Kat could feel the weight of his stare bearing down on her. Only when she retreated to the plush confines of the limo’s backseat did she dare to look in his direction. It was then–watching him, watching her–that she knew. He wasn’t going to let this go. It looked like her plans to disappear would come sooner than she thought.

Shannon pressed his eye to the peephole. What he saw made him step back in surprise. After all his agonizing, a decision had been made for him. He opened the door to a smiling Frankie. But as he parted his lips to speak, a mass of fiery red hair swam into his peripheral view. Maggie.

I moved to the bar, intending to trade my white wine for something stronger -- hoping Andrew would see me and follow. He didn't, and that churned my insides. I plucked myself onto one of the bar stools ready to lick my wounds with a vodka martini, when a warm hand pressed against my bare shoulder.

Dust. Mood. Revelation. Clarke Collins ventures into new territory with her latest short story, Fire in the Blood. After a cluster of mysterious fires, tensions mount between a husband and wife when suspicion falls on their traumatized niece.  BUY NOW “Fire in the Blood” on Amazon for Kindle