She was ready.
We were only waiting on me.
Good job! I texted back. She knew to meet me behind the storage facility in the getaway car.
When she sent back a winky face fifteen minutes later, I knew she was on her way. We’d figured out the code last night. Today, all we needed to do was execute our plan perfectly.
If they were watching us, they would still be waiting for us to leave our apartment.
We had no intentions of ever going back there again.
She pulled up behind the storage unit fifty minutes later wearing a blonde wig. She’d grabbed our bags from her trunk back at the apartment and managed to get a significant amount of cash from our multiple accounts and three of her uncle’s bars. They would see her later when they watched the security cameras and know she took the money, stole from them.
We would already be gone.
She tossed a red wig at me the second I sat down in the passenger’s side. I quickly put it on and grabbed a pair of oversized sunglasses.
“Where’s all the stuff?” she asked.
“Gone,” I whispered. “It’s all gone. It’s not there. I don’t know where he put it.”
She frowned at me and slammed on the gas. “Cell phones,” was her only response to Sayer’s betrayal.
We pulled out our phones and simultaneously tossed them out the windows on either side of the car. And that was it. The end of our lives in DC. The end of our employment with the Volkov brotherhood.
The end of everything.
“Do you hate him for taking your trophies?” Frankie asked later as we drove somewhere in Missouri.
“No,” I answered her honestly. “He made it easy to leave.”
She nodded. That made sense to her. It just wasn’t true. It didn’t make it easier to leave him. It would never be easier to leave him.
I wasn’t leaving because I wanted to. I left because I had to.
And someday I hoped he understood that.
Because if Sayer ever found me, there would be hell to pay for a plethora of sins.
The worst of which, he didn’t even know about yet.
Thank you so much for reading Constant! This book and these characters were a story that I had wanted to write for a while. I kept putting them off and putting them off because I didn’t think I had time for them and I was intimidated by the new genre and I wasn’t brave enough to tell this story and on and on and on went the excuses. Then one day I sat down to write a different book and Caroline Valera decided she had something to say. And we all know Caro tends to get what she wants. This world and these characters are some of my favorites ever. And I just want to take a minute to thank you for spending your time with them. This story has been a labor of love, a reminder of why I love to write and an exciting adventure that I hope you enjoyed. Consequence, the next book in this series, is the continuation of Sayer and Caroline’s story. It is another book that I didn’t plan to write initially, but it pretty much elbowed its way into my head and demanded that I give Sayer and Caroline a fuller, more complete tale. So that is what I plan to do. I cannot wait to give you the conclusion to this epic love story and hope you are anticipating it as much as me! Look for Consequence, coming February, 2018!
Oh, and sorry about that ending.
Consequence, the conclusion to Sayer and Caroline’s epic love story is coming!!! Look for it February 27th, 2018.
Five years ago, I escaped a dangerous life I had always wanted to leave. I got away. I found freedom. But it cost me the love of my life.
For five years I lived in hiding, protecting my most valuable secret while Sayer Wesley sat in prison paying for both our sins. I promised to love him forever. I promised to never leave him.
I broke my promises.
Five months ago Sayer found me.
Five weeks ago, I was forced to face my past.
Five days ago, someone took my daughter. They kidnapped her in order to make Sayer and me suffer. I will do anything to get her back. Even if that means coming clean to Sayer, letting him into my life and introducing him to our daughter.
All I wanted was to protect her from this life and now she’s right in the middle of the chaos. Sayer is the only one that can help me. He’s the only one that can get her back.
But it might mean losing him again.
Fifteen years ago, I fell in love with Sayer Wesley. Now I must pay the consequences for falling in love with a con man.
The Problem with Him coming June, 2018!
I’m over men.
I’m done with them.
Or at least the ones that work in my kitchen. Fine, one man in particular. Wyatt Shaw is cocky and condescending and so far out of his element that he doesn’t know which way is up. Or how to run his brand new kitchen all by himself.
That’s where I come in. Sous chef extraordinaire. Second in command. Bane of his existence. I am the reason Wyatt’s doing so well as the new executive chef of one of our city’s most prestigious restaurants. He has me to thank for his glowing accolades and five-star write-ups. Only if you were to ask him, he’d say I’m his biggest problem.
Despite his discouragement and bullish behavior, I’ve set two goals for myself.
The first? I’m going to fight my way to the top of this male-dominated industry and claim my own award-winning kitchen.
The second? I’m going to do whatever it takes to ignore Wyatt and his rare smiles and the thickening tension that’s started to simmer between us.
Wyatt Shaw might be Durham’s new shining star. He might be up for a James Beard Award. He might be my new boss and key to my future success, but he’s also in my way.
