Dumb Girl: A Dark Contemporary Novel (Stupid Boys Book 2)

by C. R. Jane

  I stared at the four men in front of me, struggling to think through my surges of disbelief. Killing those men just days—was it days?—before hadn’t thrown me as much as coming back to my uncle’s home had. This was hardly my first time here, and yet, this time it had been different.

  With the ungettable con ahead of me, I had to find my feet again.

  I lifted my head to regard the men in front of me. Jamie. My artist. So unpredictable, I’d never have thought he’d so easily have accepted me back. He waited, leaning against the wall. I couldn’t read his expression right now. That was okay. I knew he’d have my back.

  And Charlie, who wasn’t acting the way I’d have anticipated he would either. Joking. Giving the guys a bit of a hard time. But then fucking me against the bathroom counter as though he never wanted to lose me. The man insisted he would steal for me. Who was this Charlie?

  Steven. He hadn’t really let any of the past go. But in just a day’s time, he’d at least stopped being quite as angry. What would happen with him?

  Finally, my gaze drifted to Graham. I’d had the least time with him, but he’d collected everyone. If we were here, then it was because of him. He’d never forgive me. I swallowed, knowing I had no rights to my pain. Anything he threw at me, I deserved.

  Right now, they needed me.

  I cleared my throat. “The kind of con that I run requires me to play on what the person wants beyond anything else. In the case of Mr. Woodard, that’s always been a problem. He had what he wanted. His wife, Cynthia.”

  “She was a very nice lady,” Charlie added in a small voice.

  Graham nodded. “Yes, she was.”

  That was new information. I hadn’t realized Graham knew her.

  He sighed. “Are we really going to do something to that man? He’s like one in a hundred million. All that money, with kindness and integrity.” He stormed over to the window. “How do you live with this, Holland?”

  I took a deep breath. “Well, we could try to run. But he’ll find us, and we’ll all be dead. I get that this is going to eat at you, Graham. You don’t have to do this at all. I can handle it alone.” Or I could try. “Truth is, this is bound for failure. As you said, he has integrity and what not. No one has ever been able to get him before.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Unlike us? Right? I mean, because you were able to, as you put it, get us.”

  I didn’t flinch. If I took the hostility out of it, he’d asked a valid question. “You were vulnerable. Each of you for your own reasons. Yes, I was able to get to you. I had help in some logistics, but at the end of the day, I used what resources I had to achieve my goals. I’m going to have to do the same here.”

  Chewing on my lip, I walked to the other side of the room. Usually, I did this with a dry erase board. Since I didn’t have that, I was going to have to just talk this through aloud.

  “He’s a widow. No children. Lots of money. He’s lonely. Probably missing sex.” Graham winced, but there was nothing I could do about his discomfort. This was what we had to do to stay alive. It was how I existed. They were all getting a taste of it now, but hopefully, it would be a one-off for them. Something they could tell their grandchildren about on their deathbeds. Or not. Maybe they’d take this to the grave.

  Jamie shook his head. “That’s never worked, right? All kinds of women have tried to seduce him, and it didn’t happen?”

  That was true. “Right, but now, maybe because he’s been alone longer, he’d be more susceptible.”

  “Listen.” Steven shook his head. “You’re thinking about this wrong. That kind of man? The way you’ve described him? He takes his love for that woman with him. It never goes away. He carries it into the great beyond. Taking up with you now would still be cheating to him.”

  I ignored the lump forming in my throat. “’Til death do you part indicates the death is the end of it.”

  He held my gaze, an expression I didn’t want to let myself understand covering his face. “Not for him. Not if he loved her like you say he did.”

  I dropped to the edge of the chair. “Then we are sunk. Go get some plane tickets. Far, far away and…”

  “No.” Steven shook his head more fervently this time. “You misunderstand. There’s a lot more to you, Holly James, than sex. You know that, right? The sex isn’t why any of us fell for you.”

  “Well….” Jamie snickered, and Charlie threw a pillow at him. Even Graham smiled. I grinned. We shouldn’t be having this moment of levity in the midst of this mess, but there it was.

  Steven finally continued. “He doesn’t need sex, but he needs something. We all need something. Maybe he needs something to do with all of that money.”

