Deeper Look: The Stranger

Ashlee Cox • October 3, 2024

It never occurred to Lena Belgrave that her usual run-of-the-mill shift at the Gun & Tumble Saloon could become a terrible nightmare where she’d find herself in the middle of a deadly stand-off; yet when a tall, mysterious man walked into the bar that evening, that is exactly what happened. 


In the book The Stranger, Lena immediately noticed that something was amiss when this man too casually walked into the saloon surreptitiously looking for someone as he made his way to the darkest, and most of the  out of the way area within the establishment. 

 

Compared to the calibre of her regular customers, he stuck out like a sore thumb, to Lena’s sharp eye, immediately piquing her intrigue.


 She immediately knew he would be trouble…she just had no idea how much…

“He was a loner.


I knew that the moment I saw his silhouetted frame block the doorway of The Gun & Tumble Saloon, the late evening sun bathing him in its waning orange glow.


He moved further into the welcoming yet slightly outdated room; his footfalls clicked mutely on the hardwood floor as he casually, yet deliberately strolled past the patrons lounging and drinking at the polished bar, not sparing them or myself a glance.


Head straight, he made his way further into the belly of the room, passing the dinner section with their two and four seated table sections, moving past to the fun section of the bar where the rowdier patrons held domain, some playing darts, cheering and jeering with each throw, while the rest were engrossed in rousing rounds of varying card games.


I watched transfixed from my post behind the wooden polished bar counter as he walked over to an empty table at the very back of the bricked section, pulled out a repurposed wooden chair so that it faced the rest of the open room, sat and in the shadowy coolness of the almost deserted area, intensely surveyed what was unfolding before him.


He held the aura of someone who was looking for something or maybe someone in particular and that just added an extra chime to the mild alarm already going off in my head…


I just knew he was trouble.


After working in this establishment for as long as I have, I’ve developed a sixth sense about people”. - excerpt from The Stranger.

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Lured in by the mysterious and curious aura of this handsome man, Lena was just about to head over to take his order and maybe casually flirt with him, hoping to learn some of his secrets when one of the patrons from the louder and rowdier table literally snatched her around the waist, hauling her against him.


Incensed, but hoping to defuse the situation before it could blow up, Lena  tries to reason with the man, but when her pleas land on deaf ears, seemingly to only fuel the man’s twisted imagination, her anger gets the better of her and she slaps the offending man right across the face. 

“Rage shot through me like a lightning strike, taking with it all of my patience with this brute when he audaciously  tightened his hold on me.


"Are you out of your damned mind?" I yelled, anger spiking through me at realising he had no intention of behaving, "Get your foul-smelling-self, off of me!"


He was still trying to grope me, pawing at me while I struggled when I swung my hand back and connected it with a resounding thwack right across his cheek, the impact stinging my palm and stalling the entire Saloon as the sound bounced off the walls, drowning out all the other noises.


Everyone collectively held their breaths, terrified, yet wide eyed, interested in what would happen next.” - excerpt taken from The Stranger.

When the man, spurred on by the obscene heckling from the others at his table, refuses to release her, easily thwarting her attempts at escape, raised his hand to repay Lena. 


Cringing in preparation for the expected blow, Lena is shocked when it doesn’t come and she hears the voice of the man who would become both her rescuer and the catalyst for the series of chaotic and deadly events. 


And just like that Lena suddenly finds herself in the midst of a terrifying brawl between the mysterious Stranger and a deadly, notorious gang.


With all hell breaking loose, Lena must use all her courage and skills to not only survive  this escalating showdown with guns blazing everywhere, but also protect her co-workers and patrons.


Will she be successful? 


And what is the true intention of the mysterious stranger in the first place?


He's handsome and charming, but he's also dangerous and while Lena is drawn to him, she also knows that he could be the one who gets her killed.


When you’re ready to dive into a story with a brave female lead, a mysterious but handsome stranger and utter chaos, The Stranger is only a click away.


Click the button below to get more details and to start reading the story now.


