Twisted Beginning~Novel One: Twisted Journey

By R.A. Lingenfelter

Spoiled young rich boy, Scott Roberts always got what he wanted, and if he didn't, he took it on his own.

One exception to that rule was Lizzie Howard, Scott's girlfriend. She had come to him willingly and was the one person he counted on. On the night they were to go to prom together, Scott sees Lizzie with another man, and feels completely devastated and betrayed.

One reckless drive home costs Scott his life. Consumed by his anger and conditioned by his privileged mortal existence, Scott forsakes Heaven and instead allows himself to be lured away from the light by the mysterious dark one.

Whispering promises of revenge and power, Lord Icarus recruits Scott to help other bitter spirits seek their own revenge. But with each act of retribution, Scott begins to see that the "promises" Icarus has made to him, are not quite what he believed them to be. In danger of losing his mortal soul, can Scott battle the evil dark one and win or will he be forever destined to hell?

• Language: English
• Publisher: RaeAnne Hadley
• Release date: Jul 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393912316

Book preview

One

He ran his hand through his sun-bleached blond hair, adjusted his Oakley sunglasses and gassed the engine on his new Maserati convertible. He was looking forward to picking up his girlfriend, Lizzie, and getting to the prom. His last prom. He wondered how many people he could piss off tonight and knowing that two of them would be his parents, he sped his car up a little more in anticipation. His future was already set in motion.

He was supposed to go to New York University to make his parents happy but he’d already been in touch with several modeling agencies, who were interested in representing him. When he had built up his modeling career he would break the news to his mom and dad. He wasn’t expecting any grief from his mother. She was so busy being the social queen in their little city of Derryton, Michigan, that she barely noticed him at all. During public appearances she became the doting, loving mother but when tucked back out of the social eye, she dropped back in to her own little world where her family didn’t exist.

It used to hurt him pretty bad when he tried to talk to his mother, to confide in her when he was having problems with his friends or with a teacher. She was either too drunk or too busy planning another party and she would wave him away, telling him to go off and play like a nice little boy. She never noticed that he never brought friends over or was ever invited to a birthday party. None of the other kids wanted to play with him because of who he was. Or rather, who his father was. His father, Nathan Roberts, was a prestigious attorney and though well respected in the community, was also feared and avoided. Nathan had a sharp tongue, rock hard opinions and absolutely no filter when it came to social graces. His personality won his cases but didn’t gain any ground for social acceptance. That’s where Carolyn Roberts came in. She was social and friendly enough to soothe ruffled feathers in the community. The combination of the two became a force to be dealt with but unfortunately their son, Scott, was left exposed to social backlash.

Scott stuffed down the feelings of pain as he learned his mother had other things she felt were more important so he started turning to his father. Though he was scared of him, he yearned for the consideration that he saw other families have toward each other. Nathan didn’t have any time for a young boy’s problems with friends. Friends were a dime a dozen and couldn’t be trusted but networking was essential. Seeing that Scott was getting older and ready to be groomed, he started having Scott come over to his law firm after school. He began to teach Scott that emotions were a sign of weakness. That you could be taken advantage of if someone saw and exploited your emotions. Feelings were to be hidden and locked away inside, that was what made a real man. People were to be used for their talents, then discarded when they didn’t serve a purpose anymore or kept on the shelf until they could be used again. When Scott complained about his mother not having any time for him to help with school work, Nathan told him she was an appealing presence to show off in public but not to put any stock into anything she did or said. Her opinions didn’t really put food on the table or pay the bills.

Now, at seventeen, his mother’s indifference didn’t bother him anymore, she was just a pretty face representing the Roberts family. Arm candy, his father explained to him when his mother showed up drunk at one of his basketball games. She’s pretty to look at, knows when to keep her mouth shut when she’s supposed to and promotes our company when it counts. Nathan rationalized.

