Title: A
Little Faith
Author :
Emma James
Publication
date: 9th October 2014
Genres:
Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
COVER
DESIGNER: Jemina Venter - https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyJeminabox?fref=ts
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I had no idea a carefree island vacation would tear my life apart.But now it’s time to put my walls up, make them impenetrable.It’s the only way to survive.~Faith
Six Years Later…Harley, the protector. Retro, the straight shooter.
Keanu, the funny bone. Levi, the model. And Text, who can’t seem to find himself.All their lives were permanently altered by one event.With a pact made, these five best friends need something from Faith.Is she ready now to give them what they have been waiting for?
Join Faith as she goes on an emotional and heartwarming discovery where all may not be what it seems.But with every ending, comes a new beginning, a second chance.You just gotta have A Little Faith...
Welcome to Ocean Beach.
“You
never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
~ Bob
Marley
Goodreads
: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22813902-a-little-faith?from_search=true
She hopes to surprise you with her debut book, A
Little Faith.
AUTHOR
LINKS
Twitter : @emmajamesbooks
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/emmajamesauthor?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8415027.Emma_James
“You
never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
-
Bob Marley
THE ISLAND
CHANCE
It’s a hot and humid night.
We’re all looking forward to a beer and some nightlife as we take the short
walk from our hotel to the Coconut Club.
At this time of the year,
the island is packed with tourists from all over the world. This means lots of
beautiful girls in their tiny bikinis with a tan and a smile and everybody
looking to have a good time.
Only ten days into our two
week surfing vacation with my friends, I’ve been having the time of my life.
We’ve met some great locals who have entrusted us with their secret surfing
spots, which they keep on the down-low. These are their places to surf, not to be overrun by tourists.
The surf has been awesome.
We’ve ridden alongside the locals, our boards attached to our motorcycles as we
follow them through the hustle and bustle of the crazy traffic. I shit you not,
it almost appears like there are no road rules over here. It’s like dodge ball
with motorcycles. It’s been a hell of a lot of fun taking the bikes to the
streets, weaving through the ridiculous traffic, honking our horns—quite the
adrenaline ride.
Once we make it out of the
shit storm of traffic and get on the quieter roads around the island, we're able
to put the pedal to the metal and enjoy the scenery.
Fan-fucking-tastic!
Just don’t
fucking crash has been our
motto because the hospital service isn’t that great over here. You don’t want
to wind up in it.
Since Faith would’ve loved
to see some of the places we’ve been to and photograph them, Jase brought his
camera and saved some of these memories for her. I can’t help thinking he has
an interest in my sister. Jase is a great guy, however, so I’ll cross that
bridge when I come to it.
The locals have showed us
the clubs and bars to check out. We know they receive commission for pointing
us in the direction of certain places, but these guys don’t have the same
opportunities we have been given in life, so why not help a guy out?
The food has been awesome.
Keanu only got the shits for a few days—we did warn him about the water. We
could smell him from across the hallway, making me glad I wasn’t sharing a room
with Keanu. Levi got the short straw for those few days.
We’ve sat on the beach at
night while Keanu, Levi, and Jase sang and strummed their guitars, entertaining
a small crowd that gathered each evening while the sun sets. It's a pretty
awesome way to watch the sun go down if you ask me. This has been such a great
trip.
After four years of college,
we all just graduated and decided to take this trip as a gift to ourselves for
summer break. We’ve all got stuff we have applied for or are in the process of
locking down when we get home except for Jase, who is the youngest in the group
and our friend Harley’s younger brother. He wanted to come along; therefore, this
is his vacation before he starts college.
We weren’t stupid; we all
knew life was getting more serious and we were entering the next phase. We have
our futures ahead of ourselves, yet who knew when we would be able to all get
together and do this again? My only regret is Harley couldn’t make the trip.
He is moving ahead with his
dream of owning a business—his college years were more about a backup plan. The
guy is so smart. He plans way ahead. Out of all of us, he’s got his shit
together the most. He landed himself a job that he couldn’t pass up. The boy is
thinking big and has always been like that. He sees his future of owning a
security business empire like a blueprint in his mind. I know he will make it
happen, as well. He’s just that kind of guy.
