by Lilly Atlas
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Authornote
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Epilogue
Coming Next
Authornote Amazon
About the Author
ACER
No Prisoners MC Book 1
by Lilly Atlas
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Copyright © 2017 Lilly Atlas
All rights reserved.
Lilly Atlas Books
SBN-10: 1-946068-07-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-946068-07-1
For the two coolest bikers I know. Known to us as Nonna and Opa.
Thank you so much for spending some time in the No Prisoners’ world. If you enjoyed the book please feel free to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
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www.lillyatlas.com
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After one unforgettable night with a dangerous outlaw, Fia knows she must limit contact with the kind of man who could never fit in her wealthy circle. Unfortunately, she can't keep their brief but passionate encounter far from her thoughts. When she seeks him out for reasons unrelated to their chemistry, the worst happens, and Fia is attacked by a madman. With her life turned upside down, she finds help from the one person she can’t get out of her mind.
Betrayed by someone he should have been able to trust above all, Acer spends the next two decades of his life avoiding entanglements that have any chance of ending with a knife in his back. The MC life provides a safe way to have personal connections and loyalty due to its simple rule: betray the club and punishment will be severe. Still, he keeps a large part of himself locked away inside, hidden even from his MC brothers. When the woman who’s been messing with his head for months reappears in his life needing sanctuary, Acer jumps to her aid. He’s committed to helping her reclaim her life but determined to keep her at arm’s length in the process.
As Acer and Fia fight their growing feelings, his club is in danger from a new and different kind of enemy. Will his refusal to put his full trust in anyone, including the woman he’s falling for, end up destroying more than betrayal ever could?
Prologue
August 1996
Adam straightened his Armani tie, leaned back in his chair, and flicked his gaze to the clock above the judge’s bench. Ten minutes earlier, the overweight bailiff had announced the judge had reached a verdict, and it would be delivered in fifteen minutes.
He wasn’t worried.
There were very few things in life he had to worry about. Wealth and a prominent family paved the way to an easy existence. Apparently, his attorney agreed if the self-assured smile he wore was any indication. He sat on Adam’s right grinning like he didn’t have a care in the world. In the rows behind them, Adam’s father, mother, and grandmother sat, also confident in the trial’s outcome.
“Jesus, Acer, how can you sit there looking so calm and collected?” Adam’s dark-haired friend Derek spoke to his left. Derek, whose leg bounced like it was attached to a live wire, and whose crinkled thrift store suit had never met a tailor. Behind him, Derek’s mother sat, fidgeting just as much, if not more, than her son.
Derek was his best friend, his brother. Adam recalled the day they met, just over five years ago, like it was yesterday. At thirteen, he’d been independent beyond his years. Having no siblings, a father who cared about nothing beyond making money, and a mother who lived her life squandering that money, left Adam with little to no parental supervision. Most afternoons he headed to a less affluent part of town and hung out at a neighborhood diner, eating loaded fries and nachos.
He’d loved that diner. It wasn’t fancy, wasn’t expensive, but it was honest, delicious, and full of friendly people who didn’t put on pretentious airs. Derek’s mom worked the afternoon shift as a waitress while Derek bussed tables. Acer observed him for months, envying the easy and close relationship his friend had with his mother.
One day, he overheard a conversation between Derek and his mom about their broken computer. Derek needed it to complete his homework, but she couldn’t afford a new one or even repairs on the one they had. Adam jumped in and offered to help fix it. He walked the two miles home with them and had their old Acer computer up and running in no time. Their friendship cemented, Derek called him Acer from that day forward.
He’d take a bullet for the guy, but it wouldn’t have killed him to shave his scruff for their day in court. “You should have let me buy you a decent suit, Der.”
His friend’s deep blue eyes narrowed while his lips pressed into a thin line of displeasure. “Seriously? That’s what you’re thinking about? You do realize, in five minutes we might end up with a prison sentence for felony aggravated assault? And you’re sitting there like your waiting to find out if you…fuck, I don’t know. Something unimportant.”
Adam chuckled. “Derek, calm down. We’ve talked about this a hundred times.” He flicked a look at their attorney, ruffling through his briefcase, his salt and pepper hair in an immaculate style, then lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned closer. “My dad and Judge Morrison have played golf together once a week for the past twenty years. It’s in the bag. We’re getting off scot-free. Won’t even have to do five minutes of community service. Chill out.”
Derek snorted, his hyperactive leg picking up speed. “Must be nice to have so much money.”
