by Belle Aurora
I tuck the yellow envelope under the pillow, lie back down on the cheap bed, close my eyes, and sleep as a free man.
The sun heats my skin the moment I open the door. Before I’ve even helped Ana out of the car and into the wheelchair, she throws open the door and peers down at us from the front door.
Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a loose white tee, her long brown hair trails her back as she walks out to meet us, barefoot and smiling like a fool. She reaches us and, almost completely ignoring me, she smiles softly down at Ana, who tries her best to smile around the bandaged part of her face.
Lexi reaches out without permission and takes both of Ana’s hand in hers, squeezing her good hand tightly while holding the other gently. “Oh, Ana, it’s so nice to meet you. I can’t wait to show you around.” Releasing her hands, she moves around the wheelchair and bumps me out of the way with her hip, throwing me a sly wink then reaching out to squeeze my hand in a silent but meaningful greeting.
We are welcome here.
Ana hasn’t spoken much in the last few days, but something tells me that Lexi will help in that matter.
I work on getting our suitcases out of the black luxury sedan and listen to Lexi talk Ana’s ear off. “My son, AJ, he’s four and, given the chance, he’ll talk your ear off, so it’s okay to tell him you need space. He’s good like that, understanding. Oh, and I had access ramps installed all over the house.” She breathed out a soft laugh. “It’s good to know people in the health service sector. I used to be a social worker, you know? So whatever you need, you just ask, okay?” As Lexi pushes the wheelchair into the house, she utters a confident, “You’re just going to love it here. Welcome to Sydney.”
I chuckle to myself at the tornado that is Lexi. I’m starting to feel okay with uprooting Ana against doctors’ orders.
Lexi will be good for Ana. I feel it in my bones.
Things can only get better from here.
God…
They fucking have to.
The cool night air has me battling a shiver. I clutch at my coat and walk faster.
As I approach the Vietnamese restaurant, I don’t slow. I push the double doors open with both hands and relax slightly as warmth hits me.
I make my way through the kitchens and into the long hallway that I should not have access to. I suppose that’s one perk of being the daughter of Ba Sang Nguyen. And speaking of daddy dearest…
Bracing, I push open the door to the conference room and let myself in. My heels click as I spot the short, gray-haired man sitting at the head of the table.
He frowns when he spots me. “You are not welcome here, Ling.”
At hearing my name, the entire table of men turn to look at me, but I ignore them, instead glancing behind my father at my five brothers, but I single out the oldest, Van. “I’m not here to talk to you, Father. I just need a word with Van.”
My father turns red, and sputters, “You dare?”
I look down at my brother’s hand, still healing from when I pinned him to the wall at the club over a month ago. “I need to know what your decision is, and I need to know now.”
Van peers around him at our brothers, and they all communicate in complete silence. A moment passes, and Van inclines his head.
Yes.
We’re on.
I look from my brother to my father, and utter a passive, “I’ve come to claim my place.”
My father looks up at me in disbelief before turning to glance at the men around the table. When he laughs, they dutifully laugh with him. He chuckles a long while before sobering. “I wouldn’t give you a seat at this table, even if you begged.”
Well, shit.
Whatever would I do now?
Ah. I know.
“Oh, I’m not begging for a seat, Father.” I raise my pistol from inside my coat pocket and shoot my father in the head. He slumps in his chair, and I walk over to him, pushing him off. He lands on the ground with a dull thud. “I’m taking the motherfucking throne.”
I occupy the place he formerly sat, the head of the table. My brothers stand guard behind me.
A single glance around the room has me assessing the situation to come.
“Anyone got a problem with that?”
No one speaks. Not a goddamn soul.
“I didn’t think so.”
A slow smirk spreads my lips.
I’m officially an untouchable.
Yeah. How do you like me now, boys?
The sky glows an intense orange as the sun lowers, setting for the evening. Bird chatter begins to silence, a peaceful hum in the air.
Nox sits by my side, holding his sleeping daughter tight. Quietly, he asks, “So, now what?”
I look over at the sleeping child on his chest, and my heart aches. I take a long pull of my beer then set it down on the table separating us. I take in the radiant sunset one last time before I respond.
Now what?
“I’m going home.”
Hi there,
Thank you for reading the second book in the Raw Family series.
I hope you enjoyed Dirty as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This book means a lot to me and took much longer to complete than originally planned. The simple fact is, I wanted to deliver what you – the reader – deserved rather than a rushed version of what could have been great.
So much of my blood, sweat and tears are right here, in this book.
I hope you loved Alejandra and Julius’ story and are looking forward to reading more about them in Raw: Rebirth, the end of the Raw Family series.
You’ll be happy to hear that Raw: Rebirth will conclude the story which began in Raw. Meaning… yes. This book will be about Twitch, Lexi and AJ.
Read on for a small teaser from Raw: Rebirth and a quick look at the cover.
Thanks for reading. If you would take the time to leave a review for Dirty, it would be much appreciated!
Love Belle x
AJ was a smart boy. He was only five years old but knew the value of a secret.
He didn't like keeping secrets from his mom and when he asked her if it was okay to lie, she told him that it was never okay to be dishonest.
It didn't make sense.
AJ had heard his mother lie before.
Why was she able to lie when he wasn't?
His mother explained that sometimes people told lies to stop another person from being hurt, that these were called 'little white lies'.
AJ thought about this.
His secret would hurt his mom, he'd been told, so it wasn't really a lie, he thought. Keeping his secret was more a 'little white lie'.As his mother tucked him in to bed, he smiled up at her. "I love you," he told her, and he meant it.
His mother's smile softened. "I love you more, honey," she responded quietly as she ran gentle fingers through his messy hair.
She blew him a kiss as she left his room, turning off the light and closing the door behind her.
AJ lay in his bed, awake and waiting.
He wasn't sure how long he waited but when he heard the window rattle then lift in excruciating slowness, he smiled excitedly.
His little white lie was here.
Daddy was home.
