Deadlier by the Dozen

By Marcia Colette

The more the scarier.

Adopted at seven-years old, history teacher Mackenzie Lawson has spent the last twenty years dreaming of meeting her family again. However, her hopes to rekindle old memories and find closure have hit one hell of a snag. A hundred-year-old curse placed upon her relatives has begun, unleashing a dozen of her doppelgangers who want her dead. Their purpose is to infiltrate her family and kill everyone in sight. To exact revenge for a wrong that happened more than a century ago.

Mackenzie must find a way to get rid of her psychotic doubles or risk having them go after her loved ones. However, each doppelganger kill causes her blood pressure to skyrocket to dangerous levels. This and more attract the attention of a mysterious mutant with patchwork skin who volunteers his services, but leaves out the part about it being his job to destroy the source of the doppelgangers starting with her. Mackenzie needs to figure out where his loyalties lie before DEADLIER BY THE DOZEN becomes deadlier by thirteen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marcia Colette
• Release date: Sep 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466129351

Marcia Colette

Dusk Till Dawn Books is the publishing outfit for Marcia Colette. She specializes in both adult and young adult speculative fiction (i.e. urban fantasy, paranormal romance, sci-fi, horror, etc.). E-books will be released via Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Print books will be available via CreateSpace soon after the e-book release and distributed through various channels. Contact: dusktilldawnbooks AT gmail DOT com

Book preview

Chapter One

Thanks to hours of last minute shopping with bride-to-be and best friend Noor, my bunions decided to exact revenge as I limped out of the elevator on the third floor. I couldn’t reach my condo fast enough to tear off my shoes and soak my feet in a warm bath.

I stuck my key in the lock and opened the door.

A hand shoved me from behind. My bags dropped to the floor, tripping me as I fell forward into my condo. My front smacked the floor of the entryway next to my kitchen. My keys landed somewhere in the dark while my purse and mace went in the opposite direction. Damn.

Before I could stand and gather bearings, my assailant nearly yanked off my arm from the socket to help me to my feet. I expected him to throw me against the counter and kicked my legs wide enough for backdoor entry. He didn’t. Instead, he dragged me down the short hall into my living room and flung me toward the recliner.

Scrambling out of the chair, I screamed. He was there, slapping his hand across my mouth. He shoved both of us backward until we collapsed into the cushions, his heavy, muscled body on top of mine.

This is it. I’m going to get raped in my own condo. Ohmygod. What do I do? What do I do?

My muffled shrieks continued until my throat turned raw and my lungs burned. Between breaths, I tried to bite his palm, but my teeth didn’t have the reach. No way was I going down like this. I’d bring it on in such a way that would make the coroner think we had revisited the games of Ancient Rome.

Keeping one hand on me and his body pressed hard into mine so I couldn’t move, he reached for the nearby light and pulled the metal cord.

The beam against his face cut off my wailing. It was the guy from the department store. Though I had only noticed him twice, I couldn’t help staring at his scars. Different shades of Caucasian skin patches had been sewn onto his face with Frankenstein-like stitching. His plastic surgeon probably had to do a stitch-by-numbers to close those massive wounds. Despite the pieced together job, his eyes were the same color. Dark and filled with enough hatred to make a wild bull stand down.

He reached inside his jacket. I tried to bury myself in the cushions, since I had nowhere else to go. Holy shit! He was going to shoot me. I’d die before I ever made it to my long-lost family’s reunion. This wasn’t fair dammit! I had just found my older brother and younger sister after being separated from them for the last twenty-five years. So. Not. Fair. God, please. Please, say it’s not true.

The stranger slowed his movements before continuing. Just when I expected a gun or a knife, he produced a cell phone. He fingered across the touchpad screen before shoving it in my face.

Your name wouldn’t be Whitney by any chance, would it? He pushed the picture closer. Look like anyone you know?

I peeled my terrified stare away long enough to do what he said.

Ohymygod. Now, my struggles really stopped. In fact, I couldn’t take my eyes off the picture.

