Buried Heart Read online

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  By the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  About the Author

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  Buried Heart

  Drew Chambliss started her life at age twelve. Everything before then was lost when trauma wiped her past away. She adjusted to a new family and a new life, but something was always missing.

  Cicely Jones lives life big and out loud. She has no room in her life for secrets. When Cicely meets Drew at a music festival, the chemistry is unbelievable. They fit effortlessly. When Drew starts to remember bits of her past and a stranger begins to stalk her, she pushes Cicely away to protect her. When Cicely demands the truth, Drew has to choose between keeping her safe and the past that could destroy them both.

  A Quiet Death

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  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Buried Heart

  © 2017 By Laydin Michaels. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-802-3

  This Electronic book is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.,

  P.O. Box 249

  New York, USA

  First Edition: January 2017

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editors: Victoria Villasenor and Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Melody Pond

  By the Author

  Forsaken

  Bitter Root

  Buried Heart

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank the great people at Bold Strokes Books who help with every step of this process. From our senior editor to our many proofreaders, you make great things happen. Thank you to Vic and Cindy for their care in editing, even when it hurts.

  I hope you enjoy the read.

  Dedication

  For MJ, always.

  PROLOGUE

  The light hit her eyes and her world went white. She dropped to the asphalt, squeezing her eyes shut against the glare. She became aware of footsteps drawing near. Someone was coming. She threw her hands up, blocking any attack from above.

  “No, no! Let me go! No!” she screamed.

  Her voice cracked. Hands grabbed at her, and she fought against them. She head-butted the hard surface of someone’s face.

  “Ow, damn. Cut it out, hear me? You’re okay. I’m trying to help you,” the voice said.

  It wasn’t the voice she’d become accustomed to in the dark. This voice was loud, but somehow not as frightening as the other one.

  “My name is Bill. I’m going to give you some water. Quit fighting me. I called the cops when I saw you running down the highway. They should be here anytime now. Just relax, kid,” he said.

  She felt something round push against her lips, and she sipped cautiously. Water. Cool and fresh. She drank heartily, pulling until the container made a loud pop. Startled, she jumped.

  “It’s okay. That’s just the plastic bottle. What’s your name?”

  She stared at him. What is my name? She didn’t have any answer to give him, so she stayed quiet.

  “Okay, here’s an easier one. Why are you out here running on the highway in the middle of the night? I almost ran you over.”

  “I don’t know. I had to get away from the voice,” she said.

  “The voice? Where’s your house? Can I call your parents?”

  Call? What did he mean? She watched him, not comprehending. Piercing sounds ruptured the silence between them. She tried to get up, to run again, but the man held her fast.

  “That’s just the cops. They’re going to help you. It’s okay.”

  They’re going to help me. It’s okay. Where am I? Who am I?

  Soon there were others moving around her. People in dark clothes with shiny shoes.

  People carrying guns. There were noises she had no understanding of, crackles and disembodied voices. Then a woman helping her to sit on a cot of some kind. She was shining a light in her eyes and wrapping something around her arm. The strap tightened and she wanted it off, but when she tore at it, a man held her hands still. Panic started to rise inside her, and she began to scream. Then, a sharp stick in her leg and everything dimmed.

  She could still see people moving around her, could feel the cot being lifted into a bright metal box. She heard them talking, felt the movement and knew they were taking her somewhere. And then she must have fallen asleep. She came to awareness in a bright room. The sounds of people talking nearby made her freeze. But they weren’t the voice, the bad voice. She stayed quiet and still, hoping to discern where she was and what was happening.

  “She was running down FM 1431 in the middle of nowhere. Closest place to there is Lago Vista, but she wasn’t walking distance from there. She’s not carrying any ID. Have we got any missing kids that we know of?”

  “None in the county. I’ll search neighboring counties, but there aren’t any active Amber Alerts. Hey, she’s moving.”

  They were standing above her now, and she felt panicked again. She tried to sit up, but her arms were strapped to the bed.

  “Hold on, calm down. You’re safe. This is Seton Northwest Hospital. I’m Officer Morrell. This is Officer Bates. Can you tell me your name? What happened to you?”

  She stared at him.

  “I don’t know. I can’t remember,” she said.

  “Okay, how about your name, honey? Can you tell me that?”

  “I can’t remember.” Her voice cracked as the panic rose.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. You’ve had a trauma. I’m sure it will come back to you. Just rest now. One of us will be here, so you’re safe. We’re going to find out who you are, and get you back to your mom and dad.”

