Breaking Bad: 14 Tales of Lawless Love

by Koko Brown

  “The new place looks great,” he said, kissing my neck while he swayed my hips and I turned right around, swatting him a little.

  “You aren’t even looking at it,” I said, laughing a little. I loved my new store and couldn’t wait to move my employees right in to work. I actually hired a new manager.

  Colin, the actual Colin that Aleise had hired, gratefully hadn’t gotten hurt in all that went down last year. It seemed the fake Colin knocked him out, taking on his identity for the day when he came after me.

  After I found that out, I’d been extremely grateful and prayed that was the last of my adventures outside of my books. I’d leave the action for my boyfriend… well, I guess he was my fiancé now.

  Pulling me by my hand, Sebastian made that ring on my left hand shine bright in the sun that came in through my brand new windows. He’d proposed not long ago and actually, looked nervous I wouldn’t say yes. For such a big and strong guy, he ironically lacked confidence when it came to me.

  I guess I found that part about him adorable.

  Pushing his arms around me, he kissed me, mentioning something about not needing to see the store to know how great it was. He simply kissed me and I enjoyed those few moments I had with him in my store, empty of customers and employees. It was simply us.

  My bounty hunter fiancé and me.

  THE END

  ABOUT VICTORIA H. SMITH

  Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the characters she writes give her an earful about it.

  In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, reading, watching Scandal, and general geekery in the form of Sherlock and DC Comics. She’s a bestselling author and the 2014 Swirl Award winner for Best New Adult Romance, as well as the recipient of the 2015 AMB Ovation Award for her new adult romance FOUND BY YOU. She writes both new adult and adult fiction in many genres, but mainly focuses in contemporary interracial and multicultural romances.

  www.authorvictoriahsmith.com

  OTHER TITLES BY VICTORIA H. SMITH

  Found by You

  Baby, Baby

  The Space Between

  Only Love

  Check Out My Titles on Amazon

  HIS FOR THE TAKING

  NIA K. FOXX

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to all my family and friends who accept me for me.

  When the lines are blurred it’s hard to distinguish between the good, bad and predators.

  His For The Taking

  It was simple a case of being in the wrong place at the right time and Regina was about to find out first-hand the real meaning of predator and prey.

  In Hyuk’s world there was no room for entanglements but when fate drops a tempting little morsel in his life he’s more than ready to show her how good it is to be with a bad boy and his animal instincts.

  ONE

  At first glance, Regina’s celebratory night seemed pretty…well, pathetic.

  Discounted boxed wine, passable Stromboli and an On Demand recording of the season finale of ‘So You think You Can Do Something Better Than Everyone Else’.

  In actuality, it was the celebration of her choosing.

  For real.

  A curt voicemail left on her cell confirmed she was being advanced to the dance rounds of a recent audition. It didn’t mean she’d landed the acting/dancing gig, and therefore it was too early to notify family and friends but it did call for some sort of recognition in her book. The fact that she had the night off from her waitressing job pretty much sealed her decision for her planned evening festivities. Only two days stood between her and destiny.

  Too dramatic?

  Well, it was definitely a potential game changer, fingers crossed. If it would mean landing the part she’d cross her fingers, toes, eyes and any other body parts that could be manipulated.

  She was a strong dancer trained in ballet and modern, with a passion for the freedom of hip hop. But, as she learned since stepping out on faith and leaving her family’s dance studio to pursue an acting/dancing career on Broadway, nothing was guaranteed. It wasn’t talent alone that landed someone a job but how connected they were and Regina still didn’t have an ‘in’ with the ‘right’ people. So she had to rely solely on talent and wait until she had everything on lock before sharing with her small circle of loved ones.

  All things considered, she was ecstatic about her solo celebration.

  Regina shuffled forward in the slow moving line of her favorite eatery just one group away from placing her order. She checked the time on her large face phone nestled in its case that also doubled as a wallet before she slid it back in her coat. The cluster of college students in front of her debated the menu’s items as if their evening of faux studying depended on it. She stifled a laugh at the self-important way they vetoed each item crafting profound arguments against that listed the shortcomings of each selection. Sheltered by college life, she almost envied their disconnect from the real world. There was a slight twinge of regret for passing on the opportunity of a University education out of high school but when she had been faced with the option of helping her mother keep her struggling studio open it was a no brainer. Now, at twenty-nine, school was a distant memory. Another twinge of guilt assailed her over the thought of her mom and sister pulling double duty since she’d left home. Reggie’s mother had assured her that they’d be fine in her absence and had even emphasized the savings without the extra payroll. Her mother’s urging came from a place of remorse and now she didn’t want to stand in the way of her daughter’s dreams of making it on Broadway. Reggie’s younger sister, Sandra, had gone away to college but couldn’t see herself anywhere other than Denver after graduation. Although Sandra didn’t consider herself a dancer Reggie knew she was more than skilled enough to handle splitting the class load with their mother.

