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  In the Light of Day

  KA Graham

  Contents

  Other books by KA Graham

  Acknowledgments

  Reader Warning

  In The Light of Day

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Playlist for In The Light of Day

  About the Author

  IN THE LIGHT OF DAY

  © Copyright 2019 KA Graham

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction which is only recommended for those 18 and older due to violence, strong language and adult content. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), places or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Cover Image: Deposit Photo

  Edited by: Emily Maynard & Barb Shuler

  Formatted by: Tattered Quill Designs

  Other books by KA Graham

  Through The Eyes of Madness

  (co-written with Barb Shuler)

  A Dark Suspenseful Psychological Thriller

  Cooking With love (Shaded With Love Volume 6)

  (co-authored)

  Covers/Pages Design by: Jessica Hildreth

  This coloring book, featuring 100 designs and recipes inspired by your favorite authors, bloggers & Editors.

  The Sparrow and The Raven

  Dark Romance

  Escape The Night (The Sparrow and The Raven novella)

  Dark Psychological Romance

  To Morgan ~ The peanut to my jelly. We've weathered some shitastic storms together. I love you, Peanut.

  Acknowledgments

  To my parents~ I love you both, always and forever. The best of the best. Your support and love is more than I could ever ask for. You're my ray of sunshine on the darkest of days.

  To my twin sister from another mister, MC. Thank you for your help, friendship and badassery.

  To my beta readers ~ Brandi Harvey, Hannah Wolverson, Emily Maynard, Morgan Terry, and Kelly White. Thank you for your ideas and input. Love you ladies to the moon and back.

  To Hannah Wolverson ~ My go-to gal. Thank you for all your help, feedback, and friendship. You're a true rockstar and my wicked sister. Quinn loves you forever.

  To Chris Kendrix ~ My dude! Thanks for all the support you give me and my writing, and always pushing me to get my crazy stories out.

  To all the bloggers and readers ~ None of this would be possible without your support and love. Thank you!

  To Barb Shuler and Paging Through The Days ~ for release promotions. Thank you for all your hard work and time put in. Me loves you!

  To Tattered Quill Designs (Annie Anderson) for formatting. Thank you for always making my mess of words look pretty.

  Reader Warning

  This book contains adult situations (including sexual situations, mental illness, alcohol abuse, and physical and mental abuse) that may not be suitable for all audiences. You've been kindly forewarned!

  If you or someone you know has been a victim of bullying, there's help. Please don't hesitate to reach out. No one should ever have to live a life full of fear and self doubt.

  https://www.stopbullying.gov/

  In The Light of Day

  There's darkness in all of us.

  Micah

  I'm a nobody. An outcast. A shadow. I never aligned with the jocks and their fake Barbie girlfriends, not that I wanted to. Being invisible worked for me until he showed up.

  He showed me a path I never intended to walk, and I slid into his life easily. Too easily. Now that the devil has embraced me, I crave the heat of his flames.

  Quinn

  She doesn't think I see her. She's wrong. She's all I see. My dark angel. We're more alike than she could ever imagine. Soon I will make her mine.

  I was always good at playing the part of the jock that everyone worships. In reality, I'm the devil with no remorse. It's time to free my soul and rid myself of the rodents.

  Prologue

  Micah

  “Happy sweet sixteen, Kit Kat. We love you to the moon and back.”

  My mom hugs me as my dad looks on. Her grip is so tight that I swear my ribs are cracking. The woman is extraordinarily strong for her age. Every year on my birthday it’s the same routine. Dinner at Little Sharky’s Seafood Hut, an ice cream cake from Paula’s Sweet Delights, and a gift card to Dark and Devious Clothing Co. It’s a huge thing for both my parents because it means they get me out of the house. Specifically, out of my room, where I spend most of my time.

  “Thanks, guys, and I love you too. Now let go of me before you kill me. I can’t breathe.”

  I give my best fake smile because I know it’ll make them happy. I’ve had social anxiety since I was a kid, and just the thought of stepping out of my comfort zone makes me want to run into my closet and hide from the world and all the assholes in it.

  Luckily for me and everyone in the vicinity, tonight went off without a hitch, or a sudden panic attack by yours truly. I bid farewell to my parents, retreating to my room. After taking my Xanax and Paxil, I start the ritual of calming myself, for what’s sure to be another eventful day at the dreaded center of hell. Deer Creek High School.

  “Why me? What have I ever done to anyone? It’s not like I sacrifice puppies to the demon in my closet.”

