Justified

By Danielle James

To avenge everything she loved, she had to become the monster...
Sarah Hayden was the worst kind of monster. In her own eyes, she was no better than the man whose life she took. Prison was where she belonged. But her attorney, Jon, knew better. He doesn't understand why but he can't help himself from making Sarah see that she deserves another chance at life, and another chance at love...

Justified is not a sweet romantic read, but an upfront and honest look at life. Sarah Hayden may be a fictional character, but she is very real as well. She is the neighbor down the block, the cashier at the grocery store, she is you and she is me. She is every woman who ever did what had to be done.
This is her story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Danielle James
• Release date: Jul 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386359760

Danielle James

Danielle James is an entrepreneurial big-picture thinker with a Bachelor of Science, who started her career in the IT industry in 1995. She has held management positions in APAC for large, medium and startup vendors such as IBM, Oracle, ONYX Software, Infor and Ephesoft, and in 1997 co-created and launched a decision support software product called TopDec. With experience in direct business-to-business solutions sales, challenger sales, and marketing, Danielle adapted naturally to work with alliances as her career unfolded. She has taken a particular interest in partnerships between IT vendors and Global Systems Integrators (such as Deloitte, Accenture, Wipro and TCS) because of the significant strategic clout these alliances deliver in terms of financial return for the participants, as well as in terms of customer outcomes and professional growth. Founder of Collaboration Nation, a global consulting services business based in Sydney, Australia, Danielle speaks, coaches, trains and mentors her clients in their development of successful alliance partner ecosystems. In her spare time, she loves to immerse herself in nature, be with loved ones (of both the two- and the four-legged variety), read, write, and think about how to improve the world for everyone and everything in it.

Book preview

Justified is a work of fiction. All of the characters, places, and events are fictional. That means I made them up. If they resemble any real person or place, it is strictly coincidental and unintentional.  Enjoy!

From the Author:

Justified was not an easy story for me. It touches on some real subject matter in real life. As a paranormal author, it was very hard for me not to give Sarah some kick ass powers to right all the wrongs in her life.

Even though this book is fiction, Sarah Jane Hayden is a very real person.  She is the quiet woman down the block. She is the grocery store clerk that always wears a sweet smile. She is the single mom dropping her child off at daycare. She is you, and she is me.  She is every woman who ever did what had to be done.

This is her story.

(Justified) is very well written story that addresses domestic violence without being too graphic, but gives you enough to make you root for the heroine. I loved it!! ... It was gripping, heartbreaking, and frightening, but with a very satisfying ending. Love the author and recommend all of her work!! 5 Stars!! –Amazon review by Lisa, Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock

Justified

By Danielle James

CHAPTER ONE

The color grey was beginning to grow on Sarah Hayden.

She studied her eight-by-ten cell.  It looked exactly the same as it had every day for the preceding two years.  Plain grey walls, a plain grey bunk covered with a rough, plain grey cover, and a so-called pillow were the things that graced her living space.  To tell anyone that it was actually a pillow would be a lie.  It was nothing more than a slip of fabric with some lumpy, bunched up cotton sewn into it.  Sarah doubted that there was even a scrap of foam in it and the cotton was probably nothing more than a bag of cosmetic cotton balls.  Or at least, that’s what it felt like to sleep on.  There was a stainless steel sink and a stainless steel toilet that graced the far corner.  No seat on the aforementioned toilet, though.  The mirror on the wall above the sink was plastic with the reflective sticker on the front.  Its edges were fraying and the black spots on the face were growing every day.  Other than the sheet Sarah kept draped from the ceiling in an attempt to provide some privacy in her makeshift bathroom, there were no decorations of any kind.  The sink had only a bar of generic soap, a toothbrush, and some gritty toothpaste on the ledge. 

After two years, Sarah still had not collected any personal clutter.  She had no TV, no cards, and no games.  The only possessions she had were her books and journals, and those were stowed away neatly under her bunk.  Her prize possession, her only real possession, was a four by six photo that was tucked neatly into one of those journals.

Sarah stared at her reflection in the crappy mirror.  She had her long brown hair tied back with a rubber band as always.  Her eyes were sullen and she sported some dark rings underneath.  Sleep was something Sarah did without on a regular basis.  Her cheeks were even beginning to show shadow.  Sarah looked like she had aged ten years in only two.