Scott saw the way his mother kowtowed to his father and realized that women were of a lower status than men. As he grew older, knew he couldn’t let his childish needs interfere with the things that were important; school, awards and his future. He was, however, a little worried about how his father was going to take it when he found out Scott didn’t want to go to New York University and instead was going to model. Nathan had been meticulously grooming Scott to take over the family practice, making Scott spend his holiday and summer breaks at his firm; Roberts, Haas & Barlow. Scott had started out in the mailroom at twelve, and then at fourteen began doing basic paralegal work, learning the ins and outs of the law firm. His father wanted him to fill his shoes when it came time for Nathan to retire but Scott had his sights on a bigger and a more exciting life.

He needed to be cautious when it came to his father. Pissing him off would ensure he would be cut off from the family money and the family money was nothing to sneeze at. His reward for his good grades and getting Valedictorian was having his college and living expenses paid for. His graduation present was his brand new, black, fully-loaded Maserati convertible, which his parents gave him early so he could use it for prom. Being an attorney had its monetary perks but he wanted more. He wanted travel, sexy girls, excitement and the money.

He wanted it all and he was raised to believe he could have it all. He was king in his hometown, everyone loved him and everywhere he went, people showered him with gifts. Free dinners at any restaurant he chose, clothes were either sold at employee prices or given to him, watches and jewelry were lavished upon him. He expected it, demanded it. He was actually insulted when a new cashier or waiter, who wasn’t aware of who he was, presented him with a bill. A talk with the manager or owner quickly rectified the situation and he was usually rewarded with a very expensive bottle of liquor. If he didn’t like the new employee, he would insist that the person be fired on the spot and the ones who cried, usually the women, made it even sweeter for Scott. He enjoyed seeing them realize that those lower on the food chain had to learn their place.

He’d been trying to teach his girlfriend, Lizzie Howard, her place but he found it had been difficult. She was captain of the cheerleading team, on the volleyball team and was his perfect arm candy for now but she kept rebelling. They had started dating his junior year, her freshman, when she was fifteen and he was sixteen. At first, she’d been all doe-eyed when he started courting her and things had been great for the first few months but when she told him she was saving herself for when she got married, they’d had their first fight. Looking back, he knew he’d handled it wrong. He should have spent another couple of weeks wooing her, assuring her that they were meant for each other, maybe even sprung for a fancy room at the Hilton or Four Seasons. With a bottle of wine and flowers, he was sure he could have had her but he hadn’t thought of that at the time. They’d been in his room, watching a chick flick before they started kissing. Their kissing turned into touching, exploring and he was so painfully aroused that when she stopped and told him she wasn’t ready, he snorted and called her stupid. She had left crying and hadn’t talked to him for a month. He had been ready to let the relationship end but his dad had pulled him into the den and had a talk with him. He told him that there were many women out there to take care of his physical needs but there were only a select few who deserved to be on the arm of a Roberts man. He needed to learn how to be discreet so he could have it all. Roberts's men deserved it.

Scott had found a couple of willing girls at the rival high school who took care of his needs and he proceeded to smooth things over with Lizzie. She hadn’t been as easy to win over as he thought and it pissed him off. Any other girl in their school would bend over backwards to be with him but Lizzie was being, in his opinion, a cold witch. Eventually he wore her down and they started dating again but he found it exhausting courting her and staying up to meet with his lovers afterwards. He found a happy medium when he got Lizzie involved with the debate team and there were many nights they cut their dates short so she could prepare for an upcoming debate. Because he had been trained since he was a child about the finesse of debating and how to think on his feet, he never had to prepare. He took advantage of those early nights by either catching up on his regular school work or seeing one of his other girlfriends.

The summer of his senior year and Lizzie’s sophomore year had been harder. She had demanded more of his time and he spent two weeks with her and her family at their home in the Hampton’s. There had been a close call when he had gone to a beach party two houses down. Lizzie had told him she hadn’t wanted to go but she’d shown up unexpectedly. He had been coming out of a room with a college blondie from Texas when Lizzie spotted them. She’d immediately accused him of cheating on her, which he had, but his quick thinking saved him. He’d told her they’d been talking, that the blonde had needed legal counseling and finding out his father worked at a prestigious law firm, had asked to talk with him privately. Her make-up had been smeared but that was from crying and nothing had happened. The blonde had been so drunk that she corroborated the story, saying they had just been talking. Luckily Lizzie had believed the two of them. He decided then that he should play it cool for the rest of the trip.

