My last punch to his chest sends a loud oouf rushing past his lips. I step back and bounce on the balls of my feet, hoping to rile him. “I think you might need to brush up on your training.”
Bash narrows his gaze and moves like he’s swinging for my ribs, but at the last second whirls into a back punch that hits me square in the chest, knocking me back.
I growl my rage and rush at him. While we’ve got each other trapped in different holds—he’s got me in a choke-hold and I’m holding his hip and hammering at his ribs, he grates out, “This is bullshit, Cald. Why the fuck are you freezing your family out?”
I break his hold and shove him back. “Family? What a fucking joke.”
Bash hits me with a deadly glare right before he steps forward and crosses with a fast right, clipping my jaw.
Pain explodes in my head, matching the ache that’s been in my chest for four years now. His personal assault on my face sends me over the edge, and I go after him with all I’ve got.
I don’t even remember how it happened, but for the next minute or so we beat the living shit out of each other before we end up on the mat, each of us pinning the other in a painful hold. Gritting his teeth, Bash uses his extra couple inches in height to extend his arm bar on me to the very edge of my tolerance. It hurts like a motherfucker, so I finally tap out.
Rolling to my back, I wince at the pain in my shoulder and my screaming ribs and take several deep breaths.
Panting, Bash lifts up on his elbow and looks at me, sweat rolling down his temple. “You were way fucking out of line with that family crack, Cald. What the hell is wrong with you?”
I fold my arms behind my head and stare at the gym’s ceiling lights. “Do you know what I got when I finally came home after leaving the military? A letter from my mom’s lawyer, telling me I’m not Jack Blake’s son.”
“What? That has to be bullshit.”
I shrug away the defensive anger in his comment and continue to stare at the ceiling. It’s easier than seeing the denial change to grudging acknowledgement in his eyes. “In the letter my mom tells me that her lawyer was given specific instructions to only deliver the notice to me if Jack passed away. The Blake last name isn’t mine. That house isn’t mine. Jack isn’t my…father.” I pause and swallow the pain of saying that last statement out loud. “And the only person I truly belonged to was so unhappy, she took her own life.”
“Suicide? But you told me your mother died of a brain aneurism.”
I slide my gaze his way. “It was easier on the family for that to be the official ruling.” When his brow puckers, I shift my attention to the ceiling once more and start to count the stains. Do I even fucking want to know what caused those marks up there?
“Why did you mother tell you after all this time?”
I snort. “That’s the kicker. She wanted me to know for medical reasons. So if I needed a kidney or bone marrow down the road, I could go tap dear-old-mother-fucking Dad on the shoulder and ask him for help.”
Bash sits up and pulls off the gloves. Hooking his elbow on his bent knee, he stares down at me. “So did she cheat on Jack?”
I sigh and sit up too. Pulling off my gloves, I toss them down and start to unwind the tape from around my hand. “All she said was, she didn’t tell my father—Jack—about ‘the incident’ because it would’ve killed him. Apparently, in the end the guilt is what killed her.” I yank at the tape, tearing it off my hand with a vengeance, then tear at the tape on my other hand. “When I was a kid, I was so angry at my mom for leaving me. I saw her suicide as a betrayal of her love. She promised she’d always be there for me and she fucking took her own life, Bash. That was hard enough, but this…” I shred the rest of the damn tape and toss it down, gritting out. “It’s like Jack died twice.”
When he rests a hand on my shoulder, I finally meet his gaze. “Do you know what the most ironic thing is? I spent all our youth together making sure you were treated like a legitimate part of the family—because in my mind you were—when I was the one who didn’t have an ounce of Blake blood in me. Not one fucking drop, Sebastian!”
Bash grips the back of my neck hard, his tone menacing. “If you say you’re not a Blake one more fucking time, I’m going to kick your ass again. You and Jack are the ones who taught me that parents and blood don’t matter, only the relationship does. Don’t turn your back on your family, on me, fucking ever again, Cald. I love you like a brother, and it pains me to see you so tortured over such bullshit. Of all people, I know this better than anyone.”
My mouth twitches with a smirk even as deep emotion rolls through my chest, lifting a bit of the heavy weight. “You’ve never said that before.”
He claps the back of my neck hard, flashing a brilliant smile. “Talia taught me not to hold back. And now I’m telling you. Be the man your father raised you to be, the brother I know you are, who puts family above all others.”
When I exhale a deep breath and say, “I’ll try to remember that,” he nods and leans back on his hands. “Now tell me why you’re really mucking around with this MMA stuff.”
“I really do enjoy it.”
When his gaze narrows, I throw my hands up. “It’s definitely a passion, but I’m here trying to help Gil.” Once I finish telling him my plans, Bash punches me hard in the arm. I grab my biceps and scowl. “What the hell was that for?”
“For you trying to do this on your own when you have a whole goddamn team of SEALs ready and willing to back you up.”
I rake my fingers through my damp hair. “This is supposed to be under the radar. I need to work low key on this, Bash.”
“Fine, work your angles, but you’re doing it as a shadow member of BLACK Security, where you’ll have the resources to make your job efficient and safe. When is this next fight happening?”
I shrug. “It has to be rescheduled.”
Hooking his arm around his bent knee, Bash says, “Talia asked me to check on Cass. To make sure she’s doing okay.”
My brows pull together as realization dawns. “That’s how you found me.”
Sebastian grins. “Yeah, so I had a little help, but could you have Cass call Talia?”
“I see Talia’s got you whipped already.” This time I punch him in the arm. “That’s for getting married without me as your best man.”
