Thriller Thursday - Excerpt from Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel

Friday September 4th, 10:55 A.M. Washington Heights

West 175th Street - Apartment Building of Carlos Rodriguez

  The ME identified the five bodies from the building. The four men that Kelli didn’t recognize were all Puerto Ricans. Everyone knew that Dominicans and Puerto Ricans had an ongoing rivalry, especially when it came to their turf. The fifth man Kelli already knew, Francisco Trujillo.

  The shell casings were all 9MM and CSU recovered twenty-five of them. The most interesting piece of evidence to Kelli was a set of prints recovered from the door, and a partial on a shell casing. The partial on the casing put Carlos Rodriguez at the scene, and possibly as one of the shooters. It was more than enough for an arrest warrant.

  Kelli and the rest of the squad waited down the hall as the ESU team made their approach. She watched as the tactical unit reached the door and made ready. One man stepped up to the door and broke it in with a ram.

  As soon as the door swung open, the men poured inside, shouting for the occupants to drop their weapons. She could hear several more shouts from inside the apartment as they cleared each room. The lieutenant took the lead and headed for the apartment. Kelli and the other detectives followed.

  When she stepped inside, Kelli saw Carlos and the two men that had run out of the building in Brooklyn. There were four others that she didn’t recognize. The men were on their knees, hands on their heads. She looked at Carlos, and he met her eyes with a scowl, his eyes glowing with contempt.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  Kelli turned her head and looked at the lieutenant. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ve got this dirt bag,” she said, and moved toward Carlos. She took her handcuffs out as she stepped up behind the man. “Carlos Rodriguez. You’re under arrest.” She continued, giving the man his Miranda rights as she placed the cuffs on his wrist.

  The other detectives proceeded to handcuff the other men. Kelli got Carlos up and led him out the door. “I’ve got you this time, Carlos.”

  “You ain’t got shit, bitch.” He turned his head and spit in her direction.

  Kelli lifted up on the cuffs, causing Carlos to pitch forward. “Do that again, motherfucker, and you’ll be going to the hospital instead of the precinct.”

A Humble Plea

Okay, I'm not usually one to do this, but desperate times and all. I would really appreciate it if anyone who has read my book would please post a review on Amazon. As of now, there are 15 reviews, and it is my understanding that it takes at least 20 before I can have it reviewed by Kindle Book Review. Not only that, but with more reviews comes more sales, and more sales equate to a higher ranking on Amazon. As of this writing, Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel is ranked in the 140,000 range. Honestly, I don't care if it makes it into the Top 10, however breaking the 1000 level would be nice. All I ask is for your honest review.

Thank you


Connect to my book on Amazon here!

Thriller Thursday - Sample from Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel

Thursday September 3rd, 12:49 P.M. Brooklyn

2700 Block West 15th Street

  The Escalade reached the end of the block before Kelli pulled out. It turned right onto Audubon and she accelerated. She reached the corner in time to see the Escalade make another right.

  The lieutenant was still on the line, shouting in her ear. “Storm, what are you doing? We can pick up Carlos later.”

  “I can’t do that, boss. I need to see what he’s doing. He may be on to us and…”

  “Damnit, Storm. Okay, just stay back and follow him. You call me when you get to wherever it is he’s going.”

  As she made the right, she saw the Escalade make a left. She caught up and watched Carlos merge onto Harlem River Drive and head south.

  The lieutenant was still shouting in her ear. “Yes sir, as soon as I know where he’s going, I’ll call.” She flipped the phone shut and concentrated on Carlos.

  She kept her distance and followed Carlos down FDR Drive and through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. While she didn’t know his exact destination, she had a good idea that he was heading for Coney Island.

  Carlos exited and made a right. She was three cars back, and the light turned as she reached the corner. The Escalade moved farther away while she waited for the cross traffic to pass.

  She caught a break in traffic and wheeled out onto Cropsey. She couldn’t see the Escalade and sped up, weaving in and out of traffic. She finally spotted him and slowed down. The Escalade pulled into the left turn lane at Neptune and she pulled in five cars back.

