took another sip and realized his hand was shaking.

“Are you all right?” Kyle asked him. “Your face is flush.”

“Just a little warm,” he said. “I haven’t eaten much today.”

Mike lifted his arm and pointed to the breadbasket the waitress was bringing to another table. “Can we get one here too?”

“Sure can,” the waitress said, moving over to grab one and bring it back. She knew she’d get tipped well in a place like this with big spenders. Not only that, Mike and Kyle were regulars.

“Here,” Kyle said. “Get some food in you, then we can talk shop.”

He picked up a piece of bread and took a bite, chewed and swallowed. It tasted good. Almost too good for just bread, telling him he had to stop doing this to himself. There was no reason he couldn’t take fifteen minutes a few times a day to eat a damn meal.

When the bread was gone, he drank some more water. “So, what did you two want to talk to me about?” he asked, hoping for a big promotion.

That’s what all this work was for. He kept telling himself that once he got that corner office he could slow down.

Of course he’d been doing that his whole life. Saying once he’d met his goal he’d cut back. But another goal would pop up and another.

Infinite achiever was a good description of him.

“Let’s get dinner out of the way first,” Kyle said. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Sure,” Caden said, resisting the urge to look at his watch. He could be researching stocks right now and reading up on trends. Then he reminded himself this was still work and all part of it.

He picked his water up again, deciding to forgo the wine when his stomach started to burn. Guess the bread didn’t help much and he wished he had his bottle of antacids with him that he went through like candy at his desk like little kids did on Halloween night—only for him it was daily.

By the time the waitress came over, he was ready to order his dinner, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out and all he saw was blackness.

Mistletoe Magic…Prologue

Posted on by natalieannbooks

Prologue

Robin pulled down the long driveway of her gated residence just outside of Saratoga that she shared with her husband. She never had anything like this growing up, but when she met Alex Fischer four years ago her world changed.

She’d kept her job as a dental hygienist four days a week and she volunteered at a local animal shelter every Monday and on a few Saturdays, but money wasn’t an issue.

Her paycheck was hers and hers alone. Alex’s family had oodles of money and he was determined to make sure he paid for everything. That he was the hero and the provider in their marriage.

If she was uncomfortable with it at first, he put her mind at ease.

Early on in their relationship, and even their marriage two years ago, he’d won her over spoiling her rotten even when she insisted she didn’t need flowers and fancy dinners. Balloon rides and vacations.

Now though, things weren’t as sweet or wonderful as they used to be.

Where his mind was at and why he seemed so distant just made her wonder if there was someone else in his life.

Rather than pull into the garage today, she parked in the half circle in the front, unlocked the door and moved up the stairs. She should know better by now to bring a change of clothes when she volunteered at the shelter, but she’d been upset with how short Alex had been with her this morning when she brought up counseling before starting a family that she left without thinking of it.

Now she had mud all over her jeans and the sleeve of her shirt from a rumbustious puppy she was handling during the vet’s exam. When she tried to bathe the Pitbull boxer mix after, the puppy had thought it was playtime and she ended up wetter than the dog.

As she made her way up the stairs, she thought she heard a voice. That was odd. No one should be home. She stopped and listened again, heard some more mumbling sounds, then quietly moved down the hallway toward the master suite.

When she got to the doorway, it was only open a quarter of the way. She was the last to leave this morning and she never shut the bedroom doors.

She peeked her head in and saw Alex in bed on top of someone. Naked with the sheet halfway up his waist. His dark head was down, his mouth kissing someone with more passion than he’d ever shown her.

She popped out and put her back to the wall as the tears started to form in her eyes.

This would explain why he was so detached from her lately. More like six months easily. They’d barely had sex a handful of times in the past year. They’d never had an active sex life. Even when they were dating. Since Alex had a large sordid dating past and he was older than her by five years, she’d thought it was odd, but since he was so sweet and loving to her, she’d let it go. He’d even convinced her he was ready to settle down and stop having fling after fling when she was reluctant to comment early on. He wore her down though.

How stupid she was!

Now she had her answer to his recent behavior. He was sleeping with someone on the side.

Rather than run out the door in tears, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, put the video on. She squatted down, made sure she got enough of an angle of him in the bed and then kept her arm there while she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to watch, but she was going to nail his ass to the wall for this.

After a minute, she heard the bed moving and the sheets rustling around, Alex’s voice laughing and saying he was hungry, and she knew it was time to leave.

She raced down the hall as quietly as she could with her hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs, left the way she came, then drove away.

When she was at the end of the long driveway and knew her car couldn’t be seen, she saved the video to her cloud, emailed it to herself and then to her brother for safekeeping, telling him not to watch, she’d explain later.

