Not The Last of Luke: A Paranormal Mystery Suspense Romance Thriller

By Sheila Michelle

 

Luke Barnes just blew his last chance with Amber Simms. Fed up with their tumultuous on-again-off-again five-year relationship, she decides to end it for good and starts a new life far away from him with her sister Pam—and he isn't happy about this.

 

But just a week after Amber begins her new life, strange, unexplained things begin to happen to her. She feels that there is something much deeper to all of these occurrences but she just can't seem to figure it out, and it ultimately takes a toll on her.

 

A year goes by and Amber is still living her life in the place she's called home for over a year now when she receives an unexpected visit from Luke, and nothing will ever prepare her for what he's going to tell her. And what he tells her will have an unforgettable effect on everything that happens to her since he's come back into her life, and in a way she never imagines.

 

Second chances will be proposed, strength will be tested, true love will be questioned, and expecting the unexpected will become the norm. But most of all, nothing will ever again be taken for granted.

 

Originally published in 2017.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheila Michelle
• Release date: Sep 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798227032003

Sheila Michelle

Sheila Michelle has been a book lover ever since she fell in love with Judy Blume books over 30 years ago while in middle school. Today, she's a full-time writer and writes both young adult and adult commercial fiction. Sheila likes to write mostly young adult books that are dark, edgy, mysterious, and suspenseful that's filled with teen drama. She also likes to add a humorous element to them as well, and there's always some romance, whether sweet or erotic. But most of all, she likes to have important messages in her books that she wants every girl to learn from, and it's important that these messages are not overlooked. Her characters are usually beautiful, conceited teen girls who are in a serious need of an attitude adjustment (FunGirl), as well as ones that are considered to be some of the luckiest girls in the world, but have to deal with a lot of issues that no one would ever want to have to deal with (Queen of a Kind; School, Sex and Secrets). Writing has always been a passion of hers, and will continue to be. When she's not writing, she loves reading mostly non-fiction, but will read anything that she finds interesting. When she's not writing or reading, she loves watching YouTube videos, going to concerts, eating spicy foods, watching old and new movies and TV shows, and shopping online and in stores that she can't seem to stay out of. A native of Wisconsin, she lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Book preview

Chapter One

Istared out the window as tears streamed down my eyes. I’d just got done reading a Bible specifically written for women that was a gift from a co-worker. I hadn’t even read the classic Bible yet, like most, and I was not a religious person by any means, but something told me to read this one. I didn’t ask my co-worker for it; she just gave it to me because she knew that the kind of relationship I was in with my boyfriend Luke was not a good one. In fact, the five years we’d been with each other on-again-off-again was anything but good, and I honestly didn’t know why I stayed with him for as long as I had. But that was over as of today. I was officially ending things with Luke, and I permanently meant it. I was not kidding this time. I had something very important to tell him, and it was not just about me breaking up with him for good this time, it was also about me starting a new life someplace else—and I wasn’t telling him where I was going. I wanted him to know that I was moving, though, because I felt I’d owed him that at least. I also wanted to tell him because I didn’t want him constantly harassing my family and whining and crying to them about how sorry he was for the way he’d treated me and for them to tell him where I’d moved to because he wanted to see me because he wanted a second chance. But when it came to second chances, I gave him plenty of those—too many to count—but I was through with that because I was through with him and he was about to find out just how serious I was when he got over here. I didn’t tell him over the phone what I wanted to talk to him about; I just told him I wanted to talk to him about us. He sighed, of course, and asked me why did I wanna talk to him and was I gonna break up with him for the hundredth time—but this time I didn’t say anything. He hung up on me, which I was used to, but then texted me and said that he would be over in a half hour.

A half hour was finally here. I continued to look out the window as I watched Luke get out of his prized luxury sports car, a car that he had to finance but tried to pretend like he could fully afford it. A car that he cared more about than he cared about me. But I didn’t care anymore because I didn’t care about him. Luke was an asshole, to put it kindly, and how I put up with him for so long was beyond me—but not anymore. I was thirty years old and starting a new life in a few days, and happily, this life was not gonna include him and was never going to. I got up and opened the door before he could ring the doorbell.

Hey, I said, as he walked in.

He took off his sunglasses as he walked right past me without saying a word to me and sat on the couch in the family room. He put his feet up on the table.

Luke, how many times have I told you not to do that?

He stared at me rather coldly. Do you really think I give a shit what you think, Amber?

I let out a slight sigh, and then sat on a couch to the left of him. Luke, I told you that I wanted to see you because I need to tell you something.