  I blinked. He was right. All I had to do was get into where he kept Cynthia’s ring and take it. The seduction… well, my uncle wanted it, but how would he know, really? It’s not like he could ask.

  A plan formed, and my pulse quickened the way it did when I plotted, when I knew it was going to work. I hated that I loved this part, but so help me, I did.

  “Guys, this could be crazy. But I know what we have to do.”

  I loved, loved, loved when I knew I was going to win, because I was sick in the head. No matter what happened to me in life, whatever had made me the dumb girl I was today, I was Holly James. Con artist. Liar. Winner. I’d save these four guys, because they were the closest to love I’d ever have. But I wasn’t a good person, and as I figured out how to bring down the untouchable con, I really didn’t mind that one little bit.

  I was never likable. Some people just aren’t. My uncle hadn’t made me, he’d shaped me. The clay that was me had already been there. I would win, even if it meant I hated myself a little bit more every day doing so.

  I couldn’t meet their gazes. And I didn’t care what that meant. Or at least, I’d never admit that I did.

  “We can win.”

  Dear Reader,

  Please don’t worry. Crazy Love (Stupid Boys #3) is coming very soon. Join our reader rooms and we’ll give you more information on that just as soon as we have that. We’re hard at work writing it now. And everyone will get what’s coming to them….Maybe even crazy, happy, incredible loving endings. Maybe.

  Please turn the page for more info about our books!

  Rebecca and C.R.

  Please Turn the page for a complete list of our books

  About C.R. Jane

  A Texas girl living in Utah now, I'm a wife, mother, lawyer, and now author. My stories have been floating around in my head for years, and it has been a relief to finally get them down on paper. I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and I primarily listen to Beyonce and Taylor Swift…don’t lie and say you don’t too.

  My love of reading started probably when I was three and with a faster than normal ability to read, I’ve devoured hundreds of thousands of books in my life. It only made sense that I would start to create my own worlds since I was always getting lost in others’.

  I like heroines who have to grow in order to become badasses, happy endings, and swoon-worthy, devoted, (and hot) male characters. If this sounds like you, I’m pretty sure we’ll be friends.

  I’m so glad to have you on my team…check out the links below for ways to hang out with me and more of my books you can read!

  Visit my Facebook page to get updates.

  Visit my Amazon Author page.

  Visit my Website.

  Sign up for my newsletter to stay updated on new releases, find out random facts about me, and get access to different points of view from my characters.

  Other Books by C.R. Jane

  The Fated Wings Series

  First Impressions

  Forgotten Specters

  The Fallen One (a Fated Wings Novella)

  Forbidden Queens

  Frightful Beginnings (a Fated Wings Short Story)

  Faded Realms

  Faithless Dreams

  Book 7 (2020)

  The Rock God (a Fated Wings Novella)

&
nbsp; The Timeless Affection Series

  Lamented Pasts

  Lost Passions

  The Pack Queen Series

  Queen of the Thieves

  Queen of the Alphas (2020)

  The Rise Again Series

  The Day After Nothing (2020)

  The Sounds of Us Contemporary Series

  Remember Us This Way

  Remember You This Way

  Remember Me This Way

  Broken Hearts Academy Series

  Heartbreak Prince

  Academy of Souls Co-write with Mila Young

  School of Broken Souls

  School of Broken Hearts

  School of Broken Dreams

  School of Broken Wings

  Fallen World Series Co-write with Mila Young

  Bound

  Broken

  Betrayed

  Belong

  Standalone Co-write with Mila Young

  The Naughty List

  Thief of Hearts Series Co-write with Mila Young

  Siren Condemned

  Stupid Boys Series Co-write with Rebecca Royce

  Stupid Boys

  Dumb Girl

  Crazy Love

  About Rebecca Royce

  As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework.

  I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.

  I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.

  In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

  I'd love to hear from you! Please visit my website at www.rebeccaroyce.com to sign up for my newsletter and learn about my books!

  Here’s where you can find me online:

  Rebecca’s Randomness Reading Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/RebeccasRandomness/

  https://www.rebeccaroyce.com

  https://www.facebook.com/authorrebeccaroyce/

  www.twitter.com/rebeccaroyce

  Instagram: rebeccaroyce79

  MeWe: RebeccaRoyce

  Cheers!!