Fuck, I love all these guys.
My friends mean the world to me, and I would do anything for them.
Any-fucking-thing they asked of me.
The guys are all completely
different. Well, maybe with the exception of Keanu and Levi. Those two are
hilarious without trying and have this bond which glues them together. They
have such a bromance going on that they will be friends for life. Nothing will
get between them. They are brothers from another mother, through and through. Although,
we all get along incredibly well.
Keanu and Levi have been
spreading themselves among the ladies, while Retro seems happy enough just
surfing, eating, and drinking. He’s got a lady on his mind back home, so he’s
just letting his free spirit enjoy the waves and soak up the atmosphere.
I’ve been keeping a subtle
eye on Jase; he’s been throwing back a few beers. The chicks love his blonde
hair and mismatched blue and brown eyes. At eighteen, he isn’t technically
underage here, only back home; as a result, he’s enjoying it while it lasts. I
promised Harley, his brother, I would have his back and not let him get too out
of control, however. So far, he’s only thrown up like the exorcist one night. I
think that helped cure him of hitting it too hard for a few more days. The
waves are more important than getting totally wasted and not being able to surf
anyways.
We enter the Coconut Club
and make our way to a high-top table with the stools. This place is starting to
fill up. The DJ is playing loud techno, and the club is pumping with bodies on
the dance floor moving in sync.
Retro offers to buy the
first round and takes off to the bar before it gets too busy and you wind up
waiting to be served for ages.
Levi and Keanu are already
scouting the club for hot chicks, talking in each other’s ear, being each
other’s wingman. The next second, they are both shouting, “Challenge. Accepted!”
and bumping fists. I roll my eyes. They do this every night once they have
locked down their female prey. The girls are here to party, looking for a good
time, and these two aim to please.
The tourists are all in
party mode on the island. Inhibitions are left at the door. After what I have
seen, I don’t think I will be letting my future daughter ever come on a
vacation for summer break until she is at least thirty.
Hell. No.
Jase has already been
spotted by a group of girls who are all giggling and pointing at him. I can’t
help feeling proud of him. He was somewhat of a geek at school and I suppose
Harley and my boys rubbed off on him. Now he’s buff and enjoying the female
attention. His blonde hair and striking mismatched eyes make him stand out from
the crowd.
We are all a pretty good
looking bunch. We look after ourselves, and we hit up a fair bit of extreme
sports. It keeps us fit. We aren’t the indoorsy type. We study hard, but we
play hard, too.
One day, all this carefree
stuff will have to be locked down, but at the moment, we are young and single
and generally don’t do anything by halves.
It’s all or nothing.
******
We’ve been here for a couple
hours now. It’s been a great night of letting loose and jumping about on the
dance floor.
“It’s my buy,” I have to
shout over the music. I head over to the bar, where the crowd is two people
deep all along its length, waiting to be served. This could take a while with
only a couple bar tenders serving.
My mind drifts to Faith, my
kid sister by eight years. I’m looking forward to seeing her when we get home.
I’ve got a week lined up to spend with her and the folks before heading back to
San Diego. Today, I bought her a brightly colored sarong, figuring chicks love
that sort of thing when they come here. Jase has it packed in his suitcase
since I’ve bought quite a bit of souvenirs for family, and my bag is at its
weight limit.
I know how much she wanted
to come on this vacation with us and loves photography; as a result, I've taken
a lot of pictures on my phone to show her.
I bought her a Canon old-school
camera when she was nearly eleven, just before we left for college, so she
could play about with it. I hoped to keep her busy with a hobby while I was
away because I hated leaving her. She hung around with us more than her own
friends. Regardless, I loved having her around, and the guys didn’t mind. I
knew leaving her was going to leave a hole in her life.
Four years later, she is now
nearly fifteen. I think she may have a career as a photographer. She takes
awesome photos, and I know she wants a dark room. Our mom and dad have bought
her a digital camera for her birthday in just over two months, while I’ve
organized for some dark room equipment—the perfect present for Faith. I can’t wait to see her
face when we give it all to her. The best of both photography worlds for her to
play around with.