He glared at me. "If you tell me that you’re pregnant then I’m walking the fuck outta here—you know I don’t want any fucking kids, Amber! Not by you, and not by any bitch!"

"Luke! Please! I’m not pregnant, okay? Will you please just listen to what I have to say?"

What’s so important about what you have to say?

"Well, it is important and I want you to hear me and hear me good."

He mocked what I’d said in my voice—something he always did. Okay, then what is it this time?

I sighed. "Luke, you know how things have been with us on-and-off for the past five years."

"Yeah, so? What about it? If you’re gonna waste my time with some stupid-ass let’s talk about us speech, then I’m gonna bounce. I don’t have time for that shit."

I sighed as I tried to fight back tears. "Well, it is about us, Luke, and I don’t have time for your shit, either, nor am I gonna take any more of it. I’m tired, Luke. I’m tired of the way you treat me and the way you treat our relationship. Our relationship has been relationshit—and you know it. If I couldn’t change you in five years, Luke, what makes me think that I’m gonna be able to do so in the next five? You know I have always encouraged you to do better for yourself and strive to be a better person overall, but you’re not trying to hear me—and that hurts me. You’re always putting me down about the smallest of things and I’m sick of it. I’m thirty years old and I wanna start my life over. I need to see what I’m about and what I can do for myself, and I hate to say it, but I need to do it without you in it."

He looked at me, and then broke out into a laugh as if I was kidding. "You sound like a typical whining bitch! You know that? ‘Oh, I wanna start my life over! Everyone feel sorry for me! I have a bad boyfriend . . .’"

"Well, you haven’t been a good boyfriend, Luke, and you know it! And you’re proving it now that you still aren’t because it’s obvious that you’re not taking what I’m saying seriously," I angrily replied.

"That’s because you’re not serious, Amber. You’ve said this shit so many times when you broke up with me before and look where you are—nowhere!"

"It’s different now, Luke, and you’ll see that in a few days!" I informed him.

Oh, and how is it gonna be so different, Amber?

"When I said that I need to start a whole new life without you, Luke, I mean that I’m moving. I’m moving out of this state, but I’m not telling you what city or state I’m moving to. This has been in the works for about a year now—Pam and I just had to save the money so we would have enough when we do. She said she needed a change, too. If you don’t believe me you can ask her, or go look in the kitchen at all the boxes that we have packed in there and in our rooms. This is not a joke, Luke. I’m leaving. I’m leaving because unlike you, I want better things out of life and I’m tired of being picked on and put down by a man who is supposed to love me and care for me like you always said that you did—but now I know that you were just full of shit. You were always a good talker. You knew how to talk me right back into being with you, and also knew how to talk my clothes right off of me when you wanted to have sex. It was always about what you wanted, Luke, not about me. You only care about yourself and if that’s the way you wanna continue to be then fine, there’s nothing that I can do about that because as you know I tried—but I’m not trying anymore. You can now go off and live the life you really wanna live and continue to be with other women all you want because you never stopped when we were together. I’m taking back my life, Luke, and it starts with you not being a part of it."

He continued to stare at me. He knew that I was serious. He got up and walked towards the door. He turned around and looked at me. "GO ON, THEN! Go off to a faraway place where you probably don’t know anyone! I really don’t care what the fuck you do! You’re right, I’m gonna continue to do what I wanna do and I’m glad not to have you in my life anymore, either! But I’ll remember this, and you remember it, too! Oh, and another thing, I won’t hold my breath with hopes that you’ll be gone forever because you’ll be back here in less than a year and begging for ME to give YOU another chance!" he said with a laugh, and then walked out the door and slammed it shut.

My eyes welled up with tears as I watched him as he talked to himself as he shook his head and then got into his car. He then screeched off down the driveway. I walked into the family room and sat on the couch and watched TV, and since my bed had already been put in the garage for the movers, it was where I was sleeping. I could smell the strong scent of his cologne as it lingered in the air, and it didn’t even smell good to me anymore because any association with it reminded me of him. I got up and got the can of air freshener and sprayed it until the scent disappeared, and then sat back down on the couch and cried. I was crying for two reasons. One, because I was happy that I’d told him what I wanted to tell him and it was obvious he believed me because he was genuinely upset when he’d left. And two, because I knew he was not gonna change. But even though he was upset when he’d left, he showed me he truly didn’t care that I was moving away because he didn’t even try to beg me to stay, so that showed me his true colors in every sense of the meaning.

Suddenly, the front door unlocked. My older sister, Pam, walked in. Hey, Amber. I picked up some fast food for us. Your favorite, tacos and burritos, she said with a smile. She put the bag on the table in front of me, as well as the drinks.

Thank you, I replied with a slight smile.

