by Bella Jewel
OTHER TITLES BY BELLA JEWEL
Angels in Leather
Number Thirteen
Wingman
Life After Taylah
Precarious
MC SINNERS SERIES
Hell’s Knights (MC Sinners 1)
Heaven’s Sinners (MC Sinners 2)
Knight’s Sinner (MC Sinners 3)
Bikers and Tinsel (MC Sinners 3.5)
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2014 Bella Jewel
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle
ISBN-13: 9781612184920
ISBN-10: 1612184928
Cover design by bürosüdo München, www.buerosued.de
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014912204
To my husband, my biker, my always and forever.
CONTENTS
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
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PROLOGUE
Dimitri
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
That’s the way I am serving it—cold, empty, broken, and completely fucked up.
The need for revenge is all consuming. Did I ever plan to spend ten years of my life searching for a man just to seek retribution? No. But it’s all I am now. It’s all I know. It’s all I breathe. My life spiraled down into darkness a long time ago, and darkness became all I knew. It’s all I know now.
You can’t save someone from themselves—not when they don’t want to be saved.
Once darkness reaches in and takes hold of your heart, there’s no going back. It takes your life and it steers it on paths you never wanted or planned. But you go with it, because darkness has the control now. I have accepted what I am. I have accepted that my path has been chosen. I have accepted that I will do whatever it takes to make him pay.
I am where darkness lies.
CHAPTER ONE
Jess
The ship sways, jerking me from the void that has been surrounding me on and off for the past two days. I lick my lower lip, tasting the dry, coppery blood there. My head aches, I’ve gone beyond hungry now. I’m just desperate for something, anything. Hell, a glass of water wouldn’t hurt. I try to blink but my eyes are so dry they burn. I move my aching, distressed body and try to focus on the room around me.
I’m still in the cell.
And he still hasn’t come back.
I know who has me. I heard his name—Dimitri. Hendrix’s stepson. I know this, because I have been on Hendrix’s ship since he saved me all those years ago, and have, plenty of times, overheard conversations about his damaged stepson whom he abandoned at the age of fifteen. I guess Dimitri wasn’t going to just sit back and move on with his life.
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
I can survive this. It’s a revenge tactic, which means he won’t kill me . . . not yet, anyway. He wants Hendrix, he wants a fight, and so he will keep me alive. He might not take care of me, but he’ll keep me here until he gets what he wants. I slowly push to my feet, and the chains around my ankles rattle. Where do they think I’m going to go on a ship? Dive overboard and kill myself? Maybe attack them with a piece of rotting wood? Seriously. Dimitri clearly has no idea how knowledgeable I am when it comes to the ocean.
Dimitri—the angel of darkness.
I think back to when I first looked at him. Somewhat like an angel all wrapped in black. To look at, he’s absolutely breathtaking. The kind of breathtaking that not only steals your breath but causes your entire body to stop working. His eyes are the color of baby blue blankets and his skin is that creamy olive that only so many people can pull off when they have such fair eyes. His hair is thick, whipping around his shoulders. It’s dark. Like him. I will never understand how such beauty can be the home of such darkness.
I shuffle over to the door but my chains clank just before I reach it; I’m in a wooden room with no windows and no spaces to see through. The only gap is a small hole in the door that’s far too high for me to see anything. With my tiny frame, there’s no way I could ever get elevated enough. I manage to shuffle around the cell as much as my chains will allow, shoving at the walls I can reach in a pathetic attempt to find a weakness in them. I know better, though. I’ve been on a ship for long enough to know how sturdy they are.
My body is so damned sore, like I’m living with a bad cold each day. It’s probably because last night, in my haze, I froze. It was so cold, and I had no blanket to cover me up. I shivered and groaned, rolling for most of the night. The least they could do is give me a blanket, but apparently luxuries such as that aren’t in the deal. Sniffling, I find my spot back on the floor and sit down.
Hendrix will find me.
I know he will.
He’s been my protector since that awful night all those years ago. He made promises to me, and I know he’ll keep them. I know he’ll come after me, but what scares me the most is the damage that might come to him in doing so. Dimitri—he’s the essence of gloom. His kind of damaged runs deep. I honestly don’t know what kind of danger I’m in, or what kind of danger I’m putting Hendrix in.
I just know this situation isn’t good.
I have to hang in there, though. I’ve lived through worse. These kinds of things, they don’t scare me the way they scare most people. I’ve run with the ultimate criminals and I’ve seen things most wouldn’t see in their lifetime. What most people shouldn’t see in their lifetime. I’m prepared for whatever is thrown at me. I’ll keep my cool. I won’t show fear, and I won’t let him see any kind of weakness in me.
I won’t break.
It’s just not who I am.
