Deadly Chaos (Steel Roses Book 2)

by Samantha Bee

  I watch her as her eye's rove through the crowd, clearly looking for something, or someone. The tension of the crowd doubles as they come under her scrutiny. Every single person here is captivated by her. They are also terrified by her. Her entire aura has changed. Finally showing the world just how dark and depraved her own soul is. You don't survive in this world, survive all that Scar has done, without wearing your sins on your skin. She's simply better at covering it up than others. Not anymore.

  Her eyes land on the man she was looking for. One of Romano's well known men. He isn't at the top of the food chain, but he is pretty high up there. She doesn't say anything, doesn't look around at anyone else, doesn't give the slightest indication of what is about to go down. A call to war.

  She quickly grabs her handgun, lifts her arm, and shoots the man between the eyes. The crowd is so shocked, they don't even react. A heavy silence tainted with confusion and fear fills the room.

  It's Scar's voice that breaks through the silence. It's cold and hard, the threat underlying every single one of her words is impossible to miss. "I'm not a forgiving person."

  Heads start turning to one another as everyone in the room tries to figure out just who pissed her off. Movement starts from the far end of the warehouse. A body quickly jostling through others as he makes his way to the door.

  I grin savagely. There's no way he's going to make it. Scar sees it too and smirks. She's having fun with this little game of cat and mouse of hers. She takes another shot and William's son falls to the ground, much the same way his father did earlier.

  This time the crowd starts to rumble, their unease growing with every passing second. Scar levels them all with her eyes and every single person falls silent once more. No one is willing to piss off the crazy chick with a gun. A good life motto to have.

  "Romano stole from me. Hurt someone who is mine. It's un-fucking-forgivable." Eyes all dart over our crew, lingering on the very visible wounds on Noah's face and neck. Several faces in the crowd begin to pale. Even if we hadn't already done our research, it would still be easy to pick out Romano's men.

  More shifting of the crowd starts to happen as Scar's grin only grows.

  I catch the eye of the young fighter once more. Fuck. They are both way too young to be having to witness this piece of our history. Sometimes a moment feels so heavy, so important, you instantly know you're watching history unfold.

  That is this moment and by the grave looks on both of their faces they know it too. This is the moment where Scar becomes infamous. Turns from a silent predator into a legend. And this night? This is going to be her legacy.

  The story whispered on the street as people are warned about not getting involved with our crew. Threatened to not make a move against us. Because if you do, you will find out just how far we go for our own.

  It's a message that needs to be sent to every person in this town. In the whole fucking country. I just wish these two kids could have been any fucking where else. Joining the fights, being on our team, that's one thing. War is a whole new level of darkness that I don't want to drag them into.

  I see the questions swimming in both of their eyes. They're full of stunned disbelief, a heavy dose of fear, but most surprisingly their loyalty shines through too. They cock their heads as they await orders. I shake my head subtly and pointedly look to the corner hidden in shadows.

  I see the hesitancy that flickers in both of their faces. Their determination to back us is admirable, but I refuse to drag kids into this if we don't have to. As the crowd shifts more, they ease their way to the shadows. Never drawing any attention their way.

  I see Scar take notice of their movement. As soon as they're out of the line of fire, safely tucked away, almost invisible unless you know where to look, she speaks again. "Romano is a dead man walking. Stand in my way and consider yourself dead too."

  Those are the magic words that push people into action. Anyone here knows better than to panic or rush the exits. Our regulars and team slowly move back. Putting space between them and Scar without any sudden movements.

  Romano's men aren't so smart.

  Scar lets off another shot as she begins to laugh, like the true deranged psycho she is. "Consider this your call to war," she taunts.

  I see movement from the corner of my eye, an arm being raised in Scar's direction. I turn, lifting my arm and shooting without any conscious thought. I watch as one of Romano's fighters slumps to the ground.

  I catch more movement, rushing towards Scar but by the time I turn around, four more shots have gone off and I watch as four bodies hit the floor. I'm not surprised to see the electricity clearly thrumming through Scar's veins, evident in every part of her body. I am slightly stunned as I take in the hungry expressions on all four of the other men’s’ faces. Every single one of them is craving the chaos as much as our girl is in this moment.

  Laughter from above draws all our attention there. "You crazy bitch." I recognize him as one of the regular fighters here, but he's never had any association with Romano that I've known about. We can't track every single person who he comes in contact with, but I have to say, this one takes me by surprise.

  He doesn't say anything more before taking his shot at Scar, but she's too fast. His lifeless body slumps before he can even make a shot. While my focus was on him, I almost missed the two other men taking aim, almost simultaneously with him. My heart seizes in my chest as they stand on opposite ends of the ring. There's no way I can get both of them before they get to her.

  Time seems to slow as panic crawls through me. The gut churning tendrils of dread spearing through me. I take out the man behind Scar, knowing she has no chance of even seeing him coming. But as I'm turning to get to the next one, I hear two more shots ring out within milliseconds of each other.

  I feel relief for half a moment as the man I was seeking out falls to the ground. Joe lowers his gun with a fierce expression on his face. I take all of it in less than the time it takes me to take a breath. My gaze swings, searching out Scar. All the air is sucked from my lungs as I watch her crumple to the ground, clutching her chest. Pain written across her features.