She looked at me. What’s wrong?

I let out a sigh. Luke was just here. I told him about us moving, and of course, officially broke up with him on top of it.

She sat down next to me. I take it that it didn’t go well with that asshole, huh?

I smiled slightly since not only did Pam not like him, my parents didn’t either, and neither did any of my friends. No, it didn’t. He kept talking shit about how I’ll be back here in less than a year and that he was gonna continue to do what he wanted—just going on and on, you know?

Typical Luke, sis, Pam replied, as she opened the bag and gave me my food. "I’m gonna say two words—FUCK HIM. He’s the reason why you’re moving and gonna be starting a whole new life in a few days. Like I told you a lot, I’m coming with you because I’m sick of my life here as well and there is no reason in the world that I should stay, either. I can get a job as a paralegal anywhere and where we’re going to, I did. I haven’t been with my ex in over a year and haven’t had a boyfriend since him, and of course, I don’t have any kids so I don’t have to worry about long-distance visitations for a kid or kids, you know? Amber, you’re in the same situation I’m in, and I must say we’re in the best situation we can be in for women our ages. I wish I would’ve thought about moving where we’re moving to five years ago when I was thirty, but I guess it’s okay now. We’re doing it and that’s the bottom line!"

I nodded with a smile. That’s right, Pam, we’re doing it. You’re never too old to start over fresh and leave nothing behind but bad relationships.

You got that right, sis! And our parents said that maybe they’ll move out there after a year if they see that we love it out there.

Well, I hope they do so they can be closer to us. What’s there not to love about living in Las Vegas?

Nothing! she said with a big smile. "Oh my god, Amber, I can’t fucking wait! I haven’t been able to sleep for the past two weeks thinking about our life-changing move in a few days!"

Neither have I, I said with a smile.

Even though I had the same reasons as Pam, I also couldn’t sleep because I knew I had to tell Luke I was moving and therefore ending our relationship. Even though we hadn’t talked to each other in almost three weeks until today, I knew I couldn’t hold off telling him any longer. I also knew he was gonna react the way he did, but the bottom line was I’d told him, so that was finally done, and I was very much looking forward to my new life in Las Vegas, and like Pam said, I couldn’t fucking wait.

Chapter Two

Pam and I sat at the airport with our coffee in one hand as we held hands with the other as we waited to board our flight to Las Vegas. I looked around at all the others who were on the same flight with us as I wondered if any of them had a one-way ticket like the way we did. I smiled as I saw a girl with her family as she held her wedding dress in a clear garment bag as it was obvious that she was getting married out there, but chances were, her and her new husband were coming right back here. I was never one to talk about or be jealous of anyone’s relationships because all I knew was that I’d just ended a bad one and was starting my life over as of today.

So I take it Luke hasn’t called you since you told him about us moving? Pam asked me.

No, he hasn’t. He will see how serious I am that we’re moving out here when he stops by our old house and sees that it’s empty. I left the blinds open on purpose just in case he decides to pay me a visit thinking I’m still here. Plus, I deleted all of my social media accounts because I don’t want Luke knowing anything about my new life.

She laughed. Yeah, really! He’ll see just how serious you were about moving, that’s for sure! Good for you, sis!

I nodded with a smile. "Pam, I’m sooo excited about moving out there, but I also have a lot of anxiety. I haven’t even found a job yet. I tried looking for one, but most I wanted to apply for said I had to be a local resident and not someone who was moving out there but wasn’t out there yet."

Don’t worry, Amber. You’ll find a job; you’re very persistent. We have a lot of money saved up so we don’t have to worry about not having any for a while and having to call our parents for some every week or two.

I laughed. Yeah, and that’s exactly why I wanted to save as much as I could. I sacrificed a lot, but now I know it’s gonna be worth it and this is the first step in us seeing that it is!

"You’re right, it is. And I just want you to know it’s okay if you wanna start dating right away. Remember, we’re gonna be in a whole new life in a city thousands of miles away from here—no one knows us there. I know I’m gonna start dating!"

I laughed. I know you are, Pam! You and your ex have been apart for well over a year—the same can’t be said for Luke and me. I just wanna concentrate on trying to get a job first, get settled in, see how well my new life is working out there, and then see what it would be like to date. I’m all for dating again of course, and trust me, I can spot another Luke in a minute! I’m old enough to know there are Lukes everywhere!

You got that right, sis! Even more of them out there than there are here. It’s a much bigger city with over a million people—more people, more problems, more trouble.

Yeah, unfortunately. I know I’m gonna have problems, but I wanna avoid guys like Luke at all costs!

