Novels by Ray Michael

**Third person** Valerie dragged her heavy eyes open. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. The smell of drugs and antiseptic and hospital filled her nose. Beside her, Lucas sat with his eyes closed. Almost immediately she jumped up on the bed. “Let me go,” she shouted, startling Lucas. He climbed the bed and pulled her into his arms. “It's okay, you're safe now,” he whispered softly, planting kiss after kiss on her hair and forehead. Valerie relaxed into his embrace, her racing heart finally calm. A tear slipped from his eyes and he wiped it. He'd thought he'd lost her. “I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe. I should have anticipated it, I should—” “It's not your fault,” she cut him off gently. “It's not.” Tears trailed down her own cheeks and she sniffed. “What happened to Matthew?” A muscle ticked in Lucas's jaw, he felt Matt had an easy fate after everything he did. "Dead." Valerie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her body shaking with relieve

**Third person**“Let's move, slowly,” Matt murmured in Valerie's ears, his hot breath fanning against her skin. His eyes were still locked onto Lucas—who was practically shooting daggers at Matt with his eyes."Matthew, please," Valerie whispered back, her voice trembling. "You don't have to do this. You can still let me go."Matt's jaw tightened, his chest heaving with desperation and anger. "Do you really think I'm stupid?" he hissed. "You want me to let you go? I should just allow you to run into his arms?" He questioned in a mocking tone.“Drop your weapon and surrender,” the police announced again but neither Valerie nor Matt paid any attention. “Best believe that if I do that, then I'll shoot you from behind before you get to him,” Matt added. The chilling sensation in his voice sent a shiver down Valerie's spine.“Man to man,” Lucas began, his voice almost a growl. “What would it take for you to let her go? Anything at all… name it. Even if you don't want to spend a single da

**Third person**It took Matthew half the time it would normally take to get to the bunker. He parked his car at a safe distance before running over to the location. And with each step he took, his mind raced, his heart pounded with anxiety. He couldn't afford to lose her now that he was so close. They'd literally be leaving the country today. Valerie please be there, please be there, Matt murmured, his legs moving faster.A half-relieved sigh left his lips when he reached the entrance and saw that the door was still locked—She was still here. His trembling fingers sifted through his bunch of keys, his breath gaspy and he wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his palm.Matt unlocked the door and then pushed it open forcefully. His eyes blazing with anger and anxiety found Valerie immediately. She was curled up at a corner, her cheeks stained with tears and her hands and feet shaking."What have you done??!" he growled, his voice venomous.She frowned in confusion, even th

**Third person**Matt seemed to ponder for a moment before he exhaled deeply. Then he moved over to the table and picked up a small knife. He began cutting the ropes. His jaw clenched at the red mark the ropes left on her skin, a pang of guilt coursing through him. He'd done this to her, he thought. “Do you need me to get you anything from the store?”Finally untied, Valerie examined her free hands and legs, a sense of relief and determination washing over her. “No, thanks.”“I'll be back soon.” He gave her a warning look. “Don't try anything stupid.”She nodded vigorously. “I wouldn't dare.”Satisfied, Matthew turned around and headed out. Valerie had her timid and innocent mask on, until the moment Matthew was out of view.She squeezed her eyes shut and then began counting from one to fifty in her head, giving Matthew enough time to leave the premises. Even with her eyes closed, she could hear the locks click behind him.When she was done, she sprang to her feet, her eyes desperat

**Third person**Eighteen hours had passed since Valerie's disappearance.Lucas stood in the center of his living room, surrounded by computers and anxious faces. His team of experts, handpicked from the best in the business, worked tirelessly to track down any lead on his woman.But so far, neither his team nor the police have been able to come up with anything tangible. There was also no signal from the tracker in Valerie's necklace. Either her kidnapper knew that the necklace was bugged and got rid of it, or they were under water, in a bunker, or somewhere that'll block the signal.One thing for sure; he'd find Valerie and he'd find her soon. Even if it meant turning the planet upside down. She'd be found.News about her and disappearance was all over the media and there was a huge cash prize for whoever brought relevant information on her whereabouts. Lucas ran a palm across his exhausted face. Deep lines creased his forehead, and his jaw was set in a rigid clench. "Broaden the

**Third person** It was almost as if Valerie disappeared just when Elliot blinked. After dismissing the woman who'd come to talk to him, he looked up but he didn't find his boss. Damnit! He'd clenched his jaw and quickened his pace, his hand instinctively resting on the gun holstered at his hip as he rushed outside. Eyes scanned everywhere around but there was no trace of her. "Miss Thorne?" he called out, his mind racing. “Ashley?” He called louder. “Valerie?” There was no response. Immediately, he dialed her number… once, twice, thrice… until it was unreachable. He'd rushed over to some passersby to ask if they'd seen her… There was nothing. Shit! Just then, his phone started ringing. Elliot pulled the device out and stared at the screen, his throat suddenly feeling dry as he registered the caller ID—Mr. Stone. He took a deep breath and then pressed the answer button. ***************************** Valerie's eyes fluttered open, her gaze was blurry and unfocused. She tri