Start Reading

RELATED

Deeper Look: The Conspiracy

By Ashlee Cox • November 12, 2024
One day in my Creative Writing class in College, we were challenged to create a short story using an article from the newspaper as the basis and inspiration for the tale. I had never done this before, but was excited for the opportunity to peruse the newspaper and recreate an event from my own imagination. Wasting no more time, I remembered I had grabbed an old newspaper, spread it across my desk and got busy looking for an exciting story. I had already decided not to look into the court cases, but wanted something that would jump out to me. What I found was the news article about a suspicious fire. As I read the article, I felt myself becoming suspicious of all that was reported. How did the fire start? Why was the older brother who didn’t even live with them the one talking to the media? I fired up my writer’s brain like nothing before and the next thing I knew, I had created a pretty wild short story. Years later as I look through this work, I still feel the same suspicions, but this time I get to really bring up the emotions through my improved descriptive capacity. It is my hope that as you read this short story, you connect with the characters, feel the loss the community will feel and understand the dichotomy of what her sons actually experienced. When a fire consumes the house of Mavis Walker, a stalwart in the small, close knit community of Baker’s Lane, it plunges the community into deep mourning and heralds huge life changes for Mrs. Walkers’ two sons.

Deeper Look: Play Me

By Ashlee Cox • October 13, 2024
Lana Franklyn and Andre Adkins have been best friends since their college days. Over the years they remained so close and connected to each other that everyone- including their friends who should know better- thought they were already a couple with blissful years of dating under their belt. Unfortunately for Lana ,those opinions couldn’t be further from reality. Now after two months of separation, Lana can’t hide the truth from herself or Dre any longer. She’s romantically in love with her best friend. Although super nervous, Lana is ready to confess her true feelings, but her plans hit a major roadblock when Dre drops the bomb that he’s planning on proposing to his beloved, unintentionally making Lana choke on her last sip of beer from the sheer shock of the announcement.

Deeper Look: Unexpected Dating Protocols

By Ashlee Cox • October 7, 2024
The real question you’re asking: Is it actually a bad thing to be too selective or ‘picky’? Am I being difficult, demanding and not appreciative? Am I making everything just too hard? These are the questions people who others consider too picky find themselves asking all the time and wondering if they are somehow hindering or overlooking a possible good- even great- thing by choosing not to settle for less than what they want. While you’re asking yourself these questions, you’re most likely grappling with self-doubt, wondering if you’re being overly demanding and ungrateful, or if you're making life harder for yourselves. However, I genuinely believe there is something to be said for being on the healthy spectrum of pickiness, and knowing what your standards are, because believe it or not there is a crucial distinction between unhealthy pickiness and a healthy level of selectivity. Understanding, accepting and enforcing your healthy life and relationship boundaries as well as standards are essential for life, especially in dating. And let me take this time to gently remind you that being picky has nothing to do with not knowing what you want, rather it's about becoming super clear on knowing what you desire and being empowered enough to accept nothing less. Ashlee says : Healthy pickiness = a happy dating experience. Let me say that again, but in a more formal way: healthy pickiness is not about being indecisive or unsure of what you want, rather, it's about gaining clarity on your desires and having the self-assurance to accept nothing less. It’s about recognizing what truly resonates with you and possessing the empowerment to seek it out. Contrary to popular belief, healthy pickiness doesn't lead to a miserable dating experience, but because of your clarity of what you desire, can result in a fulfilling and joyful journey towards finding the right partner. To help you understand how healthy pickiness can lead to a happy dating experience, I’ve challenged myself to do the research and have outlined these discovered principles in Ashlee Shares: Unexpected Dating Protocols.

Deeper Look: The Hurricane Lee

By Ashlee Cox • October 4, 2024
The story of how two sisters weather their first category 5 hurricane just months after losing their mother.

Deeper Look: Exploring The Praise Kink

By Ashlee Cox • October 4, 2024
When I stumbled upon the term ‘praise kink’ a few years ago in a random online book, I was seriously intrigued and low key excited, because up until then, I had no idea that such a thing as ‘affirmation play’ even existed. Obviously, I had to deep dive further into this concept, and share my discoveries with you! The praise kink as I’ve learnt through my research has been gaining popularity with the netizens as more learn just what it is along with the many different forms it can be expressed and utilised,- particularly as a soft power in the BDSM world.