Books Unleased Book Tour: Holden’s Regrets by Diane Zparkki (Book Excerpt)

Excerpt:

Chapter Two

Holden

My head was banging like the devil himself was trying to get out. I struggled to open my eyes, but I just couldn’t do it, so I lay there, feeling the room spin, only wearing my boxers. I knew one of the boys from the Dragons MC had dropped my drunk-ass off at home again, and I cringed at the thought that I hadn’t taken my clothes off by myself. My baby sister and my brother’s girlfriend had probably undressed me and taken care of me throughout the night. Without opening an eye, I could guarantee there would be a plastic trash bin by the bedside, which I had never used, and a glass of water with pain relievers on the side table. This was becoming a habit I wasn’t proud of, but one that couldn’t be helped. It was the only thing that dulled my pain.

I woke up a few hours later feeling no better. I sat with my feet off the side of the bed and reached for the pills, not even having to look, knowing they would be there. Then I staggered over to my bathroom, held myself up on either side of the sink, and slowly looked at myself in the mirror, disgusted at who I had become in the last few months.

I had a full-grown beard, which was unkempt, and my hair was long and shaggy. The bags under my eyes told their own story of alcohol-filled nights and hangovers.

“Fuck you,” I told my reflection as I connected my fist with the mirror.

I let the shattered shards of glass fall around me, my reflection now cracked, depicting how I felt.

Moving into the shower, I let the warm water run down my neck and back. Looking down, I watched as the blood from my fist streamed down the drain. I felt numb. Not even the throbbing in my hand did anything for me.

When I was done with the shower, I dressed and wrapped my hand in a towel before heading downstairs to get some caffeine in my system, hoping it would soothe my pounding head. I also made myself some toast to settle my stomach.

I could see Liz, Logan, and Jaxon out on the deck, having an intense conversation. Logan and Liz had their backs to me while Jaxon faced them. It seemed odd that their conversation held them so captive that they didn’t see me moving around the kitchen.

I leaned against the counter closest to the screen door, trying to listen to what they were saying, their voices competing with the pounding in my head.

“You have to talk to her. Get her to agree to see Sydney. She’s worried enough that she asked Titus to find her,” Jaxon told Liz.

“I know your frustration, and I’ve tried, but Shannon isn’t ready yet. I can only guess she’s afraid of Sydney’s reaction. I’m going to see her this weekend. I’ll try to at least get her to give Sydney a call. That might be a compromise for them both for the time being,” Liz suggested.

“What the fuck?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Liz knew where Shannon was?

It had been over a month since Shannon picked up and disappeared, saying she was going to transfer to another university. Nobody had heard from her since. Her parents had moved out in June, and then Shannon had left a few weeks after them—I guessed the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“This was a great read and although I shouldn’t have liked Holden to begin with but I did because I felt his pain and understood he was lost in the sorrow of his bad decisions. He had to hit rock bottom before he could make things right. It made it real for me.”

– Anne Citro, Goodreads Reviewer

“This book has a lot of twists. Some you may see coming, but not all. Zparkki did well in keeping a lot under wraps so things will blow up in your face in the end.”

– Kristin Campbell, Goodreads Reviewer

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