Except for my black, shoulder-length curly hair, she looked exactly like me. A perfect carbon copy. The scenery behind her wasn’t familiar, though it could’ve been anywhere. Still, I would’ve remembered posing for something like this, since it was taken in a desert region with her standing next to a sign that read Whiskey Pete.

I glared at my assailant. My name is MacKenzie Lawson. I don’t know anyone named Whitney or otherwise.

He studied my eyes for a few seconds more before snatching back the picture, grumbling, She was a friend. Again, his fingers slid across the smooth surface before he pushed the phone in my face again. This time, he played a video for me. That woman standing on the subway platform. Watch what happens.

I didn’t expect much and didn’t want to see, but I couldn’t help it. Passengers packed in together on the shoulder, waiting for the next train to arrive. Just as it had pulled into the station, a woman tumbled off the platform and slammed into the front of the train. People screamed in shock. Though there wasn’t any sound, I didn’t need it. The horror on their faces said it all. The weird part was that another woman assumed her place on the platform who looked almost exactly like her, only she wore a hat over her head to hide her eyes and parts of her face. They were the same height and weight, only wearing different clothes. She stood emotionless there while everyone crowded around and pointed, probably screaming. She had to have pushed her look-alike.

Let me rewind and show you a close up. The stranger tapped the screen on his cell phone to reset the video.

No, I don’t need to see that again.

He yanked me forward, though not quite out of the chair and shoved the phone in my face. Look at it!

I didn’t want to, but I did.

And wished I hadn’t. The woman who was pushed into the oncoming subway looked a lot like me and his precious Whitney.

I pushed the video away. What the hell are you showing me this for?

Would you like to see another?

I don’t need— I paused soaking in what he just said. What are you talking about?

I’m talking about a dozen more at last count.

Somebody must have busted your crack pipe across the back of your head.

His eyes narrowed like he wanted to choke me until my eyeballs popped out of my skull. You don’t believe me, do you?

I started to rise when he held a single finger out, motioning me to stay put. I thought about slapping it out of my way, but since he had strength while all I had were nails and a blood-curdling scream, I decided to park my behind in the chair again. What do you want? Money? Because I’m a school teacher, which means you’re lucky I’m not robbing you instead.

I want to know about your childhood.

And I want to know why they let mental patients roam free!

I had nothing to lose. My adoptive parents took pleasure in tormenting and treating me like a piece of shit. So when I had finally gotten out on my own, I vowed never to take shit from anyone again who didn’t respect me and mine. This guy had gone there.

His scowl loosened up, but not enough to say that I was out of danger. "Your upbringing. Your parents. Your real ones."

What fucking business is it—?

The home-invader jammed a gun into my cheek. A frown bent his lips while seriousness marred his hardened face. He meant to pull that trigger if I didn’t give him what he wanted.

W-w-wait! A gulp slipped down my tightened throat. My heart pounded so hard against my ribcage that I thought it might go into arrest from sheer exhaustion. It was no wonder I had borderline hypertension.

If that smart mouth doesn’t tell me what I want to know, then it won’t be talking to the police either. He cocked the trigger.

Oh shit. My hands began to shake and I squinted, pulling my head into my shoulders with only a hope and a prayer that this maniac wouldn’t splatter my brain across the carpet. My parents gave me, my brother, and my sister up for adoption. I had just turned seven at the time. They were good parents until that point. Just dropped us off at some gothic looking orphanage in the middle of the woods. They’re dead, okay? Died soon after that. The only family I have left is the family I haven’t seen in more than twenty years and who I plan to finally meet in a few weeks.

I stopped. My horrible childhood was my own. Hell, I didn’t even talk about it with my best friends. They didn’t need to know my adoptive caretakers took pleasure in smacking me with dog leashes and shoving me into walls whenever I tried to prove to them that we could be a loving family if we tried. There wasn’t any love in that house. Only terror.

Click.

I was still here. Either he didn’t have any bullets or…

I let go of the tension creeping up the back of my neck and shoulders and slowly opened my eyes. The man slid the gun in a used leather holster underneath his jacket.

