A highlight from chapter one

As I said before, this book is still untitled, but I will be happy to take suggestions. I hope you enjoy this little tidbit from chapter 1 of my book.


   Maya had donned a long coat with a hood and stood inside the alley doorway waiting for Big Steve the bouncer. Big Steve was exactly what his name described, BIG. He was 6’8” tall and weighed in at about 340 pounds of solid muscle. His dark skin, shaved head and deep, Jamaican accented voice made him appear even more formidable. He was an oversized teddy bear when it came to the ladies in the club, but when he needed to handle a problem, he could be down right frightening. She could hear some of the other girls chatting from the dressing room at the end of the hallway. Apparently while she had been in the back, a couple of drunk guys started getting rather rowdy after the cop party had left. Garret, the owner and bartender, had settled them down temporarily with a couple free drinks, but he was going to have to cut them off soon. Just then, loud shouts could be heard from the bar area. There were sounds of glass breaking and furniture being knocked over. “So much for Big Steve” she sighed. She opened the door and headed for the back parking lot. The lot was well lit, but the alley was still shadowed and creepy. There were cameras on all four corners of the building set to record in each direction. The monitors were behind the bar, but Garret would be in the middle of the brawl with the bouncers trying to minimize the damage. The blind spot in the alley was a trash area surrounded by broken chain link fencing right beneath the cameras. The bouncers walked the perimeter of the building every half hour, so it was unlikely anyone would be around. As she got closer, she thought she saw something moving around next to the black garbage bags. ‘Probably just a stray cat’ she thought trying to reassure herself. “Here kitty kitty” she called out. Nothing. Everything was still and quiet. A couple more steps toward the back lot. A rustling of plastic bags. ‘I think I’ll wait for someone to walk me out after all’  she said inwardly as she spun around to hurry back into the building. A clattering of garbage behind her told her it was too late to run. She managed half a scream before a hand clamped over her mouth. Stars danced in her eyes as her head connected with the building’s brick wall.