My chin is pressed against my chest and I’m exhausted by the time he shows his face again. I’ve only seen him once since I’ve been here, and it was when he threw me down into this cell, slamming my body against the cold wooden wall. That’s when I split my lip. He didn’t speak, he didn’t even look at me, he just tossed me down and left. I was starting to wonder if he’d show up again, or if he’d just leave me down here to die.
I lift my head when I hear his boots stomping on the wooden floor. The door rattles and a moment later, it’s swung open and he comes in. I stare at him, in complete awe. It’s hard not to when someone is as beautiful as he is. His dark hair
hangs heavy around his face and his expression is hard. His eyes, though beautiful, hold a whole lot of pain. He’s wearing a hoodie that covers his large torso, and his jeans are met with heavy black boots. The ultimate bad boy. In every way.
“Get up,” he growls, his voice rugged and rough.
I do as he asks. There is no point in arguing. I need to be sassy and strong, to make sure that he doesn’t break me, but at the same time I’m not making him angrier. At least, I’d like to think that’s the case. As soon as I am on my feet, his hand lashes out and grips my arm. His fingers bite into my skin and I smother my wince.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask in a small, scratchy voice. It’s the first time I’ve heard my voice in days.
“None of your business.”
Damned pirates. They give nothing away.
“Is this your ship?” I push as he undoes my chains and tugs me toward the door.
“Don’t fuckin’ insult me.”
Insult him? Why would that insult him? I shuffle my feet as best I can as he pulls me out of the door. His tugging becomes more persistent, and the frustration at trying to keep up becomes overwhelming. When I stumble and struggle to catch my footing for the fourth time, I finally snap.
“Stop tugging me so hard, pirate,” I growl under my breath.
Before I can say another word, he has spun around, gripped my shoulders, and slammed me up against the nearest wall. When he’s up close like this, I can see the jagged scar to the left of his lip. I can also see how stunning his eyes truly are. They’re not just blue, they have little speckles of aqua through them, giving them that unique color all their own. I squirm as his fingers dig into my shoulders, but I keep my face emotionless.
“You ever insult me like that again, I’ll make it hurt . . .” he growls, shaking me a little.
“How did I insult you?” I gasp, squirming again.
“I might be a lot of things, but I’m not a fuckin’ pirate, and if I so much as hear that word leave your lips again, I’ll make you wish it didn’t. I’m not scum, not like that piece of shit pirate I took you from.”
“Funny that,” I growl. “Because you’re the one who stole and starved an innocent girl.”
He leans in close, letting his eyes burn into mine. “There ain’t no innocence in anything that comes from hell, girl.”
He thinks I’m a pirate, and for some reason I don’t want to correct him. Maybe it’s a good thing he thinks he’s gotten something that is important to Hendrix. If I tell him I’m just a stray, who really, in the big scheme of things, isn’t that important, then he’ll likely kill me. If I need to play along for now, so be it. I don’t correct him.
Instead I narrow my eyes. “What are you expecting to get out of this?”
He smiles, and it’s cold and empty. “One word: revenge.”
CHAPTER TWO
Jess
I have to blink, at least four times. I can’t be seeing this right. We’re . . . we’re . . . on land. At a wharf, with a lineup of SUVs waiting for us. I felt the ship rocking a few times, but I didn’t think it was because we were coming in to land. I thought Dimitri was a pirate, I thought this battle would happen on the ocean, but I’ve just learned how very wrong I was. My heart seizes. How is Hendrix supposed to know I’m on land? How is he supposed to find me here? I let my eyes dart around, trying to take in my surroundings.
We’re in America somewhere, that much I know. The scenery is very familiar and the SUV license plates indicate so. I’m too far away to see which state is stamped on them. My legs wobble as Dimitri pulls me down the ramps and leads me directly to the large vehicles. He opens the door of one and shoves me inside. I land on my face, hands tangled beneath me. I squeak and try to roll, but it’s not easy when you can’t use your own hands to push yourself up. Mine are handcuffed and moving is next to impossible without them.
I manage to shove myself up to my knees just as Dimitri gets into the front seat of the SUV. Two large men join us. One, who is bald and absolutely huge, gets in the front seat, lifting a gun and placing it on his lap. A silent threat. The other is darker-skinned, and has a more gentle face. He climbs in the back beside me when I finally get myself onto my bottom.
The SUV surges forward and I find my breath hitching. I won’t lie and say fear isn’t washing through me right now, because it is. When we were on the water, it was easy enough to hope and assume that Hendrix would find me. He knows the ocean. The land, however, it’s . . . it’s a lot harder. What if he doesn’t even know I’m here? Miles and miles of ocean he could be wasting his time on.
I swallow and close my eyes, calming myself. The good thing about land is that I have more chance of escape. That’s a plus. I can escape out here if given the right moment. I will hope for that moment, because it might be the only chance. I might be my only chance. I open my eyes and peer out of the window. Tall trees, wide roads, and people on bicycles whizz past. A strange feeling swells in my chest, and it takes me a moment to recognize it.
