MY Story, The Unraveling, a fresh story that will change the lives of many, in the city by the bay, in the early 80’s. Paranormal, witchcraft, romance, corporate corruption, family and friends and some powerful candles, all in the world of Kyle Stone. As an orphan he would have to fend for himself at the earliest of age. Back from war at the age of 20, He was driven to build a financial empire. Wasting no time, his plans were made, blueprints were created, and he was ready to execute. What happens next to Kyle will keep the reader turning pages as they immerse themselves into the craziest and unimaginable events that keep on happening as he forbids himself to quit,
As a disabled veteran, I share my Story. It has some military, romance, family saga, Mafia, suspense, and adventure. If you are looking for a story with a brisk pace, crackling chemistry, witty banter, romantic moments that make you melt, a high stakes plot, characters that jump off the page with the surprise of witchery, finishing with a dramatic ending, then The Unraveling is your book.
MY Story, The Unraveling, a fresh story that will change the lives of many, in the city by the bay, in the early 80’s. Paranormal, witchcraft, romance, corporate corruption, family and friends and some powerful candles, all in the world of Kyle Stone. As an orphan he would have to fend for himself at the earliest of age. Back from war at the age of 20, He was driven to build a financial empire. Wasting no time, his plans were made, blueprints were created, and he was ready to execute. What happens next to Kyle will keep the reader turning pages as they immerse themselves into the craziest and unimaginable events that keep on happening as he forbids himself to quit,
As a disabled veteran, I share my Story. It has some military, romance, family saga, Mafia, suspense, and adventure. If you are looking for a story with a brisk pace, crackling chemistry, witty banter, romantic moments that make you melt, a high stakes plot, characters that jump off the page with the surprise of witchery, finishing with a dramatic ending, then The Unraveling is your book.
A new decade, time to celebrate as the 80’s were coming in with a roar. Kyle was at his favorite restaurant, sitting on his favorite stool at the end of a beautiful wood carved bar with a gorgeous large mirror reflecting the very busy restaurant.
“Will it be your usual? Jim with a smile, asked from behind the bar. “No, just a cocktail today, I am not hungry.” “You look down in the dumps Kyle, everything alright?” I’m okay Jim, thanks for asking. I am just overwhelmed with all that has taken place in my life lately. You know, finding it hard to balance everything.” “Well I know what shared with me, your family and your business, and let’s not forget the witchcraft that nearly burned your office down, and also, other unbelievable things that have happened to you, it would be enough to take any man down. I don’t know how you do it?” Jim said. Kyle, looking down at his cocktail, “well not very well I guess if you can tell all the stress that I am under. Let’s just hope with the decade of the 80’s just around the corner, it will be much nicer to me, damn Jim it can’t be any worse.”
Jim walks back towards the register as he notices two gentlemen in black three-piece suits coming into the restaurant. They started looking around as if looking for someone. The Suit started pointing towards where Kyle was sitting. Jim watched as they made their way to the bar and walked behind Kyle.
“Kyle Stone?”
“Who’s asking?” Kyle said as he turned around to see who was addressing him.
“Not important. What matters is that you are coming with us. We have a car waiting outside for you.”
“If you don’t tell me who you are, I am not going anywhere with you, got it?” Kyle said as he turned around to face the bar and glance at Jim who was watching intensely. Kyle was definitely not in the mood for any more drama in his life.
The Suit reached out and grabbed Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle reacted quickly, “get your hand off me and don’t ever touch me again.” The Suit ignored Kyle and grabbed his shoulder again. Kyle stood up and landed a punch right in his stomach, bending the Suit over, as he tries to catch his breath. That was enough for his partner to see, he took his beretta from the holster and put it in Kyle’s side. “Don’t try anything stupid like you just did. Get up, and let’s all walk out of here nice and gently.”
Kyle had no alternative at this point but to do as he was told, as he was ushered out the bar to a waiting limousine. The suit with the gun opened the door and, “Get in.” Kyle lowered his head and got in, he was now pissed off as the two got in the car, “who the hell are you guys anyway, the Mafia?” The limousine pulled away from the bar, heading to a destination he had no clue or control of, leaving Kyle with the feeling of fear in his stomach, similar to what he felt in Nam.
Vietnam 1971
He was thinking that all they had to do was get to the designated landing zone, and they would be on their way home, but he was wrong.
