by K. G. Reuss
“Don’t look, Vin,” I said softly, my heart hammering so hard in my chest I was afraid it could be heard. Call my bluff, Levin. Call my bluff. Call my fucking bluff. “We never show weakness.”
Vincent didn’t turn around, nor did I, as a single shot rang out in the darkness. Instead, Vincent stumbled, and I caught him as his chest heaved and my heart shattered.
Fuck. Fuck. Please, Levin. Call my bluff.
The soft sound of a body hitting the ground sounded out in the quiet night.
“She’s dead,” Vincent choked out. “S-she’s gone. Baby B. Fuck. My baby B.”
The hardest part was over.
Now, we really went to war.
Epilogue
Dominic
The man stood with his back to us, waiting for what would never arrive. Ivanov had bailed. My court members had reported that he was seen on campus with his two remaining guys.
Silently, I moved behind the man and put the gun to his head. He froze.
“Forgive me, father, for I have sinned,” I snarled softly in his ear.
“I was paid to be here. I know nothing—”
“Shut the fuck up and listen,” I said, tightening my hold on the gun. “I have a job for you. Are you agreeable, or do I have to shoot you in your fucking head?”
“I-I’ll do whatever you need. Please, don’t kill me.”
Nothing satisfied the maniac within me like begging.
“Are you Catholic? It’s important to me that you are being as I am,” I said conversationally, yet dangerously. I had no clue what kind of piece of shit Ivanov had hired. I assumed he was Catholic, but assuming tended to get me into a bit of trouble, so I figured I’d ask.
“I-I am,” the man answered. “I’ve been a priest for thirty years.”
“Good. Do you do business with the Ivanovs often?”
“N-No. The young one offered to pay for things we needed for the church. I agreed to help him tonight if he paid.”
“Ah, doing evil biddings beneath a fucking halo. Why does that not surprise me?”
“I swear to you, I meant no harm—”
“Shut up.” I pressed the gun harder to his head.
He held his hands up, trembling.
“I need you to perform a ceremony. Think you can handle that?” I spoke softly, not wanting to be overheard.
“Y-Yes.”
“I’ll double whatever Ivanov promised.” I paused, thinking about the mess in the woods. Fuck it. Plans didn’t change. They just became altered.
“I have a girl who needs to be my queen. Do you think you can help me?”
“I-I can marry the two of you if that’s what you wish.”
“Good. She may not be so willing, but it’s a non-issue.”
The man nodded as he trembled. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d pissed himself.
I lowered my weapon as Vincent approached. I nodded at him, and he took the priest by the arm and led him out of the building. I followed and tugged my phone out of my pocket as it buzzed with Levin’s name on the screen.
I’d received another call from him thirty minutes prior, telling me he was sorry for disobeying me. He didn’t sound sorry though. He sounded like he was going to punch me in the face when he saw me again.
“It’s taken care of. I’ll meet you there,” Levin said gruffly into the phone.
“You sound winded,” I said with a soft chuckle.
“I just carried two bodies out of the fucking woods and loaded them into my trunk. How do you want me to sound?”
I smiled. “Happier than Vincent.”
“Did you tell him?”
“Not yet.” I watched as Vincent slipped a black bag over the priest’s head before he zip tied his wrists and helped him into the backseat of my car. “I’m waiting to see the look on his face.”
Levin scoffed. “It’s not the look on his face you should be worried about. It’s the look on hers."
“Send Bianca my love.”
“I doubt it’ll be received with open arms.”
“Perfect. I love it when she fights me.” I hung up and went to my car.
“Everything OK?” Vincent asked.
“Great,” I said, smirking at him.
He scowled back at me.
“Man, what the fuck are we doing with Ivanov’s priest? We going to kill him too?” he asked sourly. “Do we need more blood on our hands tonight? We’ve already murdered our girl.”
“I have a better use for him,” I said.
“What’s that, you fucking black-hearted sinner?”
“Get in the car and find out.”
Vincent gave me the finger but slid onto the passenger seat, looking the saddest I’d ever seen him.
I started the car and eased down the gravel road. “Do you have anything you can wear to a wedding?”
Vincent did a doubletake before opening his mouth, comprehension dawning on him. “You mother fucker.”
I gave him a wicked smile. “Not yet. But soon. We’ll start with the wedding first.”
To Be Continued in Pretty Little Sins
https://books2read.com/prettylittlesins
Thank you for reading Dirty Little Secrets. Please consider leaving your review.
Want more spicy reverse harem action? Flip ahead to preview Church: The Boys of Chapel Crest.
Like MMF? A sneak peek at Double Dare You, Jamie’s story from Black Falls High, is ahead.
About the Author
Affectionately dubbed Queen of Cliffy, Suspense, Heartbreak, and Torture by her readers, USA Today bestselling author K.G. Reuss is known mostly for making readers ugly cry with her writing. A cemetery creeper and ghost enthusiast, K.G. spends most of her time toeing the line between imagination and forced adulthood.
After a stint in college in Iowa, K.G. moved back to her home in Michigan to work in emergency medicine. She's currently raising three small ghouls and is married to a vampire overlord (not really but maybe he could be someday).
