Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1)

Black 21

Golden Hills Legacy Series, Book One

Nancy Glynn

Copyright © 2015

Nancy Glynn

All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses,
places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to
share this book with another person, please an additional copy for each
recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank
you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other books by Nancy Glynn

Lana’s Calling, #2

And Never Let Her Go, #1

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When Daisy Lock is asked to escort Christian
Stone to his 21st birthday in a small town with a sinister plan, not only does
she lose her heart to this mysterious man,
but possibly her soul
.
Growing
up sheltered by an overprotective father, gifted Daisy Lock was determined to
be independent and free, but freedom comes with a grim price. What appears to
be an innocent family visit in the country turns into a dark favor asked by a
stranger. Not all things are what they seem.
Twenty-first birthdays take on a whole new meaning in this hideaway
town.
Thrown into an occult world filled with sinister lies, Daisy spirals
down a destructive path of despair, taking risks for a man she hardly knows.
But this man knows her very well. There’s a reason she’s been sheltered.

A connection with this stranger has been sewn
since birth. She feels it the first time she meets him. A soul mate hand-picked
a century ago. Nothing can come between them,
 
not even the devil himself.
A deal is made. A contract signed in blood.
There's no way out. No one to trust.
 
But will
Daisy escape this plan made long ago, letting go of the one man she loves, or
will she give in to the immortal world, forgetting her faith, accepting the
true man Christian is, and live out her true destiny?

Table of Contents

Author’s
Note
. 1

“Watch
out for your daughters.

The man
is coming.

He’ll
promise you the world.

But if
you accept, there’s no turning back.

Watch out
for your daughters.

‘Cause
here comes Jack.”
 

T
he little hairs flared on Daisy Lock’s neck, alerting
her to an invisible presence invading her space. Why she was drawn to these
woods she had no clue. She needed to get back.

She snapped her eyes to the crack
of a twig nearby, bringing her second sense into sharper focus. She twisted
around to catch the object in its act, and nothing but ordinary oak trees stood
guard.

Crows squawked above her from
hidden watchful places. The July sun peeked through the trees, warning her it
would soon be gone.

Ordinary sounds of wildlife,
birds chirping and ducks quacking, calmed her. A relaxed state overcame
her...away from the city, away from the craziness of what happens in cities,
what happens in Chicago. She wanted safety in this lush rural embrace of Golden
Hills, Illinois.

Again that sound.

The late afternoon skies changed
from a coral hue to a dusky purple. She started a fast stride through the dirt
path, pushing branches out of her way that seemed to try to stop her.

Terror seized her. She thought
her car was this direction. Was it the opposite way of the bench? Sweat broke
out.

A crow hopped on a thick branch
looming in front of her, cocking its head, cawing as if speaking to her.

She concentrated on her
surroundings. It had to be the other way. When she turned around, she screamed
so loud that birds scattered out of the trees.

A hooded male figure approached
her. She shot her foot out, bringing him to his knees.

“Wait! Don’t run!” the man
grunted.

She looked behind her to see if
he was still there, but all she saw was the flying debris she kicked up.

A terrified girl then appeared,
with short blonde hair, running through the woods, wearing a long white gown.

The girl stopped momentarily and
peered into Daisy's face. With pleading eyes, she asked if Daisy saw her Leon.
She then screamed, “He’s coming! Get out!" She took off while looking
back, and then disappeared.

Daisy tried to follow the girl,
but lost her. She stopped and felt a presence behind her again.

“Don’t be afraid,” a deep voice
commanded, out of breath from chasing her.

Daisy turned and stood before the
same man she encountered earlier. Her fists clenched to her sides, ready to
fight.

“Daisy, right? You run fast!”

She released her clench and
relaxed a little. “Who are you? And how do you know my name?” she asked.

“I've seen you around. You’re
Betty and Joe’s niece, right? It’s a small town,” he shrugged, giving a wicked
grin, and pulling his hood down to show dark hair.

“So you really know my aunt and
uncle?” she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

He cleared his throat and glanced
behind her. “Your car is over there...the Ford Fusion, right? Let’s get you in
it before it really turns dark. You don’t want to be in these woods when it’s
nighttime, believe me,” he added, walking to her car and beckoning her to
follow.

“Look, I don’t know who you are,
but I can get myself in my own car." She walked past him and hit the
button on her key fob. Then she remembered. “Oh, my God. That girl!”

He looked confused. “What girl?”

“This girl was just running
through here it looked like from someone. She looked scared and alone. I can’t
just leave her." She shut her door and started for the woods again.

