Sniper (Devil's Shadow MC, Book 2)
Page 18
He jerks his chin towards Kitty who's on her fourth fight of the night. He lingers a few minutes but then grins. "Nah. I'd hate to say goodbye."
I nod understanding. After Carter found her in an alley that day, something changed between them. There's a respect for each other that wasn't there before from Carter's part. He only took her as my woman, not a person who has emotions too. But now they have established a friendship much to my surprise.
So I don't stop when he starts to walk again. But right before he leaves the cage, he gives me a mischievous grin. "And just so you know, your VP may have a bun in her oven."
The fucker leaves with that. And I'm...I don't know what to think of that. Grace was pregnant? How would Kitty react to that? Will she want to see her sister? Talk to her? I'm still pondering over what to do when I smell her.
Blood and that jasmine scent of hers.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks, kissing my neck. I can feel a smile on her face and I don't have the heart to tell her what I know. I might tell her when it's time. When we might have to leave again. If Carter was right about Lorenzo…
"I just missed you." The lie rolls off my tongue easily. I just have to paste a smile to go with that. I know she doesn't believe me. She knows me too well to know when I'm pretending but she doesn't call out the lie either.
Instead, she shares my smile. "I missed you too. Ready to go home?"
"Come on, love." It feels like Deja vu when we head for our place. Her knuckles are broken and mine clench tighter. A year ago I was trying hard to take care of everyone. To be the perfect little Sniper. Just like her. In the end, we have just embraced that we both aren't perfect. But together we can be.
"I love you, Kitty. So damn much."
She doesn't sound surprised at the sudden declaration of affection. She only smiles in the dark as her hold on me tightens.
"I love you, Seth. Always."
So what if I wasn't a part of the Devils anymore? So what if I broke too many rules on the way? So what if my brothers hate me for all their whole life? All I did, it was for her. And if the time comes...
I’ll do it again.
The End
THORNED PREVIEW
CHAPTER 1
RAINE
Look after your brother.
That was the last thing I heard when our father walked out of our life. Now at twenty-three, I think I've failed to understand just how much looking after I needed to do in order for my brother to be actually present in my life.
Jokes on me though.
Nick didn't look for a better future like our mama. He didn't marry some posh rich chick to get more money. No, absolutely not. Instead, he turned to run errands for people who didn't have a moral bone in their body.
But I can't whine about him not being present in my life either. He doesn't give me a full chance to be angry with him. Not yet anyway. He stays home with me four days of the week. He cooks, does laundries, and asks me how my job hunting is going. And every time he has a smile on his face. That damned smile that means many things in different situations.
If his nose crinkles a little, you know you just answer his questions with another smile. Pretend everything is Ok. He's with me after all. How much more can I need? Like more than a week ago when I badly needed some money to pay the rent. If I close my eyes now, I can still see him sitting on the couch with him opposite of me. I can never sit beside him.
He's a walking reminder of our father.
Just as I said, I failed to raise him as I wanted.
"How are things going, Raine?" he asked, his lips twitching into a smile.
My hold on the fork tightened as I recalled the subtle warning I got from our landlord today. So, even if I knew the undecided rules we have made up in years, I didn't smile back. I just stared at his unfocused eyes and blurted out. "I need money to pay the rent, Nick. Mrs. Julian is going to kick-"
His smile widened. For people outside, it's a beautiful sight. God-given beauty, I think mama would say. But I couldn't find anything more terrible.
"Just answer my question, Raine." He gritted out. Maybe for my sake, he was not raising his hands yet. I could certainly see the clench of his jaw a little even if he was trying too hard to hide it.
"It’s going fine." The words came out as a squeak. They wouldn't mean a thing anyway. But that calmed Nick down like none other. He took another bite and in a second, he was leaving with another mysterious smile.
"Hey chica, look where you are going!" It's too hard to focus on who I just stumbled into. The lights manipulate humans as a thousand shadows waving through the crowd. Not that it would do me any better to look at these people in the eyes.
So, I just apologize and move on to the next place. Like mother used to say, you should never believe what you see. This might look like a normal club with teenagers dancing in the night but I see another side of the coin. I see people like my brother. I try to find him like a needle in the hay.
