The American Soldier Collection 3: Amazing Grace (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

The American Soldier Collection 3: Amazing Grace

Two years have passed since Grace Thompson left her home and her family in Houston. One of her three brothers, Peter, convinces her to return home for her cousin Jamie's wedding. Reluctantly she gives in. Things seems wonderful and everyone is happy to see her. A few days after her arrival, news spreads that a serial killer is on the loose and government officials believe it is the same individual who killed Clara, Grace's sister, years ago. Grace is thrust into the arms of a special investigator, an ex-marine who is hired out by law enforcement and the government to solve difficult crimes and hunt down the killer.

Sandman Sandstone and his two brothers, Big Jay and Duke, are ex-military and involved in law enforcement and investigation in some way. When they help keep Grace in protective custody, she manages to snag their hearts, which they thought were cold and dead. As they work on exploring a ménage relationship with her, she becomes the high target of the killer that even Sandman and his team can not capture. Will the killer get to Grace, or perhaps force her to come to him as he begins to go after her loved ones, luring her into his trap?

Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

Genre:
Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

Length:
85,591 words
 

Dixie Lynn Dwyer

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 3: AMAZING GRACE

E-book ISBN:
978-1-62740-268-2

First E-book Publication: July 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley

All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of
The American Soldier Collection 3: Amazing Grace
by Dixie Lynn Dwyer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

www.SirenPublishing.com

www.BookStrand.com

Dear Readers,

I hope that you will enjoy another addition to my new American Soldier Collection.
Amazing Grace
is dear to my heart. We all have experienced the sadness and pain of losing someone we love. Sometimes, a loss so great changes a person’s personality, lifestyle, and ability to open up their heart again.

That is not an easy task.

But with love and empathy, anything is possible.

Enjoy the story.

~Dixie~

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 3: AMAZING GRACE

DIXIE LYNN DWYER

Copyright © 2013

“Help me, Grace! Help me please!” Clara called out to her sister who just stood there watching. Grace couldn’t move or speak. Instead she stood frozen as the tears rolled down her cheeks. The faceless monster stole Clara’s last breath and cast his shadow over her body. Grace stood still and stiff. Her body, just a shell around her as she fought with all her might to break through and save her sister, before the monster got her. But it was as if imaginary binds kept her in place and forced her to witness the tragedy. Grace watched the scene unfold. She couldn’t close her eyes and block out the images. She couldn’t cover her ears and diminish the sounds of pain and death. All Grace could do was scream and yell and attempt to break the shell of iron surrounding her.

Suddenly in one quick and angry bang of her fists against the blockade, it shattered, sending her body freefalling toward the darkness and what could only be described as hell.

Grace Thompson jolted awake, stunned at the fact that it was only a dream and hadn’t been real. She looked around her, embarrassed at her actions, but relieved that the male passenger next to her lay undisturbed, snoring away. She felt her body shaking. After all this time, after hundreds of nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat, why was she being hit with this now? It had been months.

She lifted her hands and stared at the perfect manicured fingernails as her fingers trembled. Calming her breathing, Grace couldn’t help but wonder if she made the right decision in taking this trip.

The stale, recycled air filled her senses. She hated airplanes, she hated to fly, and she wished she never left Europe.

Grace knew that she needed to refocus, take her mind off the bad memories, and focus on something positive. Work always made her feel better and always took her mind off of those unwanted memories. She reached down toward the brown leather Pineider laptop carrying case that her boss bought her as a gift. Even making the money she did, she would never think of purchasing the three-thousand-dollar briefcase, no matter who the designer was. She opened up her laptop computer and finished reading her e-mail messages.

She was not the least bit surprised that her brother Peter had sent her another message. The wedding was tomorrow and he wanted to be sure Grace had not changed her mind about attending. Peter knew how difficult coming back home would be for her. She sighed, amazed that nearly two whole years of her life had passed. Two years spent away from the family, the pain.

Her family knew why she left, why she had not returned and seemed to empathize with her, especially Grace’s cousin and closest friend, Jamie. Grace smiled to herself.
My best friend is getting married.

Grace thought about seeing Jamie and the rest of her family. They had kept in touch through e-mails and letters, but that wasn’t the same as seeing them in person. Everyone would be there to celebrate. She instantly thought of her mom, Peter, and her two older brothers, John and Frank. Then of course there was her stepfather Eric. Mom was blessed to have Eric around.

God, how I missed them all.

Looking out the window, she reminisced about her flight away from home two years ago and the long way to Europe. Initially the thoughts had consumed her mind. It was tough, having to leave home at twenty-two years old, after all that happened to her and her poor sister. The memories of their wonderful times together should have overpowered the tragic way her sister Clara died. However, Grace still felt that leaving home was the best decision she had ever made. That tight, insecure feeling crept up into her chest. She hadn’t felt that sensation in months, but considering that she was headed home and about to face her family, she knew why that insecure feeling resurfaced.

She was going to face her mom. As grown-up and mature as Grace was now, there was still that young, college-aged girl who looked for her mom’s approval and encouragement.

Her mother Sarah had been angry with her back then. She had told her repeatedly that running away wasn’t the answer. That no one was making her take her sister Clara’s place. But they were. Everything Grace did was compared to her older sister Clara.

The way Grace dressed, the way she spoke, and the way she did her hair was always compared to her dead sister. It was as if they were twins instead of fourteen months apart.
Goddamn it, I can remember it like it was yesterday.

Sighing, Grace reached down under the seat in front of her and pulled out her camera bag. Photography had been her means of escape. Losing herself in the scenes before her and the people and places she shot was her therapy. She took hold of the picture she kept in her camera case, the one from three years ago.

Her sister was gorgeous and her smile at the time, brilliant. She remembered that day at the fair and would cherish the memories. Those were the days when she still believed that the world was a safe place filled with opportunities and good people. Until then she rarely worried about the dangers of the darkness, the evildoers that lurked in the shadows waiting to strike. Until her sister was taken and murdered.

Glancing back at the photograph just as she had done over a million times in the past few years, Grace tried to understand and accept the fact that they looked so much alike and that Clara was really gone. If Clara were alive, she was certain that they would be just as close as they were back then. They would take lots of pictures together. They would probably even go on dates together and hang out in the same crowds. She ran her fingertip gently across the picture. In her mind she wished so very hard that Clara was still alive.
Why? Why did this have to happen to Clara?

Whenever she thought about returning home, the anxiety would start. There were so many negatives and so many fears in returning there. She recalled the other reasons for her leaving her home and her family. It was obvious to Grace that her family was comparing her to Clara. Every time they looked at her, their eyes saddened and she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Although they denied it, Grace could see the sadness, the pain they felt. It was this insecurity and fear that kept her afar. It was also what made her so damn nervous about returning home. She could only hope that the comparison days were over.