He was excited.
No longer a slave to the sin clawing his gut, he felt rejuvenated and ready.
But first, dinner.
After Sara’s attack on Wyatt, every Lazarus had agreed to a weekly family meal. Wyatt had isolated himself in his room and this was the first night he’d agreed to join them.
It was the first night they’d all be there, including Grace.
By the time they got downstairs to Heaven, they were told the family waited for them inside the private dining room. Usually reserved for celebrities and private business functions, the room was protected from prying ears by three sound-proofed mirrored walls, plus another wall had a flat screen television for presentation purposes. All mirrors, including the window facing the street, were two way—meaning everyone inside the room could see out, but not the other way around. The giant table in the middle of the room sat under crystal raindrop chandeliers above.
A dedicated waiter stood in front of the open door to the dining room and handed Evan and Grace a menu to peruse before they went in.
While Grace scanned the menu, Evan couldn’t help but draw his attention to the ruckus inside the room. He craned his neck to glimpse his family through the open door. Mary and Flint sat close together. She fit in snuggly under his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Both had relaxed, happy expressions on their faces as they took in the conversation between their children. Did he say conversation? He meant bickering and sledging. Parker and Griffin argued about something. Or rather, Parker goaded Griffin. He loved to tease him about his rigid lifestyle full of rules. Sloan and Liza laid into Tony about his growing superstar status and how some bimbo had asked him to sign her breasts. When it had happened, and the woman had tried to get into their dining room, Liza had casually placed her cop badge and gun on the table. Sloan and Liza were worse than an overprotective father towards a daughter when she started dating. That’s why Evan had been surprised at how welcoming they’d been with Grace.
He shouldn’t be. Who wouldn’t welcome someone so genuine and beautiful as Grace? He glanced at her. She was nervous. Their impromptu make-out session in the elevator down from his apartment had displaced a few strands of her ponytail and left her lips swollen. He slipped the wayward strands behind her ears and she shot him a worried look.
“I’m suddenly not hungry,” she murmured.
“Relax,” he said and tugged her by the hand toward the table. “They love you. Just like me. C’mon. We’ll say hi first, then order.”
Mary was the first to see them. She and Flint stood.
“Grace!” Mary came forward and took Grace by the hands. “Come sit next to me, I want to learn about your first day back in the operating theater. Evan said it’s a process, but I want to hear more.”
“No, she can sit here,” Parker said from across the table. “I have questions about the new suit I’m working on. I’d love to hear from a doctor about the biometric components and the stress on the heart—”
“Hey dickwad,” Liza interrupted. “She has a name, and she’s right there. You can ask her yourself instead of talking over her head. Hi Grace.” She shot Grace a big smile then frowned at her brother.
The bickering continued when Sloan joined in about women’s rights and respect. Then Griffin put his two cents in about the subject and Tony raised his hand for another drink. With a shy smile, Grace sat down in the vacant chair next to Mary.
But someone was missing. Evan cast a glance around the room, and over to the open kitchen, expecting Wyatt to be there. He wasn’t.
“Where’s Wyatt?” he asked, turning back to them.
Silence descended and knowing glances were cast around the table.
“What?” Evan said. “What’s happened?”
“Sit down, Evan.” Parker waved to the vacant seat between him and Grace.
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
Parker’s jaw worked, and something dangerous flickered in his eyes. Evan knew his brother hated having his authority challenged, but he didn’t care. He wanted to know.
“Evan, sit and I’ll tell you.” Without standing, Parker pulled out the seat next to him.
Evan sat down.
“Thank you,” Parker said, took a deep breath, and then added: “He’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
“He left this afternoon. Has some things to work out, I guess.” Parker retrieved a white envelope from his inside jacket pocket. “This is for you.”
The bottom dropped out of Evan’s stomach. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t freak out,” Parker said. “Just read it.”
Evan.
I’ve rewritten this letter about a million times and no matter what I write, the words aren’t enough. The simple fact of the matter is: You were right. I was wrong.
I used to be proud of being someone you looked up to but, somehow, I let my sin get the better of me. Instead of protecting you, I raged against you. I forced you to shoulder the weight of a hero alone—worse, I made you doubt yourself. For that, and for everything after, I am sorry.
Please don’t come looking for me. I won’t be found until I’ve learned to be the brother you all deserve, and the hero this city needs.
Wyatt.
Evan screwed up the paper in his fist. “Are you fucking kidding me? Someone’s got a trace on him, right?”
Sloan snorted. “I’m not stupid, bras. Of course I do.”
“So let’s go and pick him up.”
“Evan,” Mary said firmly. “We have to let him do this.”
“Are you serious? He’s our brother.”
Tony took a swig of beer then met Evan’s eyes. “We have to respect his wishes.”
“Tony, if I respected his wishes, Sara would still have her claws in this family.” His words made sense, and everyone knew it.
“If you keep pushing him, he’ll fall balls deep into his sin,” Tony replied. “Trust me.”
