#SpecialFeature #Spotlight :: “Broken Build” by Rachelle Ayala

Now Presenting:

*** SPECIAL FEATURE - November'12 ***

“A mind-teasing mystery and captivating romance where forgiveness is the key.” – Christine Raggio, writer

Thanksgiving with Jen and Dave from Broken Build

Jen Jones hides a horrible secret behind her new degree, toned body, and exciting job at Silicon Valley’s hottest startup—until a man linked to her past is killed by a hit-and-run.

CEO and founder Dave Jewell is about to land a huge deal. He doesn’t need blood on his car, threatening phone calls, and Jen wrapped in broken code and blackmail.

A gang of thugs hunts Jen, and she takes refuge in Dave’s protective arms. Together, they must thwart a killer and rescue an innocent victim from their past. Love blossoms, but a damaging revelation points straight at Jen, threatening to tear them apart forever.

You can grab your kindle copy from Amazon as Broken Build will be FREE & Michal's Window for 99cents on Thanksgiving and Black Friday! (November 22-23, 2012)

Excerpt

Thanksgiving Day at Shopahol

By the time Dave arrived at Shopahol with Lisa, the engineers were lined up around the buffet table. He congratulated them and thanked them for all their hard work. Satish and Eddie pulled out their smart phones and chattered about the shopping flocks they joined in preparation for the Black Friday blowout of deals. Dave gave thanks and carved the turkey while Lisa cut the pumpkin pie.

Everyone was in good cheer, and many workers brought their families. Children ran around chasing balloons, their faces smeared with whipped cream. A lump rose in Dave’s throat. He could have had Abby here with them.

And Jen. Was she enjoying her turkey dinner? A jittery pang encircled his chest, and he pictured Jen in the kitchen tasting the gravy while he put his arms around her pregnant belly.

Dave shook off the unrealistic fantasy and helped himself to turkey and pie. He sat with Lisa and Bob at the conference table. Bob bragged about the scalability of his testbeds and how the build had passed the rigorous overnight testing.

Their voices glazed over him, and the pie tasted like baby food. Phil was right. His enemies were yanking his chain, determined to ruin his company’s chance for success. What he couldn’t figure out was how Jen played into all of this. She seemed sincere enough, yet he couldn’t help feeling that she was hiding something.

A high pitched whistle pierced his ears. The scent of smoke was followed by a crackling sound that rumbled through the floor. He bolted to his feet. “Everyone, out now!”

Bruce burst into the conference room, huffing and flapping like a stampeding bull elephant. “The data center’s on fire.”

Shrill alarms screamed at S.O.S. intervals. Waves of panic crested over Dave’s shoulders. What else could go wrong? People shouted and rushed for the exits. Dave picked up two children from a mother of four and helped them out the emergency exit into the parking lot.

The fire burst the windows of the cubicles closest to the back entrance, and plumes of smoke ascended into the crisp November sky. All around him, his employees and their families knelt on the ground and cried, or huddled and prayed in each other’s arms. Dave dialed 9-1-1. Hot tears bathed his face. His dream had blown up. His knees gave way, and he collapsed to the soggy leaf-strewn asphalt.

Sirens blared and fire trucks showed up a few minutes later. Dave clutched Lisa while they watched the firemen put out the fire. His heart crushed into itself. All the code, network devices and storage units had gone up in trails of black smoke. Thankfully everyone had evacuated. But his lifework was gone, and with it, the chance to raise funds to retrieve Abby.

Lester ran circles around Dave. “Jen had a backup. She had one. I know she did. She and Greta set up something.”

Dave fumbled with his cell and called Greta. She picked up on the third ring.

“There’s been a fire.” His voice barely croaked from his dry mouth.

“Fire? What are you talking about?” Greta sounded like her mouth was full.

“Put Jen on. The data center burned down, and I need her to tell me about the backup.”

“Oh… We set a trial months ago, but we didn’t pay Lystra to host it.”

“How come you didn’t let me know?” Dave’s voice rose.

Silence and fumbling sounds followed. The phone must have been passed.

“Dave? What happened?” Jen’s clear voice startled him.

Reviews

"Fast paced and mysterious -- a page turner to the very end!" B. Beauman

"Jen Jones wasn't a criminal ... she'd just made a few bad choices." Steffy

"Shocking twists... amazing chemistry, yummy with an edge." Christina McKnight

"Keeps you up way past bedtime, chasing bad guys and falling in love." Chantel Rhondeau

"Will love prevail after a broken start? Another riveting tale sure to keep you guessing." Melisa Hamling

"Amazing chemistry, and Dave always worrying about Jen is so romantic!" Roopa Prabhu

Take a Peek

Hello, this is Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay, roving food reporter with b00kr3vi3ws. Today, I’m at the Jewell residence in Saratoga with live coverage of Thanksgiving preparations. A delivery van has just pulled up. Mr. Delivery Man, what do you have there?

Delivery Man: This here is a 54” Viking Ultra-Premium 500 Series Propane Gas Grill. This baby has four 29,000 BTU stainless steel burners, a Black Diamond briquette flavor generator, two Gourmet-Glo 15000 BTU--

D.D.S: Wait. Why would the Jewells cook Thanksgiving dinner outdoors?

Delivery Man: Hey, last year, Mr. Jewell’s thanksgiving dinner burned down with his entire datacenter. All his computer systems went up in smoke. I don’t think he wants a repeat experience.

D.D.S: Holy smokes! So he didn’t get any turkey last year?

Delivery Man: Heard he didn’t get the girl either. She was out bail to fix the Black Friday build.

D.D.S: Might explain the police presence. Any idea what’s on the menu?

Delivery Man: Gotta run. If I were you, stay off the driveway, especially tomorrow morning. Ciao!

D.D.S: Bye. [looks around the driveway, notices bullet holes] Guess it wouldn’t hurt to ring the bell. [A little girl opens the door.] Why, hello there. Is your mother home?

Little Girl: No, but Tia’s home. Wanna talk to her? [runs off calling Tia]

Tia: Hi, what can I do for you?

D.D.S: I’m here all the way from India to cover a typical American Thanksgiving dinner. Could you tell me what’s on the menu?

Tia: Oh, sure. Let me write it down for you. By the way, stay off the driveway.

D.D.S: You’re the second person to warn me. What happened?

Tia: You don’t want to know. [She hands over a piece of paper]

D.D.S: Thanks! Let’s see, what do we have here? Flambe Turkey over Virtual Server Briquettes. Bullet Casing Stuffing. Broken Tooth Nut Bread and Black Friday Driveby Velvet Cake with Blood Drop Icing. Well, folks, it looks like another typical Thanksgiving Day in America. Uh oh! I better get off the driveway.

To find out what REALLY happened, pick up your copy of Broken Build FREE & Michal's Window for 99cents on Thanksgiving and Black Friday! (November 22-23, 2012)

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