Beyond the Consequences (Book 5 of the Consequences Series)
Aleatha Romig
Dear Readers,
As always, this is for you. BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES began as a novella (A Peek Beyond the Consequences), which appeared in a limited-release anthology. After numerous requests, I decided to expand the novella and release it on its own. I was hoping to double it from its original 17 K word length. As I wrote, Tony, Claire, and Phil all decided they had more to say. I now introduce you to a 66 K+ word story. By definition this is no longer a novella, but a full-length novel. Welcome to the new and expanded BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES.
Note that this story occurs after most events in CONVICTED and REVEALED take place. It’s meant as a fun glimpse into the future of a family that had a very dark and unusual beginning.
As you know, Anthony Rawlings and Claire Nichols have taken the long road to get to this point in their lives and their relationship. I think they deserve some fun; there was enough angst in the beginning to last them both a lifetime.
Oh, who am I kidding? I enjoy giving you and them a little angst too.
Thank you for rejoining Tony and Claire for a look into their future. Please sit back and enjoy BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES.
Sincerely,
~Aleatha
The CONSEQUENCES series contains dark adult content. Although excessive description and detail are not used, the content contains innuendos of kidnapping, rape, and abuse—physical and mental. If you’re unable to read this material, please do not purchase. If you can enter this world of fiction, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!
Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.
—Jeff Cooper
CLAIRE GENTLY SMOOTHED back Nichol’s fine dark hair, unable to break the connection with her daughter. The little girl was sound asleep with her head upon her mother’s lap as the drone of the engines filled the cabin of their airplane. Claire sighed contentedly, taking in the unusually full cabin. Never could she remember their private plane being occupied by this many people. There was a time when this would never—could never—have happened. However, that was long ago, a distant memory. Now things were different, and their family and friends were together.
Though the trip back to Iowa from their South Pacific island was not complete, they’d been flying for what seemed like days. Sometime during the still of night, with Claire’s patience and soothing, Nichol lost her valiant fight against sleep. Succumbing to the heavy lids, Nichol’s dark brown eyes—those that matched her father’s—disappeared behind thick lashes. Claire glanced toward her husband, seeing that his eyes too were uncharacteristically closed, and his chin bobbed near his chest. After all the turmoil that the Rawlings family had endured over the last few years, the serenity of the plane ride nearly brought Claire to tears.
Tony, Claire, and Nichol were sharing the flight home with their only family: Claire’s sister, Emily, brother-in-law, John, and nephew, Michael. Michael’s little body laid contentedly near Nichol’s, their heads resting at each end of the long sofa-like seat, on each of their mother’s laps. During their battle with sleep, the two children vied for their own space, often behaving more like siblings than cousins. Now, with the battle behind them, they rested peacefully, with the other near. Their closeness was to be expected after the way they’d grown up.