“No! It’s getting dark and there
would be no girl out here, I can tell you that. Please just get in your car and
leave. You shouldn’t be here at this time." He grabbed her elbow and
walked her back, still limping from her earlier attack.

She pulled her elbow away and
glanced at his leg. “Sorry about that. You just appeared out of nowhere, so it
freaked me out. Did you drive here?" She started the engine to warm up the
car from the strange chilly summer night air.

“I did, but I parked in another
section,” he said, leaning in her window.

Daisy looked back to where that
girl once was and sent a prayer to her. She caressed the beloved gold cross she
wore around her neck. The memory of her running in a gown seemed so bizarre to
her.

“Thinking about that girl that’s
not out there?” he asked to which she nodded. “I'm telling you, you’re seeing
things. You didn’t seem well when I first found you. Go home and rest, Daisy.
I'll see you soon." He pulled up his hood and limped back through the
woods.

“I thought you said no one should
be in the woods at this time?” she asked with irritation.

“My truck is on the other side.
And that doesn’t apply to me,” he responded, smiling, and returned to his walk.

“Wait! You never told me your
name!” but he didn’t hear her.

Why did he say soon? She stared
after him, wondering more about who he was. He carried a dark look about him,
dark hair, dark eyes, and something hidden beneath that smile.

***

Later that
evening, Daisy stood shaking and breathless in the kitchen doorway at the late
hour of eleven. The sound of bell tolls in the night, striking eleven times,
each one louder than the next, made her sit straight up in her bed out of a deep
sleep. She still shook from the eerie sound, trying to steady her breath to a
normal rate. The scene before her seemed strange. A cold feeling of dread hit
her, swallowing the escaped bile back down. She was fine. This was her family's
home, her aunt and uncle who loved and protected her.

Aunt Betty
stirred beef stew in the crock pot, humming a laundry commercial song. Her aunt
turned toward her. “Oh, you’re awake? Feeling any better, dear?" She
continued to stir the stew, smiling.

Uncle Joe, a
robust man with thick, white hair, sat at the table with a man Daisy had never
seen before, in a heated discussion that came to an abrupt stop when she
entered. He finally spoke after wiping his brow. “Come–sit with us, Daisy girl.
This is our good friend, William Stone." He patted the wooden seat next to
him.

A handsome man
in his forties, wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts over a fresh tan, stared
at Daisy with the most intense blue eyes. She had seen blue eyes before, but
not this blue. They almost glowed.

Daisy nodded
hello and sat on the edge of the chair, pulling her long, white robe tighter.
She cleared her throat. “Is there a church near here?" Her gaze shifted
between the two men.

He nodded.
“Yes, not too far–a nice one." Uncle Joe turned to his wife. “Honey, get
her something to eat.”

William
continued to stare at Daisy with a peculiar interest, causing her to wiggle in
her seat. Her leg muscles tensed, clenching. Her green eyes wavered between the
two gentlemen, stifling that urge to run. She usually felt safe in their home,
but not this visit.

Her uncle’s
blue eyes grew large and black, returning to normal when she gave him a second
glance. Daisy shook her head and rubbed her eyes, fatigue setting in from the
drive from Chicago.

Uncle Joe
smiled and touched her hand. “William, this is Daisy – my brother’s girl.”

“Enjoying your
return visit to our town?”

“I just got
here,” she said in a clipped tone.

Aunt Betty
placed a bowl of stew before her and rubbed her head.
 
“We love having her here. Our dream daughter.
Need to do it more often.”

Daisy gave a
small smile of thanks. She fiddled with the stew and finally took a bite. She
watched as the men discussed some sort of deadline, on the verge of bickering,
glancing at Daisy every so often.

Their voices
faded into the background, barely audible. The funny, black cat clock on the
wall caught her attention. Its eyes moved side-to-side. She stopped the eyes
cold with her stare, frozen. Time stood still. Complete silence. Daisy then
allowed the cat’s eyes to resume.

Daisy traced
the roosters on the tablecloth with her forefinger. William’s eyes still on
her.

“You shy or
something?” he asked.

“Now leave her
alone, Bill," Uncle Joe said. "She’s been through a lot. We’re gonna
take good care of her–aren’t we, honey?”

“You bet!” Aunt
Betty agreed.

“You don’t say.
What happened?" William leaned back with his arms crossed over his
somewhat buffed chest, examining her as if she were a butterfly captured in a
glass jar.

Daisy stood and
turned to leave.

“You going to
ask her, Joe?”

