A NEW LIFE
Finisher Set
Books 4 - 7 of A New Life Series
Samantha Jacobey
Lavish Publishing, LLC ~ Houston
Exposed
Book 4 of A New Life Series
Samantha Jacobey
Lavish Publishing, LLC ~ Houston
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
EXPOSED. Copyright 2014 ©
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Lavish Publishing, LLC.
First Edition
2015 Lavish Publishing, LLC
Book 4 of A New Life Series
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States by Lavish Publishing, LLC, Houston
Cover Design by: Nicolene Lorette Design
Cover Images: SHUTTERSTOCK
Paperback ISBN
ISBN:0692233067
ISBN-13:978-0692233061
www.LavishPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Prologue
What Awaits
Rags to Riches
Someplace Safe
Time to Hide
Ghost of the Past
Like Old Times
Hidden Places
Heart of the Matter
New Marks
Set Things Straight
One of the Guys
Age of Innocence
Fallen Angel
Bit by Bit
Stubborn Women
Things in Motion
Party Boys
Back at the Ranch
Just How It Is
Set Up the Plan
Out with the Old
Run Its Course
Time Will Tell
Where Loyalty Lies
Business at Hand
Prologue
“Whaddaya think? Is he tellin’ th’ truth?” Buck leaned against the support pole, waiting to see what would be their next move.
Brett ran his fingers over his lips, studying the man hanging from the roof in front of them. “Unlikely.”
“Want I should beat some sense int’ ‘im?” he grinned, reaching for his shiny buckle.
“You fat bastard! You really thinks my story’s gonna change? Cut me down, le’s settle this like men… see how many more teeth you can come up missin’,” their victim growled angrily, blood dripping from his chin.
Buck stared back, waiting for his leader to give the word.
“Light him up,” Brett muttered and turned to walk away, pulling a cigarette from his pocket with one hand and digging for his Zippo with the other. He could hear the sound of the leather as it ripped into Enrique’s flesh. Damn things are gonna kill me, he coughed, flipping the lighter closed with a flick of his wrist.
Crushing out the butt beneath the heel of his boot a few minutes later, he made his way back over to their prisoner. Surveying the fresh wounds that oozed blood down his back, he released a low whistle. “Buck, my friend, I think you enjoy that belt o’ yurs too much.”
Shifting so that he could make eye contact, “You come up with anything yet? You know I should kill you. All you gotta do is tell me where to find ‘er, an’ you get to live. Now, don’t that sound like a heck of a good deal?”
“I told you,” Enrique’s chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, “I dunno where she’s at... Calls me stupid fur tryin’ t’ play… you boys like I did... I ain’t seen her… since the Dragons was here… swear to God.”
“Ya know, I never thought you’s a smart man. But even yur not dumbfuck enough to call me up an’ tell me you’re bringin’ me Eddie’s prize whore, when ya got no fuckin’ clue where she’s at!” Brett’s voice had been slowly escalating in volume, ending in a full shout, “Tell me where the fuck she is, God dammit!” For emphasis, he kicked his former group mate in the ribs with his knee to punctuate his curses.
Enrique fell into a spasm of coughs, a wad of phlegm and blood spewing out onto the ground in front of him. “Kill me then…” he heaved, “I gots nothin’ else to say.”
Brett punched him in the ear, scowling in his rage. Turning to storm away, he ran his hand through his curly red hair. Motioning to Buck, “Le’s talk.”
The pair made their way down the road a couple of hundred yards, well out of earshot of any of the others. “We ain’t gettin’ nothin’ from him. Even if he knows, he ain’t gonna tell us.” Brett inhaled deeply, blowing the air out through pursed lips. “We need another plan.”
“We gonna kill ‘im?” Buck tossed his thumb over his shoulder, towards the metal awning, “Or jus’ let ‘im ‘ang till someone finds ‘im?”
“Naw, we cut him down. I have another way to find her… jus’ may not work’s all. Depends on what she knows. Worth a shot though, our only shot really.”
Half an hour later, Enrique sat on the stone bench, his gear strewn on the table behind him. His ears were ringing something fierce, and his body ached from the worst beating he had ever taken, but he refused to let them think they’d won. “I guess you believes me now?” he demanded in a surly tone.
