Category: Action/Thriller Publisher: Mark O'Neal Books
ISBN-10: 1451575017
Type: Fiction
Pages: 168
Copyright: March 28, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781451575019
The second installment of the Maurice Ousley series.
Maurice Ousley seems to have it all: his team captures first place after a gutsy win before All-Star Break, he's voted by the coaches to the NBA All-Star Game, and he plans a cozy evening with his girlfriend Gabrielle to pop the question. However, the evening begins to unravel as Maurice finds out about a dark secret that Gabrielle has hidden from him. He subsequently leaves her at the restaurant once the truth is revealed. He then goes to a party hosted by one of the All-Star basketball players to blow off some steam. There he meets a stunningly attractive actress and finds out that she has a huge crush on him. Finally, Maurice caps off the evening by small talking to some of his teammates, and his best friend on the squad drops another bombshell on him. Just when the night couldn't get any worse, he discovers he's also the target of the same federal fugitive who kidnapped his stepfather a year prior. Will Maurice leave Gabrielle for the actress, or will he stay with her? What news does his teammate tell him? And lastly, will Maurice survive, or will his past finally catch up to him?
Excerpt
Smoke gave me a quick right jab to my ribs—I couldn’t lift my arms or move my legs because the sharp pain on my left side caused temporary paralysis. I saw his left hook coming directly toward the right temple of my head seemingly in slow motion, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. He then landed the final blow, and I hit the pavement without being able to brace my fall. I’ve never been knocked out by anyone, and that present moment seemed so surreal.
I heard Smoke and Justin talking a few yards away a minute later, but their dialogue sounded like a faint echo—my head was still ringing from Smoke’s punch. I lay on the ground in a semi-conscious state—I couldn’t move, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t snap out of the haze. It felt like not being able to wake from a bad dream.
“Grab the shovel, Justin,” Smoke said. “I don’t have another second to waste.”
“We can’t just leave him there,” Justin said. “We can’t just leave my dawg on the fucking ground.”
“I’ll give you two choices,” Smoke said, “either we leave his ass there or I put a bullet in his goddamn head—it’s your choice, man.”
“Slow your role, Compton…and chill the fuck out.”
“Whatever man….”
“Hey, where the fuck did that car come from?” Justin asked.
“I don’t know,” Smoke answered, “but I’m going to light up anyone who gets in my goddamn way. Got your heat?”
“Got the steel on my hip, boss. If someone is back there, I’m gonna blast his ass.”
“Alright…let’s peel this motherfucker’s cap.”
I opened my eyes and tried to rise to my feet, but I couldn’t lift my body off of the ground. I watched them disappear into the woods, and my focus went in and out for what felt like an eternity. I wanted to raise up and bolt out of there because I had a gut feeling that Smoke was coming back to waste me.
I felt I had to find the strength to stand up, so I began to crawl toward the grass. I was so weak, and I was determined to regain total consciousness because my life depended on it. I reached the edge of the grass and tried to get up again. My head was pounding, my ribs felt like they were broken, and I felt like I was going to pass out again. I fought like hell to stay awake because I knew that it was a strong possibility that I wouldn’t wake up ever again.
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