  Four years was her deadline to make things happen. Unfortunately, she was afraid her timeline would have to be bumped up. It was year two and over the last few months whenever Reggie tried to talk to her mother or sister about the studio both glossed over the topic hurriedly or changed subjects completely. Her sister let it slip a couple of times that their mother’s arthritis was now bothering both knees. Of course, whenever Reggie brought it up to her parent it was brushed off as ‘growing older pains’. Her mother would reassure that her the symptoms were very manageable with over the counter meds. Still, Reggie couldn’t help but feel selfish and had told herself if nothing came of her recent round of auditions she would pack it all in and head home for good. She was optimistic. With the money earned from the gig plus waitressing part-time she’d be able to send’ enough home for her mother to hire another dance instructor and allow her to semi-retire. Suffice it to say Reggie had a lot riding on the next audition.

  “It’s food, not rocket science. Pick something or get out of line already,” an impatient man’s words cut in on her thoughts from somewhere behind her. The thick New York accent identified him as a native.

  She smirked to herself at his helpful encouragement. It could have been a lot worse. The group of four debating over their order pretended not hear but quickly came to a decision and moved their cluster to a corner.

  Behind the counter, the dark skinned Indian girl smiled at Reggie whose turn had finally come. “Hey Reg, the usual?”

  “Yup, but with extra mozzarella. I’m living dangerously tonight.”

  The girl winked and slid her completed ticket down to a stocky Latin man named Javier whose job it was to coordinate the orders and ensure sure the right people were working on the right things in order to get the customers out in quick NY fashion.

  Regina paid and stepped aside, the line behind her not leaving room for small talk. It was a busy Thursday night and the minimal tables in the eatery were filled to capacity leaving her a
nd a few others to grab some wall space. The wait wasn’t long. Under Javier’s drill sergeant like instructions, the patrons were able to get in and out, an important feature in the bustling metropolis.

  Packages in hand Regina pushed out into the cool, late October air. Winter felt seconds away and she made a mental note to add gloves to her next shopping list.

  From an inner pocket of her jacket, her phone buzzed alerting her to a new message. Anxious to see if it was notification about the location of her dance audition, she shifted the items in her hands in a delicate balancing act and retrieved her phone.

  Fingerprint recognition verified and a couple of taps later had her phone granting access to the brief form message with audition address and instructions. Nervous excitement bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Mentally, she routed how many trains it would take her to get there. Travel planned, her brain shifted to her sparse wardrobe. A mini shopping spree was in order, if not just to add a few essentials.

  Later, she would point to her lack of focus on her surroundings as being the cause of the life altering events to come.

  Regina reread the message, all the while barely containing her giddiness. The following chain of events happened before she realized she’d walked smack dab into the path of a man barreling out of the alley she was passing. He slammed into her with enough force to land both of them flat on their asses. The jarring effect from the hard concrete sent shock waves of pain rippling through her backside. Regina squealed not from discomfort but from the terror associated with losing something more precious to her than her right arm. Her phone ejected from her hand and clattered to the ground with enough force to detach from its wallet style holder. She watched in horror as it skidded dangerously close to the curb’s edge.

  She stretched to save it from its precarious balancing act.

  A quick inspection showed no damage to the device. Relieved, she stuck it deep in the inner pocket of her jacket with her house keys. Grateful nothing felt too bruised on her body but sure she’d be sore the next day she moved to stand. In good faith, she extended her hand to the fallen man.

  He didn’t need to speak, the self-righteous indignation on his face said it all. Regina let her hand drop at her side and squared up for the confrontation which seemed to be simmering beneath the surface of New York City’s inhabitants.

  He stumbled to his feet without assistance and she quickly noticed he wasn’t much taller than her own five foot seven frame. The cool weather seemed to be a non-issue for the short sleeved man. From the look of his wet, skull plastered hair and sweat beaded brow, he wouldn’t be feeling the effects of the coolness for a little while. She gave him a quick once over, silently noting he wasn’t dressed like a regular runner. Dark slacks, formal rubber-soled shoes and a black polo didn’t exactly scream ‘I’m out for nightly cardio’. In fact, when she put everything about him together it really didn’t read jogging enthusiast at all.

  If she were honest with herself the man looked downright dangerous.

  Beady black eyes glared at her as if she’d just caused him a great wrong. He opened his mouth to speak but was instantly silenced by the long bellowing sound of a car horn behind her. She might not have noticed it if not for the man’s reaction. His gaze shifted momentarily behind her and an unnatural smile broke out across his lips. It was creepy the way his teeth shone in the night and she noticed how the smile never reached his deadpan stare.

  Sinister.

  Yup, if ever there was the definition of a sinister smile this guy had mastered it and she felt small beneath his hard look.

  The horn took a breath before complaining again. This time the beady-eyed man gave a sharp look beyond her.

  The horn went silent

  Regina was glad for the reprieve from the dark stare and looked down at her scattered items. All would be salvageable. She spotted her wallet with a surge of relief.

  “Never you mind that dearie.” The thick British accent gave her a momentary pause long enough for him to close the distance on her wallet. She’d expected Bronx, Manhattan or maybe something over the bridge but definitely not from across the pond.

