When The Serpent Bites
by Nesly
Clerge
GENRE: Crime
Fiction, Psychological Thriller
BLURB:
Frederick
Starks has it all—a gorgeous wife who was his high school sweetheart, three
beautiful children, a mansion and cars others envy, millions in the bank,
respected in his community, admired by his employees, loved and respected by
loyal friends. He revels in the hard-earned power and control he’s acquired. As
the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold,” which Starks discovers when gut-wrenching
betrayal by his wife sends him over the edge and into a maximum security
prison. There, Starks is a new “fish,” stripped of nearly everything he’s
always relied on. In that place, where inmates and guards have their own rules
and codes of conduct, Starks is forced to face the darker side of life, and his
own darker side, especially when the betrayals, both inside and outside the
prison, don’t stop. He must choose which path to follow when the line between
right and wrong becomes blurred: one that leads to getting out of the physical
and emotional hellhole he finds himself in or one that keeps him alive.
EXCERPT:
A handcuffed Starks was escorted by
a bailiff into the courtroom from the holding cell. He shuffled directly to
where Parker and the other top three of a long list of attorneys from Parker,
Birnhaum, Bailey, and Todd sat at the defense counsel’s table. He nodded at
each man in turn. The chair next to Parker was empty, which the attorney pulled
out for him.
“I see you brought your muscle,”
Starks said.
“Sometimes it makes a difference,
especially for someone as high-profile as you are. But I’m lead counsel for
your defense.”
Starks turned to check out who was
in attendance in the gallery. Behind the prosecutor’s table, Margaret Hessinger
glared at him. He looked away. Directly behind him and toward the middle sat
his mother, his aunt Anita, and her son, Hank, who waved at him. Next to Hank
sat Jeffrey Davis, who smiled and gave Starks the thumbs-up sign. Starks
nodded, his own smile not reaching his eyes. He continued to scan faces,
thankful that Emma had heeded Parker’s advice and stayed away.
The one person he wanted to see
wasn’t there.
Where the hell is my wife? She
should be here, supporting me.
After all he’d done for her; after
all he’d sacrificed for her and their children. And after all, it was her fault
he was here.
His jaw was tight as he turned to
face the judge’s bench.
“All rise. The Superior Court of
Suffolk County, State of Massachusetts, is now in session. The Honorable
Benjamin Solomon, presiding.
Once the formalities were taken care
of, the prosecuting attorney walked to the jury box and began his opening
statement.
Starks blanched at the words used to
describe him. That person was unrecognizable to him: Extreme sense of
entitlement, calculating, serial philanderer, a monster with a violent temper
who’d planned his revenge on Ozy Hessinger—the victim of a deliberate, brutal,
potentially fatal attack in front of his wife and two young children.
Starks rested his forearms on the
table. Leaning to his right he said to Parker, “He’s trying to make it sound
like Ozy was the only victim.”
Parker touched Starks’s right
forearm, making clear his message to stay silent.
Starks slouched in his chair and
stretched his legs out in front of him. He crossed his arms and sighed.
Parker whispered, “Sit up straight.
And get that expression off your face.”
Starks did as instructed and glanced
at the jurors, who listened with frowns on their faces as the prosecutor
continued to speak. My God, he thought, I’m being branded as some rich CEO who
believes the law doesn’t apply to him.
Now he understood why Parker had
advised him to keep his expression as blank as possible and not to look at the
jury. He felt certain none of those people who were supposed to be his peers
would think or imagine anything other than what they were being told to. None
of them knew what he’d been through. How would any one of them feel if their
spouse had cost them their self-respect, reputation, and family, and in the
excruciating way his wife had?
Starks’s head snapped up when he
heard his name.
AUTHOR BIO:
Nesly
Clerge received his bachelor’s degree in physiology and neurobiology at the University
of Maryland, and later pursued a doctoral degree in the field of chiropractic
medicine. Although his background is primarily science-based, he has finally
embraced his lifelong passion for writing. Clerge’s debut novel, When the
Serpent Bites, will be available in 2015, with the sequel to follow in
2016. His debut novel explores choices, consequences, and the complexities of
human emotions, especially when we are placed in a less-than-desirable setting.
When he is not writing, Clerge manages several multidisciplinary clinics. He
enjoys reading, chess, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending time
with his significant other and his sons.
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