  She followed the car as it made a left onto West 16^th and stayed back. The Escalade pulled up on the left in front of a building with a large roll up door. Carlos and the other men climbed out. Kelli found a spot, pulled over half a block down, and watched.

  The four men walked up to a side door and Carlos pounded on it. A few seconds later, the door opened and they disappeared inside. From her vantage point, she couldn’t get a good look at the front of the building.

  She knew it was a rookie mistake to go into a situation without backup. She also knew the lieutenant would have her ass when she got back. It’s always better to ask forgiveness afterward. At least, that’s what Mom would say. She grabbed her cell phone and climbed out.

  She crossed the street about thirty yards from the building and heard gun shots. She drew her weapon and took cover behind a parked car. She reached for her cell phone and dialed the precinct.

  “33rd Precinct Detective Unit, Yablonski.”

  “Stan, this is Kelli. I need to talk to the boss.”

  “Yeah, hang on.”

  Kelli heard several clicks and the lieutenant picked up.

  “Storm, where are you?”

  “I’m in Brooklyn, on West 16th. Carlos and his crew stopped at this building in the 2700 block. And boss, there were shots fired.”

  The lieutenant was silent for a moment. “You stay put, I’ll get some backup over there.”

  “Yes sir, and make it fast.”

  Kelli waited for several more minutes before seeing three men run out of the building. She spotted Carlos in the lead, and he ran for his Escalade and jumped in the driver’s side. The other two men jumped in the back.  She waited until they left and ran back to her car.

  The lieutenant was still on the phone. “Boss, they’re leaving. Carlos and his guys are moving out. And it looks like they’re one man short.”

  “Kelli, I want you to stay back. You don’t know what happened in there. You wait for backup to arrive. Got it?”

  “Their gone, boss. I’m just going to approach the door and take a look. That’s all. Okay?”

  “Damnit, Kelli. Okay, but don’t take any chances.”

  “I won’t.” She flipped the phone closed and put it away.

Carlos and his crew were long gone, and she assumed they were headed back to the city. She slowly approached the building, the Glock at her side.

  She stepped up to the open door and glanced inside. There was a short hallway with a closed door at the end. She stood and listened for movement. After several minutes, she entered the hallway and walked to the second door.

  When she reached it, she paused and listened again. When she was sure there was no one moving inside, she pushed the door open with her foot. It was a large room with an overhead florescent light hanging from the ceiling. The light flickered and buzzed casting eerie shadows across the room.

  It was against procedure to enter without backup, and the lieutenant would give her hell for doing it. She raised her Glock and entered anyway.

Thriller Thursday - Sample from Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel

Saturday August 29th, 11:01 P.M. Washington Heights

West 175th Street - Apartment Building of Carlos Rodriguez

   Kelli knew it wasn’t one of her best ideas, and it certainly wasn’t the brightest. She just knew she had to do something. She told Kevin she was just going for a drive, she just had to clear her head.

   She had spotted him tailing her as she passed the West 230th Street exit on the Major Deegan Expressway. She took the West 207th Street exit and lost him at 10th Street when he caught the light. She made several left and right turns, and when she was sure he was no longer following, she made her way to Broadway.

   Kelli parked about a block up from the apartment building and checked her Ruger LCP. She had a full clip in, and a spare, for a total of fourteen rounds. She climbed out of the car and started for the building, taking quick deliberate steps.

   She could see the black Escalade parked in front, and two men leaning against the back. She recognized one of the men, Jose Castillo, one of Carlo’s street dealers. Shit. I’m going to have to find another way in there.

   She turned and crossed at the corner, walking swiftly up Audubon. She knew the only other way into the building was from the alley off Amsterdam, so she would have to make the block. As she approached the corner of Audubon and West 176th, she saw Kevin’s Expedition pull up and stop.

   She continued toward the corner and watched as Kevin climbed out and stepped to the curb. He started walking toward her and she stopped. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, raising her voice and throwing her arms in the air.

   He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Stopping you from making a big mistake,” he said, looking into her eyes.