As the infantry squad approached the designated pickup point, they started to take on small-arms fire again and fell into defensive positions, establishing a perimeter. Kyle called in on the radio to change the LZ, landing zone, to a hot LZ. He hoped the chopper pilots would realize and take defensive measures while lighting up the area with their M-50 machine guns as they came closer to pick up the squad of men in trouble. The squad surrounded the LZ, listening out for the blades of the schnook coming in. The enemy fire increased. Bullets bounced off the ground. Mortar shells were sent in for maximum explosive damage. They were just young men trying to evade death.
San Francisco 1976
It was a beautiful night; the stars were extremely bright. The ships on the bay sparkled as their lights shimmered and bounced off the dark water under the Golden Gate Bridge. The hot tub was bubbling like champagne as the gentlemen sat near the pool. Kyle’s thoughts wandered back to Vietnam. It seemed so far away now, he thought, as time continued to run though his fingers.
Their wives were inside with the children. Kyle had asked his friends and work associates to get together at Doc’s house, the neighborly Heart Surgeon. David and Ron sat around the pool with Kyle, conversing about life and politics. They sipped their champagne, glancing at the night sky.
“Holy shit, did you see that?” Doc looked up to the sky in total amazement.
“Look, look, it’s right there,” David gazed as a bright light moved over the Bay. They all looked up. “Watch, there it goes, that is no plane, I will tell you that.” The light flashed across the Bay and then disappeared into the night sky as quickly as it had appeared.
“That was crazy,” Kyle said.
“That is what you call a UFO,” said Ron.
The five men stared into space astounded, not sure of what they just saw flashing through the sky. Maybe Ron was right. Perhaps they were not alone after all.
Ron was Kyle’s neighbor, and he was married to Donna. David was VP of Kyle’s company and one of his best friends. As the men sat by the pool, laughing and having a great time, David’s wife Linda stared out through the window. Her eyes fixed on Kyle. She always thought of Kyle as a stallion, an Adonis by most women’s standards. She loved that he was rich, powerful, charming, and a war veteran. He could sweep any woman from her feet without much effort. The surgeon’s wife, Donna, was also in hot pursuit of Kyle.
They were celebrating the tremendous success of Kyle’s endeavors, a national financial investment firm that now had 26 offices, and each was producing $175,000 a month. He had just signed several franchise agreements hoping to double his financial gains. Money was pouring in, and there were smiles all around.
Kyle looked at the window and saw his wife, Suzette, talking with Linda. He thought back to when he just started and finally felt the fun of having some riches from his hard work. He remembered when he stood outside on his front porch and threw five- and ten-dollar bills to the neighborhood kids who could not believe his generosity. When he saw Suzette driving down the street, he stopped feeding the children green love. He knew she would not appreciate his offerings.
Suzette was with Kyle when he was building his empire, but the only thing she seemed to have an affinity for was the money. She had a loathing for Kyle, which he only tolerated for the love of their two daughters. It was time for good thoughts now, and he tipped back the champagne glass. Kyle watched the three men laughing and smoking big cigars. He sat with them and lit up a beautiful Payne-Mason Churchill as he enjoyed his friends’ company.
With a sly smile, David’s dark-haired wife Linda turned to the women and convinced them to join their husbands outside. They quickly changed into their bathing suits and headed out the door. Linda jumped into the hot tub, strategically splashing Kyle.
“I’m so sorry, Kyle,” she said with a devilish smile, “but you’re already wet.” Kyle sat across from Suzette. It was larger than the average jacuzzi, and Suzette had an obstructed view of her husband though close. David preferred the dryness of the patio, sitting obliviously behind his wife, who gasped and moved closer to Kyle.
“Look how beautiful the bridge is from here,” Linda whispered to Kyle as she attempted to slide her hand under his swim trunks. Her fingers were like a sea creature trying to creep up his leg.
Kyle quickly thwarted her, giving her a stern stare. She kept trying, gliding her hand up to his thigh. He finally had enough and turned to face her. “Linda, you have to stop. I know what you want, but you have to realize that you must behave.”
Linda ignored him and moved her hand back to his thigh. “Come on, Kyle,” she pouted. “My hand is under the water. Nobody will notice, and I promise you will like it.” Nothing would deter her, not even her husband, just feet away on the patio.