She laughed. Well, sis, I know your dream man is out there, you’ll just have to find him, that’s all.

Well, I’m not looking right now and not for a while. He’ll come when he comes and he’ll come to me! I said with a laugh.

She laughed with me as she nodded in agreement.

A half hour later, it was time to board our flight. We got on the plane and were greeted by the flight attendants. I smiled as I walked back to my seat with Pam behind me and sat in the two-seater row in the middle of the plane by the window since I won the coin toss of being able to sit by the window over a month ago.

Several minutes later, it was time for takeoff, and this takeoff felt a hell of a lot different to me than the others did because once we left I knew I wasn’t coming back to this city in a few days or weeks or even months. I couldn’t wait to take off to a new life and move that was long overdue, but I couldn’t help to wonder would Luke try to get in touch with me thinking tI wasn’t serious about moving. Before they left us at the airport, my parents told me they hadn’t received any calls from him, either, so I assumed he knew I was telling the truth about moving.

I put my food tray down in front of me and got out my Bible for women. I turned to the chapter on Luke. This was a chapter I’d read very carefully when I read it the first time around, and I wanted to read it again. I knew Luke didn’t know what his name stood for because if he did and lived up to it as well then he would be a totally different person than the one he was. Luke would never teach anyone anything about the importance of prayer since he was not a loving and kind person himself, and had probably never prayed about anything in his life except to win millions of dollars in the lottery. He had never, and won’t ever, show any compassion to people who are despised in this society, such as the poor and women. He never showed much compassion to anyone and that’s because he thought he was better than everyone. The only person Luke cared about was Luke, and now that he knew we were officially over with for good, he can keep on caring only about himself, and I’m glad I let him know that last night. I no longer felt I needed from him what he was never able to give me to begin with which was compassion, love, caring, protection . . . I won’t go on.

Pam and I smiled big at each other as the plane went fast down the runway and we took off into the air on this sunny morning. It was a beautiful day and there was not a cloud in the crystal clear, blue sky. It was springtime, but even with it being like this in a Midwest city, it still came with cool, cloudy days, and there were more of those than the nice, warm sunny days like the one that we were now leaving on. But I knew moving out to Las Vegas that the days were rarely cloudy and cool, and that’s what I was looking forward to.

As we were high in the air officially on our way to our new lives, I took a look at Luke’s name one more time in my Bible and then closed it slowly and put it away in my bag since I decided not to read over again what his name meant and the kind of person that he should be. Only Luke knew what kind of person he should be, and whether or not he wanted to change himself to become that person was entirely up to him because I was through with him. Seconds later, I got out my phone and plugged my earphones into the phone jack, turned on my music, sat back, closed my eyes and smiled, as I finally felt relaxed for the first time in a very long time.

Chapter Three

The plane landed right on schedule. I looked out the window and smiled big since I knew just by looking at the beautiful blue sky and bright sun along with the gorgeous mountains and tons of palm trees that it was indeed gonna be a new life for me as well as for Pam, and it looked like we were thousands of miles away from our old one, and we were.

It felt good already.

Ahhh! Viva, Las Vegas! Pam said, as we walked off the plane and into the airport.

Yes! I happily replied. Home sweet home! I can’t wait to see our new home!

Neither can I. Since I know that our stuff isn’t gonna be here until a few days from now, I rented some furniture in the meantime. Also, as I said before, all the electricity, water, and utilities are all in place as well so we can get online when we want.

Sounds great, Pam! But you know the first thing I’m gonna have to do is find a job since I officially live out here now.

Well, you can do that on Monday, Amber. Tonight, we’re going out and having fun! We’re gonna go gambling and out to eat at one of those fancy restaurants on the Strip!

I smiled big! "I can’t wait! I’ve wanted to go gambling for so long! I just love the fact that there are so many options when it comes to gambling here! I know I’m gonna have plenty of favorite local casinos I’m gonna love going to!"

Oh, I know you are and so am I! she replied with a smile.

Yeah, we were overexcited to say the least.

After we got our luggage from the baggage claim area, we went over to the car rental place since Pam had made reservations for us to get a car.

We were shown out to our car as I couldn’t stop smiling. We were officially here, and I already loved my new life, and I still hadn’t even seen where we were living yet even though I saw pictures of the house from the outside as well as inside.

I specifically requested a car with a navigation system, Pam said with a smile.

So where are we headed? I asked, as I put my bags in the back.

123 Mayberry Lane—it’s on the northwest side of the city.

Really? Are we gonna be, like, really far from the Strip?

About fifteen miles from it, she replied, as she started up the car.

"Oh, okay. Well, that’s not that bad. I like