Sam's Sunday Snippet

A Hoale Lot of Trouble

This week's snippet is from my brand new M/M mystery, written under my alias, Declan Sands. Enjoy!

5 Stars from The Romance Studio: "The author has written this one so well I could have sworn I was part of the story as the characters felt like old friends. They are well drawn in a clever, solid plot that is very inviting."

Adam picked his way carefully through the prickly roses and stopped beside Walter, who was butt up, digging in the soft dirt. His cast was black halfway up his leg. “What are you looking for, buddy?”

Walter’s tail picked up steam and his upper body jerked as he tugged on something under the dirt. Adam trained the light on the spot but could only see Walter’s big head. 

Walter yipped excitedly, snatched at the loose dirt, then backed up and turned.

“Argh!” Adam jumped back. Walter had part of a skeleton clasped between his teeth. 

“Give me that, buddy!” Adam reached for the disgusting find and Walter took off, barking happily around the bones. “This is no time to play tag, Walter!” Adam turned to run after him, and something hard and unforgiving slammed into the side of his head, sending pain reverberating through his head. The last thing he was aware of was the frantic sound of Walter’s warning bark, before he plummeted toward the ground.

~~*~~

Something buzzed against his hip. Adam could feel the buzzing in the bones of his skull. 

Bzzzzt…pain…bzzzzt…agony…

He groaned and tried to smack the buzzing thing, his only wish to kill it dead. But his hand wouldn’t move. He tried to open his eyes but they didn’t work either. Some part of his brain told him he should panic. But Adam hadn’t climbed fully to consciousness yet so it felt like a dream. 

The buzzing finally stopped but the sound of nails on a blackboard followed. Adam groaned, wishing he could rub his head. It was screaming. Pain clawed across his skull with jagged fingers. 

The scratching sound increased and someone yelled, “Mark, Mark!”

Adam started to fall back into hazy darkness, preferring oblivion to the screeching pain and the inconsiderate ass calling for the unknown Mark. 

A while later he thought he opened his eyes. The chipmunk was sitting on his chest, its little nose quivering. Adam squinted, “What the hell?”

The chipmunk’s tiny paws lifted off its chest. Then it opened its mouth and asked, “You seen Mark?”

Adam’s battered brain scurried back to oblivion. 

When he woke for real, the first thing he was really aware of was heat. So much of it. Sweltering, broiling heat that pulsed off the walls and drew moisture from his skin. His clothes were soaked, his skin slimy with sweat.

His head still screamed but, unfortunately for him he was fully conscious so he could really enjoy the pain. Adam tried to sit up but his hands wouldn’t separate. He twisted his arms and realized they’d been bound together behind him. His shoulders ached from the unnatural position. He quickly realized his ankles were bound too. The scrape of cloth on his face explained why his eyelids wouldn’t open. 

His mouth felt like cotton. Probably because it was stuffed with it. He tried screaming against the gag but not much came out. In the distance he heard pounding and the screech of electric saws. The familiar sounds of construction. His crew was already on the job. Which meant it was after seven am. 

Good god! He’d been unconscious all night?

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