Mason smiled and caressed the trigger of the shotgun rigged under his table. Vampires before nine in the evening? Looked like it was going to be a busy night.
About the Author
Mina Carter was born and raised in Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the family.
Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making, Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few.
She juggles being a mum, working full time and writing, tossing another ball in the air with her cover artwork. For Mina, writing time is the wee hours of the morning before anyone wakes up and starts making demands, or any spare minute that can be begged, bought or conned.
Her first stories were penned at age 11, when she used a stationery set meant for Christmas thank you letters to write stories instead. More recently, she wrote for her own amusement and to save on outrageous monthly book bills. Now she’s totally addicted and needs her daily writing fix or heads roll!
You can find Mina at:
Website: www.mina-carter.comTwitter: @minacarterFacebook: www.facebook.com/mina.carter A one night stand turns into a partnership for survival…
Neon Chaos
© 2011 Karen Erickson
Party girl Samantha Sanders is celebrating her thirtieth birthday in style—a road trip to Las Vegas for a long weekend with her girlfriends. Staying in the swankiest hotel on the strip, she’s nak*d and in bed with the sexiest guy she’s ever laid eyes on when the clock strikes twelve. Who knew the world would really end December 21, 2012? Those Mayans, they weren’t lyin’…
Russ Weaver is above all else a soldier. Looking for a little fun before spending Christmas with his crazy family, a weekend on leave in Vegas unexpectedly turns into his newest mission——protecting the sweet, scared woman he happens to be in bed with when the world as they know it is over.
Wandering throughout the virtually abandoned streets of Vegas, they fine city has turned into a war zone. Their only hope to get out alive is to stick together—and fight those who wish to cease their endeavors. Permanently.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Neon Chaos:
“Where the hell could they be?” he roared, throwing the flashlight with all his might. It crashed against the wall before it dropped to the floor, denting the drywall, and she watched in horror as her personal hero crumpled to the ground and beat his fist upon it.
Samantha ran to him, kneeling by his side and slipping her arm around his trembling shoulders. He was upset, he had every right to be and it scared the ever-living crap out of her.
He’d been the strong one from the beginning. If he lost it now how would they ever make it? On her skills and gumption alone?
Yeah, right.
“They must be dead.” His voice was shredded, and he sniffed. “My parents must be dead. I don’t know where else they could be.”
She wrapped her arms around him and brought him to her, his head resting against her chest. Smoothing a hand over his thick, dark hair, she offered soothing words, her eyes closing when she felt him shudder.
It broke her heart to see him like this. His arms banded around her waist, and he held her tight, his face buried against her neck. She swore she felt the hot dampness of tears, but she would never ask him. Had a feeling he was a bit of a macho man who would never admit to such a thing.
“What should we do, Russ?” She hated asking, but they needed some sort of plan.
He lifted his head, his gaze meeting hers. The discarded flashlight was still on, throwing a shaft of light across his face, and she saw all the despair there, all the weariness.
“I don’t know,” he croaked, sounding good and truly lost. “What do you think?”
She pushed his hair back with her fingers. “You’re tired. Maybe we should try and rest for a bit.”
“They’ll find us.”
“We’ll stay only for a little while. You need to sleep.”
His eyes slid closed for the briefest moment, and he grabbed hold of her hand, bringing it to his mouth so he could press a gentle kiss to the back of it. A full body shiver moved through her at the contact and when his eyes opened, she leaned in, kissing him soundly on the lips.
He looked like he really needed it.
“I f**king hate this,” he whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t know either, but we can’t go on like this. We’re both running ragged. That’s why we should rest. Even for just an hour.”
He sighed. “You’re right. Let’s stock up and hide in the detached garage in the back. Sleep for a while and then get the hell out of here.”
“Stock up? I have food.” She shook her purse, which she’d brought in with her.
“I’m not just talking food, sweetheart, though we should grab more, good idea. I’m talking about useful stuff.” He kissed her again, as if he needed the bit of physical contact to keep going. “I’m talking weapons. My father has a stockpile of them.”
The sadness had slowly left him, replaced by a simmering, potent rage that bubbled just beneath the surface. His parents were f**king gone—hell the entire family had probably disappeared, and he could do nothing about it.
Nothing.
He’d cried, not like a blubbering baby but tears had slipped out and he’d struggled not to ball. Samantha had offered comfort, holding him close, not saying a bunch of stupid words to try and make him feel better because nothing would’ve made him feel better at that particular moment. Not even now.
Nope, she hadn’t said anything at all, just offered him a shoulder to sniffle on. He appreciated her more than she could imagine.
After gaining control over his emotions he forced himself to get over the sadness. He was pissed. He wanted to kick some ass.
He wanted revenge.
First though, he needed to remain calm and rational and gather supplies.
Samantha filled a few grocery bags with food from the pantry while he went to his father’s den. The gun case was locked. Samantha had the flashlight so he kicked his booted foot through the glass door, smashing it to bits. The broken glass fell to the floor in a tinkling pile.
His mother would’ve had a fit if she could see him.
Reaching through the broken glass pane, he unlocked the door and it swung open. He grabbed two shotguns and two handguns, a set each for himself and for Samantha. They needed to be prepared for whatever might come at them. He had a sneaking suspicion it would be pretty damn bad.
Russ hoped like hell she wasn’t scared of guns.