Love & Vengeance
Roger Wellington Nason
Love & Vengeance
Will Hardwick is ambivalent about the British presence in the Massachusetts colony. That is, until, his sister is brutally attacked and dies as a result.
With vengeance in his heart, he sets out to do his part to defeat the British and send them back to England. While forming a resistance group he meets the beautiful Hannah Elizabeth Goodwin.
Through turmoil, intrigue, and backstabbing Hannah and Will not only fight the British but they fight to survive.
This story will take you back to 18th-century Massachusetts and the brave men and women who sacrificed so much to build a new country, a free country.
Excerpt
The moonless night was dark; as dark as he had ever seen. He hoped that the darkness would work to his advantage. He heard a rustle off to his right as he crouched in the bushes. He tried to control his breathing, fearing it would give him away. He heard angry voices in the distance; he hoped she had managed to get away. At his request they had gone in separate directions, after all, they were after him, they would pursue him and not her; at least that is what he hoped.
The snap of a twig immediately to his right jolted him out of his thoughts. The soldier was close, very close. Luckily, he saw the soldier first, the bright red and white of his uniform, betraying him in the darkness. Will leaped up from his crouched position and buried his knife into the young soldier’s neck. He could hear the gurgle of the blood as it rushed into the dying man’s throat. The body, which went rigid when he had first lunged, suddenly went limp in his arms. As he tried to lower the body quietly to the ground, the soldier’s musket slipped to the ground. It seemed so loud. The noise seemed to echo in his head, it must surely have been heard even back at the house.
In reality, it wasn’t as loud as he had thought, but it had been heard.
“Miller is that you?” came the anonymous query from a few yards away. Will’s heart raced; he glanced down at the body of what had once been Private Miller of His Majesty’s Grenadiers. He felt panic coming over him, but he fought it back. He knew he couldn’t survive if he panicked. He had to think. He had to find a way to get away and fast.
“Sergeant, over here, I heard him over here. I think he may have got Miller.” The voice was even closer now. He could hear the footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Cautious.
He pressed his body close to the ground, wishing it would disappear into the soil. He heard footsteps within a few feet of his head. He froze. The footsteps proceeded past him. He couldn’t believe his luck. The soldier had walked right past him; he felt a new surge of confidence. He might just make it out of this after all.
Then he heard the scream, her scream. His blood went cold. They had gone after her and now they had her. Another scream. What were they doing to her? Immediately he was on his feet, running to her. He had to save her. This was his fault.
The flash was enormous, the sound intense. It seemed that the world had exploded. He felt a burning sensation, then pain, and then nothing.