I’m on land again.
It’s been over two years since I’ve been in civilization, and it’s quite an overwhelming feeling. People chatter, cars pass by noisily. My head feels clogged. I’m so used to nothing but the sound of crashing waves that I wonder how I ever felt at peace in this place. On water is the only place I have ever felt serene. Tranquil.
I turn and stare at the front of the car to catch Dimitri watching me in the rearview mirror. I narrow my eyes and glare at him. He returns the glare and turns his eyes back to the road. “Where are you taking me?” I ask, tugging on my chains.
“I’m not tellin’ you where we’re goin’, nor am I going to discuss anything with you. You speak when I tell you to. Until such time, you keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told.”
“That’s fine by me—I’ve run with assholes long enough to know how people like you work,” I quip. “If you think I’m telling you anything about Hendrix, you’re very wrong. If you want me to shut up, then I will shut up.”
Dimitri slams on the breaks and I go surging forward. It’s then I realize I’m not wearing a seatbelt. My face smashes against the back of his chair and my nose cracks. Blood pours down my face. I wail loudly and reach up, feeling my fingers become coated in the warm, sticky liquid. I hear Dimitri’s door slam, and then mine is pulled open. He grips me by my shoulders and hurls me out of the car.
“Here’s the thing, girl,” he snarls, pulling me close. I’m sure any other time I’d be able to smell him, he’s that close, but all I can smell is my own blood as it fills my nose. “You don’t get a say in how this goes down. You don’t answer my questions, you will find yourself six feet under. Get my drift? I’ll leave it up to you to decide how much your life is worth. Stop protecting that no good son of a bitch. He deserves to fuckin’ die a long, painful death.”
“You don’t know him,” I say in a small, angry voice. “You know only what you have created in your head, but it’s so far from the—”
“Shut up!” he bellows. “Don’t tell me what I know and what I don’t know. You haven’t lived my life so don’t go tellin’ me what I’ve created.”
“You’re wasting your time,” I whisper. “He’s not going to give in to you.”
His eyes flicker. “He’ll do whatever I fuckin’ want, because I saw how he looked at you. If you were worth nothing, girl, then he would have shot me down and risked your life. He didn’t. Now, get back in that car and shut your mouth.”
My hands tremble with emotion, and I turn and shuffle back into the car. There are so many words I want to say, but what good will they do? He’s sticking with whatever crazy story he’s created about Hendrix in his head, and he’s not backing down. I don’t expect him to, but I have to do whatever I can to protect myself. This man, he’s on the edge. I don’t know how far I can push him, because I can’t read him.
All I see is hatred.
A hatred so deep I wonder what else is in there.
We pull up at a ma
ssive house. It’s surrounded by a solid, black iron fence that’s easily eight feet high. I shiver. That’s not going to be easy to escape from. Inside that fence is a huge three-story home. It’s made of sandstone and is quite stunning. The boundary of the property boasts thick trees and bushes, clearly for privacy. When the car comes to a stop at the front door, I stare out. Wow.
Dimitri gets out of the SUV and comes straight to my door. He opens it, takes my arm, and pulls me out. He tugs me toward the front door and the two large men follow. I trip on the steps with these stupid chains on my feet, and with a growl he leans down and unlocks them. “Try to escape,” he hisses. “I’ll cut your fuckin’ feet off.”
“Because that’s a logical threat,” I mutter.
He stares at me for a minute, in shock or rage, I don’t know. His face is blank.
He swings the front door of the house open, and we step inside. I lose my breath. The house is massive. All polished wooden floors, maroon rugs, dark furniture. There is extravagant artwork hanging on the walls, the kind of art that’s twisted. Dark figures curled around strange things, or women, looking broken, naked, and damaged. I shiver.
Dimitri leads me down the hall, and we pass numerous large rooms, including a white wood kitchen to die for and a ballroom. Jesus, this house has a little of everything. I imagine I’ll be spending my time in a cell, but in a place like this, it’s probably luxury. I try to take in as much as I can as I’m tugged down the halls. Dimitri walks with determination, his large body quite overwhelming from this angle. He’s so much bigger than me.
He takes me up a flight of stairs, and I notice that the two guards are behind us still. We get to the top of the stairs and he swings tightly to the left, gripping a door handle and shoving it open. We step into a massive room. I gape—it’s nearly bigger than Hendrix’s entire ship. I don’t hesitate when Dimitri shoves me in; instead, my eyes widen with shock.
Thick, soft carpet, a big white bed, a bathroom with a spa, a massive lounge and television, and that’s just the basics. It’s outfitted with only the nicest spreads, curtains, and rugs. Dimitri obviously has a shitload of money—that or this isn’t his house. I get the feeling it is, though. I turn with big, deer-in-headlight eyes, and meet Dimitri’s angry glare.
