Slow Fade

Seventeen years old is too young to experience the grief of burying her family, but Sara Scott clings to the hope that she won't be alone forever. Salvation has a name-Dougie. His continuous compliments and affection quickly wheedle Sara away from her former life and into Dougie's home. "Love" is patient and kind. As red tearstains fall down her swollen cheek, Sara's desperation for companionship blurs her reality. No one knows the Dougie that Sara does. He only acts out when she provokes him. Voluntarily and not, Sara accepts whatever Dougie does to her to prove her love is true. "Love" is forgiving, even if it leaves bruises. A police officer's duty to protect extends beyond the badge when he meets Sara. Unable to ignore what she can't see, his heart screams for her safety. Mentally, she's too far away to hear the voices that echo in her fading logic. Sara rejects his pleas and the warnings that Dougie's former victim left behind. "Love" always trusts and never fails. Although Sara has nothing to hide, when Dougie learns of the officer's interest in his possession, his jealousy drives him to stake her as his territory. Redemption is not for the dead. Sara may already be too late.