After a few deep breaths and wiping her tears, Robin decided she’d better watch the video. She had to know who this woman was. Was it someone she knew? A friend that betrayed her? Anything for her to get a better understanding of how she could be such an idiot.

And what she saw made her realize that nothing could blindside her quite like this.

Mistletoe Magic

Posted on by natalieannbooks

Brian Dawson is sick and tired of being hit on by the wrong type of women. What he wants is someone sweet and wholesome. The girl next door that would love him and want to be with him for who he is, not what he can give them. Too bad it seems like she doesn’t exist.

Robin Masters’ world came crashing down on her when she walked in on her husband in bed with someone other than her. She got out of there and got out fast. Now all she wants is to move on and put it behind her. She’s sick of feeling stupid and naive for never seeing what was right in front of her face. And when she starts a relationship with her divorce attorney, Brian, the last thing she expects is her ex to come back into her life and cause trouble.

Falling Into Love…Prologue

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Prologue

“What do you mean he’s not conscious?” Shannon Wilder asked, her voice higher than when she was screaming out during childbirth.

“Mrs. Wilder,” the nurse said. “Let me see if I can find someone to talk to you. I believe your husband came in with another man.”

“Yes. His best friend, John.”

John had called her over an hour ago to say Tyler grabbed his chest and fell to the floor in their office. They’d called 911 and got him to the hospital right away, but she hadn’t heard a word since.

She’d been home working, like she’d done for years since she’d had her son, Jeffrey. Then when Maddie came along it was decided she might as well continue to work from home. Even Tyler worked from home half the time rather than driving the hour to their headquarters in Seattle.

“Right this way. I believe he’s in the waiting room down the hall,” the nurse said.

She wanted to push the lady to move faster than the calm stroll she was taking with her rubber-soled shoes squeaking on the floor.

“John,” she said, moving into his arms. Tyler and John had lived on the same street growing up and had been inseparable. When she started to date Tyler in high school they’d become the three amigos. When John married last year, the four of them did everything together. “What is going on?”

“I don’t know, Shannon. They think he had a heart attack.”

“We’re twenty-seven years old. How is that possible? He’s in great condition.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either,” John said. “They started to ask me all these questions about Tyler’s family medical history. I said I thought his parents were in great health.”

“They are,” she said. Her in-laws lived a few hours away and were on their way right now. Thankfully the nanny she never wanted to have was able to stay with the kids.

“I’ll see if I can find a doctor or someone to give us some answers,” he said and left the room.

Shannon didn’t know what to do with herself while she sat there staring at the wall.

This couldn’t be happening right now.

Everything in their life just seemed so perfect.

She had what she’d always wanted. What she and Tyler had talked about all through high school and then in college where they went together for another four years.

Heck, she and Tyler married as soon as they graduated and a family followed shortly after while he and John built their company up from the ground.

No one believed in those two but her. She put everything she could into it right alongside of them when most said they were nuts.

They were all multi-millionaires many times over now and living the dream.

That dream didn’t include her husband unconscious in the hospital.

She looked up when John walked back in and handed her over a can of soda. He had a large coffee in his hand that he was never without.

She opened the can and took a sip. When the doctor came in, she stood up and got one look at his face and knew her world would never be the same.

“Mrs. Wilder. I’m so sorry. We did everything we could.”

The can dropped to the floor, the brown liquid spilling everywhere, then the room just went dark in front of her.

Falling Into Love

Posted on by natalieannbooks

Soft. Tender. Gentle. Not any of the words ever used to describe Ryan Butler. He’s determined, hard, and oftentimes grumpy. Women only want to be with him to change his bad boy ways. Finding love—never in the equation—and probably never will be. Not after witnessing the heartache his sister went through.

Shannon Wilder was living the dream with her wonderful husband and beautiful children. She had the picture perfect family she’d always dreamed of. Until tragedy struck and her world was flipped on its axis. Now someone from the past won’t leave her and the children alone so she does the only thing she can think of. She picks up and moves across country to a development called Paradise Place. What better way to start her life over.

Eternal…Prologue

Posted on by natalieannbooks

eternal

Prologue

 

Brina Shepard looked in the side view mirror, saw it was clear, put her blinker on and passed the car. She glanced down at the number on her dash. She was going twelve miles over the speed limit. On this stretch of Central Avenue people went even faster so she’d be fine.

And if she wasn’t fine, too damn bad. She needed to be in court in twenty minutes. It was going to take her fifteen minutes to get there. That didn’t count traffic or finding a parking spot.

Damn her for being caught up meeting her client. She should have put it off until after court, knowing she’d be sucked in like she always was. She had a bleeding heart at times and couldn’t walk away.

