Domino EffectThe Sinclair O’Malley Series Book Three
J.M. LeDuc
Contents
Also by J.M. LeDuc
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Acknowledgement
Also by J.M. LeDuc
Phantom Squad Series
&
Trilogy of the Chosen
Cursed Blessing
Cursed Presence
Cursed Days
Cornerstone
Short Stories
Phantom Squad: The Beginning Trilogy of the Chosen
Sinclair O’Malley Thrillers
SIN
Painted Beauty
Domino Effect (coming soon)
Evil Awakened Series (YA Fantasy)
Evil Awakened
Spirits Collide
Demons Rise (coming in 2020)
Domino Effect
By
J.M. LeDuc
DIGITAL EDITION
PUBLISHED BY:
J.M. LeDuc
Copyright 2019 J.M. LeDuc
Cover Design: Story Wrappers
Cover Photographer: KD Ritchie
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
1
As Becca regained consciousness, she pried her salt-encrusted eyelids open and tried to move, but the restraints on her wrists and ankles dug into her flesh. Lifting her chin off her chest, her sweat-matted hair stuck to her smeared mascara. She shook the last few strands of blond hair from her face and attempted to take a deep breath. Instead of air, she tasted her own spit which soaked the gag stuffed in her mouth. This had been the third time she remembered waking, but having been sedated most hours, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Her back and knees ached as she attempted to stretch her cramped muscles. Zip-tied to the chair, even the slightest movement caused the plastic to dig into her bloody, raw skin. Gagged and blindfolded, she used the senses she still had control of, smell and sound, to try and figure out where she was. She no longer smelled the overwhelming odor of diesel fuel or heard and felt the sound and vibration of a boat engine. There was no rocking or swaying. She thought she might be back on dry land. Where, Becca had no idea, but anywhere was better than being on the water.
Her mind flipped to Pia. She wondered if her roommate was nearby. She hadn’t seen her since they were taken and didn’t even know if she was still alive.
The unknowing was the hardest part.
Inhaling again, she smelled mildew and weed. The smell of pot brought back memories of her last night of freedom. Memories she had played on a continuous loop since her captivity.
It was their second night of Spring Break in Key West, and she and her roommate, Pia, were ready to party. They had spent part of the night dancing and drinking at Sloppy Joe’s before heading up Duval Street to check out the scene at Fat Tuesdays. That’s where they had met the guys. Becca remembered the bar being loud. Too loud to carry on a normal conversation. She just smiled when the guys smiled and laughed when they did. To be truthful, she was just happy looking at them. They reminded her of chocolate, one milk, the other dark; both good enough to eat. One of the guys, the one with the dreds, mentioned something about going to a Reggae club and maybe smoking a little weed. After an all-girl powwow in the ladies’ room, she and Pia accompanied the guys on a walk towards Mallory Square.
She smiled sadly as she remembered watching Pia interact with the guy she now knew as Amani. She loved to watch Pia flirt. It was a social skill she hadn’t mastered, but it came natural to her roommate. Pia used to say that flirting was in her genes. She said it was like breathing in Italy. It was just part of life.
Becca blinked away the thought of Pia as she continued to recount the events of that fateful night. She remembered feeling worried as they walked a couple of blocks down from Mallory Square, farther from the lights and sounds of Duval Street and their hotel. She was about to say something when she heard Reggae music streaming from around the corner. The music came from a building that looked more like a small bungalow than a club, but the illuminated Red Stripe sign hanging from the window, the cars and motorcycles parked out front, and the party that spilled out the door and into the parking lot helped calm her nerves.
Inside the club, she relaxed. She remembered dancing and singing along to Bob Marley and the Wailers, No Woman No Cry, just before Amani and D’andre led her and Pia outside to smoke a joint. Standing on a boat dock, she watched as Pia took a hit. About to do the same, the alarm on her iPhone buzzed. Shocked at the time, she showed the illuminated screen to Pia, who was equally surprised. She told the guys they had to go, grabbed Pia’s hand, and began speed-walking up the dock.
After a few steps, she realized something was wrong with her friend. With slurred speech, Pia mumbled incoherently. With awkward, choppy steps, Pia stumbled and fell. As she tried to help her roommate, she heard the approach of a boat but through the pitch-darkness of the moonless night saw nothing. That’s when she became truly frightened. Without thinking, she touched an icon on her phone and yelled that she needed help. Within seconds, a man brandishing weapons tore around the
