Falling Star (Combustible Book 2)
Read Falling Star (Combustible Book 2) Online
Authors: Brandy L Rivers
Tags: #hero, #addiction, #stalker, #celebrity, #firemen, #romantic suspense
Falling Star
Combustible 2
Brandy L Rivers
Copyright 2016 Brandy L Rivers
Cover Design by Brandy L Rivers
Edited by Kathy Lapeyre
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Also by Brandy L Rivers
Others of Edenton
Others of Seattle
Coming Together
Storm Wrath (coming late 2016)
Pine Barrens Pack – written with Rebecca Brooke
Vengeance Unraveled (coming 2016)
Spin-Off of Nights Embrace
Stand Alone Contemporary Romance
Sweet Tooth (coming 2017)
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Table of Contents
Dedication
To my readers, especially those of you
who begged for more contemporary,
thank you for wanting more.
Chapter 1
April…
No more Raven Star.
Time to put her to rest and let Ella Blair find her place.
Ella. The girl who craved her freedom, and being able to do what she wanted on a whim. As much as she loved seeing herself on the big screen, the constant barrage of photographers and reporters hounding her every step had smothered her passion for acting. She’d become a prisoner, hiding away to best avoid landing in the tabloids and gossip magazines.
She pressed the gas pedal harder, smiling to herself as she left behind the city lights.
Her phone rang, and she pressed talk. The music faded as she said, “Hey, Ryan. Aren’t you tired of me yet?”
Ryan King, her best friend in Hollywood, and her co-star in several movies, laughed warmly. “Come on, angel, I’ll never get tired of you. Besides, Shannon wants you to come stay with us at the ranch.”
“No, I don’t want to interrupt you two lovebirds. I’m disappearing. Maybe if I’m gone long enough, the paparazzi and my stalker will forget all about me.”
He huffed a breath. “Cops never found a lead, did they?”
She snorted. “I’m not even sure they’re looking. Apparently they can’t find evidence of breaking and entering, so it’s not a high priority. Bastard was in my house, leaving me things.” She sighed, and forced a smile, hoping it reached her voice. “Doesn’t matter. No one will find me where I’m going.”
“Don’t know about that, Rave, but good luck.”
“Have fun with Shannon. Maybe I’ll swing by there some other time.”
Clashing metal rang out as her head slammed against the window, pain spreading through her skull. The car was thrown to the side, glass flying from the passenger window. She raised her arm on instinct. The car flipped over and she banged her head against the glass again.
“Raven, what happened?” Ryan screamed, but his voice faded with the scene around her.
* * * *
Soft flickering light pulled her from sleep. Her head throbbed, the pain pounded through her.
Concussion?
Did I hit my head?
She tried to move her numb hands, but they were trapped above her head while she lay flat on her back. Bound? In bed?
Ice flowed through her veins. She sucked in a breath and choked on the familiar scent of rose and lavender. The same candles her stalker had left. She choked down a terrified scream and tried to push the fear away.
Her heart thundered, making the ache in her head pulse as blood rushed, drowning out the silence. She couldn’t remember how she got there, but she was alone in a candlelit room. White walls and a bed with a white comforter matching what furniture she could see through clouded vision.
A creak from above caught her breath. Another followed.
He
was upstairs, walking around.
Ella closed her eyes, her breathing deep and out of rhythm. She counted her heartbeats, tuning out the fear, and focusing on something solid and steady. After a moment, her heart rate slowed, the fear ebbing to a manageable level.
In the
Midnight Daughter
franchise, she’d played a spy. The studio had hired a former Navy Seal to train her and Ryan. O’Neil taught her everything he knew about knots.
She followed the rope tethering her wrists to the headboard. Focusing on the task, she freed the knot securing her to the bed, but her wrists remained bound in the rope.
The world swayed and spun when she sat up. Tiny lights swirled throughout the room. The scent in the air made the rising nausea worse. Doing her best to ignore the fragrance, she concentrated on the rope cutting off the circulation to her hands.
She couldn’t reach the knots. A door slammed shut somewhere above her and she froze, straining to hear. The faint purr of a vehicle gave her hope.
Scooting to the edge of the bed, she held her arms out to the candle flame in hopes the rope would burn, praying her stalker was working alone.
A cry escaped her lips as the heat got to be too much, she pulled her arms away as the rope grew hotter, a small portion smoldering and burning against her left wrist. With tears in her eyes, she caught part of the rope in her teeth and pulled. The burning fibers started to break, loosening the rope one strand at a time.
The burn on her wrist hurt like nothing she’d ever felt, but she was determined to get free. When the rope on that hand finally pulled apart, she removed the binding on the other and flung the remnants on the floor as she curled on her side, holding her blistered wrist to her chest.
Her vision dimmed as the pain increased. She rolled onto her wrist, hoping pressure or something would ease the deep burn. Time passed until she remembered the situation.
“You don’t have time to cry,” she whispered to herself. “Got to get out.”
Pushing the pain out of her mind, as much as possible, she sat up and ran a shaky hand down the cotton dress. A whimper escaped as she glanced at the white material. Not her clothes. At least, she was dressed. She refused to think about what had happened while she’d been unconscious but would deal with that once she was away from this place.
Tiptoeing to the door, she reached for the handle. Damn. Locked from the other side. She didn’t have the strength to bust down a door, let alone one that appeared steel-reinforced.
A quick assessment around the room gave her little hope. Maybe a basement or some kind of cellar. No windows. The vent was too small to attempt. Small room, filled mostly with a bed, a table, and a dresser. Not even a closet. Lit candles scattered around on the table and dresser.
Ella’s panic abated as she concentrated on finding a way out. Starting at the dresser seemed the first logical place for an item that might help. No clothes, no shoes, nothing. Not even dust.
She froze when she heard a vehicle pull onto a gravel driveway, the same steady purr of an engine. Then it shut off. With no way out but the door, she silently crept to the side with hinges and waited.
A door slammed upstairs. Floorboards creaked. Her heart thumped to the rhythm of footfalls down the stairs. It was now or never.