K.G. is the author of The Everlasting Chronicles series, Emissary of the Devil series, The Chronicles of Winterset series, The Middle Road (with co-author CM Lally) Black Falls High series and Seven Minutes in Heaven with a ridiculous amount of other series set to be released.
Follow K.G. at the links below and on TikTok!
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMexyRPcE
Sign up for her newsletter here:
https://tinyletter.com/authorkgreuss
Join her Facebook reader group for excerpts, teasers, and all sorts of goodies.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/streetteamkgreuss
Church
The Boys of Chapel Crest
Prologue
Eight Years Ago
“Do you want to know a secret?” Seth’s dark eyes raked over me as we stood in the old shed at the back of his parents’ property. The cool air from an early Autumn pushed through the cracks in the old wooden walls, the rays from a setting sun spilling in through the dirty windows.
“I don’t know. Do I?” I looked from the small white mouse in his hands to Seth’s face, apprehension rushing through my body.
Seth Cain was my neighbor and my best friend. We played together every day after school, and we often spent the nights together on the weekend, both of us beneath our blanket fort, giggling over ghost stories and talking about the latest video games. He’d been getting weird over the last few months after his dad moved out though.
Hateful. Cruel. Terrifying.
But he had been my best friend since we were in diapers. If anyone could help him, it was me. Whenever Seth got into a fight at school or got mean, I was there for him. I swore to him I always would be.
I let out a shaky breath.
“C-Can I hold Oscar?” I asked, cupping my hands to hold the mouse his mother had purchased for him for half a dollar down at the pet shop. Seth said it was her way to keep his mind occupied and to teach him responsibility. Seth was already responsible as far as I was concerned. He practically raise
d himself since his parents were always working. And with his dad gone, now his mom worked two jobs.
Seth cocked his head at me and narrowed his hazel eyes, his dark hair falling across his forehead, before handing me the tiny mouse.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, I took the mouse. “Hey, little fella,” I cooed into my cupped hand, hoping whatever dark thoughts going through Seth’s head would go away.
Seth continued to watch me wordlessly. I could see the wheels practically spinning in his nine year old mind.
“We’re moving,” he said after a beat. “That’s the secret. Mom doesn’t want me to tell anyone. She met someone new. His name is Phillip. I hate Philip. We’re leaving in the morning.”
I looked up at him in surprise. “Where are you going?” Seth hadn’t mentioned a Philip before. He hadn’t let me in his house in two weeks either, citing his mom said she was cleaning. I guess that meant packing. It was unlike Seth to keep secrets, especially big ones like this, away from me. My tummy ached when I realized I might be losing my best friend.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Somewhere. It won’t be anywhere good. Phillip is a bad man.” His eyes darkened with his words. “I don’t think we’ll be able to see each other anymore.”
“Maybe you’ll go with your dad?” I gave him a hopeful look. His dad still lived on the other side of town. If he stayed with him, we’d still be able to see one another.
He scowled and looked away. “No. Screw him. Mom said he left us for someone half her age. I guess I’m getting a brother or sister and a new mom and dad because of the people they left each other for. It’s messed up.”
I winced. My dad left my mom when I was seven. I remember wondering where he went and why he never came back. Mom told me he was dead to us and to never think of him again.
As if reading my mind, Seth spoke. “It’s different for me, Rinny. Your dad just disappeared. Mine found someone better and decided I wasn’t good enough, so he’s having a whole new baby. Then my mom started seeing Philip. He touches. . . “ His voice trailed off as he schooled the pain on his face. “I’m going to get revenge.” His tone darkened as a storm cloud passed over his face.
“Revenge? How? What?” I frowned, wondering what Seth was cooking up in what had become a dark mind. All I knew was if someone was hurting my friend, I needed to tell someone.
“I’ll kill the baby.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “Then they’ll take me away and I won’t have to see Phillip. Killing someone is a good plan. It’s not like anyone cares about me.”
I wet my lips, worry creeping through me. This wasn’t my best friend. “I care about you. You can’t kill a baby, Seth. It’ll be your new baby sister or brother. You’re supposed to love it and teach it things. Like with me and Cady. I taught her how to braid her hair yesterday.”
He was quiet as his breathing increased, his dark eyes fixed on me. I took a tentative step back. Seth had never turned his violence on me. He’d always been kind and sweet, taking care of me as much as I took care of him.
Something seemed to snap within him in that moment. It was like a lightbulb had gone off over his head. His face went from expressionless to his lips curling into an anguished sneer, his eyes glazing over and darkening into pits of wickedness.
“I don’t want to love it.” He glared at me before closing the distance between us and giving me a shove.
I cried out as I tumbled to my backside. Oscar fell out of my hands and rushed off squeaking as I struggled to sit up. I hit my head on the concrete floor and my vision swam, making my tummy churn and head spin.
“Don’t you get it, Sirena? I hate it. I hate everything.” He knelt beside me for a moment. I reached out to him thinking he was going to tell me he was sorry and help me up, but he surprised me again and fisted my hair. I let a wail out as he tugged so hard I thought he would pull all the dark strands from my head.