  Mom and Dad. Dad.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Drew Chambliss paced her living room as she argued with her best friend.

  “Come on, Drew. You can’t miss this. I’m telling ya, the SXSW is the best festival ever. You won’t even believe who’s going to be there.”

  “Preston, you know I hate being out in the heat.”

  “This isn’t hot. Come on. I’ve got my CamelBak. There will be so many people there. We might even hook up with Tom and Jenn. I spent a ton of money on these tickets. You can’t let ’em go to waste.”

  “I didn’t ask you to
buy me one.”

  “I know you didn’t, but I owed you. City Limits, remember?”

  “I didn’t buy you that ticket so you’d owe me. I knew you really wanted to go, and I had the money, so…”

  “And now I want to return the favor. Mersey’s Cow is going to play. You’ll be lying if you say you don’t want to see them. So get over yourself and get dressed. I’ll be there in fifteen to pick your ass up. If you aren’t dressed, plan on going naked.”

  “I’ll be ready. Do you have ponchos in case it rains?”

  “Ha, you’re funny. If, by some miracle, the heavens decide to finally grant some mercy to our drought-baked city, I will be happy to give you the shirt off my back to keep dry.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll bring ’em.”

  Drew disconnected and rummaged around in her front closet for two nylon ponchos. They weren’t any bigger than her wallet when they were all folded up like this, and Pres would be happy to have one if it did rain. She slipped them into the side pockets on her shorts and pulled out her wallet. Pretty thin. Maybe he’d stop at the ATM so she could grab some extra cash. She was happy Preston had pushed the issue of the festival on her. It would be awesome. She liked being home on the weekends to rest, but mixing it up once in a while was healthy.

  When she’d first awoken on the highway fourteen years ago, she had no memories of anything but a voice in the dark. She had gradually remembered bits and pieces of her early life, but they didn’t make sense. It was like she was watching a movie about some little girl. She didn’t recognize herself in those images, but she had remembered her name. Her adoptive parents were happy to use her name, in hopes that it might help her unlock more of her past.

  That had never happened. The only thing that seemed to change was the intensity and terror of her nightmares. She’d wake up screaming more nights than not, but couldn’t hold on to what caused the fear. She didn’t have a lot of friends, and she cherished what she had with Preston, who seemed to know when to push and when to let it go.

  She slipped out the door to wait on her porch. It wasn’t long before Pres’s blaring moombahton music announced his arrival. She jumped off the porch rail and ambled over to the car. She gave in to the rhythm of the music and let herself move. He jumped out of his door and gyrated in an equal display of musical appreciation.

  “Man, that’s awesome. I wish Major was doing a set this year,” she said.

  “Ha. That’d be freakin’ amazing! We are totally going to save up for EDC next year. Vegas, here we come, baby,” he said.

  “Yeah, right. We’ll see. I’m happy to catch whoever comes to town. We’re so lucky to live in new music central. I read there’s going to be this awesome band from South Africa throwing down some tunes on the Radio Day Stage. I’d like to check them out.”

  “That’s cool with me. I like just about any music. Well, anything but twangy country.”

  “Let’s boogie. You know the crowd is going to be thick. Would you run by the bank? I need some cash.”

  They piled into the car and headed to the festival by way of an ATM. The traffic started jamming up well before their exit.

  “This was a sucky idea. Why did I think driving was the way to go?” he said.

  “Don’t sweat it. Jump off at Riverside. We can grab some mountain bikes at the park and bike over,” Drew said.

  “Damn, no wonder they say girls are the smart ones. Think Truman will mind us bugging out of the park with two service bikes?”

  “He won’t as long as we don’t let him know about it.”

  “Excellent point.”

  They struggled through another ten minutes of stop-and-go traffic before they caught the Riverside exit. Once on the surface streets, it only took a few minutes to get to Zilker Park and a few more to check and see if the bike garage was attended. Working for the city had some advantages, and being rangers at Zilker had even more benefits.

  Drew left her customary bandana hanging on the rack in case anybody came by while they were out. Truman might get pissed, but at least that way he’d know the bikes were basically safe and in good hands. Hopefully, they’d get them back in with no one the wiser.

  They cut through the park and got on the bike trail. It took them less than twenty minutes to get to Buffalo Billiards for the first showcase. There were a ton of choices of music style, but they both loved TrancenDance, who was the featured DJ at Buff’s. He’d open the venue, and then they could hit some of the other stages as the night wore on.

  Drew jumped in the queue while Pres locked up the bikes. It wouldn’t do to lose them or have them wander off with strangers.