She was just getting ready to turn off onto Wolf Road to get to the Town of Colonie courthouse when she noticed the red lights flashing behind her. No!

Maybe they weren’t for her. She hoped. She prayed.

It didn’t help when the state trooper car got on her rear bumper and turned the siren on.

She put her blinker on again and turned on Wolf, and then pulled into the first parking lot, the trooper right behind her.

Her head dropped back against the seat. Since she was in a hurry she opened the glove box up and was pulling out her registration, while she hit the button to roll down the window.

She waited for the trooper to come to the window, knowing she was definitely going to be late now. The judge hated when people were late in his courtroom and she knew that.

“Do you know why I pulled you over?” the trooper asked. She hadn’t even heard him walk up to the car and almost jumped out of her seat.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m in a hurry to get to court. The judge doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“You’re a lawyer?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She put a smile on her face. “I am,” she said back. She had her registration in her hand along with her license now but was hoping she wouldn’t need it.

“Then you won’t have any problem getting out of a ticket,” he said, his hand held out.

Her smile dropped when she placed the documents in his palm.

Shit, shit, shit. When would she learn? Instead of being most likely to succeed in her senior year of high school she should have been voted most likely to be late to her own funeral.

The trooper came back faster than she expected. She looked up and couldn’t really see much of his face with his sunglasses on. He was tall, at least she thought he was since she was in an SUV and he was bent over to talk to her.

He smelled good. What the heck? How could she tell that when she was in a parking lot on a summer day?

“Here you go,” he said, handing her back her registration and license and another piece of paper.

“My ticket?” she asked.

He tilted his head and, damn, if he wasn’t extremely hot too. She should be completely annoyed right now, not noticing how good-looking he was. If it weren’t against every principle she had, she’d flirt with him.

Nah, she’d said she was going to the courthouse and he didn’t care. Not that she said it to get out of the ticket because she didn’t really want to do that either.

“You broke the law,” he said. “Lawyers know all about that.”

“Yes, I do,” she said, tossing it all on the passenger seat. “Have a great day.” She wanted to add, “jerk” to it but wouldn’t. Like he’d said, she’d broken the law. She may be a lawyer but she was an honest one.

“You too,” he said, smiling…no, it was a smirk.

She rolled her window up, put the car in drive, and pulled back into traffic.

She was running into the courthouse eight minutes later and through the doors. At this point she was just shy of being ten minutes late. She supposed it could be worse.

“Counsel Shepard,” the judge said. “You’re late.”

“I am. I’m sorry. I was rushing to get here and, well, I was pulled over by a trooper. I was trying, I really was, to get here on time, but traffic is crazy today.”

The judge smirked at her like the trooper did. “Did you get a ticket?”

“Yes, sir, he gave me one.”

“Did you tell him you were an attorney?”

“I mentioned I was on the way to the courthouse and the judge didn’t like me to be late.”

“And you still got a ticket?” the judge asked, laughing this time.

“I did.”

“Can I see your ticket or is it in your car?”

She pulled it out of her briefcase where she stuffed it when she grabbed everything moments ago. “Sure,” she said, wondering what was going on. Was he going to take care of it for her? Not that she’d ask that.

“What’s the name of the officer?” he asked when she moved closer to the bench. She felt like she was the main act at the circus right now with all eyes on her.

“Trooper N. Randal.”

The judge took his pen out and wrote something down. “Good to know for future reference if he’s ever in my courtroom.”

“Why is that, Judge?”

“Because he isn’t swayed or doesn’t back down. I like men like that. It reminds me of a younger me. Now, can we please get on with your case and client?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, walking back to the desk where her client was waiting. She hoped she didn’t chip her tooth with as hard as she was grinding her teeth. The only way this day could get worse would be if she lost her case.

Eternal

Posted on by natalieannbooks

eternal

Eternal love? Is that possible for two people who have sworn off romance and happy ever after?

Brina Shepard is who she is. She’s strong, independent and a do-gooder. She’s always out for the underdog and will fight for what she believes in. She won’t fall in line and she won’t conform with the majority. If it means she can’t climb the ladder in her career fast, then so be it. She feels the same way about her personal life. A man? Who needs one? Been there and done that, and it’s not worth it in her eyes.

 
Nathan Randal has a sense of justice that won’t bend for anyone. He carries around the guilt of a family tragedy on his shoulders and the destruction of his family would forever cloud his thoughts. A relationship or happy ever after hasn’t been experienced in his life and he figures at this point it never will be. Not unless he could find someone who thought the same way as he does…if she exists.

