Storm Watch C. J. Box Novels & Stories

Alistair Kingsley's secretary, Nerina Larson, calls herself a lucky charm with a dream that she wants to achieve. Apparently, she has used the 500 thousand dollars in the company's account, which is set aside for the employees' year-end bonuses, on lottery tickets. Excitedly, she sends a voice message on the company's group chat. "This lucky charm shall win prizes for everyone! Call me the lucky charm who knows how to manage finances the best!" Alistair claims that Nerina is a very high-spirited and interesting young woman. He even criticizes me for being a stick in the mud. During the final compulsory meeting before the New Year holidays, thousands of employees are waiting for their bonuses so that they can celebrate the holidays happily. But Nerina has the nerve to tear the back-up check I've prepared into pieces in front of everyone. She claims that she has never lost when it comes to luck, so she wants to live stream the process of her scratching the lottery tickets. In my previous life, I called the security guards and had her removed from the stage. Then, I quickly used my authority to send everyone their salaries. That was how I managed to calm everyone down and helped the company avoid going into bankruptcy. With tears streaming down her eyes, Nerina rushed out of the company. "All of my fans call me the lucky queen, and that I'll definitely score the grand prize today! But now, my live streaming gig is all ruined!" On the same night, Nerina dies from hypothermia after drinking herself to a stupor on the streets. With bloodshot eyes, Alistair ran over me with his car repeatedly. "Why can't you just believe her just this once? What if she can strike the jackpot and lead everyone down the path of wealth?" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Nerina carries a few sacks of lottery tickets onto the stage. This time, I'm the first one to applaud for her. I want Alistair to witness how his beloved lucky charm can bring ruination upon the entire company!

"Mr. Kane, do you have any cucumbers at home? Can I have one?" The hurricane strikes, and my daughter's best friend, Lexie Cooper, is stuck in my home. She comes to ask me for a cucumber late at night with a flushed face. "I'm just a little hungry. I'd like to snack on some cucumber," she says. As I look at the pointy tips peeking from underneath her pajamas, a primal urge surges uncontrollably within me. I say deliberately and slowly, "I have something even better than a cucumber."

Certain things that should be remembered when your father is the leader of the warriors: 1. Don't leave your post 2. Don't sneak out 3. Don't meet random wolves in the forest If these rules are not followed, trouble will definitely come

During the outdoor orientation boot camp, Wanda Lawson, the daughter of the richest tycoon, suddenly suffered from a heart attack. She collapsed to the ground and went through a seizure, her complexion bluish-gray. My boyfriend, Joseph Jensen, the drill instructor of the boot camp, overheard my pretentious roommate, Ella Ziegler, murmur, "She's usually fine, so why is she suddenly suffering from some sort of attack when it's time for the drills to start? She must be faking it in order to laze around!" Because of those assumptions, Joseph kicked the medication that Wanda managed to pull out of her pocket into the nearby river. "Get lost if you want to play dead! Don't drag us down with you!" I quickly dived into the river and scooped the medication out. Thanks to my efforts, Wanda's life was saved. Her father was enraged when he found out about the news and wanted to hold someone responsible. With tears streaking down my face, I begged Wanda to not expose Joseph. She nodded quietly to me. Joseph narrowly escaped the judgment. But Ella was expelled by the university right away for her malicious and provocative words. She even had a permanent stain of poor conduct marking her record. On the third day after Ella returned to her village, her family forced her to marry an older man who had remained single for far too long because of his violent temperament. Wanda's father was grateful to me for saving Wanda's life, so he listed me into the list of beneficiaries of his family's trust fund. The amount of money I received was second only to Wanda's portion. On the night news of Ella getting beaten to death by her husband got out, Joseph lovingly invited me to the place we first met so that we could go hiking. When I stood on the steep slope of the mountain, Joseph suddenly snatched the backpack filled with supplies, which included a life-saving whistle, from me. Then, he shoved me off the slope. "Why must you be such a busybody? If you never saved Wanda, she wouldn't have been able to testify against Ella because she'd have died! A murderer like you should just die!" Having broken my spine from the fall, I ended up dying at the foot of the mountain. After my death, not only Joseph got to receive the trust fund thanks to his relationship to me as my fiance, but he also began sponsoring low-income students by using Ella's namesake. That was how he reaped both wealth and reputation in one go. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Wanda suffers from the heart attack.

On the night I add my new girlfriend, Celia Spencer, into my group chat with my friends, my college roommate, Kevin Wright, suddenly posts more than a dozen screenshots in the group chat. Those screenshots feature the fragments of daily life I occasionally post on my social media feed. "Now here's where things get confusing. We only earn thousands of dollars per month. Where on earth did you get your money from in order to live such a lavish life? "I've been holding my tongue for far too long. At first, I intended to protect your pride. But now that you're dating such a wonderful, beautiful, and rich woman, I don't have the heart to see her getting lied to." In the end, Kevin tags Celia in the group chat. His words are filled with regret and pain. "Ms. Spencer, you're a rich scion, so you might not know anything about the bottom feeders' tactics. A fake scion like Luke who has racked up a huge online debt and brands his social media feed to look rich is very common in society! You have to keep your eyes open, you know! Take care not to get tricked by scammers!" As I suppress my anger, I respond with, "I never stole nor robbed from others! What's wrong with me spending my own money?" Kevin quickly retaliates with a lengthy audio message. "Your own money, you say? Your net worth isn't enough to afford even one segment of that luxury wristwatch in the photo! Why are you still pretending to be rich?" I just laugh in response. Does Kevin really think that rich people don't wear cheap stuff? What he doesn't know is that Celia, the so-called rich and beautiful woman he's trying so hard to kiss up to, is actually just someone I've hired to play the part. I'm the actual scion here, whereas Celia is just a fake heiress.

