"This was a very good story. After reading the first few pages, it was impossible for me to put this one down until the end. [...] Well written as the characters and situations were realistic and had me feeling as if I knew them." - Dee, Goodreads
When the classroom is no longer a safe space for her child, the outraged mother of a bullied nine-year-old is determined to seek justice for her daughter. An ambitious school principal, however, is far more concerned about protecting her career than getting to the truth. She flat out denies any knowledge of the bullying and prefers to sweep everything under the rug. But just how low will she go?
When the mother’s two hard-charging female attorneys enter the picture, they face more than an uphill battle. As the case enters the courtroom, the women fight hard to expose the truth. But will a massive coverup hinder their quest for justice?
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
"Please, Uncle Dre, let me stay home with
you today. Can you homeschool me?
Please!"
Dre
stroked his goatee and laughed. "Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to
homeschool you or anybody else."
"I'm serious," Bailey pleaded, her
face twisted in terror. "Please don't make me go!"
As his
Jeep inched along behind the long line of cars dropping off kids in front of Parker Elementary
School
"What's going on? Why don't you want to
go to school?"
Bailey
hugged her book bag to her chest as if it were a life raft. "I just
don't."
"C'mon, talk to me. Is somebody bothering
you here too?"
After a
long beat, Bailey slowly bobbed her head.
Dre had
purposely used the word bothering, not bullying. He was tired of
hearing all the hoopla about bullies. Kids getting picked on was nothing new.
It happened in his day and would keep happening until the end of time.
Truth be
told, today's kids were too damn soft. People turned backflips to protect them
from the realities of life. Like everybody getting a freakin' trophy just for
participating. That was the stupidest crap he'd ever heard. Sometimes life is
hard. Kids need to know that sooner rather than later.
"Please don't tell my mom," Bailey
begged, her brown eyes glassy with tears. "She'll fuss at me for not
standing up for myself."
Dre
reached back and gave Bailey's foot a playful squeeze. "No, she won't. But
you do have to start standing up for yourself. If somebody's being mean to you,
you have my permission to be mean right back."
He
wasn't condoning violence, but if another kid started some mess, the only way
to show 'em you weren't no punk was to clap back twice as hard. Most bullies
were wimps. Once you got in their face, they backed off. That's what he'd
taught his son to do and, to his knowledge, Little Dre had never had a problem.
He would teach Bailey to do the same.
"You don't get it," Bailey huffed,
her shoulders drooping. "That won't help."
They
were almost at the drop-off point, when Dre steered his Jeep out of the line of
cars and made a hasty U-turn in the middle of the street.
Bailey's
upper body sprang forward. "We're going home?"
"Nope." Dre pulled to a stop along
the curb. "I'm walking you inside. I want you to show me who's messing
with you."
Bailey slumped back against the seat, her
lips protruding into a pout. "That'll just make it worse."
Turning
off the engine, Dre hopped out and jogged around to open the back door.
"Let's go."
He took
Bailey's hand as they stepped into the crosswalk. The closer they got to the
school doors, the slower Bailey walked. By the time they reached the entrance,
Dre felt like he was tugging a sixty-pound bag of potatoes.
"Please, Uncle Dre," Bailey
whispered, glancing all around. "Please don't make me go!" Her tiny
hand clutched two of his fingers.
Dre led
Bailey off to the side, squatted until they were at eye level, and caressed her
shoulders.
"I
don't know what's going on, but there's no reason for you to be this stressed
out about going to school. If somebody's messing with you, I need to know about
it. What's the kid's name?"
Bailey
hung her head as a tear slid down her right cheek. For a second, Dre thought
she was about to come clean.
"It
doesn't matter," she mumbled, hoisting her book bag higher on her
shoulder.
"Yes, it—"
Bailey
jerked away from him and dashed inside the school.
He was
about to go after her when a woman stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"May I help you, sir?"
The
woman's chin jutted forward like an accusing finger pointing him out in a
lineup. "And you are?"
"I'm Bailey's"—he paused—"uh,
I'm Bailey's godfather." He'd started to introduce himself as her uncle to
make himself sound more legit but changed his mind.
"Your name?" Her tone conveyed all
the warmth of an icicle.
"Andre Thomas."
Dre
pegged the woman to be in her early forties. Her thick, black hair fell a
couple of inches below her ears in a blunt cut that matched her funky
disposition. Her sleeveless, form-fitting, red dress hugged every inch of her
curvy frame. Actually, she was kinda hot. Kerry Washington’s classy style with
Cookie Lyon's bad attitude.
"Bailey's mother didn't tell us someone
else would be bringing her to school today."
She
looked him up and down like he was some pedophile on the prowl for a new
victim.
Dre
couldn't seem to pull his eyes away. Despite an innate seductiveness, the woman
still managed to carry herself with the spit-shine polish of a CEO. If
professionalism had a smell, she would reek.
"Erika had an early meeting in Irvine and asked me to
drop her off."
Dre ran
a hand over his shaved head. Rarely did anybody—especially a female—make him
feel this degree of uneasiness. "I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."
"I'm the principal. Darcella
Freeman."
He should've
guessed. A sister with a little power.
"I'll be
dropping Bailey off and picking her up from time to time," Dre said,
anxious for the chick to move out of his way so he could go after Bailey.
"Erika got a big promotion. Her job's a lot more demanding now."
"Is that right?"
"Yep, that's right." What's up
with this chick?
"Please ask Bailey’s mother to email the
office authorizing you to pick her up from school."
Dre nodded. "Will do."
He still wanted to go inside, but the woman
stayed put like a queen guarding the gates of her castle.
Without saying goodbye, Dre pivoted and headed
back across the street. As he opened the door to his Jeep, he made a mental
note to have a talk with Erika. She'd been thrilled about getting Bailey into
Parker Elementary because of its stellar reputation. But the place might not be
any better for Bailey than her old school.
Dre also couldn't shake the feeling that
something wasn't quite right. And not just with Bailey.
About the author:
Award-winning author and attorney Pamela Samuels Young writes mysteries that matter. Dubbed “John Grisham with a sister’s twist” by one reviewer, Pamela’s fast-paced novels tackle important social issues.
Her most recent legal thriller, Failure to Protect, takes on the bullying epidemic and its devastating aftermath. Pamela won the prestigious NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction for her thriller Anybody’s Daughter, which provides a realistic look inside the world of child sex trafficking. Her courtroom drama Abuse of Discretion centers around a troubling teen sexting case. #Anybody’s Daughter and #Abuse of Discretion are young adult editions of the two books. A young adult version of Failure to Protect goes on sale in December 2019.
Pamela is a frequent speaker on the topics of sex trafficking, bullying, online safety, fiction writing, self-empowerment, and pursuing your passion. To invite Pamela to your book club meeting or to read excerpts of her books, visit her at:
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