Someone who looked a lot like you killed my partner Whitney while she was jogging in the park. I wasn’t sure if it was you or another woman who looks like you.

Another of the so-called twelve?

He blinked, wonder marring his face as though he wanted to ask a question, but reneged. You’re not like the others. Your hazel eye is on the right. Theirs is on the left, just like Whitney’s. A mirror image, so to speak. Are you right-handed or left?

Left.

They’re right. Like I said, a perfect mirror image, but opposites. Only, you must be the original.

A plan came to mind. If he was so indulged in this psychotic crap he was shoveling, then perhaps I could use it to get away from him.

Look, I’m sorry about your friend. I lowered my hands and stood. The intruder kept his untrusting gaze on me while I moved toward the sunroom. I have something to show you that you might want to see. It’s on my desktop in there.

What?

I’m…I’m not sure. Maybe it means something to you. You’re more than welcome to look over my shoulder to make sure I don’t send any 9-1-1 messages to anyone, if you want. It’s a link to a video about a woman who fell overboard. At least…that was the way it looked. My sister said she looked a lot like me.

The stranger followed me just as I knew he would. It was a matter of minutes when I pretended to search for an email Aurelia has sent me. She sent me something all right. A video of a cruise she had taken with some friends to the Caribbean last year. When I found it, I began playing it. My intruder leaned over my shoulder studying every pixel in silence.

I frowned. If you’re going to stand that close, I want a name that goes with you.

Reece Ambrose.

I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you, but it’s not.

Slowly, I turned my head and stared at the side of his neck. Like the patchwork ear and hairline, the skin on his neck with the v-shaped scar was a different color, darker than the others. I made out the slight indentations from the Frankenstein-like suture scars that had been taken out long ago.

But there was something else. Those same suture marks were shaped in an upside down V covering his eye. Though they were both the same color, the patch implied that it had been replaced, too. Light dust masked the area, implying he covered up that obvious piece of patchwork with makeup that matched the majority of his complexion. His eyebrows, thicker on the patched side, looked like someone had used a set of tweezers to even them out. Whoever this guy was, he was seriously messed up. Put the two of us together and my different colored eyes wouldn’t be the ones garnering the attention.

I tore out of the chair and scrambled out of the room, tossing anything in my wake into my path to slow him. My hip clipped a side table, knocking over some picture frames and nearly toppling my vase. When I reached the front door, I yanked it open.

Click.

I almost swallowed all my internal organs and shitted them out my pants. Staring at me was my reflection. Except for the clothes, I doubted a DNA sample could tell us apart.

However, there was one thing the chick in the pink dress had that I didn’t. A gun aimed inches away from the bridge of my nose.

Chapter Two

Hands yanked me back and the gun went off. I landed on the kitchen floor with Reece’s body covering mine. For a guy who wanted to kill me only minutes before, this was the last thing I would’ve expected.

Reece looped his arm around my waist and dragged me to the far side of the kitchen where my heartbeat pounded against my chest and radiated up to my ears. At this rate, I’d need medication for my hypertension.

You okay? he asked, his gaze studying me with the care and concern I suspected he usually reserved for his late friend.

Uh…yeah. Fine. Fine. I broke through the shock clouding my brain, but unfortunately, it turned to panic. I pointed a shaky finger at the door. Th-th-that woman. She looked—

A doppelganger. And if she found the original, the others will, too.

While a question hung on my opened mouth, Reece gave me a once over before he used his swift reflexes to dart into the hall. Why that man went after a psycho, I couldn’t say. My brain was too busy trying to process what he said.

A doppelganger? Like…a carbon copy of me? And there were twelve of them? God. Were they all trying to kill me like that crazed bitch?

My breaths heaved, chest rising and falling underneath my hand. Need to think. Need to get it together.

I scrambled to my feet and went for the phone. I got as far as the 9-1-1 operator when a gunshot tore up my doorframe. Another one pierced the ceiling in my condo. The heck with the operator. I wanted out of this place before the next bullet clipped my brain.