  No, but it’s been whispered a time or two from the jocks and their leeches. I've been called a witch, a demon, and any other dark force you can think of. Ironically, that shit scares me to death. Real-life is a horror show as it is; I don't need the added stress of watching some dumb blonde get attacked by a crazed maniac wielding a knife.

  “Kit Kat, get some sleep, baby girl. Things aren’t always as bad as they seem. Tomorrow is a new day, full of new opportunities.”

  My mom has always been the optimistic one of the family. She tries her best to understand what I go through, but if you’ve never been there, you have no clue. My dad, on the other hand, knows all too well. He too suffers from anxiety, but as an adult, has learned to control it. He’s into all the naturopathic methods and hippy bullshit. Seems to work for him, but it just makes my head hurt worse. The smell of lavender and peppermint is vomit inducing to me.

  To say high school is hell would be an understatement. Being an outcast is exactly what it sounds like. Every day i
s a new kind of torture brought upon me by the glorious bastards of Deer Park High School. My wish still hasn’t come true, but I’ll keep hoping that I wake up one day and the bitch has burned to the ground.

  Quinn

  Today I finally made my move and talked to her. Micah. Just saying her name gets me hard. Yeah, I know, I’m a sick asshole. Playing the part of the clean-cut, jock heartthrob is exhausting and disgusting, but these rodents eat it up. Day after day. If they only knew I’ve repeatedly imagined them burning to death, as I stand laughing at their demise. Would they still worship me then?

  “Quinn, are you coming, baby?” With that, Micah walks away, thanking me for helping her with her jammed locker. I can't help but stare at her ass. Asshole. That's me.

  Stacey is rubbing my arm, and I swear I can hear her purring. I bet if I wanted to fuck her right here and now, she’d pull that flimsy skirt of hers up and let me take her against the lockers.

  “Yeah, princess, just let me grab my bag and jacket out of my locker.”

  Ignoring Stacey, I watch Micah until she turns and glances back at me one more time. I can't look away from her until I get that one last glimpse of her face. I can see Stacey's confused look out of the corner of my eye. I'm sure she has no clue how I feel about Micah and how she's the only reason I wake up and force myself to go to this shit show every day. Micah’s not one of the rodents. She’s different. My kind of different.

  “Helping one of the poor, unfortunate souls, I see?”

  “Quit being a bitch, Stacey. I was just helping her with a jammed locker. Come on, let’s roll. I’m sure everyone’s waiting on us by now. I need a drink.” I grab her hand roughly and head out the doors.

  Thank God the day is finally done. It's Friday night, and there’s always a party somewhere. I need to get lit, because no doubt I’m going to be fucking the Princess later, and doing it sober makes me want to kill myself. Or her. As if she heard the word fuck, Stacey comes sauntering back my way after ending the rant fest she was having with Aimee. Time to put on the fake smile and charm.

  “Baby, I’ve been looking all over for you. I missed you and need you.”

  “You need my cock inside you, Princess?”

  “Yes, baby, so bad.”

  She starts rubbing my cock through my jeans with her fake nails. Yes, everything about this bitch is fake, but so am I. All I keep imagining is Micah’s hand on me instead, and it’s enough to get my black heart racing.

  Let’s go play, my little rodent.

  1

  Micah - Two Years Later

  “She was rare, and he knew he would never compare her to other women. She was a celestial nymph, causing cosmic warfare with his soul. She was his Supernova.”

  Alfa

  “Kit Kat, can you please run to the store and pick up a few things we need for dinner? You know how grumpy your father gets if dinner isn't ready and on the table when he walks in from work. Please? For me?”

  She bats her eyelashes at me knowing she'll get her way. Works every time.

  “Sure, Mom, let me get dressed real quick. I'll be ready in ten minutes.” My mom, bless her heart, tries to get me out of my comfort zone as often as she can. I'd rather stay hidden in my room with my books and music than deal with real life. I’m not saying it wouldn't be nice to have a friend to hang with, but it's been a long time since I had one of those. Friend. It almost sounds foreign.

  “Thank you, Kit Kat. I wrote a list for you, so it shouldn't take long. Say hello to Annie for me too.”

  “Yep. No problem. Will do."

  My mother is the perfect wife in every way. Never disobeys or steps out of line. My father and I are her life, and she's happy when we're happy. Sometimes I feel she deserves

  more, but who am I to judge what makes a person happy.

