by Coralee June
“Bullets forever, Babe.”
I looked around the car at each of them. “Yeah. Bullets forever.”
I laughed once more to hide the emotion bubbling up in my throat, then looked back at my front door, frowning when I noticed Officer Mercer—Callum—was standing there and staring at our car. “Oh, I gotta go.”
I stole one last look at my Bullets, committing everything about this moment to memory. The way we were in our little world. The way they looked at me like I could do no wrong. The way they were good for me. Only me. We parted ways in the front lawn, with all the things we didn’t know about the future soothed by the idea that at least we wanted to be together.
When I got to my porch, I heard the Jamesons’ garage door open and close, letting me know that they were gone.
“Hey, Summer,” Callum said with a grin. He was sitting on the swing my dad installed on the front porch. When he stood up, I noticed that he was still in his patrol uniform. “Sorry I missed graduation, I couldn’t get off work,” he said with a frown before stepping closer, standing beneath the glow of the porch light. He dragged his eyes up and down my body before coughing and adjusting his collar.
He had one hand behind his back, and I arched my brow, curious what it was. “Oh,” he added, noticing my perplexed stare. “I got you...flowers.” He pulled the bouquet out from behind his back and stretched his arm out, handing me a dozen beautiful roses.
“They’re gorgeous,” I whispered before grabbing them. Our fingers brushed against one another, causing a thrill to shoot up my arm. “You didn’t have to do this!” I exclaimed before playfully patting his bicep then snaking my fingers back when I shivered at the feel of his strong muscles.
“You don’t graduate every day, Summer. It’s a big deal,” Callum said with a small smile before taking a step closer. I turned to look at the door, sighing and wishing my parents could feel the same way. “Hey, look at me,” Callum added, and I turned my attention to him. “You’ve got the entire world at your fingertips, Summer. You’ve got a future, and this is going to be the beginning of something great.” I bit my lip to hold back the smile, and the questions I asked the Bullets earlier came to mind.
“Callum?” I asked, feeling silly but asking anyway. “What do you want to be doing ten years from now?”
His eyes softened as he looked me over. He then grabbed my chin and cupped my cheek with his hand while staring into my eyes. “I want to do something that means something. I want to be with someone I love. Everything else is semantics,” he murmured.
There was a moment, a lingering look that kept me guessing if there was more bubbling between us. Tonight had me feeling like I was on the edge of forever, and I just wanted to plunge. I wanted to get to the happily ever after.
“Why am I not happy?” I asked. “Graduation is supposed to feel good, new beginnings and all that,” I said with a shrug. I was going off to college, and I survived my parents’ toxic views on existing in the public eye.
“I never liked the notion of happy endings,” Callum replied with a shrug. He was still holding me, pulling me in with his blue eyes. “Happy is an everyday battle. It’s something you fight for till the day you die. Nothing ever really ends.”
I smiled, and Callum leaned forward to kiss my forehead. It was friendly but teased me with more, warming me from the inside. Then he excused himself, strolling over to his cruiser to finish his patrols for the night. I stood there at my doorstep on Woodbury Lane, looking out at the Jamesons’ house, thinking how forever felt like now.
Epilogue
Callum
The bar was the same as I remembered. We were given the usual treatment, immediate seats, and a drink in our hand the moment our ass hit the booth. This time, there were no guards patting me down, not that I had a badge anymore. I long ago gave up my father’s legacy in law enforcement. I traded a gun for Sunshine, and even though some days I felt a little lost, I still had everything I’d ever wanted.
Her.
“Should I pat you down for old time’s sake?” Gavriel asked, looking at the Sunshine Whiskey in front of him but not taking a drink. He might still run the world, but he’d grown soft the last few years, letting others do his dirty work and just enjoying the peace of our life.
“Very funny,” I replied before clutching my glass and taking a gulp, wincing as the burn traveled down my throat. The room smelled like cigars and perfume, and I stared at the stage, a heavy sense of nostalgia filling me.
“As much as you’d love that, we have to hurry. Blaise is back from his trip to New Mexico, and you know how picky Sunshine is about family dinner nights. Joe is in town, too,” I replied.
We made it work. We traveled. We shared. Sometimes I’d go a couple weeks without seeing her because Blaise was driving across the coast with her. Or Ryker’s students had a fight in LA. Or Gavriel was just being his normal bossy, possessive self, keeping her in his house—naked and sated.
But family dinner nights were important to her. She said she had an announcement tonight, and being the nosy bastard that I was, I checked her email and found out that she got accepted into the online psychology program at Penn State. She told me a few months ago she was curious what made her father the way he was. Looks like she was going to explore that further.
My chest swelled with pride.
“So what’s with all the secrecy, Mercer?” Gavriel asked. It was odd that we kept this up, meeting just us once a year, planning it ahead of time. I couldn’t speak for him, but it was a good reminder. When shit got hard, when I craved normalcy, we’d meet here and remind ourselves that there was a time where we were forced with the alternative—not having her.
And I got right back to feeling thankful.
“I didn’t want to get her hopes up or piss her off,” I replied in a small voice, looking off to the left, as if she was going to emerge from around the corner. Gavriel’s face dropped, knowing what I was referencing. Last time we had a lead, it never panned out, and she cried for weeks. “I think I found him,” I whispered.
“Where?”
“Mexico.”
“Figures,” Gavriel scoffed before leaning back in his seat. He’d been doing really well, working out again with Ryker. His suit looked a little tight.
