The Dead Woman (Sin City, Book 3) by Jennifer Samson
Release date: April 9, 2018
Subgenre: Organised crime
About The Dead Woman:
Secrets can kill …
Tim Kelly makes a deal with Mexican gunrunners that will bring him much-needed cash and improve his standing in Vegas’ criminal underworld. Then he gets stiffed, and the only person with an explanation isn’t talking.
Lupe Delgado is on the run from a powerful cartel and her only goal is to put distance between her and the man who wants her dead. Her escape is thwarted when she ends up in Tim’s hands.
Tim offers an exchange: information on the location of his weapons shipment for Lupe’s freedom. Lupe reluctantly agrees to help Tim, but refuses to tell him why she fled Mexico.
When hitmen arrive in town, Tim and Lupe take the fight to Mexico. Surrounded by enemies, Lupe must reveal her secret if they’re going to survive – and it’s one the cartel will kill to keep.
Tim Kelly makes a deal with Mexican gunrunners that will bring him much-needed cash and improve his standing in Vegas’ criminal underworld. Then he gets stiffed, and the only person with an explanation isn’t talking.
Lupe Delgado is on the run from a powerful cartel and her only goal is to put distance between her and the man who wants her dead. Her escape is thwarted when she ends up in Tim’s hands.
Tim offers an exchange: information on the location of his weapons shipment for Lupe’s freedom. Lupe reluctantly agrees to help Tim, but refuses to tell him why she fled Mexico.
When hitmen arrive in town, Tim and Lupe take the fight to Mexico. Surrounded by enemies, Lupe must reveal her secret if they’re going to survive – and it’s one the cartel will kill to keep.
Excerpt:
He pounded on the door and tried the knob.
“Open up, Lupe, I know you’re here,” he said.
She remembered the footsteps of Calderón, coming heavy into the casita, or down the hallway in the main house, a sound that made everyone look at each other with fear in their eyes. She remembered the sound of the door opening and what it meant. She was so far from that now. She’d come so far.
“I do not want to open the door.” His voice made her feel wary.
“Lupe, you don’t open this door right now, I’ll break the thing down,” he said. His voice was measured, and to the average person it may not sound threatening, but she knew sometimes the worst threats were hidden behind the quietest of requests.
She took a deep breath and pushed on the door and moved the slide lock. He was in the room before she could step back.
“I wanna know what the hell is going on,” he said. “No more lies, no more bullshit.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I have not lied.”
“José Calderón.”
She froze.
“That’s what I thought,” Tim said. He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her out into the hallway and took her out in the front room of the warehouse. No one else was there.
“What are you doing with me?” she asked. She noticed a bundle in his hands. “What is that?”
He held up her dress and sweater bunched in his hand. “Your clothes. I want you to tell me who he is and why you’re tied up with him, or you’re out on your ass and can fend for yourself.”
“How did you learn of him?” She yanked her arm away.
“You don’t get to ask the damn questions, you answer them,” he said.
“How?” she yelled. “Tell me how!”
“My contact in Tijuana, the one who set me up with the Castillo boys,” he said. “He sent a man asking about you and got an earful about – ”
Before he could finish speaking she darted back toward the bedroom, Tim following behind her. She made it to the bedroom, shoved her hand under the mattress and pulled out her rosary beads. She was in the hallway before Tim stopped her.
“Let me go!” she yelled. “Let me go! He will find me; you have ruined everything! He will kill me! Let me go!”
Tim pushed her back toward the wall and held her by the wrists.
He had her clothing tucked under his arm – the things she ran away from México in, the dress that reminded her so much of the Casa. She gagged for a moment, and she gulped in air.
“Please let me go, he will find me,” Lupe said, beginning to cry.
“Who is he?” Tim’s breathing was heavy.
“He is Satan,” she said. “He is the devil.”
“Not the answer I wanted. Who?”
“He is a bad man.” She shivered, despite the warmth radiating from Tim’s body. “The worst kind of man.”
“I got that part,” Tim said.
“Please, let me go,” Lupe begged. “You say your contact knows of me? Then Calderón knows as well. He knows I am here.”
“Then I’ll get you away from here, and you tell me everything I wanna know,” Tim said. “That’s the deal.”