Adam frowned. Money and status had been a constant burr on the ass of their five-year friendship. Derek’s family was dirt poor. His mom busted her butt at three shit jobs to feed him and his sister while his dad drank the day away in their crappy trailer on the literal wrong side of the tracks. Their life situations couldn’t have been further away on the spectrum. Yet, somehow, they clicked.
Adam admired the freedom Derek’s lack of money afforded. He’d never told his friend that; Derek would think he’d lost his mind, but it was true. Derek wasn’t expected to take over a family business he detested. Derek wasn’t expected to flirt and court senator’s daughters while leaving their virtue intact. Derek didn’t have to hide his love
of motorcycles because it wasn’t proper or posh enough for his circle. Derek didn’t have to live in a world as phony as a bad wig.
“Look, man, answer me one question. You regret what we did? Same thing happened tomorrow, would you do anything different?”
Derek shot daggers at Adam with his glare. “Hell no! Acer, you saw what he was doing to her, what he was about to do to her.”
“Well then, there you go. Bottom line, we stopped that piece of shit from raping your sister. My dad’s connection to the judge will keep any blemishes off our records, and you’ll be free to start Marine boot camp next month.”
Derek ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “I hope you’re right. Now that we’re eighteen, we’ll be in a shitload of trouble if this doesn’t work out like you say.”
Adam leaned back in his chair once again. Derek needed to have a little faith.
Hell, even if he ended up with prison time, he wouldn’t change a damn thing about that day.
Two months ago, almost to the day, Adam had attended his senior prom at the outrageously expensive and exclusive private school his parents shelled out for. Derek’s family couldn’t have afforded one day of the tuition, let alone a whole year, so he went to the public school in town. Since he hung around Adam nearly every day after school, a fair number of Adam’s classmates knew Derek, and his fifteen-year-old sister, Penny.
Brandon Epley, a hotshot jock from the football team, invited Derek’s sophomore sister to be his date. Derek flipped his shit at first. He’d been protecting his sister from their drunk of a father’s violent outbursts for years and was forever in big brother overdrive. But, for a girl with no money and an underprivileged upbringing, an invite from a popular kid at a wealthy school was a dream come true.
Penny had pouted and batted her baby blues at her big bro until he relented and promised not to mess with her date. There wasn’t much Derek wouldn’t endure to see her smile.
Unfortunately for Penny, her dream date turned into a dark nightmare. Adam and Derek discovered her and her companion in a bedroom at an after party. Penny was struggling beneath one-hundred-eighty pounds of bastard. Her screams disappeared into the pulsing beat of techno music pounding through the party house. Adam opened the door, mistaking it for the bathroom, only to encounter an appalling scene. Brandon’s pants were around his ankles and her simple dress was shoved past her waist.
Without a second’s hesitation, Adam ripped the man off Penny and shouted for Derek, who waited in the hallway. Together, they beat the ever-loving shit out of Brandon while Penny righted her dress and sobbed on the bed. Once the jock was a bloody mess on the floor, Derek gathered her up and carried his hysterical sister home.
Since that night, Penny had been a timid, frightened shadow of the happy high-schooler she’d once been, and it broke Adam’s heart. He wasn’t blood, but with no siblings of his own, Derek and Penny were all but family.
Not for one second, did he regret his actions that day. Hell, he wished he’d had five more minutes with the guy. His sense of justice may not coincide with that of the law, but so what?
So they’d broken Brandon’s nose, jaw, and one of his eye sockets. So they’d busted a few of his ribs. So he’d needed some plastic surgery on his smug face. What they’d prevented him from doing to Penny was far more severe.
The guy’s affluent parents didn’t share Adam’s vigilante thirst for retribution, or maybe they did. They pressed formal assault charges and before long, Adam and Derek found themselves cuffed awaiting interrogation in the downtown Dallas police station. Even a night in jail hadn’t changed Adam’s satisfaction with the conclusion of that night.
It was their word against Brandon’s, and since the asshole hadn’t actually penetrated Penny, there was no physical evidence of sexual assault. On the flip side, there was plenty of evidence of Adam and Derek’s attack against him. Partygoers were too drunk and too busy trying to score to pay attention to anyone other than themselves and their potential conquests, and no one had even noticed Penny disappear upstairs with Brandon.
So, here they were, awaiting the verdict on their felony assault charges. The fucked up legal system prosecuting the guys who stopped a bastard from raping a girl. No, Adam didn’t feel one bit of remorse for his actions. The guy needed to be taught a lesson, and he and Derek had done just that.
He glanced across the courtroom at the bastard himself, sitting with his parents, a pitiful, wounded-animal look on his face. Adam had to give the guy props; he sure knew how to play the game. His crooked nose and fading bruises gave Adam a small sense of satisfaction. Sure, he’d have it fixed by a plastic surgeon to the stars, but for now, the visual reminder of the ass beating was a welcome sight.