“Naw, I think you’re a liar. But tha’s ok. We’re gonna find ‘er. An’ when we do, I’m gonna give ‘er the same beatin’ I jus’ gave you, jus’ t’ be fair.”
Enrique’s head shot up to see Buck sneering down at him. “See? I knew you’s lyin’. I sees it in yur eyes, boy. So I make a deal wit ya… you find ‘er, an’ you bring ‘er in, an’ I won’t make ‘er bleed when I lay int’ ‘er.” Buck grinned at him, his tongue pushed through the gaps of his missing teeth in an excited fashion.
Enrique breathed deeply, his mind spinning. Dropping his gaze to stare at the boots of the man in front of him, his heart pounded inside his chest. Taking in ragged breaths, he kept his head down, not daring to look up as the footwear turned and walked away from him. He cringed as he heard the sound of the bikes start up around him and head off down the road, leaving him in a cloud of dust, alone in the late afternoon sun.
What Awaits
Tori sat between the two men in silence. On her right sat her husband, the man of her dreams. Hell, it could be anyone’s dreams really; he’s tall, dark and handsome, right? However, he’s also supportive, intelligent and protective - everything a girl could want in a man.
On her left sat her former lover. He’s short, conniving, and deceitful. A man who has lied to me, used me and sent me on my way. So why am I feeling so conflicted? It had been a year since she had even seen Eli, and so much had happened since then.
Stealing a glance at the man to her left, she noticed his intense glare, boring into the seat in front of him. His brows were furrowed, jaw clenched, obviously deep in angry thought. Allowing her mind to drag the memories of him to the surface, she recalled the first time she had ever seen him, pressing her down into the mattress of a hospital bed to restrain her. I can still smell the gel in his hair as he held me there.
She had just regained consciousness after murdering eleven men in a farmhouse in Iowa. That, and she had tried to kill herself. That’s what all the l
iquor had been for; so that she would go to sleep and never have to face another day, filled with the guilt that still haunts her. Thank God it hadn’t worked.
In the days that followed, Eli had come to visit her. He wanted her to talk, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Wasn’t ready to feel and be and live. The hurt was too raw, too new, and all she could do was listen; so he talked.
He shared so much about himself, gave her so much attention. And it wasn’t big things either. The little things he did mattered the most; those little cherished moments that stole her heart.
His little book of fairy tales, his little pink rose. He wanted something from her, but he got more than he expected. He’s right. You wanted to be in his bed that night, to make love to him, she remembered their passion fondly. But she had never been cared for before, never given dignity, so she didn’t know any better. He did. He knew it was wrong. He should have put a stop to it.
Giving her head a shake to clear it, she swung her gaze away from him. Holding Michael’s hand, his fingers entwined with her right and covered by her left, she stroked him with her thumb affectionately.
Staring down at the shiny white gold on her special finger, she recalled how he had walked into her life and how hard she had worked to push him out of it. God, I hated his being there. At least at first she did.
Tori mentally retraced the steps of their relationship as if she held her journal and pencil; a much longer trip, the two of them having shared a much deeper, and more tumultuous history.
The couple had met some years ago under ominous circumstances while Tori was still the property of Eddie Farrell. Her life had been chaotic at best, leaving her more of a broken being, only half alive, not capable of thinking beyond the group and its wayward life.
She recalled the day he had hooked up with the crew in a bar in Arkansas. He tried to introduce himself, and she had snubbed him, not liking the fact that he looked so much like Henry, and she wasn’t even permitted to ask why. The man had ridden with them for three days and to his credit, he had kept his distance, which only added to her curiosity over him.
Strictly speaking, she knew very little about him at the time; only that he rode with the group for a few days and then disappeared. His presence had intrigued her, leaving her with many questions, but there were few answers to be had. That, and I assumed that he had fucked me when Eddie awarded me to him as a prize.
Slowly shaking her head, she recalled that her curiosity over him had brought Eddie’s wrath down upon her, and it was basically because of Michael Anderson that she wore a scar across her left eye. Eddie was sure pissed when I asked what became of him, and oddly enough, she had thought about the stranger several times over the years in passing. I never have figured out why.