I grabbed my coat and purse. If those two were fighting it out on the staircase next to my condo, then I was taking the other staircase at the far end of the hall.

I arrived in the corridor to see my double kick Reece in the groin with her pointy-toed heels. When he fell to his knees, she shoved the gun to the side of his head.

Stop! It jumped out of me before thinking twice about heading for my escape route.

She drew the weapon on me and started firing again. I dropped to my stomach and did a military crawl across the linoleum until I reached the carpet. When the couch came in sight, I ducked to the side of it and steadied my breathing. This lunatic just didn’t give up.

My lunatic double knew nothing about grace. Her footfalls clapped across the floor before thumping across the rug. It was like she sniffed out my trail.

Well, I wasn’t about to sit here and die like a weak-ass punk. She came into my home with a gun wanting me dead. If she wanted a fight, then I’d damn well give her one.

When the gun came into view just to my right, I lunged for it. A bullet blasted from the barrel and pierced my floor. I hoped to God that thing didn’t go through to my downstairs neighbors.

Struggling shoulder to shoulder for control of the gun, she thrust me into the wall. I took one hand off her wrists, wound my elbow back, and smacked her across the eye. She staggered backward and grabbed her face, though her fingers remained clutched around the gun’s handle.

Fury brought an archaic yell from the pit of her lungs. Before I could duck, she backhanded me so hard that a metallic taste flooded my mouth. I lost my grip, smacked into the wall, and slid onto the floor.

She brought the gun to pointblank range. I ducked to the right as she blasted a bullet through to the sheetrock inches from my head. Either that was an act of God or I had developed reflexes to match Reece’s. Regardless, I should’ve been dead. Not cringing at the ringing noise in my ear.

I slammed my foot into her knee. She shrieked and crumpled, though not enough to bring her down. I grabbed the outside of her wrist and grabbed her by her dress, turning her around until she slammed into the wall. She clipped the side table, knocking over the lamp and a book.

When the gun dropped to the floor, I kicked it under the couch.

You’re going to die like the others, she said.

You first, bitch. I moved in front of the window and into a fighting stance, ready to level my nutty reflection.

She charged me. I sidestepped at the last second, whipped my arms around, and shoved her through the glass. The momentum carried me to the floor, landing on my side. It took me a moment before I realized what I just did. Three stories up. There was no way she’d survive that fall.

I hoisted myself off the floor and hurried to the sill.

A hand grabbed my wrist.

Bracing herself against the building, she used her body as leverage to try yanking me through the window. I struggled, bent at the waist and hanging over the frame with a maniac determined for me to die along with her. Thirty feet seemed like a lot when there was nothing to stop your fall other than a row of cars and bushes.

Something dark dropped from the upper floor. It collided with my other half, wrenching her clawed fingers off me. I watched in horror as both she and Reece crash-landed on the roof of a mid-size car. The alarm whooped to life, waking up the entire complex—as if they weren’t up before. Below, Reece lay on top of the car with my doppelganger on top of him.

I had to get down there. Some deep-seated part of me needed to know if what I had seen—what I had been through—was real. Had she been some ordinary criminal who tried to break into my house, I wouldn’t give a damn. But she was me and the criminal who had broke in had saved me from the real threat. Twice. I had to know my eyes weren’t lying. Had to know if what Reece said was true about her being my doppelganger.

After running down the hall and dodging a bunch of a questions attached to my neighbors, I burst through the main door. By the time I got to the car, both of them had vanished. The only thing left was the large dent from their body impressions and a smashed front windshield.

How could they survive a drop like that, let alone walk away from it? What the hell was going on?

I touched the roof of the car. Television and movies made leaping out of a three-story building and landing on a car seem easy. Smoothing my hand along the jagged metal and cracked glass reminded me how much all of that was special effects. I sure as hell didn’t have a stunt double.

My gaze landed on the cracks webbing their way across the windshield. They drew me in, bothered me. The way they connected forming an intricate design that screamed of something from my horrible past, though I couldn’t place it. Dammit, I knew that image. Somewhere in the recesses of my memory, it taunted me. Telling me I’ve got a secret in the singsong voice of a child. Thoughts of the glass shards stretching toward my fingers like see-through tentacles made me take a step back. That step turned into a stumble because I couldn’t get away fast enough. The longer I stayed, the more if felt like the glass wanted to steal my breath.

