Death Displacement: A time travel romantic thriller Read online

  Death Displacement

  Holly Copella

  Copyright © 2014 Holly Copella

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0986441651

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9864416-5-3

  To my sister, Denise--

  For enduring years of endless plots, characters, and storytelling

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Copella Books: First Paperback Edition June 2015

  Cover Artist: Lori

  SelfPubBookCovers.com/Lori

  Printed by CreateSpace, An Amazon.com Company

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Other books by Holly Copella!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter One

  The forest was peaceful in the early morning. It was a crisp, clear morning leading into another sunny, warm day. The weather was perfect for the couple’s early morning hike. A meek looking man in his early forties, Hayes Dante, walked along the worn path on the steep hillside with an attractive, dark-haired woman in her early twenties, Riley Jericho. Hayes, a well-respected curator for the local museum, looked almost out of place in the rugged wooded setting. Looks were deceiving though. Despite his city boy appearance, Hayes’ reputation as an archaeologist and world explorer was well-established among his peers. Riley, his young assistant, had been at his side longer than anyone could remember. Despite having graduated college just one year earlier, she’d been a permanent fixture around the museum long before Hayes was hired as curator. Her youthful appearance led most to believe she was a naïve little girl, but behind those pretty brown eyes was a woman of great intelligence that none could deny.

  Hayes appeared to be soaking in the atmosphere of the majestic, serene woodlands. A grin was chiseled onto his face. His resemblance of an evil mastermind was almost frightening. “This is nice; just the two of us.”

  Riley eyed him sharply from where she walked alongside him and appeared suspicious. Obviously, she knew the evil mastermind better than most. “Please tell me you didn’t leave her behind just to get me out here alone.”

  He appeared humored by the comment and cast a sideways look at her. He was grinning a little too much. “To do what? Seduce my lovely, barely legal assistant?” he asked then chuckled while casually taking in his surroundings. “A lovely image, but I’m not that devious.” He then appeared curious and again looked at her. “You are legal, aren’t you?”

  Riley hid her smile in an attempt to discourage his bad behavior, but she obviously didn’t mind. “Your cracks about my age are becoming old,” she scoffed then smiled teasingly, “you know, sort of like you.”

  He chuckled to the comment. “Oh, that’s a new one.”

  Hayes’ feelings for his young, attractive assistant were no secret. She knew; he knew; the entire museum knew. Rather than pretend his feelings didn’t exist, they preferred the obvious jokes about it. There was speculation that he felt fatherly toward her, but that simply wasn’t the case. He’d been in love with her since she was barely legal. She’d spent most of her life hanging out at the museum and charmed her way into his once cold existence. She changed his life in every possible aspect. Some might argue that she acquired her position as his assistant because he was so much in love with her, but no one could deny Riley’s knowledge and love for the museum. It was her second home since she was a little girl. They walked several minutes in silence. Hayes continued to take in the scenery. Riley glanced at her older boss several times, and her mood seemed to change drastically. She suddenly became uncomfortable, but he hadn’t even noticed.

  “How much longer?” Riley asked, finally breaking the silence, and looked anywhere but at her boss.

  Hayes removed the map from his pocket and examined it with great seriousness. “Well, according to the innkeeper’s map, we’re over halfway to the cave,” he informed her. With the way he studied the map and the arching of his brows, he was undoubtedly calculating mathematical equations in his head. “We’ll be there in under an hour.”

  Riley grabbed Hayes’ arm and abruptly stopped him. He appeared surprised by her forcefulness as he looked up from his map and was about to question it when rocks slid out from beneath his feet. He looked down. The trail was completely washed away, leaving a deep, ten-foot wide crevice. The crevice was rocky and led down a frightening thirty-foot embankment. It would have definitely been a wrong step.

  Hayes appeared horrified as he stared into the drop. “Is that what the innkeeper meant by a little washed out?”

  Riley uncertainly looked around and appeared defeated by their lack of options. The hillside above them was equally steep as the hillside below them.

  “I don’t see any way around it,” she informed him while groaning softly then studied his serious profile. “It’s your call, Hayes.”

  Hayes assessed the surrounding area then the crevice itself. There were several larger, secure boulders just four feet below. “We’ll need to take our time crossing,” he informed her and returned the map to his pocket.

  “Are you sure?” she asked and appeared tense. She gave him a firm look then attempted to hide her insecurities by teasing with him. “You’re not nearly as spry as you used to be.”

  Hayes rolled his eyes with his disgust evident. “I was rock climbing before you were born,” he scoffed. “You just try and keep up with me, little girl.”

  Her comment had obviously offended him. He usually reserved the ‘little girl’ name-calling for only special occasions. She didn’t actually mean to offend him; she just didn’t like the way the drop looked. It didn’t seem safe. Hayes climbed down the four-foot drop to the rocky crevice then extended his hands to Riley. She smiled at her chivalrous boss.

