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Awaken Me

  a Connected novel

  Emily Gossett

  Awaken Me

  a Connected novel

  Copyright © 2012 by Emily Gossett.

  Awaken Me books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

  Emily Gossett

  [email protected]

  https://www.awakenmebook.com/

  https://www.facebook.com/AwakenMeBook

  Certain imagery © Lauren Christian

  For my sister, Aimee,

  who was my inspiration for this book, and my parents, who support me unconditionally.

  CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Acknowledgements

  Capture Me

  One

  If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

  Matthew 17:20

  One

  THE COOL SPRING WIND BLEW my waist-length, blonde hair around my face as I stood on the bow of the yacht. I shut my eyes tight as I leaned my head back, enjoying the coolness of the wind on my neck. Taking a breath, I opened my eyes. It was a perfect night, not a cloud in the sky, the stars glowing brightly. I glanced down at my left hand and admired my sparkling canary diamond. This was exactly what I had wanted, to get married and have a family at 23. I was, after all, marrying a man that any girl would dream of, not to mention one of Palm Beach’s most eligible bachelors. Having been with Derek Sladen for six years, I couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else.

  For as long as I could remember, which isn’t very far back, my life seemed like a roller coaster of emotions. I was always easily angered or on the verge of an outburst. How Derek put up with my moods was beyond me. And yet, I have to say that my feelings of angst and moodiness were always justified.

  Apparently I had spent my youth growing up with my mother. We worked at a local bed and breakfast. That was before the car accident. I was told, afterward, that I lost my mother, along with all my memories. The only thing I remembered was waking up in a hospital. That was where I first met Elizabeth, Derek’s mother. She was the only witness of the accident. She gave me my “new life,” and she introduced me to Derek.

  Everything seemed wonderful, full of possibilities. I inhaled deeply, taking in every moment of this perfect night. It was, after all, my engagement party. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the door open.

  "Aimee, are you out here?"

  I turned around and saw Krissy, my best friend, peeking from behind the door. She looked sleek in her tight, navy blue dress. Her short brown hair was neatly pulled back, her pale blue eyes squinting against the wind.

  "It is seriously cold out here!" She walked to the bow and stood, arms crossed, with an annoyed expression on her face. Typical Krissy behavior. "This is your engagement dinner! When are you going to grace everyone with your presence?"

  Laughing, I put an arm over her shoulder and sighed. I was more of the reckless kind of gal. You know, the jump-in-before-looking or simply-run-away-when-things-got-hard kind of girl. And, of course, Derek was always the person to bring me back.

  "I can't believe I'm getting married in two days," I said, almost wistful. “In Greece!"

  I was pretty excited about the location of the wedding. Derek’s family had endless amounts of money and had spoiled me accordingly.

  Smiling, Krissy looked up at me with concern in her eyes. "This is what you want, right? I mean, Derek is a great man, very good looking, and his family is nice. But are you happy?"

  Her eyes were soft, yet I could see the worry etched on her face. But I had thought hard about this. I couldn't imagine how I had actually hooked a man like Derek Sladen. Sure, I'm pretty and curvy and all that; and Derek loved my hazel eyes.. Elizabeth’s kindness had certainly helped. She was the very reason Derek and I had met in the first place. But was I happy? His family truly loved me, and when I looked into Derek’s green eyes I felt safe. In fact, I wouldn’t know where I would be if I hadn’t met Derek. That thought scared me. I gave Krissy a wide, confident smile.

  "Yes, I am happy. And, yes, I want this," I said, reassuring her.

  Krissy was shivering slightly from the cold breeze, but she smiled back at me.

  “Lead the way, Obi Wan Kenobi,” I said sarcastically.

  She just shook her head at me. I mustered as much confidence as I could and followed her back inside.

  Once I entered the room, Krissy motioned her hand toward the bar. Of course, she would head in that direction. I gave her half a smile as she walked away.

  The room was beautifully decorated with red orchids, lilies, and crystal. The piano sat to the far right side of the room, and a little bald man played gracefully. The room was filled with so many people I didn’t know.

  I looked anxiously for Derek, my eyes scanning the crowd, but was interrupted by his mother, Elizabeth, who gently touched my arm. She looked elegant in her black cocktail dress. Her pale green eyes met mine with warmth. I always admired how beautiful her face was. She was like a mother to me.

  "Aimee! I was beginning to worry. Derek went upstairs to look for you," she said softly.

  “No need to worry,” I said, trying to reassure her.

  “I just haven’t seen you for quite a while.” Elizabeth looked relived almost. I wondered if Derek’s family really thought I would bolt.

  "Is Derek still upstairs?" I asked.

  "I believe so; you should go find him."

  Elizabeth was smiling as she nodded toward the back stairs. I squeezed her arm as I snuck through the back of the room undetected, thanks to my awesome Ninja skills.

  Why on Earth would a yacht, especially one of this caliber, have annoying spiral stairs? I was constantly hitting my arms on the railing, leaving my elbows bruised. This time, thankfully, I made it through unharmed. I reached the top, my heart beating a little faster in my chest as I saw a light in the room across from where I stood. It was dark in the hallway and the door was slightly ajar. I quietly peeked in, anxiously waiting to see Derek. What I didn't expect to see was Krissy. I had almost pushed the door open; thankfully I froze. Derek was there with her. Something about this scene was wrong, surreal. Derek moved in closer toward Krissy; she responded instantly. Derek gracefully traced her neck with his fingers. Krissy had this intimidating look in her eyes.