So he can keep his smoldering looks and secret kisses. And he can be the one that figures out how to make it through service without getting distracted by me.
I’m not the problem.
The problem is him.
Acknowledgments
To my God, who loves me wider and longer and higher and deeper than I deserve, more than I can even grasp. Who has given me this gift of writing so that I would know Him more, love Him deeper, trust Him for everything and fall on Him when I cannot stand.
To Zach, the instigator of self-publishing, the encourager of dangerous, out-of-my-comfort-zone, totally insane projects, the voice of reason, the bringer of calm, the depthless well of patience, the cheerleader in my panic, the biggest supporter of my dreams, the love of my life. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for being the man that you are.
To Stella, Scarlett, Stryker, Solo and Saxon, you are the joy of my life. I do this all for you. And I know that makes life chaos. And I know I forget all of the things. But to be fair, there are a lot of you and life would probably be chaos anyway. I love you, monsters.
To mom, I told you not to read this book!!! Also, thank you for all the babysitting. And for being the woman that inspired me to be hardworking and resilient and absolutely relentless. I’m just trying to be like you.
To Holly, without whom nothing would get done. And I mean nothing. You are the best assistant on the planet. Thank you for picking up all of my scattered pieces and organizing my mess and making me appear to be a functioning adult. Thank you for not only putting up with me, but for loving my characters as much as I do.
To Katie, Tiffany and Sarah Jo, thank you for three am business meetings and laughing until we cry. Thank you for speaking my language and loving me for who I am. Thank you for being friends I waited for all my life and aspiring to be old and wrinkled and in a commune with me some day. We make the best friends.
To Georgia, Shelly, Amy and Samantha, here we are almost seven years later and I can’t believe how far we’ve come! I knew nothing when I met you girls. And sometimes I still know nothing. But it helps to have you all to lean on. Thank you for holding my hand as I struggle through this life, thank you for offering advice and encouragement and consolation. Thank you for being incredible, beautiful, giving women that I am blessed to know. I would be lost without you al
l.
To Lenore, my favorite Canadian and the best beta reader ever to have lived. Thank you for getting my sense of humor and for loving the chapters of the past. Thank you for giving me reader updates so I don’t give myself an ulcer. And most of all thank you for anticipating the kind of human I am and always being ready for me. You are truly a blessing. I could not be the writer I am without you. One day, I will finally get to Canada and we will have our Lenore and Rachel’s Epic Canadian Adventure. #whycanteverybodybeLenore
To Amy Donnelly from Alchemy and Words. Your support and encouragement are just some of the reasons you are a phenomenal editor. I am so grateful for your editing eye and careful consideration of the entire story. You are gracious with me and forgiving and somehow put up with my hectic schedule and partial emails and chunks of books that never get finished on time. I am beyond honored to hand off something I care about so deeply to such a capable and established editor. Thank you for fixing my words, but for also keeping me sane.
To Caedus Design Co, thank you for this cover. Thank you for not listening to my opinions and doing whatever you want. You always know the best way to make a great cover. I trust you completely. And one day we might just get this whole release thing down! Although… I wouldn’t hold your breath.
To the Rebel Panel, thank you for your support and excitement. I just so appreciate all of your years of encouragement. Thank you for being ready for my ARCs whenever I can get them out. One day we will all get together and I know it will be the very best time.
To the bloggers and reviewers, your help and support means the world to me. I cannot thank you enough for spending your valuable time with my characters. To especially Natasha, Vilma and Maryse who have always gone above and beyond, who put up with my last minute emails and my totally scatterbrained mind, thank you for always being there, for always crafting the most thoughtful reviews and for being some of the best people I’ve had the pleasure to know.
To the reader, thank you for your time. It seems a simple enough thing to read a book, but for me, when you pick up one of mine and set aside time in your life to live in it, I am the receiver of an incredibly thoughtful, sacrificial gift. I could not do what I love if you did not read my books. I could not create these worlds and these characters and these stories if you did not choose my stories. I could not live out this dream job of mine without you. So I am forever and eternally grateful for the gift you give me every single day. I hope Constant was the book you were looking for. I hope Sayer and Caroline were the love story you wanted to read. And I so hope you will come back to experience their ending.
About the Author
Rachel Higginson was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days raising their growing family. She is obsessed with reruns of The Office and Cherry Coke.
Look for Consequence coming February 27th, 2018!
And The Problem with Him, an Opposites Attract novel coming June, 2018!