Jase clamps one hand on my
shoulder and yells in my ear, “Hey, Chance, thought you might like some company
while you’re standing up here waiting. I’ll help you bring the beers over. The
wingmen are working the beat, and Retro’s gone to take a piss.”
When I look over and see
Levi and Keanu dancing all over a couple of girls, I can’t help laughing at
them. They certainly love chicks.
“This crowd is sure thirsty.”
I smile at Jase. I’ve been standing here awhile already. “The downfall of
summer break vacationing.”
Jase is a nice guy. He’s
always thinking about others. He’s seen both sides of the school crowd, popular
and unpopular. He was bullied for being a geek at school, so he is sensitive to
others and thinks of their feelings. Once he started coming out of his shell
and growing, his features started to get noticed by the girls. Luckily, Harley was
there to help with his self-esteem. He used to take him out back at their home
and get him to pound the heavy bag. Afterward, they’d lift weights and go
jogging together.
Jase is a much deeper guy
than a lot of people realize. We knew. The stupid assholes at his school, on
the other hand, were threatened by what they knew he could become. He had
smarts, a personality to match, and his looks were starting to shine through.
Harley just helped nudge it along with some brotherly advice and some older
brother knowledge of what makes a girl’s head turn.
Jase knew what he was
capable of and never got a big head. It was like he was waiting for the right
girl, someone with smarts he could be attracted to. Jase was always studying or
hanging with his geeky friends. You could give him a makeover, but he always
stayed true to his friends. He saw people for who they were, not what they looked
like. He looked into people’s souls, not just the pretty face. I think someone
was counted very lucky if they were friends with Jase.
Jase’s voice invades my
thoughts, “So, how’s Faith? Have you spoken to her lately?”
“I texted her earlier,
letting her know how we were all doing.”
I decide to wind Jase up a
bit. “I let your dad know you’ve been making up for lost time with the beers.”
I’m trying to keep a straight face.
“What the fuck, Chance? I
told Dad I have been behaving myself. Mom and Dad only let me come on this trip
as long as I behaved.”
I’m laughing out loud.
Sometimes it’s too easy playing with Jase. The look on his face, priceless.
“I’m only joking. I haven’t ratted you out. Harley was a lot wilder than you,
anyway. Trust me, you’re a saint compared to what he was getting up to at your
age.”
I finally get served, and we
haul the beers back to our table where Keanu, Levi, and Retro are waiting. We
do a salute with our beers before taking a drink.
It’s now around eleven-thirty,
and the crowd is thinning out a little. We’re all feeling pretty relaxed. We
have a crack of dawn surf we want to get in, and we need to drive an hour to
get to the spot; therefore, we are keeping ourselves on the right side of
sober.
Barely.
Keanu and Levi have wandered
off somewhere and Retro’s gone for another piss while Jase and I are chilling
and talking when, suddenly, there is a bit of commotion in the club. A young
Asian guy with a backpack has climbed up onto a table, screaming like a wild
man. I can’t understand what he’s saying; he’s not speaking English.
Jase is standing beside me,
shouting in my ear, “What the fuck is that guy’s problem?”
I’ve got no idea. He’s still
screaming wildly, his face is dripping with sweat, and he keeps wiping his face
on his sleeve. He’s angry and agitated with fear in his eyes, and he’s gulping
down air.
The young guy, who doesn’t
look much older than us, pulls something out of his pocket, holding it above
his head, waving it about. I wish I knew what he was yelling about.
Sensing something isn’t
right with this guy, the bar's crowd begins trying to move away, making their
way towards the entrance.
Seconds have ticked by.
I grab Jase and move him
away from the inevitable crush while I search the crowd for Levi, Retro, and
Keanu.
I shout over the music,
“Fuck! I can’t see where the others are.” I need to know where they are. Right.
Now.
It’s only been about twenty
seconds since the guy made himself known. I’ve moved us to the other side of
the bar, as far away as we can shuffle through the crowd from the crazy guy.
The front entrance is
getting a line up as people shove at others. In the few seconds we’ve grabbed,
I keep my eyes on him as we move. The kid is positively shaking. Then, his
thumb raises and starts to press down on the device in his hand.
