Sullivan rose up trying to get his eyes to open. He was freezing cold as he opened his eyes and looked around. He was sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck. Apparently, the guards had put him in there when he passed out. Sitting beside him was a black suitcase and some food. A gallon of orange juice accompanied the food. He grabbed it first hoping it would clear his head.
Shivering, he cranked up his vehicle turning the heat on high. His neck and back were stiff as he tried to straighten up. He wanted to bang his head against the steering wheel for being so stupid. He had a blood bond with that crazy vampire now, and if he didn’t come through for him, then he would come after him. “What the fuck, have you done?” Sullivan hit the dashboard mad for letting himself to be drawn into this job.
* * *
“She sure is hitting that bag, hard.” Ash glanced over at River with a questioning look on her face.
“Yep.” River replied to her friend Ash. “I wish Star would just have sex with Banks and Jansen then maybe that would help her with the anger she has built up. It sure helps me when I need to release some stress.” River snickered then looked back at her sister pounding the bag.
Ash’s eyes widened then started laughing with River.
“Hey, what are you two laughing at?” Star Johnson stopped punching the bag and looked over at her sister River and friend Ashland Wilder.
River just waved her sister’s question away and pushed Ash over until they both lay on the floor laughing until they cried.
Star walked over and just stared at the women. “What’s so damn funny?”
“Nothing,” River tried getting up, but fell back down on the floor laughing at her friend Ash.
Star shook her head and walked back over to the bag and started punching it harder.
“Okay, okay. Please stop.” Ash took a deep breath then lay flat on her back trying to calm down.
Both the girls rose up when they heard Banks walk in the room heading straight for Star. “You need to look at what you’re hitting or you’re going to hurt your hand.” They both watched as Star stopped hitting the bag, and then titled her head sideways at him.
“What did you just say?” River watched as Star’s voice became very calm, which should have scared Banks but he continued to stare at her.
He got closer this time and stated in a patronizing voice, “If you don’t look at what you’re hitting then you are going to hurt your hand.”
River shook her head. She had seen the angry look come over Star’s face before, but before she could warn Banks, she watched her sister jump up and punch Banks in the nose. He fell backwards against the table. Blood poured from his nose. He shook his head.
“Like that.” Star bellowed then quickly walked out of the room.
Ash and River jumped up and went over to Banks who was moaning. He held his nose as the blood poured between his fingers. River put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell is her problem? I only told her she needed to look at what she was hitting, or she would hurt herself then she punched me in the nose.”
“Yeah, we saw that. I guess you could say that she was looking at what she was hitting when her fist connected with your nose.” River pushed Ash who snickered.
“Sorry Banks.” River commented but held her lips in so she couldn’t smile or she was going to laugh in his face and he looked mad enough.
“What the hell is wrong with your sister?” Banks growled as he accepted the rag from River.
“I don’t know but maybe you and Jansen could keep your distance from her for a while so she has a chance to calm down. She’s~”
“Demented. That’s what she is. Damn woman needs her ass spanked.” Banks growled, with a barely banked fury.
“Well now that would require you being around her and like I said Banks, just give her some space.” River pleaded. “I think she feels like she has no place here and has nothing she can contribute. She isn’t happy at the furniture store. I think Jonas is going to have her help interviewing some potential members so she feels like she is doing something useful.”
“Are you crazy? Hell, with her attitude she will run them off.” Banks warned.
“Come on Banks. She isn’t like that with others, just you and Jansen. Maybe all of you need to get in a room together and work this out.” River shrugged when she saw Banks raise his eyebrow at her. Holding up her hands, she added, “Just a suggestion, or just stay away from her. Listen Banks, I know my sister, and she is strong willed. She had to be growing up. Living in an orphanages most of her life does that to a person. You don’t like people telling you what to do. You sound like you are ordering her instead of giving her some advice. Next time, if she is hitting the bag wrong then so what just let it go. Get someone else to tell her then maybe she will take it better.”
“What did I do that is so wrong? I mean, we can’t say anything to her without her going off on us. She actually threatened to shoot me yesterday when I told her the gun was on safety.” River and Ash looked at each other then broke out in giggles.
Banks shook his head and walked out of the room.
“Did you see your sister take a jump then punch Banks in the nose. She may have broken her hand with that punch. I mean Banks is a grizzly bear. He is nothing but muscle. I don’t get it River. She acts like she hates Banks and Jansen.”
“I think it’s the mating pull and she is fighting it. They’re all fighting it. We need a plan to get them together.” River suggested.
Ash rubbed her hands together. “I love it when a plan comes together.”
“What plan you big dummy. We have to figure out a way to get them in the same room together without killing each other. If we can do that then maybe we have a plan.” River giggled.
“It can’t be that hard.” Ash commented.
River knocked on Ash’s head. “Helloooo. Didn’t you just see my sister punch Banks in the nose? Come on Ash. They hate each other right now. How are we supposed to get them together in a room without killing each other? Because right now, I think my sister can take them.”
Ash snorted. “I think we need some help. I bet Nash can help us with this. He is good at getting people together. He got Larken, Larsen, and me together. When Larsen and Larken and I were first having trouble getting together, Nash was able to help get us together. In fact it almost ruined Nash and my relationship, but Nash is my best friend and we got through it.”
“Yeah I heard about that and maybe we need some help from others too.” River suggested.
“Like who? Ash asked.
“I don’t know? Who do you think? River shrugged. “This is going to be a hard one.”
“Please don’t say Reece and Jonas.” Ash complained.
“Are you crazy? I know my mates and they would tell us to mind our own business. I can hear them both now talking to me like I was a child.” River lowered her voice trying to sound like Reece, “Now baby just let nature run its course, and it will happen.”
“Men!” Ash and River said at the same time.
“Exactly.” Ash agreed then poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to River.
“Okay, we meet back tomorrow with some more ideas. I will talk to Mary and you talk to Nash. Hey, what about Lilly, you think she would help us?” River grinned.
Ash’s eyes got big. “You know that might work. Lilly has put together plenty of Valentine’s Day dances in the past, and people have always ended up finding their mates. Maybe it will end up working for Star, Jansen, and Banks. Just let her loose so she can work her magic. It’s coming up in a week.”
“That might work.” Ash smiled with a gleam in her eyes, rubbing her hands together. “Okay, now we have OVDR in order.”
“What the hell is OVDR?” River asked confused.
“You know, Operation Valentine’s Day Romance.” Ash explained.
“That has to be the worst name ever. Goodness, come on lets go find Lilly. Maybe she can come up with a better name than tha
t.” River drug Ash out of the gym.
Keep up with all of Bryce Evan’s new releases via her website: www.bryceevans.webs.com
About the Author
Bryce Evans is a mother, wife, and author who loves to escape to the world she has built in the Ashland Pack and other stories. She burst onto the publishing scene with a hit in The Trinity, Ashland Pack series.
As an active police officer, Bryce needed another outlet from the pains of others. Writing filled that void.
Find out more about her current projects at www.bryceevans.webs.com or follow her on:
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Email: [email protected]
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
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Biography
Books by Caitlyn O’Leary
Excerpt from FORSAKEN
Excerpt from SMOKEJUMPERS by Elle Boon
Excerpt from DESTINY OF THREE by Bryce Evans
Revealed (The Found Book 1) Page 25
