THANK YOU, Wattpad, for the HQ Love Watty Award! Concept: A mysterious young woman flees from her troubled past only to discover it is impossible to escape THE SECRET that haunts her. *PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally inspired by the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy". * * * * * "I would never, Steven," she promised, turning away from him in an attempt to protect herself. "I know you wouldn't," he screamed. Cupping her chin in his hand, he forced her to look at him. "Because I would kill you." His words hung heavy in the air. Sarah's heart sank into her stomach. No matter how many times she'd heard the menacing phrase, she could never get used to it. It had the same affect on her as the first time he'd thrown the ugly words in her face. The familiar sting of bile rose in her throat, and she knew she would deplete the contents of her stomach once she was locked in the safety of their master bath. 'If I make it through this time,' she agonized. Her biggest fear was that one day he would really lose his temper with her. Who knew what would happen then? *This story is an unedited first draft. Top Ranks: Action #1, Mystery and Thriller #1 *This story contains scenes of abuse and may be disturbing to some readers. While the characters are fictional, domestic violence is a serious issue that many people across the world face. If you or someone you know is the victim of abuse, please seek help immediately. Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

'Ashley looked forward to her new role as a moth looks forward to an electric light, drawn-in inexplicably and equally doomed upon contact.' Seventeen-year-old Ashley has her life mapped out as an aspiring psychologist. Bright and brilliant, with a particular fascination for warped and extraordinary minds, she leaps at the offer of work experience at Dale-Creek Hill, a private facility for the criminally unsound. Dazzled by the facility, Ashley strives to prove herself to her colleagues and the wily Head of the facility. However, in her eagerness to unlock the secrets of the inmate's minds, Ashley fails to realise she has a secret of her own, one that will connect her to two ingenious serial killers and change her life forever. [The Human Evil Series: Book One] [Unedited] [Only taster available.] ©2010 by Infamous ©2021 B. Infamous

This story will become FREE on August 30th, 2023! Hudson Caldwell is being stalked, but the cops don't believe her. Can she unravel the truth before it consumes her? * * * * * Just when Hudson Caldwell's life is finally coming together, an unwavering paranoia threatens to tear it apart. Someone is following her - that's the feeling she gets every time she leaves her downtown Chicago apartment. After a failed attempt to file a police report, Hudson's stripper best friend gifts her with an unregistered firearm, but the weapon isn't enough to stop an attack in the middle of the night. When rookie cop, Myles Young, responds to a complaint of gunfire, he instantly falls for Hudson's quiet vulnerability and shattered past. He vows to keep her safe - much to the dismay of his case-hardened partner. As their relationship intensifies, the identity of Hudson's stalker slowly comes to light. But the closer Myles comes to solving the mystery, the more he realizes he's in over his head. WARNING: This story is a NA romantic suspense and contains references to mental illness and sexual abuse. Cover created by me, using MidJourney and Canva Pro. Down Came the Rain copyright © 2016 Darly Jamison All rights reserved. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]] Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Seven letters, seven confessions, seven clues. Elliot Parker has what he needs to find out who killed his best friend... But is he hunting down the killer? Or is the killer hunting him? ***** When Colton Crest returns, unharmed, to his small town after mysteriously disappearing for two months, his best friend Elliot Parker breathes a sigh of relief. But days later, on the night before graduation, Elliot finds Colton in the lake. Dead. And on the day of his funeral, Elliot finds a letter in his jacket pocket with four words that send him spiralling: I killed Colton Crest. There are six more letters to find, six more confessions about Colton, six more clues to uncover why he was murdered. Elliot has no choice but to play this sick scavenger hunt, and with each new revelation, he begins to question whether he really knew Colton - or anyone else in that little town of dark secrets. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

It doesn't matter how she ended up in this four-walled room. What matters is she gets out. ***** After a night out in New York City, Liliana Rossi wakes up in a windowless room with no recollection of how she got there. And she's not alone. The dark and tattooed Mateo Aguilar is also held captive. As the two struggle to survive and hatch an escape plan, they also struggle with growing attraction toward each other, facing Lili with the biggest question yet: is Mateo the reason she's here, or the one who's going to save her? ✨ Wattys 2018 Shortlist & Featured Story ✨ Content warning: this story references themes that readers might find triggering, including drug use and sexual assault. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]] Cover designed by Stefanie Saw

[Highest Ranks] ***2018 Watty's Shortlist*** ***FEATURED STORY*** #1 in Novels #5 in Murder Mysteries #6 in Mystery / Thriller Kathrine Woods was headed to Fayetteville, a small town in Tennessee where everybody knows everybody. This small town was full of surprises, and Kathrine Woods would be one of them.... they thought murder was the worst thing that could happen. They were dead wrong. Do you know your neighbor? RED is a murder mystery with the perfect mix of drama and romance.

Women are turning up dead in the rural outskirts of Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, and when the FBI is called in, they are stumped. A serial killer is out there, his frequency increasing, and they know there is only one agent good enough to crack this case: Special Agent Riley Paige. Riley is on paid leave herself, recovering from her encounter with her last serial killer, and, fragile as she is, the FBI is reluctant to tap her brilliant mind. Yet Riley, needing to battle her own demons, comes on board, and her hunt leads her through the disturbing subculture of doll collectors, into the homes of broken families, and into the darkest canals of the killer's mind. As Riley peels back the layers, she realizes she is up against a killer more twisted than she could have imagined. In a frantic race against time, she finds herself pushed to her limit, her job on the line, her own family in danger, and her fragile psyche collapsing. Yet once Riley Paige takes on a case, she will not quit. It obsesses her, leading her to the darkest corners of her own mind, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. After a series of unexpected twists, her instincts lead her to a shocking climax that even Riley could not have imagined. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE GONE marks the debut of a riveting new series-and a beloved new character-that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the Riley Paige series is now available.

A serial killer stalks Barbados and Detective John Riley returns to the island to stop them before they turn their attention to the people closest to him. ***** A serial killer stalks the tropical paradise of Barbados, leaving victims naked in canefields and the island police force is ill-equipped to handle the case. Enter Seattle homicide detective and Barbados native: Detective John Riley. John hasn't been back to Barbados in decades, and he has his own demons to face. But as he combats the heat, the media, and the very police force he's working to help, he desperately hopes he can stop the violence before the killer turns their attention to the people closest to him. [[Wattys Winner]] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

"It is your choice," he said, stepping so close to me that our lips were almost touching. "Either do what I say - or get another job." My heart stood still as I gazed up into his deep, dark, dangerous eyes... In a world where women's only role in life is to sit at home and look pretty, Lilly is determined to fight for her freedom. There's only one problem: a powerful man blocking her way.