  “You’re such the gentleman,” Riley teased.

  She placed her hands on his shoulders and allowed him to hold onto her waist while assisting her coordinated jump into the gully. She landed on the large rock with him. He kept his hands on her waist longer than he should and grinned slyly.

  “I’d rather be tall,” he replied.

  Hayes held her hand
as they carefully walked across the larger rocks to the other side. He obviously took it upon himself to look after his young assistant. Or perhaps he just enjoyed holding her hand. Smaller rocks tumbled down from the steep hillside above. Hayes must have felt the urgency and pulled her along more quickly. A thunderous rumble vibrated the ground and shot fear through them both. Riley looked up the hillside. Hayes suddenly grabbed her and forcibly shoved her up onto the ledge above them. She rolled from her hip onto her knees and reached for his extended hand. Their fingers touched. A landslide of rocks struck Hayes and took him down the embankment. Riley screamed and watched in horror as he tumbled among the rocks and vanished within the cloud of dirt. There was a moment of eerie silence. As the dust cleared, only rocks and dirt were visible below. Riley stared paralyzed only a moment before jumping from the ledge after him. She slid down the embankment, lost her footing, and tumbled several feet. A whirlwind of rocks was all Riley saw before striking the bottom. She lie motionless a moment from possible pain to every inch of her body. She slowly moved to her knees and could barely see through the blood running past her eye. She bled profusely from a deep gash above her blood-soaked eye and down her cheek. Despite the blood soaking her eye, she scanned the area.

  “Hayes! Hayes!” Riley cried out.

  There was no response. All sounds appeared to cease. Even the sounds from the forest were mysteriously silent. A dirty, bloodied hand was seen between some rocks. Riley hurriedly tossed rocks aside despite her own bleeding, cut hands. She removed a majority of the rocks surrounding Hayes’ head and chest. Hayes didn’t move and was soaked in dirt and blood. Beyond the thick layer of dirt, his severe chest injuries were frightening. He was seemingly crushed beneath the rocks. Riley gently attempted to wake him while fighting her tears.

  “Hayes?”

  He didn’t respond. Riley removed her backpack and pulled out the hand radio. She pressed the talk button.

  “Hello? Hello? I need help!”

  There was no response or even sound from the radio. Riley stared at the radio and appeared stunned. Hayes suddenly gasped and coughed up blood.

  Riley grasped his hand and moved closer to him. “Hayes, can you hear me?”

  Hayes opened his eyes but appeared weak and pale. “Riley?” he wheezed and attempted to look at her. “Are you okay?”

  She stared at him with the fear evident in her eyes then quickly sprang into action. “I’m going to get you out of here,” she said firmly with renewed determination and began tossing aside more rocks. “Can you move?”

  “The radio--”

  She stopped moving rocks and looked at him as if the world had ended. Reality was setting in. “It’s not working,” she replied softly while fighting her tears.

  “Go back to the inn,” he weakly said.

  She again took his hand, this time holding it between both of hers. “I won’t leave you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he gently told her. “It doesn’t even hurt. Go get help.”

  Riley stared at Hayes’ injuries and clung to his hand as blood tinged tears streaked her dirty, bleeding face. She knew he wouldn’t be fine, and the fact that he wasn’t in pain reinforced her worst fears. She sniffed and managed a tiny smile.

  “I’m just going to stay with you another minute, okay?” she said softly while choking on her words.

  Hayes weakly squeezed her hand and smiled tenderly as his eyes closed. “Okay--”

  He wheezed softly as more blood seeped from his mouth. Hayes gasped for air. His hand relaxed as he exhaled softly. The legendary Hayes Dante was dead. Riley stared in horror then sobbed while clinging to him.

  “No, Hayes, please don’t do this to me.”

  Chapter Two

  Five years later. The charming bedroom was tastefully decorated with exquisite antique furniture from the bed to the bedside table lamps. Light seeped into the bedroom through the partially open blinds. A ruggedly handsome man in his mid-thirties, Kane Maddox, clung to a woman while spooned against her beneath the covers. He woke, nuzzled the woman in his arms with a contented smile, and affectionately kissed the back of her neck. The attractive thirty-year-old woman, Selena Benton, turned with a weary smile and caressed his broad chest. Her lengthy blonde hair was pleasantly mussed and seemingly cascaded across her shoulders.

  “Someone’s up early,” Selena cooed.

  Kane chuckled softly while kissing her neck. “What do you intend to do about it?”

  Selena smiled and kissed him passionately. Kane returned the kiss, rolled her onto her back, and firmly ran his hands along her thigh. It was going to be another beautiful day. Selena giggled then looked at the bedside clock and appeared alarmed.

