by: Cindy R. Wilson
Genre: YA Dystopian Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Publishing ~ Teen
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Revenge is poison...
They call me the Scorpion because they don’t know who I really am. All they know is that someone is stealing from people with excess to help people with nothing survive another day.
But then a trusted friend reveals who I am―“just” Tessa, “just” a girl―and sends me straight into the arms of the law. All those people I helped…couldn’t help me when I needed it.
In prison, I find an unlikely ally in Pike, who would have been my enemy on the outside. He represents everything I’m against. Luxury. Excess. The world immediately falling for his gorgeous smile. How he ended up in the dirty cell next to mine is a mystery, but he wants out as much as I do. Together, we have a real chance at escape.
With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Pike and I will seek revenge on those who wronged us. But uncovering all their secrets might turn deadly…
But then a trusted friend reveals who I am―“just” Tessa, “just” a girl―and sends me straight into the arms of the law. All those people I helped…couldn’t help me when I needed it.
In prison, I find an unlikely ally in Pike, who would have been my enemy on the outside. He represents everything I’m against. Luxury. Excess. The world immediately falling for his gorgeous smile. How he ended up in the dirty cell next to mine is a mystery, but he wants out as much as I do. Together, we have a real chance at escape.
With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Pike and I will seek revenge on those who wronged us. But uncovering all their secrets might turn deadly…
“Don’t take another step.”
My breath catches. My fingers curl around the handle of my knife, but my feet are glued to the ground three steps outside the door. There’s only one Enforcer, but the others can’t be far away. His gun is aimed at my heart, and a dark smile plays on his lips.
“Are you the only one here?” he asks, voice deep.
“Just me.” I hope River and Elle are already hiding. Or maybe they left through the back. I resist the urge to look at Atticus’s and Magellan’s transmissions on my watch.
He narrows his eyes. “Out here all alone. What is it you’re doing at an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night?”
“Delivering a pizza.” I give him an easy smile, but my voice isn’t as steady as I want it to be. When he glares, I shrug. “I saw the warehouse and got curious.” But I’ve heard pizza is really good.
“In the middle of the night,” he says. “Hmm. And what’s in the satchel?”
It’s not my satchel he should be worried about. It’s the throwing knife in my hand.
“Nothing special.”
“I’ve been hearing stories about a girl they call the Scorpion,” he says.
My heart stops. The Scorpion. How do they know? I pinch the blade of the knife between my fingers.
He smiles. “Is that you?”
My throat is too dry to answer.
There’s movement behind him. He whips around as River appears near the dumpsters, hands up. Crap! With a flick of my wrist, I fling the knife at the Enforcer. It lodges in his thigh, and he howls in pain. Before he can recover, River yanks the gun from his grasp. Elle is right behind him, eyes wide.
“Out of here. Now,” I growl, racing away from the warehouse. River and Elle are close by my side as we rush through the streets, dodging dumpsters and bags of trash. The slow burn of asphalt from the heat of the day reaches my nose. Lanterns shine in some windows, but it’s late, and, for the most part, we can only see our path by the glow of the moon. From here, the Light District is countless blocks away, a firefly of light buzzing with energy.
“Are you hurt?” River asks, glancing over.
“Not as bad as the Enforcer.” I brush off his concern even though my leg throbs and blood rolls down my calf. I shut down my receiver to save power. I’ll summon Atticus and Magellan later. “Lost my favorite knife, though.” One of the few mementos I have from my dad.
He lifts his arm. “Got a gun.”
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Elle says, breath short. “I heard what he said. The Enforcer.”
I slow down after we’ve put some distance between us and the warehouse. My heart still races, and my mind whirls. The Enforcers know about me.
“So did I,” River says. “That’s why they were there tonight. They were looking for the Scorpion.”
My breath catches. My fingers curl around the handle of my knife, but my feet are glued to the ground three steps outside the door. There’s only one Enforcer, but the others can’t be far away. His gun is aimed at my heart, and a dark smile plays on his lips.
“Are you the only one here?” he asks, voice deep.
“Just me.” I hope River and Elle are already hiding. Or maybe they left through the back. I resist the urge to look at Atticus’s and Magellan’s transmissions on my watch.
He narrows his eyes. “Out here all alone. What is it you’re doing at an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night?”
“Delivering a pizza.” I give him an easy smile, but my voice isn’t as steady as I want it to be. When he glares, I shrug. “I saw the warehouse and got curious.” But I’ve heard pizza is really good.
“In the middle of the night,” he says. “Hmm. And what’s in the satchel?”
It’s not my satchel he should be worried about. It’s the throwing knife in my hand.
“Nothing special.”
“I’ve been hearing stories about a girl they call the Scorpion,” he says.
My heart stops. The Scorpion. How do they know? I pinch the blade of the knife between my fingers.
He smiles. “Is that you?”
My throat is too dry to answer.
There’s movement behind him. He whips around as River appears near the dumpsters, hands up. Crap! With a flick of my wrist, I fling the knife at the Enforcer. It lodges in his thigh, and he howls in pain. Before he can recover, River yanks the gun from his grasp. Elle is right behind him, eyes wide.
“Out of here. Now,” I growl, racing away from the warehouse. River and Elle are close by my side as we rush through the streets, dodging dumpsters and bags of trash. The slow burn of asphalt from the heat of the day reaches my nose. Lanterns shine in some windows, but it’s late, and, for the most part, we can only see our path by the glow of the moon. From here, the Light District is countless blocks away, a firefly of light buzzing with energy.
“Are you hurt?” River asks, glancing over.
“Not as bad as the Enforcer.” I brush off his concern even though my leg throbs and blood rolls down my calf. I shut down my receiver to save power. I’ll summon Atticus and Magellan later. “Lost my favorite knife, though.” One of the few mementos I have from my dad.
He lifts his arm. “Got a gun.”
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Elle says, breath short. “I heard what he said. The Enforcer.”
I slow down after we’ve put some distance between us and the warehouse. My heart still races, and my mind whirls. The Enforcers know about me.
“So did I,” River says. “That’s why they were there tonight. They were looking for the Scorpion.”
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Cindy began creating worlds as a kid, entertaining her siblings with spontaneous ghost stories before bed. She filled notebooks with novels and ideas and realized quickly she wanted to be a writer as an adult.
Now Cindy lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and loves using Colorado towns and cities as inspiration for settings in her stories. She’s the mother of three girls who provide plenty of fodder for her YA novels.
Places to find Cindy R. Wilson:
You can follow the Sting Blog Tour here.
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