Domino EffectThe Sinclair O’Malley Series Book Three J.M. LeDuc Contents Also by J.M. LeDuc Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Acknowledgement Also by J.M. LeDuc Phantom Squad Series & Trilogy of the Chosen Cursed Blessing Cursed Presence Cursed Days Cornerstone Short Stories Phantom Squad: The Beginning Trilogy of the Chosen Sinclair O’Malley Thrillers SIN Painted Beauty Domino Effect (coming soon) Evil Awakened Series (YA Fantasy) Evil Awakened Spirits Collide Demons Rise (coming in 2020) Domino Effect By J.M. LeDuc DIGITAL EDITION PUBLISHED BY: J.M. LeDuc Copyright 2019 J.M. LeDuc Cover Design: Story Wrappers Cover Photographer: KD Ritchie All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. 1 As Becca regained consciousness, she pried her salt-encrusted eyelids open and tried to move, but the restraints on her wrists and ankles dug into her flesh. Lifting her chin off her chest, her sweat-matted hair stuck to her smeared mascara. She shook the last few strands of blond hair from her face and attempted to take a deep breath. Instead of air, she tasted her own spit which soaked the gag stuffed in her mouth. This had been the third time she remembered waking, but having been sedated most hours, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Her back and knees ached as she attempted to stretch her cramped muscles. Zip-tied to the chair, even the slightest movement caused the plastic to dig into her bloody, raw skin. Gagged and blindfolded, she used the senses she still had control of, smell and sound, to try and figure out where she was. She no longer smelled the overwhelming odor of diesel fuel or heard and felt the sound and vibration of a boat engine. There was no rocking or swaying. She thought she might be back on dry land. Where, Becca had no idea, but anywhere was better than being on the water. Her mind flipped to Pia. She wondered if her roommate was nearby. She hadn’t seen her since they were taken and didn’t even know if she was still alive. The unknowing was the hardest part. Inhaling again, she smelled mildew and weed. The smell of pot brought back memories of her last night of freedom. Memories she had played on a continuous loop since her captivity. It was their second night of Spring Break in Key West, and she and her roommate, Pia, were ready to party. They had spent part of the night dancing and drinking at Sloppy Joe’s before heading up Duval Street to check out the scene at Fat Tuesdays. That’s where they had met the guys. Becca remembered the bar being loud. Too loud to carry on a normal conversation. She just smiled when the guys smiled and laughed when they did. To be truthful, she was just happy looking at them. They reminded her of chocolate, one milk, the other dark; both good enough to eat. One of the guys, the one with the dreds, mentioned something about going to a Reggae club and maybe smoking a little weed. After an all-girl powwow in the ladies’ room, she and Pia accompanied the guys on a walk towards Mallory Square. She smiled sadly as she remembered watching Pia interact with the guy she now knew as Amani. She loved to watch Pia flirt. It was a social skill she hadn’t mastered, but it came natural to her roommate. Pia used to say that flirting was in her genes. She said it was like breathing in Italy. It was just part of life. Becca blinked away the thought of Pia as she continued to recount the events of that fateful night. She remembered feeling worried as they walked a couple of blocks down from Mallory Square, farther from the lights and sounds of Duval Street and their hotel. She was about to say something when she heard Reggae music streaming from around the corner. The music came from a building that looked more like a small bungalow than a club, but the illuminated Red Stripe sign hanging from the window, the cars and motorcycles parked out front, and the party that spilled out the door and into the parking lot helped calm her nerves. Inside the club, she relaxed. She remembered dancing and singing along to Bob Marley and the Wailers, No Woman No Cry, just before Amani and D’andre led her and Pia outside to smoke a joint. Standing on a boat dock, she watched as Pia took a hit. About to do the same, the alarm on her iPhone buzzed. Shocked at the time, she showed the illuminated screen to Pia, who was equally surprised. She told the guys they had to go, grabbed Pia’s hand, and began speed-walking up the dock. After a few steps, she realized something was wrong with her friend. With slurred speech, Pia mumbled incoherently. With awkward, choppy steps, Pia stumbled and fell. As she tried to help her roommate, she heard the approach of a boat but through the pitch-darkness of the moonless night saw nothing. That’s when she became truly frightened. Without thinking, she touched an icon on her phone and yelled that she needed help. Within seconds, a man brandishing weapons tore around the
