Lost Girl
Holly Kammier
(A Shelby Day Novel)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: January 5th 2020
Genres: Romance, Suspense, Young Adult
AN APPALLING ACT OF VIOLENCE AND AN UNSOLVED DOUBLE MURDER.
SMALL-TOWN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, SHELBY DAY, IS DETERMINED TO HUNT A KILLER.
As her search draws closer to uncovering the twisted truth, she begins receiving ominous warnings to stay quiet and drop the story. The young journalist is in danger. Her cameraman and best friend, a person with his own secret past, says he wants to protect her. But Shelby is headstrong and dodging anything that could lead to love. She can’t allow anyone to distract her as she fights for the two women who deserve justice.
She never expects along the way she’ll have to stop and save herself.
Ticktock… If Shelby doesn’t solve the crime soon, she’ll become the killer’s next victim.
“Lost Girl is a compulsive thrill-ride that reads as if it’s been pulled straight from the headlines. Kammier’s journalism background brings undeniable authenticity to a novel that has it all– a love story, a murder mystery, and a real-life introduction into the distinctive world of television news.”
-CAROLINE MITCHELL, New York Times best-selling author
This book is for anyone who loves:
Young Adult love stories
Murder Mystery
Redemption
Books with journalism elements
Intended for a mature YA audience
Fans of Veronica Mars, In The Woods, and One Of Us Is Lying, will love this novel.
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Chapter 11
He held steady eye contact as he handed the water bottle back. “You obviously miss LA, you talk about it all the time.”
“I do. It’s my home. I love it there.” An animal rustled in the foliage. I shoved the water into my pack and pushed my foot on the pedal, giving it everything I had.
“It’s kind of a superficial place.” He pedaled with ease and caught up to me.
“Los Angeles? That’s part of its charm.” I laughed. “Where else will you meet a woman who got plastic surgery on her feet to please her boyfriend?”
“What? I don’t believe that!”
“She’s real, she was my mom’s friend. It’s crazy, right?” My head started to feel dizzy, and I needed to stop again. “I gotta take a break.” I stepped off my bicycle and walked it. “I’m sorry I’m so lame. You keep going.”
He paced himself by moving up and down beside me. “The air is thinner up here. It can tire you out quicker.”
“Oh, good.” I rolled my eyes at my own weakness. “I thought it might be that I was completely out of shape. That and I’m feeling the little buzz I get right before I have a panic attack. Don’t worry though. If I pay attention and breathe, sometimes I can push it away.”
“Did something I say trigger you?”
“No, sometimes they just happen.”
“How often?”
I sucked in deeper breaths, trying to force down oxygen as I pushed my bike upwards, struggling against gravity’s pull. “Often enough. Meds help, but it’s always there. My whole family is the same way. I swear it’s like Jew disease. PTSD in our DNA. We’re all carrying on the suffering of our ancestors.”
“Why’d you pick such a stressful job if you’re so anxious all the time?”
“I’m a mess no matter what. Might as well do what I want.”
He smiled with enthusiasm. “That’s a great attitude.”
“It’s survival. If I start wussing out on something impor tant because I’m afraid, fear might swallow up my whole life. I’ll always do what scares me. It’s my motto.” My breathing grew shallower. Sweat dripped down my forehead and stung my eyes.
Jack stopped his bike, pulled out a tissue and handed it to me. “Let’s turn around. I didn’t realize how steep this trail was. We can find a place downtown to get a drink.”
“Refreshing.” I smiled.
“All right, let’s do it.” He pointed his front tire downhill and waited for me to do the same.
“Okay,” I agreed, “but please go ahead of me. I know you want to fly and I’d rather take it slow.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Go!”
Jack grinned widely before he shot off like an Olympian, his long light-brown legs pumping hard. I squeezed the brakes. After a small pep-talk, I made myself brave and let go. The wind whooshed past my face, my arms straining against the intense rush of freedom, then I tamped back down.
“Shelbs, hold up,” Jack called out, heading back in my direction with a worried look on his face.
“Why’d you turn around? I’m fine.”
“Stay right next to me,” he demanded. I slammed on my brakes and looked at Jack. His blue eyes focused on the path in between the trees, unwavering and vicious. “There’s two guys down the road. One of them’s got a pair of crutches and he doesn’t need them.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, wiping away the dirt sticking to my face.
“I saw them hanging out at the bottom of the trail when we first took off. They were both walking just fine. Now they’re hanging out down there, one on each side of the trail. Something’s not right.”
My mind flashed to the menacing notes taped to my door. The dead rose in my glovebox. Maybe this was a good thing. I could finally confront the predator who’d been stalking me.
“Stay right next to me,” he ordered again. “We’ll ride down together.”
My heart raced with adrenaline. As we rounded a turn, the two men came into view. One, a skinny man with a wifebeater draped over his paper white skin and cheap tattoos. He sat on a rock, holding a metal crutch out at arm’s length, the foot of it smashed into the dirt. The second guy was bigger, dreadlocks tied behind a bandanna on his head. The duo looked like homeless thugs.
I slowed my speed, biting hard into my lower lip, no longer confident Jack and I could take them.
“What do I do?” I spoke barely above a whisper.
“We go,” Jack’s voice boomed, deep and aggressive.
Every piece of me sensed danger. My vision blurred into slow motion. I could taste the salt on my lips, hear the ringing in my ears. “Do it,” my voice demanded. I jerked my foot down harder and pumped fast and furiously.
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Author Bio:
Co-owner of Acorn Publishing, the UCLA honors graduate is an accomplished content editor/writing coach (her authors have gone on to become USA Today best-sellers and a New York Times best-seller). With a background in journalism, Holly Kammier has worked everywhere from CNN in Washington, D.C. and KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, to the NBC affiliate in small-town Medford, Oregon.
She is the best-selling author of the novel, Kingston Court (Acorn Publishing 2015), and Could Have Been Hollywood, a memoir. Holly recently published her third book, Choosing Hope, a harrowing story of passion and deceit, and the things we do for love. Her next novel, the YA Romantic Suspense, Lost Girl, is scheduled for release in early 2020.
Holly resides in her hometown of San Diego, California, close to family and friends. An avid reader with a passion for timeless books and beautiful writing, she also enjoys long walks, romantic movies, and pink peonies.
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