Starting Over…Prologue

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startingover(1)

Prologue

“Blair, stay out of trouble.”

“I always do, Nana,” Blair said back as she rushed out the backdoor of her grandmother’s house to play in the garden.

It wasn’t a traditional garden. Even at five years old, Blair understood that.

No, Nana had beautiful flowers that most had never seen or heard of. She had herbs and spices that she was always mixing in foods and jars, doing things she told Blair she would learn about someday. And she had food in the garden too. Lots and lots of vegetables. Blair went running over there to check on them first.

Nana told her she could pick out the vegetables for their salad tonight. Daddy was away for the night and Blair loved spending time with her Nana. Really the only woman in her life.

As she made her way through the rows of cucumbers and peppers, tomatoes and zucchini, she heard a noise.

Moving closer, she saw a bird on the dirt, just a small blue one. A blue jay it was, Nana had told her one day. Nana was the smartest woman she knew.

“It’s okay, little birdie. Are you hungry?” she asked, assuming it was looking for worms just like Blair was looking for her dinner too.

The bird looked up at her, its eyes dark and appearing almost…in pain. Blair wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she just felt it deep inside.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, glancing closer and noticing the wing seemed to be missing some feathers…and tilted at a funny angle.

“Nana will know what to do. You stay right here.” She turned and went running back to the house. “Nana! Nana!”

“What’s wrong, Blair?” her grandmother asked her as she came rushing out the kitchen door.

“My dream,” she said. “My dream. Remember I told you this morning that a bird was lying on the ground and it looked funny to me.”

“Yes,” her grandmother said. “What about it?”

“It was red in my dream, but it’s blue now.”

Her grandmother looked confused. “What bird?”

“The one in my dream,” Blair said with her hands on her hips. “I mean it was red in my dream, but it’s blue in the garden.” She grabbed her grandmother’s hand. “Follow me. It’s hurt.”

She raced back to where she’d seen the bird and noticed that it’d moved and wasn’t there where she’d left it. “Blair. I’m baking. I need to get back inside.”

“There was a bird here. I know there was. It was hurt.” She was moving around, looking. “Here. It’s right here. Look at it.”

Her grandmother looked over the bush and saw the blue jay lying on the ground and moved closer to it, only to have it lift its wings and fly away. “It doesn’t look hurt to me. I bet it was just sunning itself.”

“Like getting a tan?” Blair asked.

Her grandmother laughed. “I guess you could say that. Some birds do that. But it’s fine. You saw that.”

“Why did I dream it was hurt though?”

“Do you know it was hurt in your dream?”

“No. It was just lying on the ground, but I thought birds only sat in a nest or flew.”

“Well, now you know otherwise.”

“Okay. At least I know that not all parts of my dreams always come true like I told you. Just little bits and pieces.”

Her grandmother sighed like she had in the past. Just like her father did too when she would tell him she’d have dreams and pieces would come true.

“Blair, you really shouldn’t tell too many people about these dreams. It’s okay to say it to your father and me, but I hope you don’t tell anyone else.”

“But it’s cool when they come true. Except when they are sad. Then I don’t want them to come true.”

“Do they always?” her grandmother asked. “Or just sometimes?”

“Just sometimes. But when I wake up I know if it will come true or if it was just something funny or what I watched on TV.”

Her grandmother put her hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Just keep them to your father and me or yourself, okay.”

“Why?” Blair asked.

“Because people will look at you funny. They will judge you. You don’t want that, do you?”

“You mean like they judge Daddy.”

Her grandmother’s shoulders dropped. “What do you hear about your father?”

“That he’s never been with a lady. That he likes men.”

Nana’s chest heaved in and out. “You’re too young for this conversation, but it’s one Daddy should have with you. All you need to know is everyone is different, but that doesn’t mean they love people any less.”

“Just like me being different because I see things in dreams and they sometimes come true?”

Her grandmother laughed. “Yes, Blair, just like that. Go pick out your vegetables for dinner. I’m sure this batch of cookies is more than burnt right now so I need to get some more in the oven.”

“Thanks, Nana.”

“For what?”

“For not saying I’m being silly. Daddy doesn’t say it either, but I’ve had other friends tell me that.”

“And now you know why you should sometimes keep those dreams of yours to yourself.”

Starting Over

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startingover(1)

Can his wacky neighbor heal this single father’s broken heart?

Blair McKay has always been quirky. Her grandmother has often told her to keep things to herself so others didn’t roll their eyes. Sometimes it’s hard though. Especially when she finds a guy she cares for and wants him to know everything about her.

