Turned

 

 

Blurb:

Turned upside down by misadventure. Amy Childs is running late for a party, when she makes an illegal U turn, and hits a pedestrian—the brother of one of the most corrupt men in town. Now her brush with the law has her running for her life from those who want retribution.

Torn apart by tragedy. Detective Sgt Dane Philips lost his wife two years ago to a serial killer. He’s juggled work and his two daughters ever since, but can no longer cope. A live in nanny seems the solution. He knows he shouldn’t hire someone without references, but he needs a nanny and Amy needs a job. Perhaps it’s an answer to prayer.

But for all of them, the nightmare is only beginning as the events take a sinister turn. And only a miracle can save them all from destruction.

Extract:

Her fingers kept drumming. One, two, three, four.One, two, three, four . She sighed. “Oh, come on. This is ridiculous.”

The car in front of her moved. “Blow this, I don't have time to sit here and wait.” She checked the lane to her right and pulled out, doing a U-turn. She swung wide, her mind a million miles away. A car horn blared in the queue behind her. “You can just wait a minute, mister.”

She kept going, pulling the wheel hard over, keeping the turning circle tight. Could she do it in one? A pedestrian appeared in front of her. There was a sickening thud, and she slammed on the brakes.

Her heart pounded, and she sat frozen in her seat. I hit him…oh, God, forgive me, I hit him. Her fingers whitened on the steering wheel. Nausea rose and she swallowed hard. Shaking started in her hands and spread throughout her entire body. She'd hit him.

Amy closed her eyes. She could still see his face, stamped indelibly on her memory. His wide, staring eyes, fear and tension in his body. His blue shirt and tie, jacket slung over his arm and briefcase in his hand meant businessman not manual worker. The way he'd been scooped up by her car, tossed onto her bonnet and windscreen, then back onto the road replayed over and over.

The windscreen was cracked. It'd cost a bomb to replace as the insurance wouldn't cover it. You just hit a man...forget about the windshield.

A crowd gathered in front of her car, but she didn't move. She just sat, shaking, trying not to cry or throw up.

Sirens echoed and blue lights flickered. She was going to be late. She needed to call Rosalie and let her know. One hand fumbled for her phone. She found Rosalie in the contacts and hit call.

Ray's calm voice answered. “Pastor Malone.”

“It's Amy…” she whispered. “Ray…something happened.”

“What's wrong? Are you OK?”

Someone tapped on the window. Amy gasped, jumped and twisted her head. A uniformed officer stood there. She hit the button on the door, opening the window.

“Would you step out of the car please, miss?”

She didn't move. This had turned into a nightmare she couldn't awaken from.

“Put the phone down and step out of the car.” The officer's tone hardened.

Ray's voice echoed in her other ear. “Amy, who's that? What's going on?”

She dropped the phone. Her fingers fumbled first to unbuckle her seatbelt, then the catch, finally opening the door. She got out of the car. Her legs buckled, not wanting to hold her up. She glanced to her right. The guy in the blue shirt lay on the pavement, surrounded by police and paramedics. A huge crowd of onlookers stood everywhere. “Is…is he dead?”