Kyle turned to whisper in her ear. “Stop what you are doing, and I will share something with you that just happened to me.”
Linda stopped and looked right into his eyes, “Okay, Kyle, I am stopping and listening. What is it you want to tell me?”
Kyle leaned in closer to her. “I had a dream last night that bothered me a lot. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Of course, please, please, tell me,” she said as she smiled and reached under the water again. Kyle gave her a look, and she removed her hand, muttering apologies but not really meaning it.
“Okay, behave yourself, and I will continue. Got it?” Linda raised both hands above the water and nodded yes.
“My dream seemed so real, Linda, but it was so out there that it confused me. It was about your husband but what was strange was this
white candle kept appearing. I thought that was weird.” “What kind of candle was it?” Linda said.
“I don’t know. I didn’t pay that much attention to it. I do know that there was an argument between David and me, and he looked at me as if he wanted to kill me. He then jumped over my desk, trying to do what I suspected.”
Linda looked stunned. “Kyle, that is horrible. David would never try to kill you. What happened next?”
“I’m not sure. That’s where it gets confusing. I remember, like I said, David jumping over my desk and knocking me out of my chair. While I was rolling on the floor, he again jumped on me, trying to smash my head with my glass ashtray. I just know he wanted to kill me. Unbelievable huh? Well, here is where the candle comes in. As he jumped on me while I was on the floor, his foot kicked the end table, knocking the candle off. As he was trying to smash my head in, he stepped on the candle and slipped, hitting his head on my desk.”
Linda asked, “Oh my God, what happened? Did he die?”
Kyle looked around at the others in the hot tub, and everyone seemed to be having their own conversations. He looked back at Linda with a confused stare and said,
“No, David did not die he is behind you. But that was where the dream ended. Confusing, isn’t it, and your stupid comment did not help the conversation.”
“Sorry, and yes, it certainly is,” Linda replied. “Thank you for sharing that with me, Kyle.”
“Let’s keep this to ourselves, okay?”
“Not a problem.” And with that, she dipped her hand below the water again and slid it under his bathing suit.
“Are you kidding me?” Kyle tried to move away from her.
“Please put your hand inside my bathing suit then, Kyle.”
Kyle was losing his patience. “Okay, Linda, that’s enough. Put your hand in your own lap, and as far as getting wet for me, you are sitting in a wet hot tub,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from his growing crotch.
David’s wife was relentless, thought Kyle. She whispered in his ear as she continued to try, “Kyle, come on, no one can see what I’m doing, and you are starting to want it. I want to touch it now.” Kyle pushed her hand away again.
“Your husband is sitting right behind you. What do you think he would say if he saw what you’re trying to do?”
“He won’t see. Just let me touch it.”
Kyle, knowing he was not going to win this fight, raised his voice. “David, the water is great. Why don’t you slip right down here with Linda and me and enjoy the tub?”
Just as Kyle was about to exit the Jacuzzi, Donna, the surgeon’s wife, stood up and asked, “Who wants to meet me in the deep end?”
She took off her top and threw it at her husband. Linda accepted the challenge and ripped her top off, racing to the deep end. Everyone laughed and smiled, except Suzette, Kyle’s wife. He watched as she got out of the jacuzzi and headed for the door of the house.
Suzette was always insecure and jealous. Once Kyle had taken one of his sales agents out to lunch to discuss a large account she was working on. While he was at lunch, his wife came to the office and was told that Kyle was at lunch with Maryann, which was enough to set her off. She became irate. When Kyle returned, a large crowd was gathered in front of the sidewalk, his wife in the middle.
“Listen, I want you to get out and go straight into the office. I will see what this is all about,” Kyle said to Maryann.
As soon as Maryann got out of the car, Suzette came after her like a lioness to a fawn. The crowd cheered her on. She grabbed at Maryann’s ponytail and pulled her to the ground with a handful of dark shining hair. While on the ground, Maryann fought back and pulled her on top of herself. Suzette reached for Maryann’s blouse and tried to rip it from her, exposing a white laced bra. Suzette took hold of it and, with a firm pull, exposed Maryann’s naked breasts. The crowd was now in a flurry of excitement, watching Maryann trying to get her blouse and bra back.
