Written in Scars
Thom Collins
Pain fades but the scars remain.
When Logan Crawford, a former war correspondent turned best-selling author, appears on TV to promote his latest thriller, he is knocked out by his fellow guest, Sam Radcliffe. Logan’s travels around the world have opened his eyes to many things, but nothing as attractive as the man he meets that night. Sam was the victim of a vicious stabbing in his youth and is now an active campaigner against knife crime and violence. He is perfect in every way but one: the wedding band he wears. That’s a complication Logan doesn’t need.
Sam’s life is far from happy. His husband is addicted to hard-drugs and casual sex: a devastating combination. Johan was once the shining light in Sam’s life. Now he brings nothing but darkness. But Sam respects the vows they made. For better or for worse. The attraction Logan feels for him is mutual. Ruggedly handsome and engagingly smart, Logan is hard to resist. Sam will need to overcome the anguish of his past and barriers of his present if he’s to stand a chance with Logan.
A contemporary new romance from the author of Closer by Morning and The Anthem Trilogy.
Book Title Copyright ? 2018 by Thom Collins. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Cover designed by www.studioenp.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Thom Collins
Visit my website at www.thomcollins.co.uk
ISBN-13 ooo-0-0000000-1-2
Other books by Thom Collins
Closer by Morning
Gods of Vengeance
Silent Voices
The Coach
The Anthem Trilogy
Anthem of the Sea
Anthem of the Dark (coming Sept 2018)
Anthem of Survival (coming Dec 2018)
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Meet the author
Thom Collins bio
Chapter One
The interview was scheduled for seven-fifteen. Logan Crawford arrived promptly at the TV studio at six-thirty. He was greeted in reception by Amy, a good-natured production assistant who escorted him to the green room on the seventh floor.
“Help yourself to anything you like,” she said, showing him the TV and coffee facilities in the corner of an overly warm room. “I’ll come back for you five minutes before you’re due on and run through what to expect. Not nervous, are you?”
“I’m good,” he replied with an easy-going smile.
Amy paused for a moment, staring him full in the face, her eyes wide, captivated. A redness crept up her neck and coloured her cheeks. She looked down at her tablet, breaking the spell she’d been momentarily caught in, seemingly embarrassed. “Great. That’s, er, great. So, just relax a little while and I’ll be back for you soon.”
As she left the room, she turned once more to offer a hesitant smile.
Logan was used to the effect he had on some people. He wasn’t vain and wouldn’t deliberately use his looks to his advantage, but knew he was attractive. Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome were words often used by journalists to describe him. His flashing jade eyes and wide smile drew more press coverage than the books he wrote.
In the green room, a massive TV screen showed the program currently broadcasting, a regional news bulletin which proceeded North-East Tonight, the current affairs show he was due to appear on. The volume was far too loud. Logan searched the glass coffee tables and red leather couches for a remote to mute the sound. Finding none, he ran his fingers along the underside of the screen until he located the manual control and reduced the sound. He didn’t need the distraction. He wanted quiet to prepare for his appearance.
There was nothing he could do about the temperature. The windows were fastened shut. He removed his jacket, hung it over the back of a chair and took a mineral water from the fridge. At least that was cold. Logan was used to situations like this. When he had a new book to promote, he worked tirelessly, touring the country, appearing at local TV and radio stations to give interviews, book signings, readings; not always the greatest fun but a necessary way to get his book noticed.
Now this, the last stop on his current book tour. A four-minute interview on North-East Tonight. A decent slot with good coverage. Best of all it was close to home. There’d be no hotel or six-hour drive afterwards, just a twenty-minute journey from the studios in Newcastle to his house in rural Durham. All being well, he’d be sitting on his sofa and drinking beer by eight o’clock tonight.
Logan crossed to the windows. Seven storeys up, the floor to ceiling glass offered stunning views across the River Tyne and Gateshead Quays on the opposite bank. Dusk had coloured the sky in shades of indigo, gold and grey, which were reflected on the still water of the river. Logan was a not a city man. He preferred the wild, remoteness of the country to high-rises and huge crowds, but he had to admit the view here tonight was truly beautiful.