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    Shadow
    Shadow
    Shadow
    Ebook165 pages2 hours

    Shadow

    By M Tasia

    4.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    THE MOST DIFFICULT THING TO DO...

    Imagine knowing your family hates you and has no problem sending you away to be abused – to die alone. Randy Reynolds was living that reality until he was saved by a man called Shadow. What Randy learned about himself and the people who were supposed to love him was nothing short of horrific. What he found with the Sentinels and Shadow was everything miraculous.

    IS FACE THE TRUTH

    Jake Kennedy’s past haunts him. Ghosts drove him into the shadows until he became Shadow. Unseen and not really there, he lived his life without any connections but for the Sentinels, the team that saved him from oblivion. Then a mission changed his life and forced him to shed the shroud that kept his heart from feeling. Now, for Randy Reynolds, Jake will come out of the shadows, he’ll be present and whole instead of the man who had kept himself hidden for twenty years.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBoroughs Publishing Group
    Release dateOct 25, 2018
    ISBN9781948029445
    Shadow
    Author

    M Tasia

    Michelle M. Tasia is a paralegal and romance author who lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapters; the Rainbow Romance Writers and the Toronto Romance Writers. Michelle is a dedicated people watcher who often uses what she sees around her in the creation of her characters. She likes to read romance as much as write it and is a firm believer that love is meant to be celebrated and shared. She is the author of the Boys of Brighton series and the new series Gates of Heaven. Connect with Michelle: website: mtasiabooks.com facebook: mtasiabooks twitter: mtasiaauthor instagram: m.tasia.author

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      Book preview

      Shadow - M Tasia

      Shadow

      The Boys of Brighton – Book 9

      M. Tasia

      ALSO BY M. TASIA

      The Boys of Brighton series

      Gabe

      Sam’s Soldiers

      Rick’s Bear

      Jesse

      Coop

      Travis

      Grady

      Vincent

      EVERYONE LOVES THE BOYS OF BRIGHTON

      "I loved this book and I love this town. I hope there’s going to be more."

      —Melissa Lemons on Gabe

      "An amazing read that was filled with lust, love, crazy hot sex, danger, action and so much more. This is the first book I have read in this series, but I will definitely be reading more in the future."

      —Gay Book Reviews on Sam’s Soldiers

      "I was crazy impressed that the author made me teary over the ending of a relationship that I shouldn’t have even been invested in. I didn’t yet know these characters yet the author made me hurt for them. That takes some mad writing skills!"

      —Love Bytes Reviews

      "Jesse and Royce together have my heart. Jesse has it all by himself."

      — The Book Junkie Reads on Jesse

      "So much action, intrigue, drama and angst for the long awaited story of Grady and Ben. This was worth the wait. Sexy and sweet. I can't wait for the next."

      —SamD on Grady

      "I knew this one would be my favorite to date! There was something about Vincent that said awesome then came Tristan."

      —Booky on Vincent

      Welcome back to Brighton, Texas. Where any man can find home.

      THE MOST DIFFICULT THING TO DO…

      Imagine knowing your family hates you and has no problem sending you away to be abused – to die alone. Randy Reynolds was living that reality until he was saved by a man called Shadow. What Randy learned about himself and the people who were supposed to love him was nothing short of horrific. What he found with the Sentinels and Shadow was everything miraculous.

      IS FACE THE TRUTH

      Jake Kennedy’s past haunts him. Ghosts drove him into the shadows until he became Shadow. Unseen and not really there, he lived his life without any connections but for the Sentinels, the team that saved him from oblivion. Then a mission changed his life and forced him to shed the shroud that kept his heart from feeling. Now, for Randy Reynolds, Jake will come out of the shadows, he’ll be present and whole instead of the man who had kept himself hidden for twenty years.

      www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com

      PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.

      SHADOW

      Copyright © 2018 M. Tasia

      Smashwords Edition

      All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.

      ISBN 978-1-948029-44-5

      E-book formatting by Maureen Cutajar

      www.gopublished.com

      This has been possible because of the love and support of my family.

      Love you Craig, Samantha, Katie and Jason.

      CONTENTS

      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

      Epilogue

      About the Author

      SHADOW

      Chapter One

      Shadow settled into his perch for another long stakeout. This had been the fifth lead he’d chased across the country, until now. He found himself in Arkansas outside a gated compound and what looked like a dozen old cottages. This was the third day he’d hunkered down to watch the comings and goings of the group. As of yet there was no sign of Randy Reynolds.

      Shadow was about a quarter mile back in the forest surrounding the area with his binoculars stuck to his face while he lay on wet leaves. He’d done a little checking into the man he was trying to free from what was known as a conversion therapy center. Randy’s father had stuck him in one before attempting to kill his other son, Grady. That day Shadow had sworn a promise that he’d find Randy and bring him home.

      Different as night and day, Grady was a police officer with Brighton PD while Randy was an artist. He’d had his abstract paintings in galleries, and they were stunning. Each one Shadow had seen evoked strong emotions. After today, if he didn’t get a sign that Randy was here, Shadow would make his way to the next location. He’d had a good feeling about this lead, but he figured he was wrong.