Distant sirens captured my attention. Minutes later, several cop cars pulled into the lot of my condo. Lights flashed, doors opened and closed.

The few eyewitnesses standing around couldn’t confirm or deny what they saw. A woman similar to my height and size attacked me in my condo. That was pretty much everyone’s story. At least Mrs. Pemberton said I was quiet and an upstanding citizen of the community, so there was no way I could’ve brought this on myself. She wiggled a finger in the uniformed cops faces, scolding them for harassing me like a criminal, though I thought their questions were fine. I snickered all the way back to my place where I showed the cops the scene of the crime.

I yanked my suitcase out of the closet and tossed it on the bed. I’ll be staying at a hotel tonight. Would you like the number?

Busy writing notes, Detective Weatherly waved his hand without looking. Yeah, sure. But we’ll still have a patrol car in the area just in case.

I stared. Detective, I need a number to reach you because I don’t know where the hotel is going to be.

He finally lifted his gaze to me. Huh? Oh yeah. Sure. He fished a slightly crumpled card from his wallet and handed it over.

Thanks. Now, is that all? I’m a tad tired and not in the mood to scour the city for a hotel longer than necessary.

For now.

For what? I almost asked him what he meant by that, but I didn’t want to know. There was already enough going on that had the potential to screw up the life I was in the middle of putting back together. The less I knew the better for my sanity.

Noor or Lachelle would’ve been a better sleepover choice instead of my spending the night alone, but that was the problem. They’d want me to rehash everything again and I wasn’t in the mood. Not to mention, they’d probably give me grief about taking it easy and being careful about letting my blood pressure spike into the danger zone. As much as I loved them, I didn’t want a couple of extra mothers. That was what I get for having one friend who was a four-year resident and the other a nurse practitioner. Jeri would’ve been a good choice, too, but she was pregnant. She didn’t need to worry herself about me and my problems. Plus, if there were other murderous doppelgangers out there, I didn’t want them targeting my friends.

The back seat of my SUV folded down. I slammed my foot on the brakes and nearly took out the car behind me. Their lights swerved, horn blaring to avoid an accident.

I hardly heard the guy because I turned and watched as a bloodied hand gripped the headrest. I turned around and gunned the vehicle into a parking lot only a few feet away. I skidded into a parking space, opened the door, and ran into the bushes to wait. Whatever festered in my luggage space of my SUV, I wanted no part of it.

The backdoor opened. Reece placed his feet on the ground, gravel crunching under his weight. Using his uninjured arm, he gripped the roof and hauled himself out the rest of the way. A stagger, then he blinked several times as if to regain his focus. When he lifted his head up to the