I need to find him before the scent of smoke and blood brands me as their friend for eternity.
He might not have been much of a brother lately, but he can't disappear like mama too. So I search at the poker tables, the bar and finally the dreadful shed. The one place he said to never enter. Even if I needed to find him. I hoped that day never come, then again, shouldn't by now I shoulda learned that hope is not for people like us?
I'm startled of my mind when another presence graces me the moment I enter the shed. Only then I realize that I was hoping for it to be empty. To go back home and mourn my brother’s disappearance. But here I am, starting at a man who is too busy doing drugs. Though the man in front of me isn’t like the men in the club. He is too rugged, his eyes evoke everything he is feeling, unlike the people my brother works with or works for. Some days it's hard to differ.
"I-I am looking for Nick. Nick Taylor?"
"N-Nicki?" His voice is heavy with an accent. Means he is a not a local. What’s up with my brother always working for the people not from here? I don't know if he recognizes my brother or not but his huge figure steps back in alarm.
"I know no Nick. You should leave." Something tells me he wasn't actually warning me, more like...he knew something. This is the second time I've seen him look at me in worry.
I should walk away. Go home and wait for Nick to come back. Or maybe just leave him here to rot. Mrs. Julian will throw me away tomorrow morning anyway. So I start to walk. Only that I don't walk toward the door. I walk closer to the man whose eyes bulge out the more step I take.
"What the fuck are you doing, Chika!? I told you to leave. Me know no Nick!"
"You know him." I don't intend to be harsh but I can't. Five nights of no sleep can do that to you. "Where is he? Is he ok?"
"I said I don't-" He's awfully cut off. By a bullet between his eyes.
"You Nicki's sister?" There's a man beside me and he's pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lights one, raising his eyebrows when I look at the man on my feet and his killer beside me. "No?"
Someone screams. The sound deafening in even my ears. Black dots dance around me. Something tickles down my chin. Tears? Blood? Stupidity?
"Your brother pissed off a wrong man, chika. We had to do it." The man sounds remorseful almost as if...
No.
No!
"I-Is he-"
Please tell me he's alive. He's just pretending. Playing games again.
My pulse keeps thumping when a hand forces my chin to upward. "He's what? Dead?"
I flinch back, he laughs. "Dead or alive, he had to pay. Sadly he wouldn't give us the money he stole so we went after something more...vulnerable to him."
Me.
Even before I can understand what's happening there's a couple of hands grabbing me from behind. Someone holds a cold metal against my head before I can scream. Kill me, I want to say. Maybe Nick not only fucked up his job but he also fucked me up.
There's a hiss near my ears. The man with the cigarette? "No one messes wit
h Ace Martinez, chika. You're going to feel just how much."
Ace?
I don't have time to panic. Someone has already covered my nose with a napkin. I want to fight back but then again I'd do anything for my brother. So instead of digging my nails hard over the arm, my hands drop beside me. I inhale. I exhale. And when my eyes close, I see Nick waiting for me with that damned smile.
And I smile back.
Welcome home, brother…
***
Introducing you the first book of the spin off series, ‘Martinez Mafia Dynasty’ which is connected to the Devil’s Shadow MC Series. This series will follow the world of La Eme and the brothers who own it. If you guys enjoy a little angst, heartbreak and violence, then this is the perfect series for you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, I want to say thanks to my family, especially to my mom, who has been my inspiration for so long. So when she was diagnosed with cancer I felt like my world was just about to end. But she’s stronger than she thinks and I am really happy that she helped me enough to finish this book.
Last but not least, thank you so much to my readers, author friends and reviewers for the support and love you showed since last year Lethal first came up. This series was hard to write with the topic choice but you were all helpful in many ways that I can’t explain. I hope I get support like this even in the future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K.H Kate is a University student, occasional painter and author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance books. She loves to venture into the world of action, dark romance, give happy endings with a little bit of tragedy and paint a world full of raw emotions. Born and raised AS A DREAMER, she has been writing for four years. She started writing to give life to her imaginary characters until they become stories themselves.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
EPILOGUE
THORNED PREVIEW
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR