Daryl Devore’s From Despair to Ecstasy - Guilt consumes rock
star, Darien Scott, when he fails to save Erika Bailey's beloved drag queen
club. Can her love pull him back from the edge?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K8Z67QJ
Blurb –
Concerned for his
fiancée’s safety, rock star Darien Scott races to Bangkok to protect Erika
Bailey, only to discover his brother is missing. Fearing the worst, he contacts
his nemesis, Gan, and makes a repulsive deal that will free his brother and
protect Erika’s club, The Pink Flamingo. Or so he thinks. When a python and Gan
are involved, things go sour, and Darien sinks into a deep depression.
Erika is disheartened by the betrayal of her parents. Her father's
destruction of her club and the humiliation of her mother’s drunken behavior
have her feeling down, but those are the least of her worries. She has a
wedding to plan, but won’t. Having been betrayed too often, she’s scared to
trust Darien.
How can Erika prove to herself and Darien that she loves and trusts him?
Simple. All she has to do is jump out of a plane.
Excerpt
Sweat streamed off Darien’s brow. Some dripped into his eyes. It stung.
His heart throbbed against his ribs. Fire inched down his throat. Every muscle
in his body ached. His head pounded from the pandemonium. The explosions. The
screams. The pain threatening to split his skull. Dropping his head back, he
closed his eyes. His chest heaved as he gulped air. He needed a moment. Get
some strength back.
The screams grew louder.
Damn.
He inhaled and released a long breath.
They wanted him. He had to continue. To perform. Like a trained monkey. Do people even do that anymore? Train
monkeys? He peeled his eyes open. The glare of the overhead lights blazed
down at him. He lifted his head. The screams grew louder.
“Oh. So, you want more?”
But what if I don’t have any
more? What if I just can’t continue? Twelve weeks. Four shows a week. I’m beat.
The roar from eighty thousand Parisians was tumultuous. Fans yelled at
the top of their lungs. They pounded their feet on the floor, raising their
hands in the air, clapping. Glow sticks, cell phones, and lighters swayed like
flowers in a breeze.
He grinned. Eighty thousand Parisians and one fiancée. He glanced to his
left. Seated on the top stage step was Erika. She’d arrived minutes before the
show started. Just enough time for a passionate, but quick, hello kiss. He
needed more. He needed her, and he knew it. She smiled at him. He loved that
smile. He could stare at it all day. The way her soft lips curved up. A hint of
sassiness in her expression.
Just finish the show. Grab Erika
and run. Dodge the fans. And get out of here.
He looked out over the crowd. “But what if I’m too tired to continue?”
“No,” the crowd wailed.
He grinned. “Well, maybe I could go on if you told me you loved me.”
The cacophony of sounds was deafening. “Je t’aime. Love you.”
He lifted his hands. “Do you love me?”
“Oui. Yes.”
He ripped his black t-shirt over his head and threw it into the fans.
“Do. You. Love. Me?” He yelled out as he glanced at Erika.
She jumped up and down, screaming with the crowd.
“I can’t hear you.”
The building shook with the fans’ frenzy.
“Five. Six. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.”
Fireworks exploded. Lasers shot around the stadium. Cass, the drummer,
crashed the symbols as Darien spun, posed, inhaled a deep breath, then opened
his mouth to sing.
Follow Daryl Devore at – Twitter - @daryldevore
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