The Love Makers Excerpt

Here's a peek inside my new novel!

 

The Love Makers

by Y.L. Cantrell

© 2014

The screech of Claude’s leather gear echoed in harmony with the hoots and howls of the night creatures as he paced up and down a dark roadside, discharging his nervous energy.  He was spooked by the fog that was so thick he could hardly see his hand in front of his face and by the moon’s rays that seemed to glow from within the eerie clouds of fog. 

Claude’s stocky 6’5” physique looked like a gigantic shadow creature haunting the deserted road.  He lifted his motorcycle helmet to glance down at his Harley, which lay on its side on the damp blacktop, staged to look as though he had wrecked.  He hoped the vehicle he was waiting for would emerge from the dense fog and not some monster semi tearing out of the dark instead, smashing both him and his bike to smithereens.  Maybe wearing all black wasn’t such a good idea.

Luther was hiding in the trees that lined the road, ready to play his part in this dramatic charade.  But Claude had never worked with him before, and he wasn’t sure he could trust Luther.  Before Claude could spend too much thought about his irritation with his cousin Boris, who should have been there with him tonight instead of Luther, a pair of headlights pierced through the fog up ahead.  He bent down to turn on the bike’s flashing lights in order to flag down the approaching vehicle.

Claude began to wave his arms wildly, hoping the driver would see him in time.  He held his breath as the SUV began to slow, screeching to a halt just a few inches from his combat boots.  He saw a young couple inside, appearing pale-faced and alarmed.  

The couple quarreled about stopping, but the driver prevailed and rolled down his window.  “Hey, is everything OK?” he asked in a forced deep masculine voice, obviously trying to sound more alpha even though he was intimidated by Claude’s massive stature.

“Hey!  Hi!  Thanks for stopping.  I took a nasty spill there.” Claude’s powerful voice reverberated through his helmet as he walked backward toward the motorcycle, motioning for the young man to follow.  “C'mon... C'mon... I need help getting my bike into your SUV.  You'll give me a ride, won’t you?”

         Again, a whispered debate began inside the SUV.  Then moments later, the young man cautiously opened the door, giving Luther his cue to rush out from behind the trees.  

        But instead, Luther jumped out brandishing a gun with a little too much enthusiasm.  Luther adjusted his ski mask and gloves as he rushed up to the driver’s side and grabbed the door.  He pointed the gun at the young man’s head and shouted, “Don’t move or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” 

        The young man froze as Luther reached over him to turn off the engine and grab the keys.

        The young woman screamed as she tried to open her door.  Luther motioned to Claude and shouted, “Get her!”

       Claude rushed over to the passenger side and yanked the girl out of the SUV and pulled her down onto the ground.  Then he put a burlap sack over her head as she screamed and struggled to free herself from his grasp.

      Her companion shouted, “No! Let her go!” and went for the gun, but Luther quickly overpowered him and dragged him out of the SUV.  With the butt of the gun, he began to beat the young man mercilessly.

     Alarmed by Luther’s brutal attack, which was not part of the game, Claude quickly muzzled his victim by wrapping duct tape around her neck to secure the sack on her head and tied her hands and feet with rope with such rapid skill that one would think he had done this sort of thing many times before.  He then carried her to the rear of the SUV and shoved her inside.  When he closed her in, he rushed over to see the young man face down on the ground moaning as Luther kicked him in the legs.

      No longer the gentle giant, as he’d been nicknamed by his family at the age of sixteen when he seemed to sprout overnight from a puny boy to a 6’3” tall young man, Claude angrily charged at Luther. “What the fuck are you doin’?”  He towered over Luther, who stood seven inches shorter, and grabbed him by the collar.  In a rage, Claude pushed him hard against the SUV, causing Luther to bounce onto the ground. “Back off!” Claude barked.

     “Hey you’re gonna put a dent in Boris’ precious Cadillac Escalade!” Luther began to laugh maniacally as if getting off on the thrill of provoking Claude’s rage.  

     Claude picked him up and again body slammed him into the side of the SUV, this time knocking the wind out of Luther.  As Luther dangled like a rag doll in Claude’s grasp, Claude squeezed Luther’s collar and leaned in close to his face.  Luther began to choke as he struggled to catch his breath.  Through the ski mask, Claude could see a wild look in Luther’s eyes that sent chills down his spine. 

     “Don't make me hurt you, man!  Go get the damn rope!” Claude shouted and released Luther, who then limped away to the back of the SUV.  Claude bent down to check on the driver who was spitting blood and writhing on the pavement. “You OK, man?”

         “Yeah, I think I'm OK.  What did you do to her?  Don't hurt her please!” the young man pleaded as he tried to pull himself together.

         “Don't worry, she's OK.  Just be cool,” Claude warned.  

        Luther returned with rope.  He leaned down as if he was about to hogtie his prey, but Claude snatched the rope from him and demanded, “Go get the bike!”

        Minutes later, the SUV sped down the road just a few miles from where the couple had been car-jacked.  

       Claude ranted, “I can't believe you did that!  You must have lost your freakin’ mind, or somethin'!  That's not the way it's supposed to go, you psycho!  Nobody ever gets hurt!  I don't know how the hell you were cleared for this assignment, but... As a matter of fact...”  The tires screeched as the SUV came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road.  “Get out!” he shouted at Luther.

       Luther scoffed, “What?”

      “Oh you think this is a joke, muthafucka?  I'm not playin' witchu, man!  Get the fuck out!”

      Luther opened his door and stumbled out.  They stared each other down, nostrils flared.

      “Wait till Viv hears about this!” Claude exclaimed as he revved the engine.

      “What am I supposed to do, walk?”

      Claude reached over and slammed the door shut in Luther's face. “I don't give a flying flip what you do, Luther!  You just need to get the hell away from me, that's all!”

      Luther pleaded, “You can’t just leave me here, Claude!”  As the SUV began to pull away, he pointed toward the now shattered rear window where only the motorcycle could be seen inside, no sign of the couple. “Claude!  At least leave me the motorcycle!  Claude, c’mon dude!” Luther cried out as the SUV disappeared into the fog. 


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"The Love Makers" debuts next week!  

What's this thrilling romantic tale about?  

     A company uses questionable scare tactics to ignite romance for their lovelorn clients.  Meanwhile, the agents of the Love Makers Agency (LMA) become entangled in their own adventures when a dangerous predator turns the tables on them, forcing Vivionne and Boris, best friends and business partners, to face their true feelings for each other.  Their underground organization is the brain child of Vivionne Wayne, inspired from her stalled career in Psychology.  LMA operates under a theory based on the psychological condition called the Stockholm Syndrome.  This theory explains why people, no matter how seemingly mismatched, fall in-love after going through a traumatic ordeal together.  The Love Makers Agency simulates dangerous and exciting adventures for their lovesick clients, sparking many sizzling hot romantic encounters.  
    Their company motto is:  “Romance + Danger = Explosive Passion!  
We MAKE love happen for our clients!”

Please feel free to comment below.  

I'd love to hear from my new readers! 

"The Love Makers" will be available on Amazon Kindle, iBooks, Nook & more!