  His perfectly chiseled features, which gave off the essence of masculinity, mixed with his solid build and his dark grey suit, looked so sexy on him. His green eyes stared intently at Krissy. The corners of his lips curled to form a smile, but something about this smile wasn’t friendly. Derek ran his hand through his jet black, cropped hair, making it a little more unruly. My arm hairs prickled up, and my breathing became a bit uneven.

  “I’m not afraid of you. You may have her fooled, but I know exactly what you are!” Krissy said fiercely.

  “Awww!” He said sarcastically. “It won’t matter for long though, and I doubt you will say anything.”

  Derek was calm and collected as he took a swig of whiskey. My inner self wanted to barge in and demand to know what was going on. But I needed to be a new Aimee, one that listened and waited before jumping into something I knew nothing about. Still, an unsettle
d feeling crept through my body. Was it fear, or anxiety about the wedding? Whatever this feeling was that was growing within me, I wanted to find out what was going on.

  “What makes you so sure I won’t say anything? You know what I am.”

  “That I do. And you should know how fragile your life is. So wouldn’t you think it wise not to antagonize me?”

  Derek placed his glass down on the nearby table. Krissy’s eyes flashed as she continued to glare at Derek. I was about to open the door, until Derek made a move so quickly I almost didn’t catch it. With one swift motion, Krissy’s neck was in his hands. Krissy’s confidence was gone; she looked terrified beyond words. Derek’s face was malicious, with an excited smirk playing at his lips. In one swift movement of his wrists, Krissy’s life was gone. Derek remained calm and cool as her body hit the floor with a light thud. Derek adjusted his suit and picked up his glass.

  A scream was building within me. Holding it in was hard. I backed away from the door, hoping he wouldn’t look up. Pure, petrified terror swept through me. Oh God, I could feel it, that same burning fire in my chest. Anger, fear, these emotions poured through me uncontrollably. Derek left the room. Fortunately for me, he exited through the back door while I was frozen against the back wall, with my hands covering my mouth.

  My heart stopped beating as I looked at Krissy’s body. Taking uneven steps toward her, I hoped, maybe she was just knocked out. I approached her.

  No pulse. She was gone. My hands started to shake slightly. Was this real or a bad dream? Derek wasn’t a murderer. He had always been so gentle. My mind began to race. The sound of soft footsteps was coming from the direction in which Derek left.

  I was already backing away, exiting the room, trying to escape somehow. Hot tears were blurring my vision as thought after thought raced through my brain. The life I painted with Derek and his family. How would I face his family, well, Elizabeth in particular? What could she possibly do or say to fix this mess. I felt so betrayed. And I realized I did not know the man I was about to marry.

  On the brink of hysterics, my breathing was staggering. I couldn’t see where I was going. I was numb from the shock. I heard the yacht’s horn blow near me, jolting me back to reality. Glancing around, I ended up back at the bow of the ship somehow; the cool air drying my tears. I held my arms close to my body, trying to comfort myself. I began to think again. How long did Derek… I stopped my thoughts and pushed that image and those thoughts to the back of my mind.

  Glancing around, I realized we were docked. My small clutch was still lying where I had forgotten it earlier. Picking it up, I thought about what I had in it. I had my cards and some cash. And then I thought to myself, I'm sure I can pawn this ring.

  Could I actually run away from all this? I would not just be leaving Derek, but I’d be leaving his family and Elizabeth. I was such a coward. I would fear for my own safety. And with this much pain that began to grow inside me, I just knew I would never be able to face them.

  Being as quiet as I could in heels on a wooden deck, I passed the main ball room with all the windows. I could make out Elizabeth waiting by the same spiral staircase I had walked up earlier. I began to wonder if she would be waiting much longer. Feeling sick, I abruptly turned to the dock. The bridge wasn't set up yet, and the gap between the dock and the yacht was fairly large. “Great.” I thought aloud sarcastically as I realized I would have to jump. I glanced down at the red satin, floor-length dress I wore. I knew Derek would have loved this dress. Just the thought of him even liking this dress made me want to rip it off and throw it in the ocean. With a burning anger tingling in my fingers, I took off my heels and tossed them onto the dock along with my clutch.

  “Well, here goes nothing."

  Taking a deep breath, I jumped and landed on my knees.

  Very gracefully done! I thought, almost laughing to myself. I was about to stand when I felt a pair of firm hands grip my arms and help me up. Shocked at the touch, I snapped my arms out of those unknown hands. Fearful of it being Derek, I quickly brushed my hair out of my eyes. I was met with an amused grin and grey eyes that bore into mine. There, in front of me, stood this man. His chin length, brown, wavy hair was beautiful as it lay against his pale skin. He was literally a Greek god. Realizing my mouth was open, I closed it. His cool eyes just watched me.

  "Are you okay?" His thick, Italian accent thrilled me.

  “Fine," was all I managed to say; with his eyes never leaving mine.

  Breaking eye contact and remembering why I jumped off the yacht, I gathered my clutch and put my heels back on. I needed to leave this place before Derek could notice I was gone.

  Making sure not to look back at the tall man, I headed toward land.

  “Do you know where you are going?" the handsome man asked as he followed behind me and kept my same pace.

  “I do," I lied. I had never been to Greece before.

  Realizing that this stranger was still following me, I stopped and turned to him. His face looked down at me and still had that same amused expression.

  “Can you leave me alone?" I tried to put as much rudeness in my voice as I could, when in fact I didn't have a clue as to where I was going and his presence was comforting. But, for all I knew, he could have been sent by Derek.

  He simply nodded. “As you wish,” he said with one last smoldering look and then disappeared into the crowd. I was mildly surprised that he listened without much hesitation. Standing at the edge of where the land met the dock, I glanced back looking at the elegantly lit yacht one last time. Then, as I turned myself onto my heels to leave, I exhaled, trying to calm myself.