  I just turned eighteen two weeks ago. I graduated high school, and I have no clue what comes next. I've led a pretty sheltered life up until now, and I can't describe the fear I feel thinking about leaving my parents. They keep me sane and try their best to protect me from what's outside. I mean, who says I have to? Society? I say fuck it. I'd be content living with them forever. I know it sounds ridiculous, but they're my only friends. They've had plans to relocate to Florida when I graduated and was semi-capable of living my own life. I can't be dependent on them forever.

  I was never one of the cool kids. Honestly, I've never really had friends at all. As I think about it, I'm what most people would call a loser. A hermit. A nobody.

  “Be back soon.”

  “I love you, Kit Kat.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  For my graduation gift, my parents bought me a brand new silver Nissan Altima with all the fancy shit you don't really need but want. I love it. I spend more time in Silver Bullet than I'd like to admit. Some days I just drive to nowhere in particular, but it's my solace in this crazy world we live in. I can be me. Be free.

  Driving into the Food 4 Less parking lot, I see it's the usual hustle and bustle for a Friday night, which means get in and get out as quickly as possible. Did I mention I'm not exactly a people person? Well, I'm not. At all.

  I make my way through the aisles as fast as possible, and notice Annie is waving me over to her line. She must see the familiar look of panic in my eyes. She knows I have social anxiety. People, in general, make me very fucking nervous.

  “Hey, darling girl, how are you? I see your momma sent you on one of her ‘get Micah out of the house’ missions.”

  “She means well, but you can't lead a horse to water if it doesn't want to drink, right? She says hi, by the way.”

  Annie just laughs and continues bagging my groceries. I've known her my whole life, and she's one of the very few people that gets me. She doesn't ask stupid questions she knows I won't answer, and seems to actually like me for me.

  “Thanks, Annie. Have a good one.” I wave my goodbye as I rush out the door. Getting to my car, I fumble with the keys, dropping the bag of groceries on the ground. Perfect! I'm my own worst nightmare, I swear.

  “Excuse me, Micah, do you need a hand?”

  I look up, and it's Quinn Andrews. He's a few years older than me and hot. I mean, supermodel-hot. Up until he said my name, I didn't even know he knew I existed. He came to our school as a senior, and he spoke to me once, and that was it. I'm not the type of person he flocks to if you know what I mean.

  I would consider myself good looking, but nothing great. Just your regular black hair, hazel-eyed girl, with a few curves here and there. Hard for anyone to see, though, when I keep my body covered up as much as possible. I've gone through some pretty dark times, leaving me with physical scars I don't want others to see.

  One day, after a verbal lynching from Stacey and her clones, I went into an all out rage and smashed the mirror in my room to bits. I must’ve passed out from shock or extreme overexertion because when I woke up, I was covered in shards of glass sticking out from every part of my exposed body. My scars are a constant reminder of the physical and emotional pain I’ve endured from others.

  Anyway, he's offering me help, and I'm just staring at him like a goon.

  “Thanks, but I think I got it handled.”

  “Ok, if you're positive. Have a good weekend. Maybe I'll see you around.” I give him a nod as I opened my passenger door to put the bag of groceries inside.

  It's kind of nice to be noticed for a change, I think to myself just as a hand covers my mouth from behind, and I feel the prick of a needle in my neck. Before everything goes black, I wish I could take back what I said about being noticed.

  Quinn

  I've been watching and waiting for the perfect moment to bring her home, and it's finally come. It was sheer coincidence that she walked into the grocery store tonight, but I'm always prepared. Just in case.

  Shortly after I graduated, I bailed out of this lame town, but I've always kept tabs on my angel. I’m never too far from her.

  She's so fucking beautiful and doesn't even know it
. When my parents decided to move to this Godforsaken town my senior year of high school, I was pissed. That was until I set my sights on the girl no one noticed. Except me. I noticed. She's all I saw after that first day, and two years later, I've decided it's time to make her mine.

  For the last year, I've been preparing for this moment. Every detail had to be perfect. Every move had to be precise. I went about my life like I didn't have a care in the world, but inside I've been dying a slow death waiting for Micah. Micah. Her name rolls off my tongue like a sweet lullaby.

  I follow her through the store, seeing the anxiety on her face and in the way she moves, and I want to take it all away. I intend on showing her how much I want her and what I'm willing to do to keep her.

  She gets to her car and clumsily drops her bag of groceries. With no one else in sight, I make my move.

  “Excuse me, Micah, do you need a hand?”

  She gives me a once-over, probably wondering why I'm even talking to her. Maybe she doesn't even recognize me anymore. I've changed my appearance a bit since high school.