  “Is that the time?”

  Kane kissed her shoulders while grinning deviously. “So you’ll be a few minutes late,” he teased.

  Selena smirked and firmly tapped his shoulder. He groaned, lifted his head, and met her disapproving gaze.

  “I’m not allowed to be late,” she informed him. “It comes with being in charge.”

  Kane wasn’t about to let that interfere with his morning plans. “I’m in charge, and I don’t mind being late,” he teased and returned to kissing her neck and throat.

  She more firmly pushed against his shoulders. He groaned and rolled off her. She sat up, lovingly caressed his chest, and smiled sweetly.

  “You’ll just have to hold that thought until tonight,” she informed him then sprang up from the bed before he could make another attempt to keep her there.

  As he watched the sexy woman in the lacy, black nightgown head into the bathroom, he rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbow. “I will!” he called after her.

  Selena’s giggle was heard in response as the bathroom door closed. Kane groaned and collapsed onto his back. He stared at the ceiling with a defeated look.

  “Not even married yet, and I’m already reduced to taking cold showers.”

  †

  Maddox Antiquities was a large, two-story antique store in the quiet, small town of Crestwood Village. The building itself was historic and dated back to the seventeen hundreds. Originally a gristmill, the building had been painstakingly restored by Kane’s great grandparents when they first opened the antique store. The store had been passed down through the generations. Kane had bought the store from his parents in recent years to allow them the freedom to travel. The tastefully cluttered front room was filled with expensive antique furniture and various objects of similar value. Anything under a certain age or of lower value was typically sold at auctions, leaving only the finest antiques available. Customers traveled great distances to visit the store and check out the valuable pieces it contained. A stout man in his mid-thirties, Casper Finn, stood behind the desk while holding his cell phone to his ear.

  “No kidding? That’s awesome. Thanks, dude,” Casper said with enthusiasm.

  Casper disconnected the call and watched as Kane approached from the back room with a paper in his hand and a distracted look on his face. He didn’t even bother looking at Casper as he approached the front desk.

  “I know I’m fighting a losing battle on wedding flowers and centerpieces, but can napkins and matchbooks really cost this much?” Kane asked while staring at the invoice in disbelief. His wedding was costing him a fortune.

  “Face it, man,” Casper remarked while attempting to hide his devious grin. “Between Selena and your mother, you have no say in your own wedding. Do the smart thing. Just smile and write the checks. You’ll thank me for it later.”

  Kane finally looked at Casper and appeared defeated. “Spoken like a true best man.”

  Casper appeared particularly playful to his best friend’s turmoil. “If you’re finished mourning the loss of your savings account, you have to check out the stuff I picked up this morning at the estate sale.”

  Kane casually looked over the objects scattered on top of the desk. Nothing caught his attention. Just more junk for the auction. Casper had an eye for junk, it seem
ed. Kane picked up an old journal and appeared disinterested.

  “Old but not exactly treasure.”

  “It was a box deal,” Casper announced then picked up one of the objects and looked over it with great interest. “This was what got my attention.”

  He proudly handed Kane the copper trinket box with strange carvings and changeable dates on it. Kane groaned lowly and barely looked at it.

  “Not another trinket box.”

  Casper seemed surprised that Kane didn’t share his enthusiasm. “It’s inscribed with Latin.”

  “Just because something has Latin on it doesn’t make it old or valuable,” Kane informed him. “You know that.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s some sort of ancient calendar,” Casper announced as his excitement returned. “My Latin is a little rusty, so it may take some time to translate it.”

  Kane carelessly tossed him the trinket box. Casper gasped and caught it.

  “You have fun with that,” Kane remarked and sighed deeply, once again returning to the invoices he held. “I’ll be in my office pricing limousines.”

  †

  The iconic landmark museum situated in the middle of town encompassed the entire city block. It was set twenty feet from the street with towering pillars and an eye-catching sign displayed between them. Young schoolchildren held hands while following their teacher into the building in a long chain. Selena, dressed business casual, walked through the massive stone and marble lobby toward the large main desk with several workers surrounding it. The receptionist, Chrissie, was an attractive woman in her early thirties. She wore a stunning dress and daringly high, strapless heels. She was possibly the only employee who could get away with such uncomfortable shoes. Chrissie talked with one of the tour guides, Jillian, who wore the signature museum jacket, black pants, and conservative, comfortable shoes. Tour guides had the daunting task of covering miles of museum ground every day, and improper footwear could mean sudden death, especially on fieldtrip days. Jillian maintained a pleasant smile while she awaited the approaching children. The noise level was unusually loud because of all the children and their chaperones attempting to get them to settle down. No one envied the tour guides during school outings. One of the security guards, Tucker Hall, greeted Selena with his usual, pleasant smile.