“But—”
“Evan.” Mary cut him off. “He needs to do this alone. It’s what he wants. For now, we’ve got more pressing things to talk about. Like the Syndicate. They almost had you, Evan, and that could have had catastrophic consequences.”
Another round of discontent rippled across the table. A knock came at the door and they all quietened as the waiter arrived to take the last remaining orders.
When the waiter left, Parker was the first to speak. “I don’t think anyone can refute the fact that we can no longer afford the luxury of ignoring our calling. The fact that you’ve all agreed to move back to Lazarus House speaks to that, but we need to have a frank talk about the future of our unit.”
Evan draped his arm over Grace’s back lengthwise, gripping her far shoulder, wishing he could bring her closer. He needed to touch her. To know she was real. Somehow sensing his apprehension, she placed a hand over his and squeezed.
“We can’t be half-assed heroes,” Parker continued. “We need to make a full commitment.” He met each and every set of eyes around the table. “Missions come first. We’ve all seen how useful Evan’s new abilities are. It’s best if our first priority is getting our own. Our enemy is smart, ruthless and is willing to shoot dead their own to avoid secrets getting out. That means they’re planning something big. So, step up your search for your soulmate. Grace and Evan have proven it’s more than a pipe dream. It’s a reality.”
“Who died and made you boss?” Tony sneered.
“You want to do it?”
Tony dropped his gaze and stared into his drink.
“Didn’t think so. Anyone else got beef?”
No one, not even Liza said a thing. Throughout their existence, Parker had always been their natural leader. Mary and Flint mentored them, but when it came to what they did best—fight crime—Parker was the one in charge. Having him declared the official leader was a natural progression.
“Good. Starting tomorrow at five, we’ll train daily before you head off to your day jobs.”
&n
bsp; Protests rose around the room but Parker lifted his palm. “No excuses. Find a way. If you can’t make it, come and see me and we will work out an alternative. I want you all back in black before the week’s out.”
Suddenly, a loud electrical guitar riffed through the speakers.
“What the fuck?” Evan joined the rest of his family looking up to the ceiling as AC/DC’s Back in Black came on, loud and devastatingly clear.
Sloan broke into fits of laughter until tears ran from her eyes. “I installed AIMI on the speakers, y’all.”
A smile edged Evan’s mouth. “You knew Parker would say that, didn’t you?”
She sigh-laughed and wiped her eyes. “Yep. He’s so predictable. Asked AIMI to play it as soon as she heard the words.”
“Great.” Parker shook his head, but even he couldn’t hide his smile. “You’re all buffoons. Now, let’s enjoy dinner and celebrate Grace’s official return to surgery.”
To Grace’s happy embarrassment, the Lazarus family cheered and whooped her good news, clapping loudly.
For the next hour the family discussed logistics of following Parker’s orders. Liza had to transfer to another department. Tony had to meet with his agent, and so on. Mary and Flint would resume training and strategic support via comms. Griffin was quiet but attentive. There was a lot to do, but Evan knew they would get there. The vibe in the air was hopeful.
As they were all leaving for the night, Parker pulled Grace and Evan aside.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to speak to you about,” he said.
“Uh-oh. What did you do now?” Liza punched Evan on the shoulder as she exited with Sloan.
Instantly, Evan lashed out and zapped her on the arm. She yelped and rubbed it, scowling at him over his shoulder as she walked, but then grinning as she turned the corner.
Grace hid a smile with her hand and Parker’s brow lifted.
“What?” Evan said. “She started it.”
“How do you put up with him?” Parker said to Grace.
She lowered her hand from her mouth to say, “With pleasure.”
“Great. You’re as bad as each other. Okay, well I pulled you aside to give you this.” Parker handed another white envelope to Grace.
She opened it, eyes widening as she read. “Is this for real?”
Evan peeked over her shoulder to read. It was a letter from her insurance company approving the claim for compensation to all the home owners of the apartment building that Sara destroyed.
“Parks?” Evan said.
Parker cleared his throat. “I know you missed the deadline to prove Sara was the arsonist, and I know that was our fault. If we had listened to Evan from the beginning, this would never have happened. We can’t bring back your parents, Grace, but hopefully this can bring closure for everyone involved.”
Grace’s eyes blurred and Evan pulled her in to kiss her on top of the head.
“Thank you, Parker,” she said, still clutching the letter at her chest. “How did you get them to approve the claim?”
“I can be very persuasive.”
“You bought the company didn’t you?” Evan said wryly.
He ignored Evan’s question. “Like I said, Grace. It’s the least I could do, especially after you worked on Wyatt.” Parker held his palm out stiffly. “It is me that should be thanking you for everything you’ve done for this family, Evan included.”
Grace sniffed again and stared at Parker’s outstretched hand, bottom lip trembling.
“He wants you to shake it,” Evan whispered.
But Grace launched at Parker and hugged him. Stunned at first, Parker’s arms were stiff at his side, then he glanced at Evan questioningly.
Evan shrugged, grinning back. Grace was a hugger, he guessed. When she pulled away, Evan went in for his own handshake with Parker.
