I didn’t know what the hell he’d said when he wasn’t speaking English, but the tone was still clear. These two needed help. I didn’t know how they’d come to be here, but I couldn’t force them out. Not knowing if they would be okay. Although, he’d only asked me to help the woman. I didn’t know what to think.
“Start talking,” I said.
Colette got off the bed and scrambled into her clothes. Her cheeks turned pink as she glanced at me. She came closer and took Jacques’ hand.
“A man invited us,” he said. “He promised there would be food and drinks. Said we were both welcome. We can leave. We won’t cause trouble.”
“And this little display?” I asked, motioning to the bed. Her cheeks burned brighter, and she dropped her gaze. “Were you hoping to lure someone in and rob them?”
She gasped, and Jacques shook his head. “Non. We would never do such a thing. I only hoped Colette could eat something we didn’t pull from a dumpster. Your party offered us something for now, but…”
If they’d been living on the streets, it would explain the malnourished look. At least for the woman. The man might be thin, but he didn’t look like he’d missed as many meals. Had they only recently come together? Something felt off about the entire thing.
“It still doesn’t explain the rest,” I said.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Jacques asked. He put Colette’s hand in mine. “We always pay our way.”
My stomach twisted at the implication. No fucking way. Nope. I wasn’t about to use this pretty woman just because they’d come here to eat something.
“You’re selling her to me for a meal?” I felt her tremble and knew my words had upset her. I hated doing that to her, but I needed to be clear on what was happening. For one, if that’s what this motherfucker meant, I wanted to knock his teeth down his damn throat.
EXCERPT 1
“Don’t ask Colette to leave. S’il vous plat. She needs to be here,” he said.
I didn’t know what the hell he’d said when he wasn’t speaking English, but the tone was still clear. These two needed help. I didn’t know how they’d come to be here, but I couldn’t force them out. Not knowing if they would be okay. Although, he’d only asked me to help the woman. I didn’t know what to think.
“Start talking,” I said.
Colette got off the bed and scrambled into her clothes. Her cheeks turned pink as she glanced at me. She came closer and took Jacques’ hand.
“A man invited us,” he said. “He promised there would be food and drinks. Said we were both welcome. We can leave. We won’t cause trouble.”
“And this little display?” I asked, motioning to the bed. Her cheeks burned brighter, and she dropped her gaze. “Were you hoping to lure someone in and rob them?”
She gasped, and Jacques shook his head. “Non. We would never do such a thing. I only hoped Colette could eat something we didn’t pull from a dumpster. Your party offered us something for now, but…”
If they’d been living on the streets, it would explain the malnourished look. At least for the woman. The man might be thin, but he didn’t look like he’d missed as many meals. Had they only recently come together? Something felt off about the entire thing.
“It still doesn’t explain the rest,” I said.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Jacques asked. He put Colette’s hand in mine. “We always pay our way.”
My stomach twisted at the implication. No fucking way. Nope. I wasn’t about to use this pretty woman just because they’d come here to eat something.
“You’re selling her to me for a meal?” I felt her tremble and knew my words had upset her. I hated doing that to her, but I needed to be clear on what was happening. For one, if that’s what this motherfucker meant, I wanted to knock his teeth down his damn throat.
EXCERPT 2
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Jacques asked. He put Colette’s hand in mine. “We always pay our way.”
My stomach twisted at the implication. No fucking way. Nope. I wasn’t about to use this pretty woman just because they’d come here to eat something.
“You’re selling her to me for a meal?” I felt her tremble and knew my words had upset her. I hated doing that to her, but I needed to be clear on what was happening. For one, if that’s what this motherfucker meant, I wanted to knock his teeth down his damn throat. I noticed he hadn’t offered up himself as payment. No way he’d missed the way I’d checked him out. How long had he been whoring her out for food and shelter?
“Not selling her. Not exactly. You keep her for as long as you like, in exchange for a few sandwiches I can take on the road. Colette and I are parting ways.”
I growled and advanced on him. Dropping her hand, I swung and hit the asshole right across his jaw. “You fucker! How dare you sell her!” I went to punch him again, but small hands grabbed at me. I looked down into Colette’s pleading eyes.
“Don’t hurt him.”
“You’re going to protect him after what he just said?” I asked.
She flinched and glanced at him before looking at me once more. “I’m holding him back. He has a place to go, but he’s stayed because I would have slowed him down. I won’t be any trouble. I’ll do whatever you want. Anything!”
