Misfits, Inc. Read online

  “I know I never will.” Brody nodded toward the couple dancing in the shadows. “My ‘all work’ bodyguard just resigned in favor of ‘all play’.”

  “Yeah, nearly dying can change a man,” Vance remarked while grinning. “Third time’s a charm.”

  An attractive woman passed them and smiled at Vance. He met her gaze and flashed his own smile in response. So began the pre-foreplay dance. He looked back at Brody.

  “I think I’m being paged,” Vance cheerfully informed him. “Was there something I could do for you, Brody?”

  He sighed heavily with defeat. “According to the terms of the contract, I inherit Lucinda’s half of the resort. Unfortunately, I also inherit the hotel’s debt, which will potentially bankrupt me. I’m in desperate need of a partner.” He stared at Vance and his agenda surfaced. “I took the liberty of having you checked out, and learned you’re a man of considerable wealth with no real estate investments. I thought you might be interested in trying the hotel industry. You might like it.”

  Vance considered the idea, tilted his head, and then grinned in response. “Life in paradise?” he suddenly asked. “How much of a good thing is too much?” He chuckled softly. “I think I’d like to find out.”

  Vance extended his hand to Brody, who eagerly shook it, sealing their deal. Vance smiled and stood, indicating the woman who’d just passed.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Vance announced. “I have to make sure I haven’t lost my touch.”

  Brody smiled and laughed as Vance hurried after the attractive woman. Skyler appeared on the terrace from the side door, approached Logan at the keyboard, and sat next to him. He set the manuscript down near him. Logan eyed the manuscript and appeared curious.

  “Did you actually read that?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t care for the ending,” Skyler announced with little interest.

  “What was wrong with the ending?” Logan suddenly demanded, appearing insulted.

  “It didn’t make sense,” Skyler replied. “It seems like there should be more.”

  Logan stopped playing his portable keyboard and snatched the manuscript. “Everyone’s a critic.”

  Talbert approached Skyler and looked around with disgust. “Considering the circumstances, I guess you can have your old job back.”

  Skyler stood with his head held high and looked Talbert in the eyes. “Sorry, but I already have a job.” He grinned proudly. “I’m Numinous.”

  Mel approached Skyler and affectionately clung to his arm. “You promised me a moonlit walk on the beach.”

  Skyler grinned and walked away with her. Talbert watched him leave with Mel and frowned. Logan flipped though the ending of the manuscript with a puzzled look on his face. Talbert glared at Logan and indicated the keyboard.

  “Play something, will you?” he snarled with annoyance then walked away.

  Logan glared after Talbert, sneered, and gave him the middle finger. Hailey and Rafe continued to slow dance in the sand despite the absence of music.

  “What now?” Rafe asked while hiding his humor. “It seems we’re both unemployed.”

  “According to Skyler’s latest psychic analysis, Vance will become Brody’s partner here at the resort,” she informed him. “They will mutually agree to fire Talbert and hire Skyler as hotel manager. Brody will then beg you to be head of security.”

  He laughed at her analysis then turned serious. “What becomes of the princess?”

  “The princess falls in love with the new head of security and, strangely enough, becomes Brody’s assistant.”

  “I think all that power has gone to Skyler’s head,” Rafe remarked and grinned. “He’s losing his touch.”

  “Actually, I already accepted the position,” Hailey informed him then shrugged.

  Rafe grinned and pulled her against him as they stopped dancing. He looked into her eyes and gently touched her face.

  “Tell me more about happily ever after.”

  Hailey smiled warmly and brushed her lips past his. He eagerly moved his mouth closer to hers to accept her teasing kiss.

  “Hailey--” Logan called out.

  Hailey pulled away from Rafe as if caught doing something wrong.

  Rafe groaned with disgust. “Next time we leave the kids at home.”

  Logan hurried toward them with the manuscript in his hands. Vance and Skyler heard the odd urgency in his voice and approached as well.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Logan announced.

  “Is something wrong?” Vance asked and cast a glance at his lady-in-waiting to make sure she was still waiting.

