Woohoo! Today I get to share with you an excerpt of Surrender! (Note: This excerpt has been line edited, but final copy editing is in-progress). 🙂

Surrender by Aimee Laine

Hope you like it!

A car horn blasted Cael Aldridge’s eardrums as he raced into oncoming traffic. His hands reached the hood of a sedan before his body slammed into the side. He bounced off but kept his footing and spun away, ignoring the driver yelling through the window.

No more than twenty paces had separated Cael from the man he sought.

The bump into the car gave his target an additional ten.

Cael focused every ounce of energy he could into lengthening his stride. With longer muscle fibers and increased lung capacity, his endurance grew, and the distance between himself and his prey shrunk again.

Roy Marlow could not get away.

The ding of a doorbell sounded to Cael’s left an instant before a woman exited a doorway laden with shopping bags.

Cael swung around a black metal light pole to avoid her. Even that millisecond of a detour gave Roy a greater lead. A deep breath added more build to Cael’s hamstrings and thighs. The exhale came with a slap to his side-piece—just in case.

Determination filled him as only one town block remained before Roy could dart left or right, and Cael would lose him.

Again.

Black dress shoes slapped against concrete as he pressed forward, breathing in small, shallow gulps, concentrating his efforts on closing the distance.

Scenery blurred.

Sounds passed in a rush of air.

Friends went by ignored.

The only person Cael wanted to talk to came in the form of a five-foot male who somehow managed to disappear anytime he zipped around a corner.

As Roy made it to the intersection, a black FBI-issue pulled up along the curb, screeching tires and scattering the few people who stood in wait for permission to walk across.

Two doors burst opened, releasing bodies from within.

No different than a cartoon character, Roy skidded to a halt, pivoted and darted straight back toward Cael. As their gazes met, Roy stopped again. His head darted back and forth between the car and Cael before Roy ran straight into the road.

Horns blasted.

The screech of tires rang out.

A scream came from somewhere behind Cael as he slipped between two other vehicles, dancing his way into the road. Roy had already impaired traffic enough for Cael to avoid another run in. He pushed off from the back of a slow-moving car and raced toward Roy.

At any point, Roy could have snuck inside a store or jumped a car and become as invisible as a scrap of dust. That he continued on meant the game had to be played, and Cael refused to lose.

Again.

Roy hit the opposite corner of the intersection as a silver hot-dog cart with a bright, neon pink umbrella appeared in his path, and his entire body slapped against the metal contraption before he fell backward to the ground.

The cart tipped, pink arcing like a rainbow on its way down as bread and cans flipped from the top surface, dumping its contents to the side.

Cael overtook Roy and slammed to a halt, a wide grin on his face. Breathless, Cael stood over the man he’d pursued for a month at least, but he’d known of for years. “Hello, Roy.”

[snip…]

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