He rolled his shoulders and looked toward the judge’s bench as the bailiff emerged through a wooden door to the right of the bench.
Nothing to worry about.
“All rise for the honorable Judge Morrison.”
Adam pushed up from his chair.
Derek stood next to him, a trembling mass of nerves, the leg still bouncing.
Discreetly, Adam gave him a gentle tap on the side of his thigh. The fidgeting ceased and Derek nodded, gathering his strength.
“You may be seated. I’ve reached a verdict in the case of The People vs. Wellington and Roberts.”
Advised by their lawyer and Adam’s father, he and Derek waived their right to a trial by jury, opting instead for a bench trial. Why bother with a jury when the judge was in your pocket?
“In the case of The People vs. Wellington and Roberts, I find the defendant, Adam Wellington, not guilty of felony aggravated assault.”
The look of relief on his Derek’s face was almost comical.
His own mouth turned up in a victorious grin. Okay, maybe he had been a little apprehensive, not that he’d ever admit that to Derek. Ten more seconds and he’d announce Derek’s innocence. Then they could leave this shit in the past.
“I find the defendant, Derek Roberts, guilty of felony aggravated assault.”
Derek blinked.
Adam whipped his head around, staring at the judge. He must have heard incorrectly. The words, five years and prison, melded into the background against the sound of blood rushing in his ears. Adam couldn’t think; he could barely draw a breath. Behind him, Derek’s mom broke down in harsh sobs. Next to him, Derek stood with a dumfounded expression of shock on his face.
Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he could hear the prosecutor congratulating the Epleys. He couldn’t risk turning around. One look at Brandon’s self-satisfied face and he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself.
Judge Morrison’s expression was a blank mask, no indication of the reason he had screwed Adam and his father over.
Dread overtook Adam, and he turned around, meeting his father’s cold stare. A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk lifted one corner of the man’s mouth, and Adam knew. This was his father’s plan all along.
Two police officers crossed the courtroom and secured Derek’s hands behind his back. Adam stood by in stunned and helpless silence as though viewing a horror movie in slow motion. His limbs weighed a hundred pounds and his tongue filled his mouth, cutting off the ability to speak.
Derek was gone in seconds, dragged out of the courtroom by the grim-faced officers. His mother’s soul-wrenching sobs cut like a knife into Adam’s heart.
He’d done this. He’d promised his friend they’d be exonerated. That his family would take care of him. And here Adam stood, free as a bird, while Derek, who trusted him, was being hauled off to jail. His life was over. No Marine Corps, no time with his family, no future.
He turned his attention away from the door Derek had disappeared through, in time to see Derek’s mom being ushered out of the courtroom by her sister. Her deep sorrow would haunt Adam for years to come, if not forever.
“I’m sorry, Adam.” His attorney patted him on the shoulder.
Adam didn’t bother to turn around. The scumbag didn�
��t sound sorry at all. Hell, he was probably in on the scheme from its inception.
In the blink of an eye, the courtroom emptied and Adam found himself alone, staring at nothing.
A throat cleared behind him and he whirled around. His father, no, Reginald—he’d never call the man father again—lingered just three feet away, his eyes alight with triumph. Adam curled his fists against the urge to wrap his hands around the man’s throat.
“Why?” he asked, his voice raw with grief.
“Because he’s beneath you, he’s beneath us.” Reginald punctuated his point by pointing toward the door Derek left through each time he said the word he. “I’ve always told you that. For the past five years, I let him distract you from your responsibilities, from your family obligations. You’re not a child anymore, Adam. Time for silly games with trailer-trash is over. You will assume your position in the family company as I’ve planned your whole life.”
From the doorway of the courtroom, Adam’s grandmother gasped. She gaped at her son with eyes full of disbelief and horror. Adam loved her and her rebel-spirit above anyone else in his screwed-up family. She bought him his first motorcycle and allowed him to keep it hidden at her house. She stuck a condom in the back pocket of his jeans on more than one Friday night. She encouraged Adam to pursue a degree in computer science rather than join the family empire. Reginald had no idea Adam accepted an admission to Harvard for computer science.
He wouldn’t be joining the family company for anything in the world.
“Fuck you and your hotels. Do you have any idea what you’ve done here today?” Venom dripped from Adam’s words.
Reginald just smiled. “I’ll give you a few days to get over your tantrum, but I expect to see you in the office on Monday. School’s out. Time for your real education.” He turned and left the room, walking past his mother as though she wasn’t there.