Other Books Out Now by Rachel Higginson:
Love and Decay, Season One
Volume One
Volume Two
Love and Decay, Season Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
Love and Decay, Season Three
Volume Six
Volume Seven
Volume Eight
Love and Decay: Revolution, Season One
Volume One
Volume Two
The Star-Crossed Series
Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)
Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 2)
Fearless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 3)
Endless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 4)
The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 5)
The Relentless Warrior (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6)
Breathless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6.5)
Fateful Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 6.75)
The Redeemable Prince (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 7)
The Starbright Series
Heir of Skies (The Starbright Series, Book 1)
Heir of Darkness (The Starbright Series, Book 2)
Heir of Secrets (The Starbright Series, Book 3)
The Siren Series
The Rush (The Siren Series, Book 1)
The Fall (The Siren Series, Book 2)
The Heart (The Siren Series, Book 3)
Bet on Love Series
Bet on Us
Bet on Me
Every Wrong Reason
The Five Stages of Falling in Love
Opposites Attract Series
The Opposite of You
The Difference Between Us
The Problem with Him coming June 2017
Connect with Rachel on her blog at:
http://www.rachelhigginson.com/
Or on Twitter:
@mywritesdntbite
Or on her Facebook page:
Rachel Higginson
Keep reading for an excerpt from Rachel’s contemporary romance, The Opposite of You.
Please enjoy an excerpt from The Opposite of You, an Opposites Attract Novel
Chapter One
“Beautiful.”
I turned my head and smiled at my best friend since fourth grade. “She is, isn’t she?”
Molly pushed her dark curtain of bangs back from her eyes, revealing her heart-shaped face and determined expression. “She better be after everything I’ve done for her.”
My heart stuttered in my chest, my pulse sped up and hammered excitedly beneath my skin. This was my baby. My life. And after today I was one step closer to opening. “You’ve done for her?”
Molly turned and her bright blue eyes widened, twinkling with humor. She waved her still wet paintbrush in the air. “To her. I meant to her.” Ignoring my glare, she brought her paintbrush back to her messy palette and swiped the tip in the gloopy paint. “You’d be nothing without me, babe. Who cares what kind of magic you can do inside the Shaggin’ Wagon? Nobody would be able to find you without my perfect signage.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Molly Maverick was a ridiculous person, and the only reason I still had my sanity after the past year.
“Can we not refer to my truck as the Shaggin’ Wagon? It makes me sound like a hooker.”
Molly’s sideways glance revealed her thoughts. “You could use some hookin’.”
I turned back to the fresh paint glinting in the sunlight, my whole body shivery with anticipation. “The smell.”
She snorted indelicately and paused her paintbrush midair. “What?”
“They’d find me by the delicious smell. Like little cartoon characters. They would follow their noses right here.” I pointed at the ground beneath my feet.
She tossed her head back, her long black hair dancing across her back, and laughed. “If you’re planning on also hooking, you might not want to advertise the delicious smells.”
I poked her arm. “You’re a pervert, Molly Maverick.”
“But you love me, Vera Delane.”
We shared a conspiratorial grin acknowledging both truths until the bright red lettering Molly had just finished painting on the side of my truck captured my attention once again. I couldn’t turn away from it. Or at least not for long. There was finality in naming something. And hope. Something burrowed in the action, pulled from the decision and conviction that said, “This is mine. I claim you.”
The fresh paint glistened against the silver siding. Most of the aluminum sparkled in the afternoon sun, except for the shaded part where my brand new black and white striped awning stretched along the row of windows, the frilly edges danced in the stifled summer breeze. The sliding line of windows were all clean corners and modern efficiency, but the rest of my newly acquired “wagon
” winked with a kitschy vintage vibe that I liked to think mirrored my style.
She really was beautiful. Only made more perfect by the bright splash of fresh red paint. My insanely talented friend was an artist by nature and a graphic designer by trade, but her true passion was painting. And she was absolutely incredible at it.
Which was why I felt no shame exploiting our friendship. Not that Molly had taken much convincing. She was the first person I’d shared my crazy food truck idea with, and she was also the first person to offer her help when I’d returned home.
Now her retro-inspired design on the side of my truck would attract customers from all over the plaza. My most optimistic fantasy pictured them stumbling drunkenly in droves from the bars and clubs that dotted the trendy part of downtown.
Hungry droves.
Probably wishful thinking, but I didn’t have much to hope for these days. My endeavor with Foodie the food truck was my last ditch effort to salvage the remnants of my career that had gone terribly wrong in the last few years. In fact, my truck—my very own food truck!—was pretty much all of my dwindled goals and remaining aspirations and savings all tied up into one final push.
If Foodie didn’t make it, I failed too.
Which meant what?
I stared at the name I’d carefully picked after months of planning and dreaming and hoping and tried to picture a realistic future if this desperate venture fizzled—or worse, if it went up in flames just like everything else I’d built my life on.