Deadly Sins: Wrath: Sloane Monroe Stories, #2

By Cheryl Bradshaw

After a physical altercation with an aggressive date, Maddie drives home, vowing never to go on another blind date again.

 

Headlights flash off and on through her car's back windshield. Someone is following close behind, trying to run her off the road. When Maddie's car careens into a nearby tree, the chase comes to an end. But for Maddie, the end is just the beginning.

 

If you enjoy the twists and turns of a good suspense story, the Deadly Sins series will thrill you.

 

Readers are saying:

 

"Full of surprises!"

 

"Many twists and turns."

 

"Kept my attention the entire time."

 

New to Sloane Monroe? There are two book collections in the Sloane Monroe series. The first is a novel series with 8 titles (as of 2020). The second is this short story spinoff series, featuring the same characters from the main series. For information on the order of these two series, be sure to check out the "From the Author" section on this page below.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pixie Publishing
• Release date: Oct 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386984078

Cheryl Bradshaw

Born and raised in Southern California, Cheryl Bradshaw became interested in writing at a young age, but it was almost two decades before she put pen to paper. In 2009 Bradshaw wrote Black Diamond Death (Book One: Sloane Monroe series). Within six weeks it entered the top 100 in two different categories and remained in the top 100 for over a year. Since that time, Bradshaw has written three additional novels in the series, and is now hard at work on the fourth. In 2013, Bradshaw introduced a new pranormal thriller series: Addison Lockhart, the first book titled Grayson Manor Haunting. Bradshaw is the founder of IWU on Facebook, a writers group with over 1,800 members. In August 2012, Bradshaw was named one of Twitter's seven best authors to follow.

Book preview

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This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner.  Any similarity to events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First edition October 2017

Copyright © 2017 by Cheryl Bradshaw

Cover Design Copyright 2017 © Indie Designz

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means whatsoever (electronic, mechanical, etc.) without the prior written permission and consent of the author.

You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry.

—Abraham Lincoln

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

About Cheryl Bradshaw

Books by Cheryl Bradshaw

1

Wrath (n.) Extreme anger, rage, fury, outrage, vexation, annoyance, crossness

It had been the dinner date from hell, the longest twenty-seven minutes of Madison Maddie LaFoe’s life. Before the appetizer had even made its debut, she had come to a decision: she was done with Brandon—completely. A convenient opportunity to escape her current predicament presented itself when he’d scooted his seat back, stood, and said, You know where the toilet is in this joint?

The joint Brandon referred to was actually a five-star Italian restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. And from the moment he’d entered—dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a gray T-shirt with not one but two nickel-sized stains on the front, and filthy, worn tennis shoes—it was clear he didn’t fit in.

Maddie faked a grin and pointed. The bathroom is around the corner on the left. 

He tipped his head in her direction. Great, I’ll be right back.

He tossed his napkin onto the table, pivoted, and walked away, the rubber soles on his shoes squeaking so loudly on the hardwood floor that several patrons of the restaurant flashed disapproving looks his way. He was too busy staring at a painting of wild horses hanging on the back wall to notice.

Take your time, buddy. Take all the time you need.

Watching him walk away, Maddie was shocked at how far off the mark her assistant had been when describing him. Her assistant had said Brandon was six-three, muscular, and funny. In reality, his look was oafish and sloppy, his humor dry, his intellect deficient—a far cry from the sophisticated gentlemen she usually dated.

The second he rounded the corner, she’d snatched her handbag off the back of the chair and stood, making a beeline for the front door. In seconds, she was outside and free, rid of him forever. She leaned against the building and inhaled a hearty lungful of the city’s brisk winter air.

Never again.

No blind dates.

No blind dates ever again.

She slid a hand inside her pocket, unwrapped a piece of gum, and popped it into her mouth. She walked toward her car, contemplating which of Brandon’s less-than-stellar traits she found more repulsive—his obsession for telling dumb-blonde jokes despite the fact she was a platinum blonde, or the fact he couldn’t make it five minutes without verbally slamming his ex-wife.

The man was a crazy ass.

She cupped a hand over her mouth, giggled.

Crazy ass.

Good nickname.

She clicked her key fob, and the car door unlocked, but before she could step inside, a familiar sound echoed from behind. 

Squeak, squeak.

Shit.

No.

No, no, no.

Brandon was charging toward her. Maddie! What the hell! Mind explaining where you’re going?

Isn’t it obvious? Where does it look like I’m going?

She faced him. Leaving, Brandon. I’m going home.

He crossed his arms, tapped a tennis shoe on the ground. I don’t get it. We were having a great time together. Why?

She thought about giving him the Look, I’m sorry, you’re a nice guy spiel, but why would she? She wasn’t sorry, and he wasn’t nice.

We’re not a good match, she said. And I don’t see any point wasting your time or mine.

So ... what? You just decided you’d walk out without saying anything?

I planned on texting you when I left.

He grunted a laugh. "You were going to text me? Wow, because a text would make ditching out on me all better, right?"

His sarcasm gushed like an overflowing dam, and she detected a shift in his eyes.