The man’s attention snapped back to her. He hesitated for a moment before his mouth opened. Then—“You!” A shout echoed down the hallway.Both Lyra and the stranger turned.From the direction of the elevators, a burly man strode. He was dressed in all black as though he was headed to a robbery. The stranger cursed under his breath, then turned and walked away— Not casually, almost running.The burly man immediately followed, sprinting. “Hey!!”Neither man looked at Lyra again.And within seconds, both men disappeared down the stairs. Silence returned to the hallway.Lyra blinked. “What the hell?”Behind her, Daphne appeared, looking outside. “What’s up?”Lyra glanced one last time toward the empty hallway. “Nothing.” She frowned. “Just some weird guys.”Daphne immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her back inside. “Welcome to my neighborhood.”The door shut.A strange chill lingered within Lyra, even while they returned to popping corn. Something about the encou

“...Has she said anything yet?” he asked. A pause followed and his expression hardened. “Okay, I'll be there tonight.”Tyson ended the call and turned around. Finding Lyra standing there, he slipped the phone back into his pocket."Everything okay?" Lyra asked."Something came up." His tone was calm, but she could tell his attention was already elsewhere. "I need to leave for a few days.""A business trip?"He nodded. "Yeah, something like that."Something like that? She'd clearly heard a ‘she’. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Her and Tyson were just bound by a contract, it wasn't her place."Okay,” she murmured.Tyson gestured toward the gym behind them. "We'll continue next weekend."“Yeah.”With that, he left.Dinner that evening was baked chicken mac and cheese, accompanied by roasted vegetables and warm garlic bread. If it were any other day, Lyra would have happily emptied her plate. Tonight, however, she barely tasted any of it."Do you like the

Pushing himself away from the wall, Tyson led the way downstairs.The gym was almost as large as the commercial fitness center Lyra visited once every four months—twice, if it was a good quarter. One entire wall was covered in mirrors. Rows of dumbbells and weight racks occupied one side of the room, while treadmills, rowing machines, and stationary bikes lined another. Thick exercise mats covered parts of the floor, and in the center stood a boxing area with enough open space for training.Tyson walked toward the boxing ring and gestured. "Over here."“You have a whole gym in your house?” Lyra slowly turned in a circle, taking everything in.“We can do this every weekend if you'd like.”She immediately widened her stance, raised her fists, and began bouncing dramatically from one foot to the other like a boxer preparing for a championship match. “So where do we start?”Tyson stared at her and laughed. "First lesson—Stop standing like that."Lyra paused. Looked down at herself before

Lyra entered her office and let out a sigh of relief. Dropping her bag on the desk, she scowled at the sight that greeted her.A bouquet of flowers and another note.Without even bothering to read it, she grabbed both items and tossed them into the trash.Then she picked up her phone and dialed the receptionist. “Please stop accepting flower deliveries addressed to me. I don’t care who sends them. Have them turned away.”“Yes, Miss Davis.”After ending the call, she sank into her chair and exhaled heavily.Thank goodness today went as planned. Claire’s face from earlier flashed through her mind briefly and she smiled. At least Claire won't be disturbing her for a while.Opening her laptop, she was about to start working when her phone rang.Fiona's name flashed across the screen. Lyra answered the call and put it on speaker. Let's hear what she had to say.“Lyra,” Fiona called.“Good day, Mrs. Wilson.”“Mrs. Wilson?” Fiona's voice sounded a bit hurt. “No longer ‘mother’?”Lyra inhale

“Are you Lyra?”Before she could answer, Claire jumped forward. “Yes, Mr. Lauren. This is Lyra.”Claire leaned closer and whispered into Lyra's ear. “I told you. Even taking responsibility won't save you.”Then she stepped back with a satisfied look.Lyra pressed her lips together and glanced around, as though trying to find an answer for what was going on.Near one of the corner workstations stood Heather. Unlike everyone else, she looked completely relaxed, almost amused by the tension hanging over the room.To her surprise, Mr. Lauren suddenly moved forward and extended his hand. “Good job, kid.”Lyra blinked. And before she could react, he was already shaking her hand.Claire's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. She stared at Mr. Lauren as though he had suddenly grown a third eye. "Good job?" she blurted. "She just forfeited a hundred million dollars' worth of inventory because of pride!"The second board member let out a disapproving grunt. "Pride?" His sharp eyes landed on

It was 8.30am when Lyra arrived at Helixion Energy. She wore a peach-colored trouser suit and stilettos. She'd stayed up last night and done some more research. And even though her findings pointed to the fact that she was right, she still felt unsettled. As soon as Lyra stepped out of her car, she bumped into Claire. “Oh, God. Not again.” She sighed, picked up her things from the car, and shut the door. "Heyyy,” Claire purred. “I've been waiting for you for a while now. I almost thought you were going to bail and not show up today." Then Claire smiled and reached for Lyra's hand. Lyra reeled back and snatched her hand away before Claire could touch her. Her eyes narrowed. "What's this?" "I thought we should walk in together." Claire pointed toward the parking lot, where a sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sat beside a silver BMW 7 Series and a dark Audi A8. "The board members are already here." Lyra paid her no attention and continued toward the building. “Are you nervous?” C