  “It’s the ending,” Logan informed them.

  Hailey grinned lustfully and moved closer to Rafe, gently running her hand along his chest. Rafe eagerly pulled her into arms and against him.

  “We’ve already figured that one out,” she teased.

  Logan shook his head while staring at her. “No, there’s more to the story…”

  The End

  Other books by Holly Copella!

  Reviews left on Amazon are appreciated!

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  “Insanely Deadly”

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  Jetta Cross, a Navy Admiral’s daughter, is tasked with keeping her father’s comrade, a former war hero turned town crazy, grounded in the real world. Capt. John Hunter is still fighting the war in his head, where imaginary dead people are part of his world. When a viral outbreak brings about a zombie uprising, Hunter is left to his own devices. He must resume his role as a one-man commando unit in order to destroy the ravenous undead. With Hunter still fighting his own inner demons as well as the undead, the townspeople fear their zombie neighbors may not be the only threat. Stranded at the island’s luxurious resort with a handful of workers, Jetta is forced to live up to her father’s reputation and take charge of the deteriorating situation at the hotel. She must wage her own war against the infected before the government declares her hometown a total loss.

  “Deadly Institution”

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  After being accused of murdering his wife, Konrad Asher turns his back on the town that once adored him. Ten years later, he still holds his grudge and the title of the most feared man in town. With the reopening of the burned mental institution, where his wife had died, former employees are now murdered one-by-one, throwing suspicion back on Asher. A young local reporter, Jacey, is forced to reveal her long-time friendship with the infamous recluse in order to clear his name not only in the recent murders but to exonerate him in the death of his wife as well. Will Jacey’s relationship with Asher invite the killer closer to her? Or is the killer already in her life?

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�� origin. She soon discovers the island is home to an abandoned prison with several prisoners roaming free. What really killed over one hundred prisoners? And is it still out there--?

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  “Dead Village”

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  One day after the entire population of Fox Ridge Village disappears, a car wreck forces several unsuspecting crash victims to seek help at the closed summer hotel. Within the hotel, they discover the grisly aftermath of a brutal slaughter. Crash victims Vander and Devon, a reluctant clairvoyant, team up to solve the riddle of the “haunted hotel” and the mass hysteria plaguing the remaining survivors. By the time they discover the hotel’s secret, they’re already drawn into the hysteria. As the body count continues to climb, it’s a race to isolate the source and bring everyone back to reality before they kill one another. Will Devon be able to communicate with the traumatized spirits before their fate becomes her own?

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  “Town Darling”

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  “Witness Protection”

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  Coming Soon!

  “Unconditional”

  A young woman puts her life on hold to care for an unstable, highly skilled combat soldier, who believes someone is trying to kill him.

  A botched military coup leaves a team of elite fighters injured with one clinging to life in a coma. When Harlan wakes from his coma, he’s left with no memory of his past life. His commander’s daughter, Indy, takes it upon herself to care for the fallen war hero. She’s challenged with more than just his physical care as she combats with not only his memory loss but also his newly found desire for her. His infatuation with her becomes the least of her worries when he sinks back into his role of a combat soldier. Believing his life is in danger, his fighting skills surface, turning him into an unpredictable and dangerous man. Will his memory return to him before Indy is forced to commit him? Or will he finally find his nemesis, “the coyote”, and possibly claim the life of an innocent person?

  Coming Spring 2016!

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Holly Copella has been writing since the age of twelve when her frustration at a book’s poor plot drove her to author her own story. Over the last decade, she’s written a number of screenplays, some of which she’s now adapting into novels. Her fascination with zombies and other darker material lends an edge to her writing, which tends to lean toward horror. As a fan of Agatha Christie, she appreciates the craft of a good plot and the
importance of creating significant characters.

  Hailing from Pennsylvania, Copella lives in the Endless Mountains on a farm with her rescue horses and other animals. In addition to writing and reading fiction, she enjoys riding horses and traveling to Las Vegas and Disney World.