I closed my eyes, not liking what she implied. I couldn’t toss her out. But the asshole who’d just bartered her for food was fair game. I didn’t know why she cared about him, but I’d give him a few sandwiches like he’d requested, and send him on his way. Preferably with my boot print on his ass. Now I remembered why my cock hadn’t gotten wet in a while. Aside from the random drunk hookup with Aidan, but the last time had been several months ago. Men were assholes and women were bitches. Except possibly for the angel holding onto me. She seemed more like a victim in all this.
“Fine. I’ll give him some sandwiches, but we have to go to my house. All three of us.”
Colette relaxed. “Merci.”
Now that word I knew. Even if I hadn’t, the look she cast me would have made it clear enough. I didn’t know why she was worried about the guy. He’d been an asshole to sell her out like that. He didn’t deserve her affection.
“You’re welcome, angel. As for Jacques…” I eyed him. “Put on your fucking clothes on and meet me out front.”
EXCERPT 3
I gripped Jacques’ hand as we slipped through the alley. The dumpster at the other end usually had something somewhat edible. I’d never lived on the streets before, but Jacques kept me safe. Or as safe as he could. We’d been strangers until a few months ago.
Jacques approached the other end of the alley, tensing as he listened to booted steps draw closer. When no one passed by, he eased forward and peered into the dumpster. I gasped as a shadow drew closer and my hold on Jacques tightened. More than once we’d been cornered. It had taught us to be overly cautious. My heart pounded as I stared at the man coming toward us.
“If you’re up for a party, you can stop by the Hades Abyss clubhouse. There should be food and drinks. No charge,” the man said. As he came even closer, I saw he had on jeans, a T-shirt, and a black leather vest that said Prospect on it. “No strings attached. You’re both welcome.”
Clubhouse? Party? I didn’t understand. Why would he invite homeless people to a party unless he had something nefarious planned? I didn’t trust him. I edged a little behind Jacques, even though the man had barely spared me a glance. Something about him set me on edge.
“Where is the clubhouse?” Jacques asked, his accent thicker than usual. It was a sure sign he didn’t trust this man either. I eyed the guy from around Jacques, prepared to run if this was a trap. Each time we moved to a new town, Jacques made sure to scout a safe place for us to meet up if we ever became separated. Would I need that space now?
“Edge of town. Just ask around. Anyone can point the way. Party usually starts close to sundown but come by anytime you want. I’m sure you’ve had some unsavory offers, living on the streets. That’s not what this is. Ask around about us.” He left as quickly as he’d arrived, and I leaned into Jacques.
He’d told us to check up on the Hades Abyss before going to the party. Did that mean it was a legitimate offer? Could we trust him? My stomach cramped painfully. It had been more than a day since I’d eaten, and the last meal had been a discarded sandwich I’d shared with Jacques.
“Food, Colette. We can eat something that didn’t come from the trash,” Jacques said.
“You trust him?”
“Non. But what other options do we have?”
I nodded, knowing he was right. We’d made it so far, and yet we still weren’t safe. There were times I wondered if we’d ever live normal lives again. Even though I’d not known Jacques before coming to America, he’d been my lifeline the last few months. I knew he’d do what he could to keep me safe, just as he had every time someone had offered to help us.
“We survived this long,” Jacques said, kissing my forehead. “We’ll make it a while longer, Colette. You saw that man. Someone like that could protect you.”
My breath caught and I hoped he didn’t mean what I thought he did. Why would I need someone other than Jacques to protect me? We’d done okay so far. Maybe we were living on the streets, and I could admit I hadn’t slept well in months. But still…
“What are you saying, Jacques?”
He tipped my chin up and gave me a sad smile. “It’s time, ma belle. You knew we would part ways eventually. This is your chance.”
“Je ne comprends pas.” What was he saying? Part ways? Did that mean he planned to leave me with the man who’d invited us to the party? A stranger? How did Jacques know I’d be safe with him?
“I’ve seen those bikers around town. That one isn’t part of the club yet. You need to find someone who is, and they’ll protect you.”
“Pourquoi?”
“English, ma belle. You need to use your English more if you’re going to have a chance. As to why… I’ve seen the ones who have women. They’re considerate, caring, and shield them from harm. That’s what you need. I can’t keep you safe forever, and you know it.” He sighed. “We’ve been in this town a few weeks now. I’ve been watching and waiting, hoping to find someone worthy to keep you safe. Those men are your best bet.”
“You’re giving me to them?” I asked softly. Was he no different from the men we’d escaped from? Had I been wrong all this time?
