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    Altered States
    Altered States
    Altered States
    Ebook54 pages50 minutes

    Altered States

    By Laura Harner

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    New Orleans Police Detective Sam Garrett can't believe his bad luck when he's assigned to investigate a string of gay-bashings turned deadly in the French Quarter. Especially when he realizes Travis Boudreaux, his new, hot, and most-likely-straight partner, plans to use him as bait. The worst part? They’ve got no back-up because the rest of the city is preoccupied by another series of killings — the victims drained of blood.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLaura Harner
    Release dateMay 28, 2012
    ISBN9781937252199
    Altered States
    Author

    Laura Harner

    Laura lives on waterfront property in Arizona because she's always wanted to be an oxymoron. She once enjoyed hobbies such as gardening and travel—now the characters in her head compel her to tell their stories, so she writes. (It doesn't actually help quiet the voices—but it keeps the folks in the white jackets at bay.)She shares her home with an ever-revolving cast of characters—some of whom are actually real—and is living her dream of building her own version of the Willow Springs Ranch.With over fifty published novels and novellas, Laura is an international bestselling author of erotic romances, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and Highland romances. Her books can be found at all major online retailers.Connect with her online at:http://lauraharner.com

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    Reviews for Altered States

    3.5/5

    47 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Really good for such a short, free read! Wasn't expecting the twist at the end and now I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. Don't want to spoil anyone but... after reading the excerpt from the next, is it a different love interest for newly vamped Travis?
    • 2/5
      While I was reading, I felt like this seemed a bit rushed and artificial. The character interactions didn't seem very authentic and there was something hanging over the whole thing that I couldn't put my finger on. But when I got to the end, I realized that this entire short was just intended to set up the next story in the series and it really didn't tell a complete story of it's own. I get the need to set up a story when writing a series, but each installment should feel complete. This one did not.

    Book preview

    Altered States - Laura Harner

    Altered States

    Altered States: Prequel

    Laura Harner

    Altered States 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, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Copyright © 2011 by Laura Harner

    Edited by Jae Ashley

    Cover Art by Laura Harner

    All rights reserved.

    Smashwords Edition Published in the United States by Hot Corner Press.

    ISBN: 978-1-937252-19-9

    Warning: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

    The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

    Contact the publisher for further information: Hotcornerpress@gmail.com

    Dedication

    To the M/M Romance Group at GoodReads, and specifically Kieran MacLeod for requesting this story with a wonderful prompt as part of the Love is Always Write event. Thanks for the inspiration!

    I would also like to offer a special thank you to Tom Webb for going above and beyond, once again, my friend.

    And as always, thank you Dan for helping to bring the image in my head to life through your photography.

    Acknowledgements

    The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

    GQ: Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc.

    Ken: Mattel, Inc.

    Piggly Wiggly: Piggly Wiggly, LLC

    Rainbow Brite: Hallmark Licensing, Inc.

    The Lone Ranger: Classic Media, LLC

    Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

    Contents

    Dedication

    Acknowledgements

    Chapter One

    Chapter Two

    Chapter Three

    Chapter Four

    Chapter Five

    Chapter Six

    About the Author

    Also Available

    Chapter One

    Hey, Detective Sam Garrett—I didn’t know you were working the Quarter! I jes’ got here. Biloxi was a bust. The mocha-skinned blonde grabbed my arm and air kissed my cheek.

    Hey, Honey, I said, by way of greeting. You’re looking good tonight. You back at The Rendezvous?

    Let’s hope so. That fucker Leroy is pissed I worked another show, so he’s stringing things out. I have half a mind to open my own place. She smoothed a well-manicured hand over her sequined hip. With a practiced gesture, she managed to open the thigh-high slit a little more to reveal a long expanse of dark leg. Did you miss me, baby?

    You bet, beautiful. I’ll have a word with Leroy. I gotta get going, but you stay out of trouble, now, hear?

    I haven’t been here long enough to get into trouble—yet. You sure you don’t want to step around back for old time’s sake? The deep throaty laugh turned heads, and she licked her lips, as if she already could taste her next conquest.

    You know better than that, Honey, I said. I flashed a smile at her and she grinned right back. There were no hard feelings here.

    A girl’s gotta do who a girl’s gotta do, she said. She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and gave a little wink before she sauntered off, leaving the refrain of an old Lou Reed song bouncing in my head.

    ****

    Two days later, I stood in the morgue and tried to find some trace of humanity in the bloody, broken body on the table. There was none to be seen. Not in the body and sure as hell not in the asshole who had committed this atrocity. If this crime was what it looked like on the surface, then this kid

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