Parker gripped it sturdily, then said goodbye, leaving the two of them alone.
“Can you believe it?” Grace’s glistening eyes shot to him as she waved the envelope then launched into his arms.
“Yeah, Doc, I can believe it.” He kissed her on the lips and hugged her tight.
It wasn’t too long ago that he’d been lying in a Dumpster, agonizing over his family’s inability to rescue him. Now Parker had bought an entire company to say thank you to his girl. Whatever happened next in their battle against the Syndicate, Evan knew they’d do it together, with Grace by his side keeping him sane. Wyatt would be back at some point, he was certain. And if he wasn’t, Evan would find him because that’s what they did. They never quit.
Thank you for reading Envy - the first book in The Deadly Seven Series. I hope you enjoyed Evan’s and Grace’s journey. The next book in the series will focus on Griffin and Lilo, and will be titled Greed. Make sure you’re subscribed to my e-newsletter list to be among the first to receive updates on Greed’s release.
Character Sketches
Characters & Glossary
The Deadly Seven
(Appearance in order of age from youngest to eldest)
ENVY: Evan Lazarus
SLOTH: Sloan Lazarus
GLUTTONY: Tony Lazarus
GREED: Griffin Lazarus
LUST: Liza Lazarus
WRATH: Wyatt Lazarus
PRIDE: Parker Lazarus
Mary Lazarus:Adoptive Mother of the Deadly Seven and ex assassin for the Hildegard Sisterhood
Flint Lazarus: Adoptive Father of the Deadly Seven
Other Characters:
Dr. Grace Go: Surgeon at Cardinal City General Hospital
Lilo Likeke: Investigative reporter at the Cardinal Copy
Joisie: Deadly Ink Tattoo shop attendant & artist
Raseem: Doctor at Cardinal City General Hospital
Jeff Granger: CCGH Chief of Staff
Taco: 11-year-old boy, friend of Grace
Mason: 8-year-old boy, friend of Grace
Juliet: Taco and Mason’s aunt
Azaria: Evan’s art dealer & agent
The Syndicate
The Syndicate is a secret organization who believe the only way to save the world from its own harmful self is to eradicate all sinners, even if that means destroying half the world.
THE BOSS: Julius Allcott
SARA MADDEN: Ex-girlfriend of Wyatt Lazarus
FALCON: Enforcer for the Syndicate
The Hildegard Sisterhood
The Hildegard Sisterhood are nuns with a history reaching back to medieval times when the original Sister Hildegard struggled against a male dominated clergy. Now the world know her as the founder of scientific history in Germany, but back then, her opinions were disregarded until she claimed to have visions from God himself. Belittling herself as a woman in order to be heard was only the beginning of the humiliation the woman faced.
So she started her own abbey filled with women. That same abbey exists today and is a place where women are celebrated and their education encouraged—minus the male influence. Records at the Sisterhood archives reveal they had a hand in the rise of many women over history from Joan of Arc to Indira Ghandi. From Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher.
Under the surface of the auspicious abbey lays the secret mission that no woman will ever suffer the same struggle as Hildegard and they condition a select few “Sinners” to enforce this mission. These Sinners are trained as assassins for the cause: Sinners like Mary Lazarus. A necessary evil.
In the prequel novella, Sinner, Mary Lazarus escaped the Sisterhood who wanted to use the children for their own gain, much like the Syndicate who created them. To this day, she is still on the run.
Also by Lana Pecherczyk
The Deadly Seven
(Paranormal/Sci-Fi Romance)
Sinner
(Origins Novella)
Envy
Greed
(Coming Soon)
Game of Gods
(Urban Fantasy )
Soul Thing
The Devil Inside
Playing God
Game Over
Robin Lockslay
(Action Romantic Comedy)
Robin Lockslay
About the Author
OMG! How do you say my name?
Lana (straight forward enough - Lah-nah) Pecherczyk (this is where it gets tricky - Pe-her-chick).
I’ve been called Lana Price-Check, Lana Pera-Chickywack, Lana Pressed-Chicken, Lana Pech…that girl! You name it, they said it. So if it’s so hard to spell, why on earth would I use this name instead of an easy pen name?
To put it simply, it belonged to my mother. And she was my dream champion.
For most of my life, I’ve been good at one thing – art. The world around me saw my work, and said I should do more of it, so I did.
But when at the age of eight, I said I wanted to write stories, and even though we were poor, my mother came home with a blank notebook and a pencil saying I should follow my dreams, no matter where they take me for they will make me happy. I wasn’t very good at it, but it didn’t matter because I had her support and I liked it.
She died when I was thirteen, and left her four daughters orphaned. Suddenly, I had lost my dream champion, I was split from my youngest two sisters and had no one to talk to about the challenge of life.
So, I wrote in secret. I poured my heart out daily to a diary and sometimes imagined that she would listen. At the end of the day, even if she couldn’t hear, writing kept that dream alive.
Envy (The Deadly Seven Book 1) Page 29