Lupe nodded, and he let her go, stepping back and giving her space. He held out her clothes, and she took them, hugging them to her. He kept a hand on her arm and pulled her toward the doorway.
Her breathing returned to normal when they entered the alley. The night air was cool, and Lupe shivered again, this time from the cold.
She jumped when she heard the noise, and it was a second before she realized the loud bangs were gunshots.
The devil had come.
“Open up, Lupe, I know you’re here,” he said.
She remembered the footsteps of Calderón, coming heavy into the casita, or down the hallway in the main house, a sound that made everyone look at each other with fear in their eyes. She remembered the sound of the door opening and what it meant. She was so far from that now. She’d come so far.
“I do not want to open the door.” His voice made her feel wary.
“Lupe, you don’t open this door right now, I’ll break the thing down,” he said. His voice was measured, and to the average person it may not sound threatening, but she knew sometimes the worst threats were hidden behind the quietest of requests.
She took a deep breath and pushed on the door and moved the slide lock. He was in the room before she could step back.
“I wanna know what the hell is going on,” he said. “No more lies, no more bullshit.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I have not lied.”
“José Calderón.”
She froze.
“That’s what I thought,” Tim said. He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her out into the hallway and took her out in the front room of the warehouse. No one else was there.
“What are you doing with me?” she asked. She noticed a bundle in his hands. “What is that?”
He held up her dress and sweater bunched in his hand. “Your clothes. I want you to tell me who he is and why you’re tied up with him, or you’re out on your ass and can fend for yourself.”
“How did you learn of him?” She yanked her arm away.
“You don’t get to ask the damn questions, you answer them,” he said.
“How?” she yelled. “Tell me how!”
“My contact in Tijuana, the one who set me up with the Castillo boys,” he said. “He sent a man asking about you and got an earful about – ”
Before he could finish speaking she darted back toward the bedroom, Tim following behind her. She made it to the bedroom, shoved her hand under the mattress and pulled out her rosary beads. She was in the hallway before Tim stopped her.
“Let me go!” she yelled. “Let me go! He will find me; you have ruined everything! He will kill me! Let me go!”
Tim pushed her back toward the wall and held her by the wrists.
He had her clothing tucked under his arm – the things she ran away from México in, the dress that reminded her so much of the Casa. She gagged for a moment, and she gulped in air.
“Please let me go, he will find me,” Lupe said, beginning to cry.
“Who is he?” Tim’s breathing was heavy.
“He is Satan,” she said. “He is the devil.”
“Not the answer I wanted. Who?”
“He is a bad man.” She shivered, despite the warmth radiating from Tim’s body. “The worst kind of man.”
“I got that part,” Tim said.
“Please, let me go,” Lupe begged. “You say your contact knows of me? Then Calderón knows as well. He knows I am here.”
“Then I’ll get you away from here, and you tell me everything I wanna know,” Tim said. “That’s the deal.”
Lupe nodded, and he let her go, stepping back and giving her space. He held out her clothes, and she took them, hugging them to her. He kept a hand on her arm and pulled her toward the doorway.
Her breathing returned to normal when they entered the alley. The night air was cool, and Lupe shivered again, this time from the cold.
She jumped when she heard the noise, and it was a second before she realized the loud bangs were gunshots.
The devil had come.
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About Jennifer Samson:
Jennifer Samson is a Vancouver-based writer and is the author of
the YA/NA Brookline University series and the crime/love story Sin
City series. She has also been published in the literary journals
Thursday and The Lyre, as well as the BoldPrint book Friends. Her
work has been featured in the Alpha Phi Quarterly, Brookline TAB,
Toronto Star, and Edmonton Sun.
She enjoys fountain pens, notebooks she’s too afraid to use, corner store candy, photography, adorable cats, and too many criminal procedural television shows to name. Being Canadian, a love of hockey goes without saying.
She has written nineteen original novels (two co-written), nine fan fiction novels, and two screenplays. She is currently working on the next book in the Sin City series.
She enjoys fountain pens, notebooks she’s too afraid to use, corner store candy, photography, adorable cats, and too many criminal procedural television shows to name. Being Canadian, a love of hockey goes without saying.
She has written nineteen original novels (two co-written), nine fan fiction novels, and two screenplays. She is currently working on the next book in the Sin City series.
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