He was relieved to get back home and had the excuse that his dad needed him at the firm, that he was being molded to take over when Nathan retired. She believed it so easily that he wished he would have thought of the excuse sooner.  Life would have been so much easier. His days, and nights, were now freed up for his carnal pleasures and he enjoyed his double life.

Tonight as he was driving to Lizzie’s house in his new car, dressed in a black tuxedo with emerald green cummerbund and tie that he knew would match Lizzie’s dress perfectly. He began to think about what New York had in store for him and became excited about his future once again. He would live it up tonight. This was his last hurrah in this town before heading to the big city.

He smiled smugly to himself as he drove faster. Everything was perfect. She was such a silly girl, he saw that now. He’d actually broken down her frigid, prudish walls last month and had taken her virginity. He had shown up in his dad’s Porsche Cayenne, a bouquet of roses and a diamond bracelet wrapped in a pretty bow.  He proclaimed, falsely, his love for her. He wanted to take her to prom and then become engaged, that they would be together forever. She’d actually cried and though he felt disgusted at her tears, he played it up and proceeded to seduce her.

Because he was used to more experienced girls, he found having sex with Lizzie lacking but he assured her that she was amazing. He dropped her off an hour later when he claimed he had to be at his father’s firm the next day. She smiled at him forlornly from her doorstep but had agreed to go to prom and wear the color that he wished her to wear. He avoided her the next few weeks claiming he was busy working and preparing his valedictorian speech but that they would have time together at the dance. She seemed to accept his excuses but she did seem less affectionate, seeking him out in the school hallways less than usual. He didn’t let it bother him, figuring it was just her time of the month and relieved he didn’t have to deal with her moodiness.

He swung into a local liquor store that he knew would sell to him and walked into it feeling even more cocky than usual, wearing his thirty-two hundred dollar tuxedo. So many fools rented theirs but he owned his own Ralph Lauren suit and knew he wore it well. As he had expected, they sold him the bottle of wine he had chosen for Lizzie and the six-pack of the beer he liked. He placed them in the backseat of his car and drove away. As he was pulling out of the street in the back of the store, he saw a familiar VW Passat and quickly made a U-turn, ignoring the angry honks of the drivers behind him and the ones he cut off. He followed the car, staying back as to not attract attention. Unease started to settle in his gut as the VW turned up Lizzie’s street. He slowed his car and parked a couple houses down, allowing himself to stay out of sight but still able to see the porch of his girlfriend’s house. He grimaced as he saw Matt Rothgery exit the VW and stroll up Lizzie’s sidewalk to her porch. Scott knew Matt was on Lizzie’s debate team and they talked on the phone frequently but it never crossed his mind that Lizzie had any feelings for Matt. She had him, after all, and everybody wanted Scott Roberts. Lizzie came out of house and met Matt on the door. Scott watched as they talked but was unable to make out any words, though it appeared as if Lizzie was upset. Scott’s eyes narrowed to angry slits as he watched Matt reach for her and pull her into his arms. Instead of fighting or pushing him away, Lizzie wrapped her arms around Matthew’s waist. He felt his fury swell and he began thinking of ways to hurt both Lizzie and Matt, to publicly embarrass them. He blamed the anger on being betrayed and lied to but he never recognized the anguish deep down in his soul of the loss he truly felt. He revved the gas to his Maserati, keeping the clutch depressed, the fine-tuned engine screaming to be released. He saw both of them look over and felt satisfaction when he saw Lizzie’s face drop when she saw him.

Bitch! he screamed as he released the clutch and felt the transmission engage with the roaring engine. The tires of the Maserati shrieked louder than his voice and the car shot off. He was pushed back into the seat and struggled a moment to gain control of the powerful car. Red flooded his mind as he felt the betrayal course through him. How could she do this to him? He was a god here! He would make her pay and she would rue the day she ever deceived Scott Roberts.

He picked up his cell phone, knowing instantly what he was going to do. He would have one of his lovers from the rival school be his date. They would drop their original date for a chance to go to prom with him so he didn’t have to worry about them not having a dress. They just might not match as