      The day was sunny and there were several people milling around. Most of them wore beige scrubs while a few others were dressed in black. Shadow could easily see who was in charge. The guests would approach each other, or sit in the sun, but they never spoke. He presumed that it was another rule; he’d observed so many already. One was bowing; the people in the beige outfits would bow to anyone in black.

      He noticed movement from one of the cottages in the back where there hadn’t been any in the last two days. A small figure dressed in beige stepped slowly down the front steps until he reached the bottom and sat down. Shadow quickly focused in on the lone man and he could feel his heartbeat speeding up. From the guy’s messy blond hair to his soft amber eyes, Shadow knew he’d found Randy.

      Shadow watched as Randy quickly scanned the area before picking up a long stick and rolling it through his hands. Shadow wasn’t close enough to read his facial expressions accurately, but he acted scared. Slowly Randy began drawing in the dirt at his feet. After a few minutes, he seemed to lose himself in his drawing; it was beautiful to see the passion come alive on his face.

      Suddenly, a man dressed in a black uniform came around the corner. Randy threw the stick away and was desperately trying to wipe away the dirt where he’d been creating. But it was too late. Shadow got to his knees as the larger man approached Randy. The man yelled something and Randy immediately stood straight. Shadow couldn’t understand what the asshole continued to yell, but he kept motioning to the ground. It had something to do with Randy’s art.

      To Shadow’s horror the man pulled what looked like a small black leather whip from his belt. Now Shadow was standing; he knew he’d never make it in time, but everything in him demanded he protect the smaller man. He gripped the tree beside him as the first blow hit Randy across his right shoulder and down his chest, the second across the thigh of his left leg. Shadow could see the fabric begin to stain red with blood.

      A rage like nothing he’d ever felt before tore through him as he watched the tears running down Randy’s pale face. Shadow took a close look at the man who had hit Randy. If Shadow ever had the chance, he’d return the favor tenfold. The man said something and Randy turned and limped back into what Shadow assumed was his cottage.

      Shadow stood there long after everyone had gone back inside and swore that would be the last time anyone would lay a finger on Randy Reynolds. It was time Shadow did what he did best and god help anyone who got in his way. Somehow, he figured god wouldn’t be answering the calls of these assholes.

      ***

      Randy lay on a thin mattress that lay directly on the wooden floor in the corner of his room, watching the stars through the bars on the window. In all his twenty-seven years, he’d never imagined he’d find himself in this position. Kidnapped, abandoned, thrown into this awful place, and chained to the wall. When these people spoke of their version of God, Randy found no resemblance to the one he envisioned.

      He moved his left leg and hissed out in pain. The open sores caused by the whip still hadn’t been seen to, even though the beating had happened two days prior. Randy couldn’t say he was surprised he was their prisoner. His crime—being gay, or more specifically, his father learning Randy was gay—had landed him in this hellhole.

      It was still a mystery how his asshole father had found out, but that didn’t matter now. Initially, Randy had thought someone would come for him, and he’d make his father pay for doing this to him. But after the first month blended into the second, and then third, he knew he was on his own.

      Even his big brother—a cop—had left Randy behind to deal with their father. Randy was half the size of his brother, who took after their father, so there was no chance of fending the old man off. Having been born prematurely had ensured Randy was the smallest and relatively fragile for most of his life. Randy had called his brother Grady so many times before he was brought here, left countless messages, and the dick hadn’t responded to a single message.

      Randy’s mom and sister had taken off on holiday when dear old Dad started to let his crazy show. Of course, Randy hadn’t been invited along. He knew for certain he had no one he could trust.

      Gingerly, he rolled to his side trying not to reopen the welts on his arm and chest. His clothing was already stained with his blood; he didn’t need to add to it. The wood-planked cottage was old and drafty, and from what he noticed, the other buildings looked much the same. Only the members of the fellowship had rooms in the insulated main building, where he received his daily dose of bigotry, hate, and guilt.

      The few shelves in the hut were devoid of extra clothing, books, paper, or pens, let alone his paints. It was all gone. Randy was grateful for a friend’s advice to get himself a small storage unit. His father had taken to cutting the canvases he’d found around the house, and Randy had managed to find a place where he could take his art where his family couldn’t find it.

      But at this rate, he’d never see those paintings again.

      Now all he wished for was sleep to take him away from this, even if only for a little while. To get lost in one of his paintings, to feel the strength of the colors, the flow of the paint, the touch of brush to canvas. What he’d give to make that a reality again. For real, Randy would settle for an old worn-out pencil and scrap piece of paper about now.

      His eyes began to close as he felt beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He was running a fever and wondered if anybody actually cared. At the rate he was heating up, Randy was going to need antibiotics, lots of fluids, and some nourishment or else all would be lost.

      A few moments later as he began to drift off, he heard it. At first he thought it was his imagination but it continued methodically: tap, tap, tap-tap, tap. He thought perhaps one of the other patients had gotten out of their restraints. The guards didn’t bother to patrol at night, considering everyone was chained to the wall every evening.

      Randy gathered what was left of his nerve—he was an artist not a fighter, and a small artist at that—and popped his head up to look out the window directly over his mattress. He froze. He was eye to eye with a man dressed all in black. As frightened as he was, he couldn’t help but notice that those eyes were mesmerizing—sage green with a rim of rusty copper running around the iris. Utterly stunning.

      The man tapped again—yeah, Randy was in a stupor. The guy’s face was covered in one of

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