Jesus!
I duck, grabbing a girl near
me around the waist and shoving both her and Jase behind a table and some
chairs. I try to cover them as much as I can, pushing their heads down.
Boom!
There is a loud explosion
that rocks our ear drums.
I look up from our crouched
position over the table top. Blood has rained down on us. It’s everywhere. Bits
of what I can only describe as flesh have landed on the table we are hiding
behind. There is a horrid, burnt smell in the air. People are crying out. The
girl with us has gotten up and blended into the crowd. Everyone is moving like
a herd of scared cattle towards the club entrance.
“Fuck. The guy blew himself
up. Fuck.” I’m talking almost to myself. I feel like I’m in a vacuum. I can’t
really hear. I can only stare.
I’m stunned by what just
happened. A lot of people tried to take cover like we did, yet I can see bodies
lying on the ground. Are they dead? There is blood and bits of flesh covering
people like a macabre abstract painting. It’s everywhere.
Where are the guys? I shake
a stunned Jase, and we get up from our crouched position. The music has been
drowned out by the screams and sounds of fear inside the club. I shake my head,
my ears continuing to ring.
As people push and shove
past us, I take stock of our surroundings. The explosion was enough to blow the
kid up and collect anybody within its radius of fallout.
What the fuck.
Was this a joke? Is this some staged prank? I’m having trouble believing what
I’m seeing.
Jase and I look at each
other.
I have to snap out of it.
What the fuck did this guy
do?
Why?
What the fuck!
“We need to find the guys
and get out of here,” Jase is shouting at me, the fear clearly evident in his
voice.
I rub my hand through my
hair, dislodging bits of gunk. I don’t want to think about what it is. “Can you
see the others?” I’m probably shouting back at him since I can’t hear myself
properly.
The rest of the crowd who
are still inside the bar have just woken up from their places of stunned
disbelief and are frantically trying to help their friends or the person
closest to them. They are as desperate as we are to get out of the club and to
safety. They know something is wrong. Very, very wrong. This is no longer the
happy place it was a few minutes ago.
I herd a group of crying
European girls I noticed earlier hanging out together tonight, splattered with
blood and other bits, towards the front entrance. “Go!” I tell the one who
looks the most with it. “Take your friends and get out of here. Get yourselves
some help. Just stick together.”
She nods slowly at me as she
pushes her friends out the door.
I look for Jase, finding him
grabbing some other girls, getting them to move and telling them not to look
back.
But I did.
Carnage is spread out like a
horror movie scene. The lighting in the club is a lot dimmer in parts, and
broken glass is everywhere, being crunched under foot. Tables and chairs have
been turned over, toppled in the panic. There is a bloody mess where the guy
had once stood. I try not to look too closely.
Why would a guy do that to
himself? It doesn't make sense
I can only hope the other
guys are safe. Where the fuck are they?
As fear fully sets in, the
remaining people in the bar are full-blown making a push-and-shove run for it. It's
not a good way to get through a narrow doorway. A couple of guys are smashing
the glass frontage with bar stools, trying to speed up the evacuation.
Everybody wants out.
I’m looking around for a
back exit. While there must be one, I can’t see a sign from where I’m standing.
When I hear a new wave of terrified screaming and crying, I turn to the front
of the club. A blue delivery van has been driven up to where the guys broke the
glass front.
“Fuck, what now?” I mumble.
A guy gets out and runs off,
leaving the car door open. There are still people trying to escape through the
broken windows near the van. If that van has what I think is in it, they won’t
stand a chance. This shit is real.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, Faith, Mom,
Dad,” I barely hear myself say. I know what’s coming.
I grab Jase and try to get
as far from the front of the bar as possible.
I’m sorry, Harley.
Anywhere, but the front.
I throw Jase in front of me,
and we push against the crowd. We make some distance, but not enough.
Retro, Levi, and Keanu, please be safe.
Then it happens.
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Thank you Kristina for posting my cover reveal. Much appreciated. I haven't got a web page yet for Emma so I come up as Novels On The Run :D
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