Reviews for Deadlier by the Dozen

[homelovebooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm going to reveal a little bit of myself right now, and say that I have always enjoyed the idea of doppelgängers since watching and episode of Stargate. Can't remember what episode it was but I remember liking the episode and being fascinated with the subject. So when I got this book and realized it was like doppelgängers on speed, I was anticipated a wild ride. To say it was in fact a wild ride, might be putting it mildly. The story is told from Mackenzie's point of view, and she is an interesting person to say the least. I do have to say that at the beginning of the book I was a little bit confused by the events, but then again so was Mackenzie. It did take a little bit past the first chapter for the book to really grab me though, and to be honest once it did grab me it did full force because there was no stop to the action. Throughout the entire book Mackenzie is on the run from all of her doppelgängers as well as the police force for the supernatural community, as well as in some cases the actual police for the "normal" world. While on the run, and seriously scared for her life she has to find a way to not only figure out what is happening to her but who is behind the plots. To the characters strength she is not written as any kind of super hero (thank god), especially in the beginning of the book. In the beginning of the book she reacts completely organically, trying to rationalize events of the previous day and just go on. If Mackenzie had been completely okay with the events I think it would have felt unreal. She learns about herself along the way which allows for character growth, but she is not invulnerable, and does also get injured along the way. The other character I want to talk about is Reece, and I don't know exactly where to start when it comes to him. I will say I almost wish the book was illustrated because I am really interested in knowing exactly what the author had in her head when she put his description together. That being said it was kind of fun trying to figure out how I would picture him, especially since the words "Frankenstein" and "patchwork skin" are used as descriptions. It is hard to figure out if he is a good guy or a bad guy, but that works for the book. It makes him more interesting for the reader to get involved in. It creates this air of mystery around him, and as a reader I was always trying to figure out what his next move was going to be. There is a lot of intrigue in this book. I could certainly see how a person who enjoys a mystery would like this book, since it really is just one huge mystery. The book is face paced and fun to read. There were even times when I felt pretty bad for Mackenzie always having to be on the run, heck sometimes I was exhausted just listening to her thoughts. There are a lot of secondary characters in this book that make the story all the more interesting, and more than that the characters aren't just place holders to move the story along. Even the characters who only make an appearance for a chapter or two are fleshed out and given characteristics that make them good characters in their own right. Overall, this is a pretty good book. It's fast paced for those who like thrillers, it's full of mystery for those who like mysteries. There isn't a ton of romance in the book, but it's still a great read for those who like paranormal romance. Urban fantasy readers should really like this book though. I will say this, I want to read the next book in the series because Mackenzie is a character I really enjoyed.

[ufreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm going to reveal a little bit of myself right now, and say that I have always enjoyed the idea of doppelgängers since watching and episode of Stargate. Can't remember what episode it was but I remember liking the episode and being fascinated with the subject. So when I got this book and realized it was like doppelgängers on speed, I was anticipated a wild ride. To say it was in fact a wild ride, might be putting it mildly. The story is told from Mackenzie's point of view, and she is an interesting person to say the least. I do have to say that at the beginning of the book I was a little bit confused by the events, but then again so was Mackenzie. It did take a little bit past the first chapter for the book to really grab me though, and to be honest once it did grab me it did full force because there was no stop to the action. Throughout the entire book Mackenzie is on the run from all of her doppelgängers as well as the police force for the supernatural community, as well as in some cases the actual police for the "normal" world. While on the run, and seriously scared for her life she has to find a way to not only figure out what is happening to her but who is behind the plots. To the characters strength she is not written as any kind of super hero (thank god), especially in the beginning of the book. In the beginning of the book she reacts completely organically, trying to rationalize events of the previous day and just go on. If Mackenzie had been completely okay with the events I think it would have felt unreal. She learns about herself along the way which allows for character growth, but she is not invulnerable, and does also get injured along the way. The other character I want to talk about is Reece, and I don't know exactly where to start when it comes to him. I will say I almost wish the book was illustrated because I am really interested in knowing exactly what the author had in her head when she put his description together. That being said it was kind of fun trying to figure out how I would picture him, especially since the words "Frankenstein" and "patchwork skin" are used as descriptions. It is hard to figure out if he is a good guy or a bad guy, but that works for the book. It makes him more interesting for the reader to get involved in. It creates this air of mystery around him, and as a reader I was always trying to figure out what his next move was going to be. There is a lot of intrigue in this book. I could certainly see how a person who enjoys a mystery would like this book, since it really is just one huge mystery. The book is face paced and fun to read. There were even times when I felt pretty bad for Mackenzie always having to be on the run, heck sometimes I was exhausted just listening to her thoughts. There are a lot of secondary characters in this book that make the story all the more interesting, and more than that the characters aren't just place holders to move the story along. Even the characters who only make an appearance for a chapter or two are fleshed out and given characteristics that make them good characters in their own right. Overall, this is a pretty good book. It's fast paced for those who like thrillers, it's full of mystery for those who like mysteries. There isn't a ton of romance in the book, but it's still a great read for those who like paranormal romance. Urban fantasy readers should really like this book though. I will say this, I want to read the next book in the series because Mackenzie is a character I really enjoyed.