“Should we send Blaise after him?” I asked.
Gavriel seemed to think about it for a moment, running a hand through his hair, highlighting the ring on his left hand. I laughed the day Sunshine bought them for us. No ceremony, no asking. Just four Bullet rings to match hers. Was as good of a commitment as anything.
“No. I’m going to call Alessandro and Grace. Last time, we spooked him. If anyone can bring Nix back, it’ll be them.”
I swallowed, wondering if this was a good idea. I wasn’t sure if I could find him again, this might be our last chance. Although Sunshine was devastated when Nix disappeared, she respected his needs. She even said some shit about trusting that Nix wouldn’t make the decision lightly. She could relate to the need to flee, I guess.
But whatever his reasons, it didn’t change the fact that she missed him. I just wanted her to be happy. Maybe it was in my blood not to give up. As cheesy as it sounded, the bastard completed her.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“What’d I tell you about doubting me, Mercer?”
I sighed before dropping a twenty on the table. “Okay, but let’s not tell her just yet.”
“Deal. Funny how we’re right back where we started, huh? Chasing people that run away,” Gavriel mused with a half-smile while looking around the bar.
I nodded, but didn’t feel the same nostalgia as him. This didn’t feel the same as with Sunshine. My gut was telling me that Phoenix Bailey didn’t willingly run away.
He was taken.
Bitter Pills
Acknowledgments
Hello, reader. We made it.
Wow, what a journey. Sunshine and the Bullets challenged me. They broke me. Writing this trilogy was one of the har
dest things I’ve ever done, and saying goodbye is bittersweet.
As you’ve noticed, there might be more to the story. I think Nix deserves a happily ever after, don’t you?
I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work with during this book. I’d like to especially recognize my editor, Helayna Trask. She poured hours of tough love and attention into my manuscript. Without her, this book wouldn’t have been possible. I would also like to thank all the members of CJ’s Elite and The Zone.
Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this series than the members of my family. I would like to thank my parents, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. Most importantly, I wish to thank my loving and supportive husband, Joshua, and my two wonderful children. Everything I do is for them. Everything.
About the Author
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and impressed by the influence it has on people. I love engaging with the projects I work on, diving headfirst into developing real, raw, and relatable characters.
I like flawed and beautiful things.
I’m an English Major from Texas State University and my wild affair with literature began at a young age. I’ve always stayed up way past my bedtime to read the stories your mother wouldn’t approve of.
I love angst. I love to crack open a book and borrow the character’s emotions for a bit. It’s how I approach writing, too.
I live in Dallas, Tx with my husband and two beautiful, headstrong daughters. I enjoy long walks through the ice cream aisle at my local grocery store and listening to gangster rap in my minivan.
For more information about me, and my upcoming releases, please visit my website at:
www.authorcoraleejune.com
Also by CoraLee June
Paranormal Reverse Harem
•Void (Cowritten with Raven Kennedy) https://books2read.com/VoidCoraleeJuneRavenKennedy
* * *
•Wicked Webs (Cowritten with Raven Kennedy) https://books2read.com/Wickedwebs
Paranormal MF
•Prison Princess (Cowritten with Rebecca Royce) https://books2read.com/Prison-Princess
Contemporary Reverse Harem
THE BULLETS WORLD
* * *
•Sunshine and Bullets https://books2read.com/u/3yEzgp
* * *
•Summer and Smoke https://books2read.com/Summer-and-Smoke
* * *
•Love and Lead https://books2read.com/u/49ZlWw
* * *
•The Complete Bullets Omnibus https://books2read.com/Sunshine-and-Bullets-Omnibus
* * *
•Bitter Pills (Nix’s Story) Releasing 2020
* * *
•The Original Bullet https://BookHip.com/WVVCXG
* * *
LIES TRILOGY
* * *
•Lies and Other Drugs https://books2read.com/Lies-and-other-drugs
* * *
•Tears and Other Fears https://books2read.com/Tears-and-other-fears
* * *
•Dreams and Other Things Releasing 2020
* * *
STANDALONES
•Saving Merritt (Cowritten with Stacy Jones) https://books2read.com/SavingMerritt
Contemporary MF
SAVANNAH HEIRS (COWRITTEN WITH RAVEN KENNEDY)
* * *
•Cruel https://books2read.com/Cruel-CJ-RK
* * *
•Tame https://books2read.com/Ohmygodfrey
* * *
•Wild https://books2read.com/WildCoraleeRaven
* * *
DEBT OF PASSION DUET
* * *
•A Lovely Obsession https://books2read.com/A-Lovely-Obsession
* * *
•A Lovely Confession https://books2read.com/A-Lovely-Confession2
* * *
STANDALONE
* * *
•Burn Out https://books2read.com/burnout
* * *
•Looking to Score https://books2read.com/u/bpORMW
* * *
•Aggro https://books2read.com/u/mBGQxA
Dystopian Reverse Harem
THE WALKER SERIES
* * *
•Wings of the Walker https://books2read.com/Wings-of-the-walker
* * *
•Heart of the Walker https://books2read.com/Heart-of-the-Walker
* * *
•Soul of the Elite https://books2read.com/Soul-of-the-elite
* * *
•Fight of the Walker https://books2read.com/Fight-of-the-walker
* * *
•Revenge of the Walker https://books2read.com/Revenge-of-the-Walker
* * *
•End of the Walker https://books2read.com/u/bQRdx0
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