“It’s not the future you are afraid of. It’s the fear of the past repeating itself that haunts you. -T.M.W.”
―
Dustin Stevens,
The Subway
“fine,” Reed said, “be that way. Just stand there” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“behind” ― Dustin Stevens, The Kid
“waiting” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“Prologue It started with rain. A torrential downpour that began around midnight and waged throughout the next day. Occasionally it would ease off for a few minutes, only to come back even stronger. Step two was the temperature drop. Rapid and even, it took only a matter of hours for the mercury to dip below freezing. Once it did, the rain gave way to heavy, wet snowflakes. Dr. Hardy Nicks stood just outside the front door of the Vanderbilt Medical Center. He checked his watch repeatedly while hopping up and down on the balls of his feet, hoping to stay warm. A plume of vapor extended from of his mouth, each breath hanging like a cloud in front of him. As an attending surgeon at the center, Hardy had been on the floor for twenty hours straight. Enormous bags hung beneath each eye and his thinning hair was plastered to his head from being smashed beneath a surgical cap. He hadn't bothered to change out of the light blue scrubs he'd been wearing all day, the shapeless togs doing little to hide his slight frame. An airlock released behind him.” ― Dustin Stevens, Ohana
“important than whatever their resume listed. And like Boyd had just said, there was a lot of empty space out there. Most of the desks that were filled had people like the young man that had pointed the way sitting in them, their age alone dictating they couldn’t have more than a year or two of experience. “When” ― Dustin Stevens, The Exchange
“course braided” ― Dustin Stevens, 21 Hours
“mother would be very sick. Always in the back” ― Dustin Stevens, The Good Son
“Ignoring everything, he remained where he was, watching as the last few stragglers from the parking lot made their way to the door. As they passed inside the guard stood and waited, seeming to look directly at him in the third row, imploring him to come forward. When no movement came a bow of concession was offered before disappearing, the door closing without a sound.” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“Chapter” ― Dustin Stevens, Quarterback
“returning” ― Dustin Stevens, The Bear
“across” ― Dustin Stevens, Iron Men
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. --Maya Angelou” ― Dustin Stevens, The Bear
“parts positioned as close together as possible. At a glance, the image looked as if someone had drawn a line through the middle of it in black magic marker, a clear gap separating the two halves. Despite the splice through the middle, the image tattooed onto the skin was clear, a script letter K standing two and a half inches tall, the letters OTB stretched between the two bottom legs. After thirteen years with the force, Reed had seen a fair bit of ink. He had watched” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“There would be no movement at all, everybody painfully aware of the media, or the brass, or doing something the wrong way and suffering in the court of public opinion.” ― Dustin Stevens, Justice
“things were” ― Dustin Stevens, Cold Fire
“You’re almost home.” The front doors of the Richmond International Airport part long before Cole and Ruby approach them, sensors imbedded in the floor pushing them to the side. Even at just nine o’clock in the morning, the outside temperature is already stifling, a harsh reminder that their time on the coast is over. Wet, sticky air hits Cole’s skin as he passes into the harsh overhead sunlight, his eyes squinting from the glare. It has been almost thirty hours since he slept or changed clothes, his appearance making both very apparent. The morning rush, if such a thing exists at RIC, has come and gone. The foot traffic is light as they walk through, nobody giving them so much as a second look. The sound of a pained squeal draws Cole’s attention to the left, Esther running towards them, arms outstretched. Behind her is Maxwell, his black SUV parked along a painted curb, a pair of” ― Dustin Stevens, Be My Eyes
“Instead, his emotion was a contorted mass of competing feelings, each just as strong as the others, all demanding to be realized and acknowledged. Anger, hatred, vengeance, even” ― Dustin Stevens, The Kid
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” ― Dustin Stevens, Cold Fire
“fine,” Reed said, “be that way. Just stand there” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“behind” ― Dustin Stevens, The Kid
“waiting” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“Prologue It started with rain. A torrential downpour that began around midnight and waged throughout the next day. Occasionally it would ease off for a few minutes, only to come back even stronger. Step two was the temperature drop. Rapid and even, it took only a matter of hours for the mercury to dip below freezing. Once it did, the rain gave way to heavy, wet snowflakes. Dr. Hardy Nicks stood just outside the front door of the Vanderbilt Medical Center. He checked his watch repeatedly while hopping up and down on the balls of his feet, hoping to stay warm. A plume of vapor extended from of his mouth, each breath hanging like a cloud in front of him. As an attending surgeon at the center, Hardy had been on the floor for twenty hours straight. Enormous bags hung beneath each eye and his thinning hair was plastered to his head from being smashed beneath a surgical cap. He hadn't bothered to change out of the light blue scrubs he'd been wearing all day, the shapeless togs doing little to hide his slight frame. An airlock released behind him.” ― Dustin Stevens, Ohana
“important than whatever their resume listed. And like Boyd had just said, there was a lot of empty space out there. Most of the desks that were filled had people like the young man that had pointed the way sitting in them, their age alone dictating they couldn’t have more than a year or two of experience. “When” ― Dustin Stevens, The Exchange
“course braided” ― Dustin Stevens, 21 Hours
“mother would be very sick. Always in the back” ― Dustin Stevens, The Good Son
“Ignoring everything, he remained where he was, watching as the last few stragglers from the parking lot made their way to the door. As they passed inside the guard stood and waited, seeming to look directly at him in the third row, imploring him to come forward. When no movement came a bow of concession was offered before disappearing, the door closing without a sound.” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“Chapter” ― Dustin Stevens, Quarterback
“returning” ― Dustin Stevens, The Bear
“across” ― Dustin Stevens, Iron Men
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. --Maya Angelou” ― Dustin Stevens, The Bear
“parts positioned as close together as possible. At a glance, the image looked as if someone had drawn a line through the middle of it in black magic marker, a clear gap separating the two halves. Despite the splice through the middle, the image tattooed onto the skin was clear, a script letter K standing two and a half inches tall, the letters OTB stretched between the two bottom legs. After thirteen years with the force, Reed had seen a fair bit of ink. He had watched” ― Dustin Stevens, The Boat Man
“There would be no movement at all, everybody painfully aware of the media, or the brass, or doing something the wrong way and suffering in the court of public opinion.” ― Dustin Stevens, Justice
“things were” ― Dustin Stevens, Cold Fire
“You’re almost home.” The front doors of the Richmond International Airport part long before Cole and Ruby approach them, sensors imbedded in the floor pushing them to the side. Even at just nine o’clock in the morning, the outside temperature is already stifling, a harsh reminder that their time on the coast is over. Wet, sticky air hits Cole’s skin as he passes into the harsh overhead sunlight, his eyes squinting from the glare. It has been almost thirty hours since he slept or changed clothes, his appearance making both very apparent. The morning rush, if such a thing exists at RIC, has come and gone. The foot traffic is light as they walk through, nobody giving them so much as a second look. The sound of a pained squeal draws Cole’s attention to the left, Esther running towards them, arms outstretched. Behind her is Maxwell, his black SUV parked along a painted curb, a pair of” ― Dustin Stevens, Be My Eyes
“Instead, his emotion was a contorted mass of competing feelings, each just as strong as the others, all demanding to be realized and acknowledged. Anger, hatred, vengeance, even” ― Dustin Stevens, The Kid
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” ― Dustin Stevens, Cold Fire