“Non. You’re going to choose to stay with one. Make him want to keep you. It might mean putting on another show.” He winced. “I hate doing that to you.”
I knew there was more than one reason he disliked it. Jacques had made it clear from the beginning he preferred men. It was the main reason I’d trusted him so easily. He’d never once been interested in me sexually, even if we’d had to fake it sometimes.
“If it will ease your mind, I’ll do it,” I said. “But, Jacques, what’s going to happen to you?”
“I have a contact farther north. I’ll go there, but it’s a hard trip and not safe for you.”
I bit my lip. It hurt, knowing I’d been holding him back. He’d had a place to go and had stayed for me. How long? How many days or weeks had he suffered when he could have made a run for it? Why hadn’t he said something sooner? I knew we’d been in this town longer than the others. Now I understood why. He’d been hoping one of those men would take me in.
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. From writing stories for class assignments in elementary through high school, to writing just because I had a story stuck in my head, it seems like I’ve been creating other worlds forever. It wasn’t until 2008 that I completed a novel. My friends and husband encouraged me. When I’d finished, they all said I should submit it somewhere. I didn’t think it was anywhere near good enough, but decided to give it a shot. While the first publisher didn’t accept it, the second one did. By August 2008, I was a published author! Back then I wrote paranormal romances. It wasn’t until 2016 that Harley Wylde came into existence with a short novella titled Grease Monkey (which is currently on sale for $0.99!).
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born in Memphis, TN. Where I grew up is a bit more complicated. By the time I was ten, my parents had divorced. Mom moved us to New Orleans, just outside the French Quarter. I lived there for a few years (aside from a few months in Augusta, Georgia with my grandparents). By high school, I was back in the Memphis area, but that only lasted through 10th grade. My junior year I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. After Atlanta was California, and later Texas. Out of all the places I’ve lived, Georgia always felt the most like home.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read. Just not the same genre I write. These days, I enjoy horror books and reverse harem fantasy. Although, I certainly wouldn’t say no to reverse harem horror and have the best of both worlds. I also like watching TV shows with my husband at night after I’ve finished my work for the day. Right now, we’re watching 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lonestar. Previously, it’s been Dexter, Supernatural, Bad Girls, and many others… but the very first show we watched together was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, back when we first started dating.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Surge?
Colette is from France. She’s abducted by human traffickers and brought to the US for a specific client. Then she meets Surge, who can tell she’s in trouble. He’s part of the Hades Abyss MC and can’t turn down a woman in need. He’s also bisexual and has had an on again off again relationship with Aidan, a local artist.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Oh! Tough question. Hmm. I think for Surge, Joseph Morgan. Matthew Gray Gubler as Aidan, and Chloë Grace Moretz for Colette (if she’d dye her hair black).
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
They definitely take over. There are times I sit back and think, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming.” Every time I try to plot, I have to throw it out halfway through because the characters lead the story in a different direction.
Do you see writing as a career?
Of course! I write full-time, and use my royalties to pay the bills, so it’s definitely something I consider a career. There’s so much more to it than just sitting down to write the book.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
It really depends. Sometimes I work on as many as 4 or 5 stories at the same time. Others, especially if I have a tight deadline, I have to focus on only book.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
Computer. Years ago, I would write by pen then transfer it to the computer. Now, arthritis makes it hard to hold a pen some days, so the computer is the easiest way for me to write.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Not an easy question to answer. It really depends on the book. Some practically write themselves. Others, I struggle for every word that goes on the page. I’ve written a 50,000 word book in less than two weeks, a 20,000 word novella in two days, and an 80,000 word book in three months. Each story is different.
Harley Wylde is the International Bestselling Author of the Dixie Reapers MC, Devil's Boneyard MC, and Hades Abyss MC series.
When Harley's writing, her motto is the hotter the better -- off the charts sex, commanding men, and the women who can't deny them. If you want men who talk dirty, are sexy as hell, and take what they want, then you've come to the right place. She doesn't shy away from the dangers and nastiness in the world, bringing those realities to the pages of her books, but always gives her characters a happily-ever-after and makes sure the bad guys get what they deserve.
The times Harley isn't writing, she's thinking up naughty things to do to her husband, drinking copious amounts of Starbucks, and reading. She loves to read and devours a book a day, sometimes more. She's also fond of TV shows and movies from the 1980's, as well as paranormal shows from the 1990's to today, even though she'd much rather be reading or writing.
You can find out more about Harley or enter her monthly giveaway on her website. Be sure to join her newsletter while you're there to learn more about discounts, signing events, and other goodies!
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