  “Thank you,” she said stretching her hand to receive the wallet the stranger retrieved. “Hey!” she screeched when he gave a brief salute, and mouthed something she couldn’t quite make out before side stepping her and dashing towards the waiting car.

  “Come back here!” Regina yelled as she made to go after him. “He stole my wallet,” she yelled to no one in particular.

  It was truly a pointless effort. The car door wasn’t fully closed before the sleek black car propelled into unusually light traffic. Car horns blared their complaint at the expert way the driver cut through the street and away from her.

  “Fuck,” Regina muttered staring helplessly at the receding tail lights.

  “Hey, you okay?” A passing couple paused long enough to inquire. At her breathless affirmation they gave a weak, apologetic smile and hurried on their way while a few others moved on giving her brief, but curious looks.

  “Yeah, just keep walking, nothing to see here. I just got knocked down and had my wallet stolen but I’m good,” she muttered under her breath retrieving her scattered items from the ground. She took some solace in knowing the robber should be cursing his efforts right about now. She never carried cash, only owned one credit card which had a hundred dollar balance remaining in her associated debit card account. She’d be able to cancel the card easy enough and the fraud protection purchased would ensure any funds spent would be returned. Still, the idea of going to the crowded Department of Motor Vehicle to replace her driver’s license ranked up there with slamming her hand in a car door and… oh yeah getting her wallet stolen.

  Double Fuck.

  It was just a few more blocks before she reached her studio apartment and she could start to put the entire ordeal behind her. The incident would definitely be omitted from her weekly conversations with her mother who felt New York was where ninety percent of the criminals in the US congregated. Jeez, what did a guy dressed like that, riding in a car like his need with her wallet?

  The car’s probably stolen with a chop shop in its future, she thought.

  A groan, followed by a weak call for help, came from the adjacent alley catching her attention. She stepped away from the dark, gaping opening cautiously. It was where the robber had come from earlier and as silly as it seemed she was on alert for more of the same. Seconds after the noise distracted her a man came stumbling from the darkened interior.

  She saw a flash of his face before he lowered it. East Asian maybe and fairly young was all she got from the brief glimpse. His dress reminded her of so many of the trendy metrosexuals who frequented the high-end restaurant where she worked. Her attention quickly shifted to where he gripped his side. Wetness seeped from the dark material of his peacoat and all over his pale hand.

  The dark red color was distinctive.

  Blood.

  “Sweet baby Jesus.” Her recently gathered items clattered to the ground as she rushed to the man’s side. He was several inches taller than her and his slight build was deceptive because her legs threatened to buckle when he sagged his full weight against her. She angled their bodies towards the wall of the closest building for added support. It helped a little.

  “Someone call 911,” she yelled to people who actually stopped to gawk at the pair.

  “Is he okay?” Regina heard someone ask and it took everything for her not to call them an idiot. The crowd grew quickly and she was relieved to see several cell phones in the hands of the onlookers, hopefully, someone was calling the police and not just filming for a social media upload later.

  “The police are coming,” a disembodied voice volunteered from somewhere.

  “Di-did you see him?” The injured man’s whispered question came out in a labored stammer.

  “Shh, don’t try to talk,” Regina urged.

  “Did you?” he insisted.

  “If you mean the man who kno
cked me over and stole my wallet before jumping in a black car, then yeah.”

  He nodded. “His face?”

  She assumed he was asking if she’d seen the perp’s actual face.

  “I can ID him, but don’t worry about that now.”

  “Ne-need to call… my uncle.”

  His uncle, not the police? What an odd request but she didn’t exactly know the correlation between being shot and rational thought. Regina really wished he would stop trying to talk, he was obviously having trouble breathing and she could only assume was in excruciating pain. Where was the damned ambulance?

  “You. Have. A. Phone? Mine is gone.” he struggled, taking a breath after each word.

  “Yes.” She dug in her pocket for it. “Tell me the number.”

  He rattled it off as quickly as his ragged breathing would allow and Reggie didn’t hesitate to dial, for all she knew she could be honoring a dying man’s last request. The thought sent chills down her spine.

  “Who is this?” The gruff voice on the other end was deep, Americanish but sounded more than irritated at the unknown interruption.

  “Reggie... I’m with your nephew, he’s hurt,” she rushed worried he would hang up.

  “Shot,” the injured man leaned closer to speak into the phone.

  “Where are you?” The deep voice on the other end said with a calm she wouldn’t have possessed at getting a similar call.

  “The ambulance is on its way,” she hurried hoping he didn’t really think they had time to wait around for his arrival.

  “Where?” he asked again as if coaxing a scared child.

  Regina gave him the cross streets.

  “Okay, they will take him to Grace Memorial I’ll meet you there.”

  “Wait, what-”

  “Stay with my nephew,” he said briefly before the line went dead. Regina stared at the phone momentarily contemplating whether or not to call back but the injured man at her side had other plans. His legs buckled beneath him and he let out a long, low moan.