Miguel has built his life around the land. Born of indigenous Costa Rican ancestry, he believes ownership is stewardship, not control. High in the mountains of Monteverde, he struggles to preserve his farms and a failing eco-lodge sustained by pristine mountain springs that carry life-giving water for the entire valley. Bobby, a kindergarten teacher from Ireland, arrives in Costa Rica carrying a private grief. A genetic diagnosis has ended her hopes of motherhood, and leaving Ireland for Costa Rica is the only way she knows to start a new life. Vulnerable and unmoored, she falls under the influence of Sean, a charismatic expatriate who offers work, protection, and belonging—while quietly binding her to his business interests. The springs beneath Cabinas Las Nubes become the fulcrum of their collision. To Miguel, it is sacred. To Sean, it is a commodity to be stripped and laundered through shell companies tied to South American narco networks. When Miguel refuses to legitimize the illegal extraction, intimidation escalates into violence, culminating in the kidnapping of a child—Christopher—to force his compliance. Bobby recognizes the danger too late but refuses to run again. Risking her life to save Christopher, she confronts the man who once controlled her and exposes the depth of her courage. Her choice strengthens Miguel’s resolve. Working from within, he dismantles Sean’s operation and reclaims the land before it is destroyed. Set against Costa Rica’s ancient waters and living terrain, the novel explores grief, integrity, and the quiet ferocity of love chosen under threat.

“Oh do not cover up on my account. Not like there’s anything here I’ve not seen before.” “Keep your voice down idiot! I do not want people knowing that I fucked the most arrogant guy in this school.” I hissed but the bastard just shrugged and kept eating his chips. “Or that we are mates - it will be interesting to see how hiding THAT will work.” “I don’t care…” “Especially since every single time I see you, there’s this undeniable urge to…hold you…touch you- and do things to you that are beyond your wildest imagination.” I swallowed. Hard. Because damnit, I felt the same way too. Rules be damned. ----- When seventeen-year-old Aria Chen’s world crumbles in a single morning—divorce papers, cheating boyfriends, and a supernatural storm that tears through her high school bathroom—she discovers that some breakdowns are actually breakthroughs. Whisked away to Aethermoor Academy, a hidden school for those with elemental gifts, Aria thinks she’s finally found where she belongs. But one drugged drink and a passionate night with a brooding werewolf later, she’s thrust into a world of magical politics, dangerous enemies, and three supernatural guardians who may be more than she bargained for. Between mastering her storm magic and navigating the treacherous social hierarchies of magical society, Aria must learn to trust her power—and her heart—before her past catches up with her and her newfound family tears itself apart. Some storms destroy everything in their path. Others clear the way for something beautiful to grow.

When twenty-four-year-old law intern Selena Vale joins the hit reality dating show The Soulmate Experiment, she isn’t looking for fame or fairy-tale romance. Still grieving the sudden death of her best friend, Selena only wants one thing: to feel alive again. But everything changes the moment she meets Cassian Blake. Mysterious, dangerously attractive, and emotionally unreadable, Cassian is the breakout star of the show—and somehow Selena’s nearly perfect soulmate match. Their explosive chemistry instantly turns them into HeartLock Island’s favorite couple, capturing the attention of millions watching around the world. At first, Selena tries to ignore the connection growing between them. The stolen glances. The late-night conversations. The way Cassian understands parts of her she keeps hidden from everyone else. But inside HeartLock, love is never simple. The producers manipulate emotions for ratings. Secrets are exposed publicly. Trust becomes a competition. And as tensions inside the villa grow, Selena begins noticing cracks in Cassian’s perfect image. Because Cassian is hiding something. Something connected to his past. Something powerful enough to destroy everything between them. Then anonymous footage leaks during a live broadcast, showing Cassian with his famous ex-girlfriend only weeks before filming began. Suddenly, the internet turns against him. Contestants begin questioning him. And Selena no longer knows what’s real. In a place built on cameras, manipulation, and lies, Selena must decide whether her connection with Cassian is genuine… or just another carefully created illusion for television. Because on HeartLock Island, falling in love might be the most dangerous game of all.

Ashley is burned alive by her half-sister, but she gets a second chance to undo all of her past. She was reborn ten years ago, and this time she is determined to find a strong backer for herself to take revenge. "I'll take revenge for everything you've done, and I'll make you all suffer!"

A drunk Eliza Harper ended up having a one-night stand with Benjamin Clayton, a powerful billionaire, after getting cheated on by her boyfriend on their one-year anniversary. The two thought that they were meant for each other until Shannon, Benjamin’s feisty ex-wife brews up a storm between the two. Will Eliza and Benjamin survive love’s hardships? ---------------------------------- “Mommy, how come I don’t have a daddy like the other kids?” Eleanor questioned her mother with her glistening bug eyes. Her mother stopped her work and stared at her lonesome daughter. Tears flowed down her face like a stream as she took her daughter in her arms. She didn’t know how to answer such a difficult question....