Hold: Hold & Hide Book 1 (15 page)

“Two choices here,” the cruel man said. “One, you kill Audrey and the boy lives. Or two, you kill him and Audrey lives. You have five minutes to decide or both of them will die. Don’t try to be a martyr either. We know you’ve liked that game since you were a child, but if you shoot yourself they both die too.”

Red touched my arm. I shoved his hand away and stared at the gun I had dropped on the floor. Blake looked at me, mouthing for me to kill him. Audrey was gone. Her eyes were dazed and zoned out on the floor and her jaw was relaxed as though she were sleeping. 

“Why am I here?” I said. “What is this?”

“Make your decision,” he said. “And all of the answers will be yours.”

“Fine.” I picked up the gun and pressed my finger around the trigger.

“Good girl. Four minutes.”

Red stepped behind me. A tear rolled down Blake’s cheek. I’d never seen him cry before and I hated that the first time was here, like this, from his brother’s tear ducts. I hated everything about it. 

Audrey seethed at me, clenching her fists and shaking her head back and forth. Finally we made eye contact, but apparently she hated me as much as she always had. 

The decision should be easy, I thought. But Audrey had my body, my hands—the hands that built forts with Blake. She had the eyes that I used to take in the beauty of everything in those woods. The squirrels and birds and changing leaves. She had my heart, right there in the center of her chest where I aimed my gun. 

She was part of me. 

The gun wobbled as I moved it toward Blake. If I killed him, his body would remain alive. Brayden was still somewhere out there, somewhere in Blake’s body. 

He nodded his head and urged me to get it over with, then he closed his eyes, opened them, and said, “I love you, Claire. Always have. I wanted those to be my last words since I was twelve. So, take them. Just take them.”

I turned the gun back to Audrey. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill either of them, but if I didn’t they’d both die. I’d never see Blake again. 

“Three minutes.”

I inhaled, glanced at Red, and choked out the words everyone wanted to hear, “Okay. I’ve made my decision.”

To Be Continued....

What did you think? Did you enjoy
Hold
? Want to find out what happens in
Hide
? Don't worry, the full length sequel is coming soon. Meanwhile, be sure to support Marilyn by leaving a review, if you so desire!

She opens her eyes to a new place. An unfamiliar place. And everyone is calling her by a different name. She strains, trying to remember her other name. Her sister’s name. Her best friend’s name. Anything.

Nothing.

Memories are blurred. Dreams are too vivid, too real. And Claire Connelly’s mind has been the victim of a strange experiment for way too long.

They said her weakness is her strength, but can she use it to discover their secrets and find a way to end the torture, the headaches, the complete chaos inside of her mind? Can she find a way before it’s too late?

Coming Summer 2015

PRE-ORDER NOW on Amazon Only!

Q: You have a romance series. What made you write dystopian?

A: I love all genres, really. So many. I actually don’t prefer to read many romance novels out there, except the classics and Charles Martin. I prefer a little suspense or intrigue, a little mind-bending. Old dystopian’s like Orwell and the classics. I like that stuff, so I guess I wanted to try my hand at it. I considered using a different pen name to keep the branding separate, but eh, too much work!

Q: Where did you come up with the title for Hold & Hide?

A: It’s actually a form of mind-control and since these books deal heavily with mind-control it just fit!

Q: I love that it’s a two part series when most are at least three. Why did you choose that?

A: I thought it would be fun to write a shorter novella to introduce people to the book. If they like it, then they keep going. If they don’t, they stop. I’m not a huge fan of three book series, just because it sometimes feels like you’re waiting forever to finish the story. The next book in the Hold & Hide series will be much longer and detailed. I tried to avoid that second book slump that happens with series a lot.

Q: What’s the benefit to joining your street team?

A: You get special gifts and packages with each release. Every book in the series is on your doorstep for free and I like to make the packages extra special for each of my street team members. I also have diamond members who get a big package of goodies with each book release. There are a lot of perks. You can find out more on my website! 

I am so thankful for all of my readers. You guys are truly amazing. I have the best readers ever. And my street team? Whew. You are wonderful! To those of you who have carried over to the dystopian series from the Unspoken Series, thank you. I hope this wasn’t too weird of a jump for you. It’s a lot different than my romance stories for sure. I hope you enjoyed it and hey, if you’re new here ... email me! I love getting to know you!

Love,

Marilyn

If you have any questions you’d like to see answered in the next book, please email them to Marilyn at [email protected] and we’ll select some to answer. You will also receive an answer from her via email. She adores her fans and responds to every email she receives. 

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