Philip Aire is a single father trying to make it work. His sexy neighbor is a much-needed distraction and his daughter has grown attached to Blair too. He doesn’t care that most in the neighborhood roll their eyes at her profession or wacky ways and words. All he cares about is her…that is until her words and insight start to make him wonder if she is really so far out there after all

Change Up…Prologue

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change up

Prologue

Harris Walker jogged out to the mound of Citi Field in the bottom of the ninth. His blood was pumping; the fatigue that should have set in was nowhere to be found.

He was in a pitcher’s dream right now. What everyone hoped for. What they wanted to achieve and very few would.

Three more outs and he’d have his no hitter.

At thirty years old he knew he wouldn’t have too many more years in his pitching career.

A top prospect at just seventeen, he didn’t really develop until about five years ago. He didn’t get to show what he was made of and many started to write him off.

But, bam, out of nowhere, two years ago he grabbed control of his fastball, he mastered his changeup, and his curveball seemed to throw everyone off.

He was the pitcher players didn’t want to face. He signed one hell of a five-year contract to stay with the Mets when plenty were willing to pay him more.

Why? Because he was born and raised in Upstate New York and he’d been a Mets fan his whole life. Talk about a dream come true.

They drafted him, they put their faith in him, they gave him what he wanted in his contract. He was staying loyal because that’s who Harris Walker was.

And now he was going to prove to the owners he was everything they thought he was. He was going to show his pitching coaches they had every reason to believe in him.

Ace Reynolds got up to bat for the Atlanta Braves. He was seventh in the lineup and Harris couldn’t have planned this any better.

First pitch straight down the middle, ninety-eight miles an hour. Ace swung, missed, the crowd went nuts. Harris was like a squirrel going after those nuts himself, but he’d always been in control internally and he wasn’t letting anyone see the excitement he was feeling.

Second pitch, curveball, a little wide, called ball. One and one.

Third pitch, fastball down the middle, swing and—shit. Ace connected. Harris watched as the ball sailed into center field, but there was Johnny Reed, racing, diving, and catching it. One out. Two more to go.

Second batter only took three pitches too, pop fly that the catcher nabbed, and they were down to the last out.

The Braves put in a pinch hitter. Miller Smith who was on a hot streak. Bastards. They were already down three to one. Come on.

Harris didn’t care. Well, he did, but he wasn’t showing it.

He wiped his sweaty hand on his pant leg, he took a deep breath, and then wound up and threw a slider. Way out of the strike zone, but Miller swung, strike one.

The crowd was in a frenzy. The stadium felt like it was rocking.

He was going for speed. He wanted to prove he still had it with a hundred and five pitches down tonight.

Fastball, here it comes.

Miller connected, line drive, right at Harris, but not close enough for him to dive and catch it. He didn’t need to worry, because the second baseman had his back, plucking it right up over his head and bringing it in.

His teammates raced him on the mound, everyone slapping him on the back. The tears were rolling down his face and he didn’t give one shit about it.

He was man enough to cry over throwing the best game of his life.

And three hours later when he and Johnny and a few others were tossing back shots in a bar in downtown Manhattan, he was living the dream.

Women were hanging out around them, many rubbing against him…whispering in his ear. Yeah, he could go home with any of them, but he didn’t have plans on it.

He wanted to celebrate with his buddies. They had a game tomorrow and though he wasn’t playing, the rest of the team was.

Matt Greene, the Mets’ babysitter as they called him, walked over between him and Johnny. “Time to pack it up, boys. There’s a game tomorrow.”

“I’m not playing,” Harris said.

Johnny laughed. “Lucky shit. You play once every five games, get all the money, and more than half the chicks.”

Harris slapped Johnny on the back. “You like being my wingman, admit it.” The “half the chicks” was a running joke since many knew Harris barely took a woman up on an offer.

“Some wingman you are. We are both going home to empty beds tonight.”

The two of them laughed and followed Matt out of the bar and to his SUV. Matt was a good guy, just doing his job, making sure the players stayed out of trouble.

“Shotgun,” Harris called. “Since I’m the man of the hour.”

“You’re the man, all right,” Johnny said. “Ride in the front. I’ll just stretch out back here behind Matt anyway. You always push the seat back so far that the rest of us are squished. You aren’t the only one over six foot, you know.”

“Ah, but I’ve still got four inches on you,” Harris said, climbing in and putting his seatbelt on.

They were driving back to the building that he and Johnny both lived in. Not only were they teammates but darn close to best friends as well, always riding back and forth to Citi Field and the airport together.

Just blocks from their place, they were sitting at a red light when Harris caught a flash out the right corner of his eye. Headlights coming fast and nowhere to go, then the pain as it slammed into his door.

Nothing else after that. The rest was just darkness.