Uncle Joe
nodded to William. “Daisy, sweetie, can we talk to you a minute?”

“Oh, I’m really
tired. Don’t mean to be rude…”

“Please?”

Daisy sighed
and took her seat once again, avoiding William’s hostile, blue stare.

“You see, we
need a favor, sweetheart. Nothing too big.”

“Favor?”

He glanced at
William before he looked down to his templed hands.

William
continued. “My son’s birthday is a big deal this year. Big twenty-one. As
popular as the kid is, no date. Go figure.”

Daisy glared at
William without blinking. Sweat pooled down her back and sides. There was
something about the way he said his words, as if they were all in a production
with bad actors. She tried to measure her uncle’s expression, but he seemed to
play right along with it, trying to appear shocked at the words coming out of
this man’s mouth. It almost seemed like a game they were playing, but why? And
why with her, especially knowing what she had recently gone through in Chicago.

It wasn’t the
actual words that bothered her, but the pretense of them. She stared at her
uncle, waiting for his response.

“Daisy, honey,
it’s very important to me that you do this–”

“I don’t think
so." She turned to leave.

“What’s the big
deal? I’m not asking you to marry my son or anything!”

“Bill! And
Joseph Lock, what are you up to?" Aunt Betty held a steel ladle in her
right hand, waving it in the air at the two men. “You know what she’s been
through this year. Her father trusted her to come here, and you ask this of
her?”

Aunt Betty
placed the ladle down on the ceramic spoon holder, and dried her hands on her
starch white apron, glaring at him. Her dark brown hair hung to her shoulders,
making her appear younger than her sixty-two years.

The man turned
to Uncle Joe and asked him, “What happened to your niece, Joe? Nothing bad, I
hope?" He tried to look concerned, but his tone inflected something else.

“She has a
name, Bill,” Aunt Betty said, now facing him with the same scolding stare she
shared with her husband of forty years.

He held up his
well-manicured hands as if to give up. “Sorry. Sorry, Betty. Daisy. I just
don’t see the issue.”

Daisy stared at
her uncle for help.

“Daisy, please
come sit and hear me out. Please,” Uncle Joe said.

She sank back
down onto the hard seat and waited.

Uncle Joe
folded her hands into his. “You know I wouldn’t hurt you, right? We love you
like a daughter. William’s son is a good boy–smart like you. Please?”

Daisy searched
her uncle’s eyes, only finding goodness there, nothing dark. She glanced over
her shoulder to her aunt who busied herself cleaning the stove, humming with
each stroke of the rag.

William watched
her as if they were in a poker game. His lips twitched at the corners, laced
with…victory?

She returned to
her uncle’s pleading gaze. “I’ll think about it–but only for you, not
him…okay?”

Aunt Betty
turned to smile as did the men. Big, wide grins.

“It’s all we
can ask, honey. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing. You always do. Now get some
sleep." He kissed her hand and sat back in his chair, relief clearly lining
his face.

Daisy stood and
nodded, turning with a hesitancy before picking up a quicker pace as if to
escape.

In her room,
the moon glistened in the bay window facing to the right of her big bed. She
closed her heavy purple drapes that hung over the sheer white curtain. Wolves
howled in the night, leading her to believe they were out there in the dark.
Bumps covered her skin.

Her room was
decorated for perhaps a pre-teen girl and a little outdated. She wouldn’t be
staying for long, just a short visit.

She collapsed
in the soft billowy bed. Lavender blankets caressed her pale, white skin.
Spinning fan blades above her held her attention. Watching the blades spin in
endless circles, her green eyes grew heavy.

A light tap on
her door zapped her eyes wide open, before she realized someone was knocking at
her door. Her hazy gaze focused on the handle. She heard her aunt’s concerned
voice and decided to let her in. “Come in, Aunt Betty.”

She sat up against
the pillows and observed her aunt slip inside her room with a bowl of stew.
That was the aunt she knew and loved. She gave her a welcoming smile as she
entered, closing the door behind her.

“Honey, were
you sleeping? I’m so sorry if I woke you,” she asked, still standing at the
door. “You never finished your meal." A look of concern crossed her
otherwise smooth face.

“Come sit, Aunt
Betty. I was still awake,” she lied. She patted a spot on the bed, forgetting
the strange occurrence in the kitchen.

The older woman
sat down and wrung her hands together, her shifty eyes making Daisy nervous.
She handed over the bowl, and she took it with caution. Daisy reminded herself
of the affection her aunt had for her and began to eat, brushing that prickly
feeling away.