Kyle ran through the crowd and grabbed Suzette’s arm before she could do any more damage. He dragged her off and pushed her away, giving Maryann a chance to grab her blouse and bra and run for the office, tears running down her face. The crowd all started clapping. “Look at those crazy bitches!” some guy laughed.
Kyle held Suzette by the arms, “What the hell are you doing here, and why are you outside causing this spectacle?”
“I came to have lunch with you, and when I got here, they said you were out with Maryann, and that just ticked me off so bad,” Suzette retorted.
“I was training her, and then we had a business lunch with two others. Nothing is going on. I cannot have you coming to my business and causing this kind of chaos–”
With that, Suzette swung her fists at Kyle’s face. It was like she was trying to hurt him and show off to the crowd. He was caught by surprise, but instinct made him catch her fist, and then he had no choice but to take her down by pulling her hair until he could grab both of her arms. They were both on the asphalt; the crowd riled up for more. More people gathered for free entertainment, loving every bit of the altercation.
As Kyle tried to get Suzette on her feet, a young guy from the crowd pushed him over her, causing him to roll on the ground. Several others started to come toward them. Five dudes were staring at him, calling him names to provoke a fight. It could have gotten ugly fast. But a Cadillac drove up out of nowhere, and David appeared holding a shotgun and firing one time into the air. It scared the hell out of everybody. As fast as the crowd grew, it dispersed, thanks to Kyle’s Vice President. The debacle was over.
Now that the show was over, Kyle went into his office after sending Suzette home, and to his surprise, she had cleared all the desks and thrown everything on the floor—pictures had been torn off the wall, coffee cups smashed, typewriters tipped upside down. It was a painful experience for all, especially Kyle and his staff. He felt hot with embarrassment. It was not as if he wasn’t used to this behavior and never knew when she would go off the rails and cause trouble for the family and business.
Kyle had spent so many years supporting his family; financially, big houses, swimming pools, tennis courts, horse corrals, new cars, etc. They did not want for much. However, it was always on his mind that Suzette could try to destroy him and his business as she had constantly threatened.
Her moving the threats to reality was the scariest part of it all, and she was doing it more often.
Speaking of reality, back at Doc’s house, Kyle watched horrorstruck as Suzette took both of his girls by the hand and walked them right through the screen door, to the amazement of everyone in the pool.
“Girls, I want you to see your father, look at him with those women!” She roared with a deadpan expression. “I am taking the girls and going home,” she announced to the party.
Kyle, still in the hot tub, looked around at the others and only shook his head. Here is another get-together with our friends and she spoils it like usual.
As he got ready to go out of the gate, Kyle said, “David, I will meet you tomorrow morning at the bank. Don’t forget we have a meeting with Bill at 9:30.”
“Don’t worry, Boss. I will be there at eight. Bill and I are having breakfast before our meeting.”
As he started to walk home, the surgeon stopped him.
“Hey Kyle,’ he said, smiling. “Don’t forget you owe me a new screen door.”
The Unraveling by JP Franklinn is a crime thriller that takes readers on a captivating journey through the life of the protagonist, Kyle Stone. Set in the vibrant and tumultuous city of San Francisco in the 1980s, the novel is based on the author's own experiences and offers a unique and fresh perspective on the genre. The story follows Kyle as he navigates the challenges of building a financial empire, but every time he faces a setback, he is mysteriously saved by a guardian angel or higher power, leaving him and the reader wondering about the identity and motive of this mysterious savior.
The novel is expertly crafted and offers a perfect balance of mystery, intrigue and action. The author slowly unveils the explanation for this phenomenon, creating a sense of anticipation and keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel. Alongside the crime elements, the novel also delves into touching relationship stories and provides an informative and educational family history. The portrayal of the Mafia in this book is refreshing and different from the typical stereotype. The book also balances the serious themes with lighthearted moments, providing a well-rounded and enjoyable reading experience.
The characterization of Kyle Stone is particularly noteworthy as the author paints a vivid picture of the character, his struggles and his triumphs. Kyle is a complex and multi-dimensional character, who evolves throughout the novel, and his arc is satisfying and relatable.
The ending of the book is dramatic and satisfying, leaving the reader wanting for more. Overall, The Unraveling by JP Franklinn is a must-read for fans of crime thrillers and anyone looking for a fresh and captivating novel. The book is expertly crafted and offers a perfect balance of mystery, intrigue and action, making it a page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.