He frowns and rubs his muscle. “Stop being an ass and disappearing on your family and maybe next time you’ll be included. But seriously, Talia’s concerned about Cass. She thought Cass would touch base last night but she didn’t. And now she’s not answering her apartment phone or replying to texts or calls to her cell.”
My chest tightens. “I don’t think she went home. She left in the middle of the night. I don’t know the full story as to why she’s staying at the Carver estate, but I know she planned to go back.”
Sebastian pulls out his phone and sends Talia a text telling her that Cass is at the Carvers.
He starts to say something when his phone rings. “Hey Talia…what’s wrong?”
Cutting his gaze to me, he says, “Talia’s officially worried for Cass. Mina just told her that rumors are flying around about the police being at the Carver’s home late last night. Something about Celeste’s ID and some blood found in an abandoned car.”
With my heart jerking, I jump up and head for the door, calling over my shoulder, “Make my shadow role at BLACK Security official. I might need that access to your team a lot sooner.”
“Done, but Cald…” Bash grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. “Once this EUC group is taken down, I want you on my BLACK Security team as my full partner.”
His insistence makes me feel divided between loyalty to a true brother and the loner status I’ve existed in for a while now. I hold his gaze, knowing there’s stuff I haven’t told him. “We’ll discuss it later,” I say with a grunt.
Sebastian doesn’t like my answer, but nods his agreement and releases me. “I’ll use my police resources to find out what they know about the blood t
hey found. What are you planning to do?”
“Find Cass and keep her safe.”
I wash her blood off my hands in the sink. Red rivets turning pink as they circle the drain. Blood of life. She’s mine now forever and ever. It had to be this way; I have no regrets. Now no one can touch her.
Stay tuned for STEEL RUSH (IN THE SHADOWS, Book 5)!
If you found GOLD SHIMMER an entertaining and enjoyable read, I hope you’ll consider taking the time to leave a review and share your thoughts in the online bookstore where you purchased it. Your review could be the one to help another reader decide to read GOLD SHIMMER and the other books in the IN THE SHADOWS series!
To keep up-to-date when STEEL RUSH releases, join my free newsletter. An email will come straight to your inbox on the day a new book releases.
And in case you haven’t read books 1-3 (MISTER BLACK, SCARLETT RED and BLACKEST RED) in the IN THE SHADOWS series yet, here’s the series trailer for Talia and Sebastian's story.
If you’re interested in other contemporary romances by me, check out my BAD IN BOOTS series written under Patrice Michelle.
If you’d like to read another epic romance story like the IN THE SHADOWS books—the kind of love story that spans across several books—check out my BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series written under P.T. Michelle. These books were written to be enjoyed equally by upper teens 16+ and adults.
P.T. Michelle Books
In the Shadows Series (Contemporary Romance, 18+)
Mister Black (Book 1 - Talia and Sebastian)
Scarlett Red (Book 2 - Talia and Sebastian)
Blackest Red (Book 3 - Talia and Sebastian)
Gold Shimmer (Book 4 - Cass and Calder)
Steel Rush (Book 5 - Cass and Calder) - Coming
Brightest Kind of Darkness Series (YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance, 16+)
Ethan (Prequel)
Brightest Kind of Darkness (Book 1)
Lucid (Book 2)
Destiny (Book 3)
Desire (Book 4)
Awaken (Book 5) - Coming 2015
Other works by P.T. Michelle writing as Patrice Michelle
Bad in Boots Series (Contemporary Romance, 18+)
Harm’s Hunger
Ty’s Temptation
Colt’s Choice
Josh’s Justice
Kendrian Vampires Series (Paranormal Romance, 18+)
A Taste for Passion
A Taste for Revenge
A Taste for Control
Scions Series (Paranormal Romance, 18+)
Scions: Resurrection
Scions: Insurrection
Scions: Perception
Scions: Revelation
To contact P.T. Michelle and stay up-to-date on her latest releases:
Visit my: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram
Sign up/join my: Newsletter Sign-Up | P.T. Michelle Facebook Readers’ Group
To my fabulous beta readers: Joey Berube, Amy Bensette, and Magen Chambers, thank you for reading Gold Shimmer so quickly and for being tough on me so that this book shines. You ladies definitely helped make Gold Shimmer a fantastic reading experience.
To my wonderful critique partner, Trisha Wolfe, thank you for reading Gold Shimmer more than once! And also for your fabulous critiques, brainstorming sessions, and cheerleading skills. Major hugs, girl!
To my family, thank you for understanding the time and effort each book takes. I love you all and truly appreciate your unending support.
To my amazing fans, thank you for loving my books and for truly broadening my audience with your mad love of the IN THE SHADOWS series and characters! I appreciate each and every one of you for spreading the word by posting reviews and telling all your reader friends about the series whenever you get a chance. Thank you for all the fantastic support you continually give!
P.T. Michelle is the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and International Bestselling author of the contemporary romance series IN THE SHADOWS, the YA/New Adult crossover series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS, and the romance series: BAD IN BOOTS, KENDRIAN VAMPIRES and SCIONS (listed under Patrice Michelle). She keeps a spiral notepad with her at all times, even on her nightstand. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.
To keep up-to-date when the next P.T. Michelle book will release, join P.T.’s free newsletter.
Table of Contents
Title Page
About Gold Shimmer
Copyright Notice
When I Learned Just How Unfair Life Could Be
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
Steel Rush
P.T. Michelle Books
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Gold Shimmer Page 19