  Rebecca

  Other books by Rebecca Royce

  Wings of Artemis

  Kidnapped By Her Husbands https://amzn.to/2BQdUxy

  Rescued by Their Wife https://amzn.to/2Rr9as4

  Crashing Into Destiny https://amzn.to/2VkyXRL

  Meeting Them https://amzn.to/2BLPaXm

  Reclaiming Their Love https://amzn.to/2GKAw8E

  Loving Them https://amzn.to/2BKDmEK

  Ship Called Malice https://amzn.to/2BNputj

  Saving Them https://amzn.to/2SsrBtH

  Dark Demise https://amzn.to/2VidXv3

  Light Unfolding https://amzn.to/2GO6Yqr

  Still Waters https://amzn.to/2CFePT8

  Rising Tides https://amzn.to/2MCdTlM

  Lost Star (coming soon)

  Pointed Arrow (coming soon)

  Last Hope (completed series)

  Tradition Be Damned

  Past Be Damned

  Destiny Be Damned

  Compassion Be Damned

  Future Be Damned

  Dragon Wars (completed series)

  Forever

  Eternal

  Always

  Evermore

  Endless

  Wards and Wands (completed series)

  Hexed and Vexed

  Curse Reversed

  Meow, Baby (novella, co-written with Ripley Proserpina)

  Tragic Magic

  Safe Haven

  Everywhere and Nowhere

  Dimension X (coming soon)

  More coming soon….

  Soul Bound

  Prisoner of the Dragons

  More coming soon….

  Shadow Promised

  Strange Days

  Weird Nights

  Bizarre Years

  More coming soon…

  The Warrior (completed series)

  Initiation

  Driven

  Subversive

  Redemption

  Justice

  Warrior World (spin off of The Warrior, completed series)

  Deacon

  Micah

  Jason

  The Westervelt Wolves (completed series)

  Her Wolf

  Summer’s Wolf

  Wolf Reborn

  Wolf’s Valentine

  Wolf’s Magic

  Alpha Wolf

  Angel’s Wolf

  Darkest Wolf

  Lone Wolf

  Fallen Alpha

  Alpha Rising

  Alpha’s Strength

  Alpha’s Sacrifice

  Alpha’s Truth

  Alpha Enticing

  Hidden Alpha (coming soon)

  The Capes (completed series)

  Seductive Powers

  Adrenaline Rush

  Last Ascension

  Illicit Minds

  Illicit Senses

  Illicit Connections

  Illicit Alliance (coming soon)

  The Outsiders

  Love Beyond Time

  Love Beyond Sanity

  Love Beyond Loyalty

  Love Beyond Sight

  Love Beyond Expectations

  Love Beyond Oceans

  Love Beyond Flames

  Love Beyond Lies

  Love Beyond Death (coming soon)

  Cascade (completed series)

  Haunted Redemption

  Phoenix Everlasting

  Fragility Unearthed

  Persuasion Enraptured

  Reverse Harem Story (completed series)

  Unconventional

  Unexpected

  Undeniable

  Kiss Her Goodbye (completed series)

  Hard Truths

  Dark Truths

  Deadly Truths

  Shifter World

  Planet Bear

  Planet Wolf (coming soon)

  The Swamp

  Hidden

  Pursued

  Caught (coming soon)

  Stand Alone Titles

  Under The Lights

  No Quitting Allowed

  Mr. Wrong

  Bite Marks

  Bitten Surrender

  The Vampire and The Virgin

  Demon Within

  Crimson Lust

  Call Me Crazy

  The Men of Elite Metal

  The Storm (writing with Ripley Proserpina) completed series.

  Lightning Strikes

  Thunder Rolling

  The Deluge

  Heart of the Nebula (writing with Heather Long) completed series

  Queenmaker

  Deal Breaker

  Throne Taker

  Stupid Boys (writing with C.R. Jane)

  Stupid Boys

  Dumb Girl

  Crazy Love (coming soon)

  Through the Gates (writing with Skye MacKinnon)

  Purgatory City

  Infernal Land (coming soon)

  The Coveted (writing with Ripley Proserpina)

  Eyes in the Darkness

  Voices in the Darkness

  Return to the Darkness (coming soon)

 

 

 
filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share