I fought, slapping at him. He reared back and punched me in the face, dazing me. Seth was stronger by a lot and twice my size. Even at nine he looked a few years older than other kids our age.
If the hair pulling wasn’t enough, the hot trickle of blood out of my nose let me know this wasn’t one of his wrestling games with me. Seth had never been mean or cruel to me before.
“Stop. Stop!” I cried out as I struggled beneath him as he moved to straddle me. He released my hair, but his fists kept flying at my face.
“Seth! Seth!” I tried to cover my face as my best friend in the whole world went crazy and beat me on the dirty cracked cement, the dying sunlight illuminating the anger on his face.
I was no match for Seth Cain. Black spots dotted my vision as my arms fell limply to my side.
Seth’s sobs and his soft words tickled my ears as I lay beneath him, my face and head hurting. “You’d be better off dead, Rinny, then to spend another moment in this stupid world. I’m saving you. It’s what friends do, right? Sirena?” He stopped hitting me. I felt his warm breath on my face as I stared up at him through swollen eyelids. “I love you, Rinny. You’re my best friend in the whole world. I’m saving you. I promise I am. Wait for me to get there, OK? In heaven? Things will be better then. We’ll be best friends always. I swear it. No more hurting here. I don’t want anyone to ever hurt you. I’m sorry. You’ll be safe forever. Mom says angels always go to heaven. I promise I’ll find you.”
There was relief as he moved off my body. The sounds of shuffling and scraping made me wince before I managed to crack my eyes open again to see him looming over me with a shovel. As much as I wanted to stop what I knew was coming, my body felt like lead. I had to make the effort though.
The shovel came down with a swift crack over my face. The blood gushed from the cut on the side of my face in a hot river. I rolled onto my stomach as he lifted the shovel again and made a feeble attempt to crawl away from him. It was useless. The shovel swished through the air once more, cracking me on the back of the head, sending me to my tummy hard, my face smacking off the pavement. The warmth from the blood drizzled down my neck and onto the floor.
“Seth,” I cried out weakly. “P-Please. . .”
“Wait for me, Rinny,” he choked out as he brought the shovel down again on my head.
The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was Seth’s white shoes, my blood splattered on them.
Pre-Order Church here: www.books2read.com/church
Double Dare You
A Black Falls High Spinoff Novel
One
Jamie
I closed my eyes to compose myself before blowing out a breath. “I’m sorry, but I don’t set the prices. We do offer credit for other textbooks you may have—”
“I’ve already sold those books back to pay for other books.” The guy shook his head, the dark wisps of hair falling across his forehead. “Why is this so expensive? I literally already work two jobs. I have to have this book or I’m screwed. I-I just don’t have the money. It’s real shit when you have to choose between eating for the month and paying for a damn textbook.”
“I’m sorry,” I offered helplessly. If I had the answers, I’d probably have enough money to pay for everyone’s books on campus.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses. “How much do I owe?”
“Uh, six ninety-seven and twelve cents.”
He cursed and swept his gaze over the stack of books. “Did you take calculus?”
I nodded. “I did. I hated it. Had to get a tutor.”
He chuckled. “I’ll probably make it through. It’s not my strongest subject, but it’s not my worst.”
“Um, it looks like you have Professor Reinhard. He actually works off printouts and online. I took his course. I didn’t even open the book. I suppose if I had, I’d not have needed the tutor, so if it helps, maybe you can get through without it. Or you could try renting the book.”
He nodded. “You know what. Fuck it. Take it off. I’ll wing it.”
I removed the calculus book from his total, and
he breathed out.
“That’s better. I can still eat a little this month.”
“Great. And if you find you need it next month, it’ll be here.” I cashed him out and bagged his books before sending him on his way.
I sighed and leaned against the counter. I was in my third year at Rayton University and ready to be done. I wasn’t always the studious type and would prefer watching Netflix and eating pizza than sitting around doing homework. I hadn’t even really picked my major yet. My parents were livid, but it was a big deal. I’d likely end up doing it the rest of my life. I didn’t want it to be something I hated. Rosalie, my best friend in the whole world, knew what she wanted the moment she could speak. She was majoring in music over at Mayfair and had even just won some prestigious arts award at the college. I was supposed to fly to see her and her boyfriends next weekend for a celebration. Enzo, her mafia prince boyfriend, paid for my plane ticket already. When Fox, her other guy, called me, he’d made me swear not to tell Rosalie I was coming. He wanted it to be surprise for her. Fox was pretty much perfect. But hell, all her guys seemed to be in one way or another, although Cole scared the shit out of me sometimes. So did Enzo. Ethan was the one I was most comfortable with. He was the sweet, broken one and didn’t try to terrify me. He would simply offer a bashful smile, a sparkle in his eyes, and say something that didn’t make me want to run and hide. But they loved the hell out of her, so for that, I’d accept the scary because they were good men who would set the world on fire for her.
Personally, I just wanted a guy who wanted to watch Netflix with me, to hell with the pyrotechnics.
