Don't Let Go: 1
A Thriller
Author’s Note: Welcome to Don’t Let Go, an original mystery/thriller/romance novel of which I’ve already written 61k words. It’s a standalone unrelated to any of my series, and Substack feels like a great place to share it. I’ll be posting it alongside Inherent Violence, one chapter at a time. Some of you might remember that I shared a few chapters of it last year on my blog, and I’ve decided to see the book through to the finish.
Happy reading!
1
An employee in a pin-bedecked ID lanyard claps her hands and then cups them around her mouth to yell, “Attention, shoppers! TBR is now closed! Please collect your final purchases and make your way to the register!”
Avery glances up from the page she’s signing with a start. “It’s ten already?”
“Yes,” her publicist, Trish, says with a gusty sigh and a fast check of her Apple watch. “Thank God.” She then turns a severe smile on the last fan in line that leaves the woman blinking and stepping back. That’s Trish: punctual, organized to a fault, a hell of a hard worker…terrible with people. “No offense, ma’am. We hope you enjoyed the signing.” She gives a little shoo motion with the flats of her hands.
The woman, mid-fifties, plump and sweet-faced in a way that reminds Avery of her late grandmother, clutches at her purse and swaps a bewildered look between Trish and Avery. “Oh, um, well, yes,” she stammers. To Avery: “The reading was really wonderful. I loved the new chapters—”
“Super,” Trish says, and bends over the signing table to start stacking up spare bookmarks and post cards. Without looking at the woman, she adds, “Be sure to mark your calendar for the next release: March fifth. Thanks so much for coming.”
Avery frowns, not that Trish sees it, too busy boxing swag.
Avery smiles up at the fan and says, “We’re not in a hurry. Would you like a photo?”
The woman’s face lights up.
Trish sighs again, long-suffering.