She thought that maybe a bit of makeup could make her appearance a little better, but she didn’t have any.  She didn’t care for it anyway.  There was no one Sarah felt the need to impress, no one that would merit the painting of her face or even a second of primping.  Who was she going to impress?  The parole board?  Certainly not.  Sarah remembered the last time she had stood in front of the infamous panel of character judges.  They had asked her all kinds of questions as she did her best to hold her head high.  Do you know what you did?  Yes.  Do you know why it was wrong?  Yes.  If you were given the chance, would you have done things differently?  Ah, now that was a good question.  Sarah had told them yes.  When they asked Sarah to elaborate, well... they weren’t pleased with her answer.  And so it was that she remained locked in her tiny cell, cut off from the world.

Right where she belonged.

Her attorney had been furious with her.  Why couldn’t you just lie?  Tell them you feel remorse? he had shouted at her after the denial while pacing the length of her cell.

Lying was never my strong point, she had replied emotionlessly.

But no one would blame you, he said, You could be free!  No one thinks you’re guilty.  All you have to do is answer the damned questions right!  Do you want to stay in prison?

I killed a man, with my own hands, she said flatly while examining those hands as if she could still see the blood on them.  I broke the law.  I committed premeditated murder.  In cold blood.  I willingly accept the consequences of my actions.

I don’t think I will ever understand you, he huffed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.

There is nothing for me out there anymore, she whispered.  Her eyes were trained on a stain on the cement floor.  Everything I had is lost.

But being locked up was boring, Sarah had decided.  She was running out of books to read, even though she had full access to the library.  The guards were kind to her, as were the other prisoners.  Many had tried to befriend her, but friendship wasn’t something Sarah wanted.  She wanted to be left alone.  And alone was getting harder and harder to achieve.  Many of the women on her wing of the prison thought of Sarah as a hero; someone who did what so many wished they could have had the guts to do themselves.  At least her unwillingness to start a hero party had stopped most of the inmates from approaching her.

But Sarah did not kill that man for anyone else.  She never wanted to be a hero; she never wanted the attention that she got.  All she wanted to do was read her books and write her stories.  Short stories had been a favorite pastime for Sarah before it happened, but now, her journals were filled with her own life story. They were the lifeline that kept her sane.

Her attorney, Jonathan P. Wellington, had given her the first journal right after she was moved from the county jail to the women’s prison in Tulsa.  That and an armload of books to read.  He suggested that she put her talents to work writing a non-fiction book about her own life experience.  He said it would help her deal with her grief and anger.  Sarah didn’t know about all that, but it did certainly help pass the time.

She sat on her bunk and opened the first journal, there, on the first page, she had written about what was supposed to have been the happiest day of her life.

Justified, a true story, written by Sarah Jane Hayden

The wedding ceremony took place on a warm, sunny day in August.  The flowers were in bloom, filling the air with the sweet, fragrant aroma that only roses and tulips can.  It was a small event, only the nearest and dearest family and friends were in attendance.  Even though they were standing in a crowded back yard, Sarah felt an overwhelming surge of joy that no church or large banquet hall could have provided.  It was intimate.  It was perfect, and she was happy.

The sun was beating down on the grass and pavement, not to mention all the guests and people had to wipe the sweat from their brows.  But no one seemed to mind.  Sarah certainly didn’t.  She was marrying the man she loved.  He was the man who took her for what she was, the man who accepted her two year old son, Jamie, as his own.  He worked hard every day at his job and provided for Sarah and her child.  Yes, it would seem that William Hayden was the perfect man.  Not only was he accepting and kind to her, but he was easy on the eyes as well.  Dark hair that was cut short at his nape, brown eyes that were the color of milk chocolate, and a smile that could stop traffic.

Sarah sighed to herself when she saw him standing with his father and the Justice of the Peace.  She needed no encouragement to grasp her father’s hand and walk the short distance to meet her soon to be husband. 

They exchanged their vows and kissed under the glare of the August sun.  Applause and congratulations met them both as their friends and family hugged them and wished the best for the new couple.  William took her hand in his and led her to the car.  With a wave to their family, they were off for pictures, then a small reception at a local park.  In the car, Sarah heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance.

BANG, BANG, BANG! 

The pounding on her cell door interrupted Sarah’s reading.  She glanced at her clock and realized it was time for dinner.  She had spent more than an hour with her nose in that journal.  In two minutes, her cell door would open and she would be allowed to eat in the cafeteria with the other low-risk women.  Sarah shoved her journal under her bunk and quickly put on her sandals.

She glared at the pitiful excuse for shoes on her feet.  They were too big, too ugly, and too uncomfortable.  But Sarah took comfort in knowing that everyone else had to wear the same monstrosities as well.  Heaven forbid anyone get their hands on a pair of shoes with laces.  It would be a tragedy if someone was to use the laces for anything other than shoes.  Like strangling someone.