  A roar tears from me, my chest rumbling in a roiling rage that threatens to consume this entire building. Nothing, no one, matters if Scar is not okay.

  Her eyes lift, searching for me. My deranged little psycho grins. Fucking grins. She groans, rubbing her chest. "That's going to leave a bruise."

  My chest feels as if it's caving in on itself as relief floods me. She's okay. Thank fucking god for Kevlar.

  I keep my eyes on the crowd as they begin moving more freely and the volume raises. I can't let my guard down, not again. Declan and Noah ease Scar to lay flat on her back as D begins to check her over. I guess having a doctor around will be rather helpful.

  The tension is pouring off the crowd in palpable waves. It may seem that this battle is done, with no casualties. Well, except for the ones we had planned for. But it's clear this is only the beginning. Every person in this town should prepare themselves for this.

  When two huge empires go to war, no one is safe from the fallout. The streets of St Graves will never be the same by the time we're through. Blood will flow through these streets as freely as water does after rain falls. This town will know exactly who owns it, a savage rose and her vicious band of psychos. There's nothing merry about us, not anymore. Not here. Not until we are paid the blood we are owed.

  My hackles rise as more laughter sounds from above. My eyes are drawn up once more but even before my eyes meet his, I instantly relax. Ronan stands there looking down at us shaking his head at us. "Bring her to the fights, she said."

  Oh fuck.

  I grimace, having a feeling I know exactly where this is going.

  "Ease her into it, she said."

  I see Mikey coming up behind Ronan and a flash of vibrant red hair. Ah fuck. I turn to look at Scar and see she has the same "oh shit" expression on her face as I'm sure as I do.

  "Are yo
u fucking kidding me?" he demands as Britt comes to stand next to him. Mikey keeps her tucked between the two of their bodies. I see the way her body trembles as the adrenaline crashes through her system. She's going to be feeling shaky for a little bit. I cringe, feeling guilty over that.

  "Umm yeah," Scar says as she looks around for someone to help her. All the other guys are shaking their heads. "Well, the thing is," she hesitates, looking up between the three of them. "You weren't supposed to be here."

  I snort before schooling my expression once more. I keep my eyes roving over the crowd, not wanting to be distracted again. I don't see any more of Romano's men, but you never know. I can't be caught off guard, not again. Not when my failure caused Scar to be hurt.

  "Seriously?" Mikey demands. Ahh fuck, they're ganging up on her. This is going to go on for a while.

  "She just watched her best friend be shot. Watched fourteen men shot between the eyes. Fourteen Scar! Goddammit," Ronan swears. "This was not easing her into it."

  Scar's eyes are focused on Britt, taking in the way she's clearly shaken, but still standing on her own two feet. I catch as she winks at Scar and gives her a small smirk. It would be unrealistic to think she's unaffected by all that she witnessed, but Britt is made of stronger stuff than they're giving her credit for.

  "Well, in that case." Scar smirks, much more relaxed now that she sees Brittany is okay. "You're welcome."

  Ronan scoffs. “Are you fucking with me?” Mikey narrows his eyes at her, but I catch the way Britt’s body shakes with her suppressed laughter. Not that Mikey takes it that way. Their protective instincts are going into overdrive. Scar isn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this one.

  She shrugs, feigning indifference. “War is coming, boys. Better for everyone to prepare.” Her eyes scan the crowd once more. It’s a warning for everyone here and they all know it. There’s not a soul in here that isn’t hanging off her every word. “Things are about to get vicious.”

  Epilogue

  I watch as Scar tries to maintain a straight face as Mikey and Ronan lay into her about the right time and place for things to happen. I catch the looks traded between her and Britt though.

  Brittany might be shaken, not that I can blame her. I knew about all of this, but I still think if I were to watch the ruthless message Scar and her men sent tonight, I think I would be pretty shook up too. She doesn't seem traumatized though.

  I mean she still came here. With the six people she just watched kill more than twice their numbers. From what I hear, with a skill and ease that defies the odds. It shouldn't have been possible for it to go off as flawlessly as it did, and yet, isn't that just who Scar is at her very core?

  I've never met anyone like her. Filled with so much dark and so much light. Chaos pouring out of her, destroying the people around her and yet, leaving them better off than they were before. You get pulled into her riptide and somehow end up stronger. She coaxes out your inner darkness and somehow life gets brighter.

  It doesn't make sense.

  It shouldn't be possible.

  But that's fucking Scar.

  A knock at the door finally interrupts the two giants' tirade. Scar rolls her eyes. "Are you two done? Can I get that, or do you have more you need to get off your chest?"

  Britt gives a shocked little laugh but bites her lower lip when Mikey and Ronan both turn to her with a pointed glare. Somehow, I don't think the shiver that works its way down her spine is one of fear.

  I wonder what that's like.

  Scar rolls her eyes again and tosses her hair as she gets up to go answer the door.

  Her guys, plus Ian, Joe, and Holden went to go grab stuff for the family meeting. Splitting up between the gym, the security room, and the office. I'm not sure exactly what this family meeting entails, but it left only me, Scar, Britt, and her guys in the living room.