   She brushed his hands away and stepped back. “I have to do this, Kevin. If this son of a bitch is allowed to live…”

   “That’s just it, Kelli. It’s not your job to decide who lives and who dies. If you go through with this, you’ll end up in prison, or worse. Shit, for all you know, the bastard has his whole crew in there.”

   She glared up at him. “I don’t care if the son of a bitch has his mother in there, he’s going to pay.”

   Kevin shook his head and frowned. “This isn’t the way to handle it. I agree that he has to pay for what he did, but you can’t just rush in there and start shooting,” he said, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, I was just getting used to having you around again.”

   Kelli looked up at him and felt her face soften. “You mean…”

   He touched a finger to her lips and nodded. “Yes.”

Storm Rising featured on Digital Book Today - Weekly Great Reads

I have the honor of having my current novel, Storm Rising, featured this week on the Digital Book Today Weekly Great Reads. You can check it out here:

http://digitalbooktoday.com/2012/02/08/weekly-featured-great-reads-19/


There are some really Great Reads on the site this week.

Sneak Peek Sunday - Excerpt from Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel

Thursday October 21^st 12:34 P.M. East Elmhurst

Rikers Island - Men’s Detention Facility

  Kelli sat at the bare metal table, staring across at Jesus Reyes, her eyes fixed on his. He was solid, muscles bulging under the orange jumpsuit, arms covered in tattoos. She didn’t expect to get anything out of him, but she knew she had to try. He had been ordered to kill Raul, and she needed to know who had given the order.

  “Who told you to kill Raul, Jesus? You might as well tell me now, because you know I’ll find out eventually.”

  Jesus stared back, a scowl on his face. “I ain’t tellin’ you shit bitch,” he said and spit on the floor.

  “We’ve got Angelo. It’s only a matter of time before he talks, and then you lose any chance at a deal. Are you willing to spend the rest of your life in prison for Angelo and the Trinitarios?”

  Jesus shifted in his chair, and Kelli could swear he had turned a shade paler. “You ain’t got nothin’, bitch. I ain’t talkin’ and Angelo ain’t gonna talk either.”

  Kelli leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. He was probably right about that, she thought. Angelo had kept his mouth shut, other than screaming profanities at her and Chris when he was arrested.

  Jesus cracked a smile and shook his head. “You are one dumb cabrona. You have no fuckin’ idea what’s going on. Estúpido coño.”

  Kelli felt her face get hot and she controlled the urge to leap across the table and cold cock him. She pushed the chair back, stood up and forced a smile. “I’ll be sure to let Angelo know that you were very cooperative.” She stared at him and called for the guard.

  Jesus jumped up, the chains on his arms and legs rattling. “That’s a fuckin’ lie, bitch. I ain’t told you shit. You can’t tell ‘em that, they’ll fuckin’ kill me too.” He struggled as he moved around the table, but before he reached the other side, two guards were on him and slammed him down on the metal surface.

  Kelli raised a hand and moved closer. “Easy guys. I think he may be ready to talk.” She looked down at Jesus, her head tilted to one side. “You ready to talk now, Jesus?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he grunted.

  Kelli nodded at the guards and they released him. “Take a seat, Jesus, and tell me who ordered you to kill Raul Flores.”

Review of Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel by Kayden Lee

I recently came across Storm Rising, a mystery/thriller/suspense novel by Kenneth Hoss. As I am not generally drawn to detective centered stories, I probably would have passed on the book had I not heard such great things about it. I am glad that I trusted the reviews and read the book. Kenneth Hoss has managed to tell his story in a way which keeps the well written, fast paced saga interesting and entertaining.

Kelli Storm is a gritty, down to earth female protagonist who is determined to take care of herself and those she loves. After being pulled into a whirlwind of personal battles, the strong willed, spunky detective is determined to hold her own in both her professional and personal life, leaning on those she must in order to do this. Although Kelli Storm is not always likable, she is very believable, and that combined with an interesting storyline makes the book a good read. I am interested to see what mess Kelli will find herself in, with the next book of the series.
 

http://kaydenlee.com/blogwithkayden.html