A Damaged Girl

Book excerpt: Essence® bestselling author Travis Hunter tells the story of a young woman who takes control of her own destiny after lifelong abuse. Zola Zaire has not had an easy life. She was raped at thirteen by her mother’s boyfriend—with her mother’s permission. Her mother and the man went to prison for the crime, and Zola, damaged from the experience, spent years running wild. Abuse was all she’d known, and she got comfortable as a bottom dweller. Even after she gave birth to a son, she couldn’t get herself together, and her son was sent to a foster home. Now Zola is living with Andre, a wealthy man who has given her a more stable and luxurious life. Things are far from perfect, however, because Andre has started to use Zola as his punching bag. One night, as she races out of the house to escape from another beating, she is rescued by Ian DeMarco, a stranger who is driving by the scene. Ian and Zola’s chance encounter sets off a chain of events that neither of them could have foreseen. Ian finds himself needing help from the father he rejected long ago, and an unexpected murder leaves Zola fearing that she will be framed for the crime. An unlikely ally helps uncover the shocking truth about a deadly game of revenge that has left them both in danger.