  It's clear the other three don't think anything of someone coming here, but I saw the way Scar tensed. She's spent months teaching me how to read body language, and while she might be a master at hiding her thoughts and emotions, she slipped. For a fraction of a second she showed the apprehension roiling through her.

  I'm not much help, but it's better to have some backup than none. I'm just out of sight when I hear her open the door. Her mouth parts open in shock. "Rachel?" She's not even trying to hide her surprise or confusion. I've never seen the other woman, but I know the name.

  She's the one who has shown more interest in me than almost anyone else in my life.

  Trepidation creeps up my spine as my skin breaks out in goosebumps. Ian comes around the corner and catches sight of me crouching in the shadows. I raise my finger to my lips, signaling for him to be quiet.

  He moves closer to me, staying out of sight from the doorway as we both listen to the two powerful women facing off.

  "You declared war against Romano." I can't get a read on the stranger, but I bet Scar got way more from that single statement than I could ever dream of.

  She stays relaxed, leaning against the doorframe. Her posture makes her seem indifferent, casual, but I know Scar well enough to know how she thinks. I see the way she's using her body to block the way from Rachel forcibly entering. She shrugs. "He took one of mine. That has consequences."

  I hear that for what it is. A threat. Rachel apparently knows it too. "I'm not here to go to war against you. I'm here to go to war with you. But I want the girl." I hear the way her voice hardens on the last bit. Her own threat implied between the lines.

  My heart stops beating in my chest and my hands get clammy. I calm myself as I start to panic, getting lost to my anxiety. Rachel knows. I don't know how she knows but she definitely knows. She knows that I'm here, that I've been here the whole time.

  I don't know when she figured it out, but she had to have.

  Ian catches my eyes and mimics taking deep breaths. Staying silent as he tries to coach me through this attack. I miss whatever Scar said in response to Rachel's demand. I keep my eyes locked on Ian, focusing on him and not the tight feeling in my throat and chest.

  I hear Rachel growl. "Bullshit. I know you have her, Scar."

  My eyes stay on Ian's as he breathes in and out with me.

  Scar drops all pretenses, raising herself to her full height, not like it's much. I smile at the thought and Ian nods encouragingly. I always forget how short Scar truly is because she carries herself so big. I break eye contact with Ian, seeking out Scar. I see her letting that aura out as she steps into Rachel's space.

  I can only see a bit of her back now but can hear her words clearly. "Jade is mine," she growls. "Forget whatever plans you have for her. If you don't think I can wage two wars at once, you don't know me."

  My mouth falls open in shock and tears pool in my eyes, blurring my vision. I knew Scar cared. I really did. But I've never had someone "willing to go to war" care for me before.

  "Scar." Her voice has dropped lower, a pleading whisper. "She's my sister."

  Sister. I don't have a sister. I don't have anyone.

  I shake my head, my vision getting hazy as my chest constricts. I feel my knees go weak. My lungs burn, but all I can think about is that one word.

  Sister.

  The world spins but Scar doesn’t acknowledge that word. The two of them blur together. I blink rapidly but can’t focus. Scar curses. “Fuck, you’re bleeding. Declan!”

  Why is Rachel in Scar’s arms? Who is bleeding? How the fuck do I have a sister?

  Sister.

  My thoughts consume me until I can't think at all, and everything fades to black.

  To be continued in Vicious Chaos....

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at Jade's book, Damaged & Deadly...

  A Note From Author

  How are all of you? I'm going to be real, this is going to be an unedited note to you all.

  First off, I just want to say thank you so much for picking this book up and giving it a chance. These characters have really become such an important part of
my life. Their story may not have gone in the direction that you were hoping for, I'm still surprised by things that happened and it came from my head. But I love this book.

  To me it feels real and raw, even though almost none of us will ever experience anything these characters do. Their thoughts and emotions are still so relatable.

  This book feels a lot like I cut myself open and bled on the pages. There were a lot of times I had to stop writing and walk away from this book because it got a little too real for me. I hope that that comes across the page to you all.

  I hope that if you are someone who has ever experienced lows like Scar has, you don't feel so alone anymore. You really aren't. I think almost everyone has their own versions of lows. They look different and don't feel the same, but really, all of us are just trying to do our best every day. And our best is always enough, even when it feels like it isn't.

  To all my readers. Thank you for reading. I appreciate the fuck out of you! Thank you for your reviews and your edits. For the messages you all have sent me. For the comments and encouragments.

  I don't think you can understand just how much that all means to me. I'm just a single mom who is doing her best.

  I have a whole team behind me who I just could not be here without.

  Stabby Gabby, you wonderful bad bitch crumpet. Wtf would I do without my favorite brit? The vibe sessions and the pats on the head got me through this book. Thank you for never letting me walk away, for loving these fuckers like I do, and reminding me that I can do this.

  DERRRRRRS! I love you, you stalker bitch. I can't even put into words all that you do for me. From managing my calendar and trying to keep me on task, to just being my fucking friend and being honest when a chapter is trash. You helped make this book what it is. And of course, the playlist would not be the same without you.