Tender Debt
Book 1 in the Hawkstone series
An Excerpt from Chapter 1
The room was nothing but a cell--four stark, white walls, a concrete floor, no furniture save for a dirty, thin mat, and a metal door she’d stared at since her capture. For how long? At least a day had passed, maybe two, before her lack of cooperation led to her strung like a side of beef.
Without the watch usually strapped to her wrist, Sloane lost track of time. While she worried her death was imminent, it was what Alejandro Sarkis threatened first that churned her stomach.
“You will die, Kopelia, but first, we will have some fun.”
Her worst nightmare--captured by a former assignment. What should we know about this product? How is it made, how much does it cost, what color and size is it? Better descriptions result in more sales.
©Tender Debt by Caragh Leon 2024
Sloane Stephens had been so close. One week. That was all she had left of a fourteen-year FBI career. She’d looked forward to the first morning. Awakening without her brain running a diagnostic test because her life depended on the where, the when, and the why.
No more role-playing. No need for deceit. Zero danger.
It would’ve all been in the rearview mirror seven days from now.
Instead, she hung, arms chained to a hook in the ceiling of a 13 by 13 cell, reeking of sweat and fear.
“Akoúo!”
The Greek word shifted Sloane’s attention from regrets to the two guards arguing in front of her, their angry Greek words traveling at breakneck speed. A pair of turtles without the passive demeanor, they were short in stature, each with a hump between his shoulder blades that pitched the head forward. They more than made up for what they lacked in height, with vast chests and grossly muscled limbs — a clear product of steroid misuse.
The older brother raged, spittle flying, stressing his point with the jab of his rifle muzzle against his brother’s stomach. It would serve them both right if the gun went off. Sloane’s torso throbbed from their earlier brutal fisted blows, her breathing uneven and shallow.