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New Island, Charleston~ 16 years earlier
“People say you were just born bad. That’s an excuse I refuse to believe. We all have a tendency for bad, but it takes nourishing to flourish. Greed is what nourished you after your mother died. Lord knows I tried to be there for you, but greed was what you thrived on, wasn’t it Bron?”
Bronson Guthrie V maintained his belligerent look. This, despite the fact that he hung by his fingernails along the cliffs of New Island that raised it above the Atlantic.
“And what would people say about the badness of being left to grapple for one's life along the edge of a goddamn cliff?” Bron demanded through clenched teeth.
Binta smiled, but there was no humor and even less warmth. “I also told you that the tendency for badness rests in us all. Greed didn’t put you here, but finding you here is very satisfying. I only wish I’d been the one to put you in this position for what you did, long before what happened to those children.
You killed her, didn’t you? Carlotta was leaving you- taking Fray-”
“That bitch was free to go when she wanted, but not with my boy,” Bron snarled.
“Mmm...” Bin nodded. “And how’s your relationship been with your boy since?”
“I owe that to you, Aunty.”
“Oh you’re welcome and don’t worry, I plan to make sure he keeps on becoming everything you’re not.”
Bron’s rebuttal to his aunt’s promise, never hit the air. Instead, one final whoosh followed the sound of Binta’s shoe connecting with her nephew’s upturned face.
The blow sent Bronson Guthrie toward the active waves that thrashed about glistening boulders. They silenced the man’s screams when he made contact.
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Dear Reader,
First of all, thank you for spending time with the Guthries, Taylors and the rest of New Island, Charleston. Many of you have heard authors talk about the stories (or the ideas) that wake them in the middle of the night. The ideas that won’t stop nagging until they have been fleshed out. Those of you who have been with me from the beginning, have heard me say this more than once.
Tradition is one of those stories. I’ll admit that I was at first hesitant on how best to present this story. Frayzer and Ellia had been torn apart by a horrific event-far more horrific than any I’ve put before my previous couples. How could they ever find their way back to one another? I hope that you were captured as much as I was by their journey.
The journey is not over. There is more to be revealed as we become entangled in the heartbreak of our next couple Zyon Hammond and Moira Croix. As you have probably already determined, Moira has no intention of making the journey an easy one for Zyon. Zyon however, doesn’t plan on losing his nerve...or the woman he loves-again.
Thank you for making space for me & this trilogy on your shelves. It’s a privilege I treasure.
Blessings,
Al
altonya@lovealtonya.com
www.altonyasblog.wordpress.com
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