Against All Odds Read online

  He shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable. I save your life, and you call me names.”

  “I called you a jerk. That’s one name. Learn to count.”

  “Why’d you do it?” He adjusts his hat and tilts his head. His eyes are filled more with concern than annoyance now.

  The guy is flipping gorgeous, but in the most down-to-earth way imaginable.

  It’s infuriating.

  “What’s so awful that a pretty girl like you wants to end it all?”

  Pretty? Me? The guy obviously needs glasses. Maybe they flew off when he ruined my plans.

  “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  “Not to you.” I fold my arms.

  “Hey, I saved your life. The least you could do is tell me why you were going to throw it all away.”

  I sigh as dramatically as I can. Seriously, I really draw it out and even manage a slight eye roll. Maybe I should’ve gone into acting. Too late for that. For anything, really.

  There will be another train.

  I ignore the hottie and storm toward the tracks. “This time I’m going to get it right.”

  He jumps between me and the tracks. “And if I don’t let you?”

  “You’re going to try to stop me again?”

  “Yeah.” He knits his brows together, clearly daring me to try and stop him.

  Why does he have to be so attractive? It’s aggravating.

  I clench my fists. “I’ve fought off guys bigger than you.”

  He arches a brow. “Really?”

  “You’d better believe it. Wanna try me?” I step closer, ready to kick him where the sun doesn’t shine for messing up my plans. I should be all over those tracks, yet here I am just arguing with a mysterious guy who shows up out of nowhere.

  He steps back with a little laugh. “Okay, I believe you. Hey, why don’t we grab something to eat?”

  I just stare at him. He can’t be for real. “You want to get some lunch? After this?”

  “I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I didn’t bring any money.” I need to get rid of him so I can catch the next train. It’ll be another fifteen minutes. Yes, I checked. Just in case something went wrong. I’m prepared.

  He shrugs. “I have money. Come on.”

  It takes me a moment to realize what he said. “Now you want to pay for my meal?”

  “Yeah. Come on.”

  “What? Am I your charity case for the day?”

  He doesn’t move a muscle.

  My stomach growls. Loudly.

  He chuckles and rubs the light dusting of facial hair across his cheeks. “Sounds like you could use something to eat.”

  “What I need is the next train!”

  Why did I admit that to him?

  “Let’s get something to eat. You don’t even have to tell me why you’re out here. Just eat the food, and sit there being furious at me for saving your life. Sound like a plan?”

  I clench my jaw, not wanting to give into him. My stomach rumbles again. Why did he have to bring up food?

  “Well?” The corners of his perfect mouth twitch. He finds me amusing.

  “Fine.” I may as well get a meal for my trouble.

  There will be other trains. And looking at this guy won’t be the worst way to spend my last hour.

  Read more here.

  Author’s Note

  Thanks so much for reading Against All Odds. I’ve been wanting to write a book with a school shooting for a while now. Not because I want to take advantage of a popular topic, but because I often work through issues by writing them out into a fictional story. Hopefully reading provides a similar experience for you, as well.

  I did my best to handle the subject matter with care. I find it incredibly disheartening that this happens. The worst I ever experienced in school were kids pulling the fire alarm and the occasional fake bomb threat. We had one lockdown drill when I was a senior in high school. Now kindergarteners have those drills. It’s just sad. This sort of thing should be the furthest thing from the mind of any child.

  My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of shootings and their families and friends.

  I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is to join my mailing list (link below) and reply to any of the emails.

  Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That’s it.

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  Other Books

  If you enjoy reading outside the thriller genre, you may enjoy some of Stacy Claflin’s other books. She is a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex characters overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through bringing an experience readers don’t soon forget.

  The Gone Saga

  The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over

  Dean’s List

  No Return

  Alex Mercer Thrillers

  Girl in Trouble

  Turn Back Time

  Little Lies

  Against All Odds

  Don’t Forget Me

  Curse of the Moon

  Lost Wolf

  Chosen Wolf

  Hunted Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Cursed Wolf

  Secret Jaguar

  Valhalla’s Curse

  Renegade Valkyrie

  Pursued Valkyrie

  The Transformed Series

  Main Series

  Deception

  Betrayal

  Forgotten

  Ascension

  Duplicity

  Sacrifice

  Destroyed

  Transcend

  Entangled

  Dauntless

  Obscured

  Partition

  Standalones

  Fallen

  Silent Bite

  Hidden Intentions

  Saved by a Vampire

  Sweet Desire

  The Hunters

  Seaside Surprises

  Seaside Heartbeats

  Seaside Dances

  Seaside Kisses

  Seaside Christmas

  Bayside Wishes

  Bayside Evenings

  Bayside Promises

  Bayside Destinies

  Bayside Opposites

  Bayside Dreams

  Short Story Collection

  Tiny Bites

  Standalones

  Haunted

  Sweet Dreams

  Sweet Reunion

  Love’s First Kiss

  More coming soon!

  Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.

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  Did you love Against All Odds? Then you should read Tiny Bites by Stacy Claflin!

  A lost love. An impossible decision. A second chance. Multiple genres collide in a compilation featuring a dozen short stories from USA Today bestselling author Stacy Claflin! The Gone Series. The Transformed Series. The Seaside Hunter Series. Author Stacy Claflin has en
tertained readers in a variety of genres, from suspense to paranormal to sweet romance. For the first time ever, you can get a taste of Claflin's multi-genre talent all in one collection: Tiny Bites. Tiny Bites is a compilation of short stories that can stand alone from their individual series. If you like vivid imagination, powerful heroines, and page-turning pace, then you'll love Stacy Claflin's multi-genre collection. The collection is over 75,000 words – the length of a good-sized novel. It includes: -3 new Transformed short stories: The Volunteer, Eaten by Wolves, Returned -3 new Seaside Hunters shorts: Seaside Beginnings, Seaside Memories, and Seaside Treasures -3 new shorts from the Gone series: Research, Desperate, and A Very Dysfunctional Christmas -1 new standalone short story: Monsters-5 previously-published stories -Bonus Content: Character interviews, Deleted Scenes, "Best of" excerpts, and more! Read Tiny Bites to start your snack-sized stories today!

  Also by Stacy Claflin

  An Alex Mercer Thriller

  Girl in Trouble

  Turn Back Time

  Little Lies

  Against All Odds

  Don't Forget me

  Bayside Hunters

  Bayside Opposites

  Curse of the Moon

  Lost Wolf

  Chosen Wolf

  Hunted Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Cursed Wolf

  Secret Jaguar

  Fall Into Romance

  Lost in Romance

  Gone

  Gone

  Held

  Over

  The Gone Trilogy

  Dean's List

  Indigo Bay Sweet Romance Series

  Sweet Dreams

  Sweet Reunion

  The Hunters

  Seaside Surprises

  Seaside Heartbeats

  Seaside Dances

  Seaside Kisses

  Seaside Christmas

  Bayside Wishes

  Bayside Evenings

  Bayside Promises

  Bayside Destinies

  The Hunters: A Collection

  The Transformed

  Deception

  Betrayal

  Forgotten

  Ascension

  Duplicity

  Sacrifice

  Destroyed

  Transcend

  Entangled

  Dauntless

  Obscured

  Partition

  Fallen (The Transformed Prequel)

  Silent Bite: A Transformed Christmas

  Hidden Intentions

  Saved by a Vampire

  Sweet Desire

  Valhalla's Curse

  Renegade Valkyrie

  Pursued Valkyrie

  Standalone

  The Transformed Series - Four Books

  The Transformed Box Set

  No Return

  Tiny Bites

  Haunted

  Dex

  When Tomorrow Starts Without me