“The very definition of shoo-in… the man can go all the way.”
And while he knew he stood there partly because of his name and pedigree, he also knew his name was the gift that would allow him to begin clean and stay clean, to do some good in the world without having to sell his soul for the chance.
Then the applause rose as the senator’s voice boomed through the park, and Will jogged out onto the platform—and onto the national stage: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the next governor of Massachusetts— Will Sullivan.”
At home that night, the applause still rang in Will’s ears as the sun went down in fiery glory outside their Tudor mansion in the woods.
He remembered Joanna taking Sydney upstairs; the backward look she gave him: heart-stopping, full of promise.
And the phone had rung—Jerry, his campaign manager, rhapsodizing about national news coverage and polling points.
Then the moment Will had visualized over and over, that haunted his dreams: Sydney and Joanna singing together in the steamy bathroom, where Joanna bathed Sydney in the clawfoot tub, their faces shining, dewy with sweat. And then Sydney flinching in pain, pulling away from the sponge.
Joanna’s surprise, her frown, as her fingers moved tentatively over her daughter’s stomach…her jolt as she felt the hard, alien bulge there…
While downstairs, Will listened to Jerry, knowing that nothing is certain, that the race had just begun, but for a moment allowing himself the dream…
…and Jerry’s words on the phone: “Nothing can stop us now…”
Then Joanna standing in the doorway, holding Sydney, dripping in a towel.
And Will dropping the phone.
And seeing that his life as he knew it was over, as he looked into the terror in Joanna’s eyes.
Books By Alexandra Sokoloff
Available at Amazon.com
THE HARROWING
THE PRICE
THE UNSEEN
BOOK OF SHADOWS
THE SPACE BETWEEN
THE SHIFTERS (Book 2 of THE KEEPERS trilogy)
THE KEEPERS QUARTET (with Heather Graham and Harley Jane Kozak)
SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS
WRITING LOVE (Screenwriting Tricks For Authors II)
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a screenwriter, Alexandra Sokoloff has sold original horror and thriller scripts and written novel adaptations for numerous Hollywood studios. Her debut ghost story, THE HARROWING, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and an Anthony award for Best First Novel. Her second supernatural thriller, THE PRICE, was called “Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre” by the New York Times Book Review. THE UNSEEN is based on real-life experiments conducted at the Rhine parapsychology lab on the Duke University campus, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a cynical Boston cop and a beautiful, mysterious witch from Salem in a race to solve a Satanic killing. Alex is also the author of two writing workbooks based on her internationally acclaimed workshop and blog: SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS. She writes erotic paranormal on the side, including THE SHIFTERS, Book 2 of THE KEEPERS trilogy, and the upcoming FATES trilogy. In her spare time (!) she is an avid dancer.
http://screenwritingtricks.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the creative contributions and encyclopedic knowledge of Kimball Greenough.
Eternal love and gratitude are also due:
My family, Alexander, Barbara, Elaine, and Michael, for their constant support and inspiration.
My awesome editor, Ben Sevier at St. Martin’s, for making this happen and for general magnificence, and Jenness Crawford, for all her help.
Frank Wuliger, Scott Miller, Brian Lutz, and Sarah Self, for their expert representation.
Brad Anderson, Channing Dungey, and Jorge Saralegui, for their creative input and good company.
The Westside Writers Group, under the direction of the most excellent Sid Stebel, for getting me here.
The Book Club: Diana, Karl, Rebecca, Tom, Elaine, Dana, Obb, and Franz, for making it be about books.
The Coven, for the magic.
And all my Berkeley posse—you know who you are—just because.
Copyright
Kindle Edition
Copyright 2011 by Alexandra Sokoloff
Original Copyright 2006 by Alexandra Sokoloff
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Elaine Sokoloff
For more information about the author, please visit http://alexandrasokoloff.com
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