He shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable. I save your life, and you call me names.”
“I called you a jerk. That’s one name. Learn to count.”
“Why’d you do it?” He adjusts his hat and tilts his head. His eyes are filled more with concern than annoyance now.
The guy is flipping gorgeous, but in the most down-to-earth way imaginable.
It’s infuriating.
“What’s so awful that a pretty girl like you wants to end it all?”
Pretty? Me? The guy obviously needs glasses. Maybe they flew off when he ruined my plans.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Not to you.” I fold my arms.
“Hey, I saved your life. The least you could do is tell me why you were going to throw it all away.”
I sigh as dramatically as I can. Seriously, I really draw it out and even manage a slight eye roll. Maybe I should’ve gone into acting. Too late for that. For anything, really.
There will be another train.
I ignore the hottie and storm toward the tracks. “This time I’m going to get it right.”
He jumps between me and the tracks. “And if I don’t let you?”
“You’re going to try to stop me again?”
“Yeah.” He knits his brows together, clearly daring me to try and stop him.
Why does he have to be so attractive? It’s aggravating.
I clench my fists. “I’ve fought off guys bigger than you.”
He arches a brow. “Really?”
“You’d better believe it. Wanna try me?” I step closer, ready to kick him where the sun doesn’t shine for messing up my plans. I should be all over those tracks, yet here I am just arguing with a mysterious guy who shows up out of nowhere.
He steps back with a little laugh. “Okay, I believe you. Hey, why don’t we grab something to eat?”
I just stare at him. He can’t be for real. “You want to get some lunch? After this?”
“I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I didn’t bring any money.” I need to get rid of him so I can catch the next train. It’ll be another fifteen minutes. Yes, I checked. Just in case something went wrong. I’m prepared.
He shrugs. “I have money. Come on.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he said. “Now you want to pay for my meal?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
“What? Am I your charity case for the day?”
He doesn’t move a muscle.
My stomach growls. Loudly.
He chuckles and rubs the light dusting of facial hair across his cheeks. “Sounds like you could use something to eat.”
“What I need is the next train!”
Why did I admit that to him?
“Let’s get something to eat. You don’t even have to tell me why you’re out here. Just eat the food, and sit there being furious at me for saving your life. Sound like a plan?”
I clench my jaw, not wanting to give into him. My stomach rumbles again. Why did he have to bring up food?
“Well?” The corners of his perfect mouth twitch. He finds me amusing.
“Fine.” I may as well get a meal for my trouble.
There will be other trains. And looking at this guy won’t be the worst way to spend my last hour.
Read more here.
Author’s Note
Thanks so much for reading Against All Odds. I’ve been wanting to write a book with a school shooting for a while now. Not because I want to take advantage of a popular topic, but because I often work through issues by writing them out into a fictional story. Hopefully reading provides a similar experience for you, as well.
I did my best to handle the subject matter with care. I find it incredibly disheartening that this happens. The worst I ever experienced in school were kids pulling the fire alarm and the occasional fake bomb threat. We had one lockdown drill when I was a senior in high school. Now kindergarteners have those drills. It’s just sad. This sort of thing should be the furthest thing from the mind of any child.
My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of shootings and their families and friends.
I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is to join my mailing list (link below) and reply to any of the emails.
Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That’s it.
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Other Books
If you enjoy reading outside the thriller genre, you may enjoy some of Stacy Claflin’s other books. She is a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex characters overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through bringing an experience readers don’t soon forget.
The Gone Saga
The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over
Dean’s List
No Return
Alex Mercer Thrillers
Girl in Trouble
Turn Back Time
Little Lies
Against All Odds
Don’t Forget Me
Curse of the Moon
Lost Wolf
Chosen Wolf
Hunted Wolf
Broken Wolf
Cursed Wolf
Secret Jaguar
Valhalla’s Curse
Renegade Valkyrie
Pursued Valkyrie
The Transformed Series
Main Series
Deception
Betrayal
Forgotten
Ascension
Duplicity
Sacrifice
Destroyed
Transcend
Entangled
Dauntless
Obscured
Partition
Standalones
Fallen
Silent Bite
Hidden Intentions
Saved by a Vampire
Sweet Desire
The Hunters
Seaside Surprises
Seaside Heartbeats
Seaside Dances
Seaside Kisses
Seaside Christmas
Bayside Evenings
Bayside Promises
Bayside Destinies
Bayside Opposites
Bayside Dreams
Short Story Collection
Tiny Bites
Standalones
Haunted
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Reunion
Love’s First Kiss
More coming soon!
Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.
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Did you love Against All Odds? Then you should read Tiny Bites by Stacy Claflin!
A lost love. An impossible decision. A second chance. Multiple genres collide in a compilation featuring a dozen short stories from USA Today bestselling author Stacy Claflin! The Gone Series. The Transformed Series. The Seaside Hunter Series. Author Stacy Claflin has en
tertained readers in a variety of genres, from suspense to paranormal to sweet romance. For the first time ever, you can get a taste of Claflin's multi-genre talent all in one collection: Tiny Bites. Tiny Bites is a compilation of short stories that can stand alone from their individual series. If you like vivid imagination, powerful heroines, and page-turning pace, then you'll love Stacy Claflin's multi-genre collection. The collection is over 75,000 words – the length of a good-sized novel. It includes: -3 new Transformed short stories: The Volunteer, Eaten by Wolves, Returned -3 new Seaside Hunters shorts: Seaside Beginnings, Seaside Memories, and Seaside Treasures -3 new shorts from the Gone series: Research, Desperate, and A Very Dysfunctional Christmas -1 new standalone short story: Monsters-5 previously-published stories -Bonus Content: Character interviews, Deleted Scenes, "Best of" excerpts, and more! Read Tiny Bites to start your snack-sized stories today!
Also by Stacy Claflin
An Alex Mercer Thriller
Girl in Trouble
Turn Back Time
Little Lies
Against All Odds
Don't Forget me
Bayside Hunters
Bayside Opposites
Curse of the Moon
Lost Wolf
Chosen Wolf
Hunted Wolf
Broken Wolf
Cursed Wolf
Secret Jaguar
Fall Into Romance
Lost in Romance
Gone
Gone
Held
Over
The Gone Trilogy
Dean's List
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Reunion
The Hunters
Seaside Surprises
Seaside Heartbeats
Seaside Dances
Seaside Kisses
Seaside Christmas
Bayside Wishes
Bayside Evenings
Bayside Promises
Bayside Destinies
The Hunters: A Collection
The Transformed
Deception
Betrayal
Forgotten
Ascension
Duplicity
Sacrifice
Destroyed
Transcend
Entangled
Dauntless
Obscured
Partition
Fallen (The Transformed Prequel)
Silent Bite: A Transformed Christmas
Hidden Intentions
Saved by a Vampire
Sweet Desire
Valhalla's Curse
Renegade Valkyrie
Pursued Valkyrie
Standalone
The Transformed Series - Four Books
The Transformed Box Set
No Return
Tiny Bites
Haunted
Dex
When Tomorrow Starts Without me