  There were people everywhere, and the atmosphere was all peace and party. No ill will to be seen. They watched Wallslidr at Maggie Mae’s and grooved on her amazing sound. It was kind of a reggae/bluegrass fusion, and Drew let herself go with the sound, feeling the bass pulsating from her feet through every nerve ending. She rolled and shifted with the beat, eyes closed and hands high above her head.

  She sensed more than felt the presence of someone in her personal space. Normally, she’d have stopped moving and walked away in disgust. Boundaries were sacred to her. But something about the energy of her invader held her in check and she stayed in the moment.

  Damn, I hope when I open my eyes it’s not some drunk frat dude slinging his sweat on me.

  She didn’t think that would be the case, though, and as the music fell off and a new groove kicked in, she braved a peek at her dance partner. What she saw made her clench deep inside. Her mouth went dry, and she could hear the beating of her heart warring with the bass. The woman was drop-dead gorgeous, so uniquely beautiful Drew lost the rhythm of the music for a few seconds.

  “Hey, you’re making me look bad, hottie. Keep moving or I’ll have to slip away.”

  Her voice was like a silk ribbon running across Drew’s bare skin. Smooth and soft, but rich in tone and resonance. Drew liked what she heard and made her body fall into the rhythm again.

  This time she kept her eyes wide open. The light played on her partner’s ebony skin, refracting and sliding down her long frame. She was tall, a good five inches taller than Drew. Her hair was close shaven, so tightly curled Drew twitched with the desire to touch it.

  She felt a jolt as the thought struck her. This isn’t me. She didn’t randomly want to touch strangers or have them anywhere near her. It took her own folks a good two years and lots of expensive therapy to reach her.

  Drew moved closer to her partner, their bodies so in sync that the rhythm seemed to flow through one and into the other. She lost herself in the beauty of it. WallSlidr transitioned into a techno track that increased the tempo, but not the intensity of her connection to the woman. Drew felt as if they were in their own space, she and her mystery dance partner. She had a moment of panic and glanced around, looking for Preston. He was there, too, dancing with a beautiful brunette. It was all good.

  As the next set started, the woman leaned into her. “So, I’m Cicely and you are?”

  “Drew, Drew Chambliss.”

  “Well, Drew Chambliss, you know how to move, baby. Don’t stop now.”

  Drew felt her face heat as she nodded in return. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention, but it felt good. The music wrapped around them again, and they moved together through set after set.

  She was about to suggest stopping for a break when Cicely turned toward her, smiling.

  “I’m thirsty. Let’s go get something to drink, huh?” Cicely said.

  “Yeah, that sounds good. Let me grab my friend.”

  Drew tapped Preston and signaled him to follow, and let the woman lead her away from the crowded dance space. When there was finally room to turn and face her, Cicely smiled. It was like the sun coming from behind a cloud, and it warmed Drew to her core. It turned out that Pres had been dancing with Cicely’s best friend, Kallie.

  “This place is packed. How about we grab something to eat and then head back to Beerland?” Pres said br />
  “I could use a bite to eat,” Cicely said.

  “There’s a little place a few blocks from here. Puco’s Mex Mex. Sound good?” Drew said.

  “Lead the way.”

  She took them to the quirky, fun little hideaway. Drew loved this place, with its good food and awesome staff. It was a total locals place, so it wasn’t too crowded. They only had to wait ten minutes for a table and were soon seated in the eclectic eatery. Drew was both tense and excited to have Cicely sitting so close to her. The occasional brush of her skin against her was making her nipples tighten. She hoped no one noticed, but it was beyond her control. Something about her set off all kinds of reactions. It was so new she didn’t know how to react or how to cover it. She moved a little away from her and ordered a grapefruit infused beer. Something cold would help.

  Everyone ordered margaritas and Drew did her best to push the heated sensations from her consciousness. She felt thickheaded, unable to think of something to start a conversation. Why did this happen to her so often? She wasn’t shy by nature, but being around beautiful women always had this effect on her. She smiled sheepishly at Cicely, hoping she’d say something.

  “So, tell us about yourselves. What brought you out to the SXSW? The music, the tech conference? What’s your angle?”

  “Oh, totally the music. I could care a flip for the latest in social media,” Pres said.

  “What he said. I’m all about the music,” Drew said. “What about you two?”

  “Honestly? We were at the tech con today. Social media is relevant to what we do for a living. We have to stay up-to-date.”

  “Really? What do you do?”

  “I—” Cicely started.

  “We work for the Travis County court system. We advocate for the mentally ill, particularly the indigent,” Kallie said.