On the flip side, there had been things she didn’t realize when he joined the group; he had seen her as nothing more than a dirty whore. He had certainly never been with her, even though he had the chance. Recalling what she had since learned about that first encounter, she squeezed his fingers firmly. He’s a real man, she respected him deeply. He’s a man of honor, trust and loyalty.
Michael met with the group because Henry, his older brother, had summoned him. He had agreed to help his sibling get her out of the turmoil, striking a secret deal with him. Henry had loved and cared for me since I was a child, and it was solely out of devotion to him that Michael agreed to look after me. She might have felt bitter about that fact, but she understood his black and white view of her and her past life.
Jumping forward some four and a half years, Tori recalled how she found herself working in a music shop and living in a halfway house under orders by the FBI. God, what a nightmare… how does shit like that actually happen? But in the end, she needed that time to rejoin the human race.
Trying desperately to put her life in order, Tori had learned to accept the help of Terral Huffman, former Fed and owner of Music Maniac, her mentor and friend. This stranger soon became the father she had never known. She had been making headway, and things seemed to be looking up for her. Terry was a real friend, she recalled the shop owner tenderly. I had more in LA than I was ready to admit.
Thinking she finally had control and ready to plan her own destiny, she received a jolt from the past. Michael, who then worked as the head of personal security for a band putting on a promo at the store, showed up and sent her reeling.
He kept himself at bay a few days, watching her until the right time to confront her. His sudden reappearance spun her into panic mode, and she fled the shop and her life trying to avoid him.
I felt so much fear, like I had never felt before, as I left the store that day. I half expected to be jumped and grabbed… or shot… or stabbed… as soon as I got outside. And I was so afraid something would happen to Terry and the rest of my friends, no matter what I did. She breathed deeply, the memory almost too real at the moment to bear.
But Michael had been alone, and under the weight of his oath to his brother, he refused to let her get away, and caught up to her on a bus headed to Denver. Tori’s heart began to pound as she recalled peering up into those chocolate brown eyes as the bus pulled out onto the road. He looked so much like Henry then, it was like looking into the soul of a ghost.
It had been so hard, too, keeping him away, pretending like I didn’t want him there. The couple had made their way down into the heart of Texas, where they purchased an old gas station and converted it into a shop for rebuilding motorcycles. Stubborn bastard, she sneered to herself, I did every annoying thing I could think of, and he still followed my ass!
During their travels, Michael had come to see through the stoic façade that the girl used to protect herself, and came to genuinely care for her very deeply. She shifted to peek at him, aware that he watched her, but not ready to break her train of thought.
Together, they had built a life, and in the end, she had to admit she had fallen in love with him as well. They were married on the first of April, a short ten weeks ago. The craziest, happiest day of my entire existence, she realized as she fingered her ring fondly. The memory brought a wide smile to her lips as she gripped his hand more firmly. He loves me for who I truly am, maybe the only person besides Henry, who ever has.
With a sigh, she considered how their lives would have been perfect except for one thing: my past. It wasn’t that Michael didn’t understand her past or couldn’t get over it; he had made his peace with who she was. It wasn’t that Tori couldn’t let go either, as she had learned to forgive her own transgressions and find where she belonged. The problem was, her past refused to let go of her, looming around them like a dark storm waiting to unleash its fury.
Panting slightly, Tori began to feel more relaxed. She wasn’t writing in her journal at that moment, but having made enough entries, she understood the process. Mentally retracing their steps had been sufficient to let her mind be at ease. Adjusting her digits as they grasped those of her mate, she settled into her seat more calmly to consider their current situation, her lips still curving gently.
Beginning to fear what lurked around them, having stayed in one place too long, the couple had planned to head out on Michael’s bike that very morning. She briefly pictured his motorcycle, currently locked in the garage, with their bedrolls strapped to the back of it. It waits for us to climb on and be on our way.
Instead, they had been picked up by Federal Agent Eli Founder and were being escorted to New York. The purpose of the trip had yet to be revealed, and the couple sat on the plane with him, moving towards whatever awaits them in the big city. Another glance at Eli, she speculated he wasn’t going to tell them anything until it served his purpose. You could take a lesson or two from this guy, she kidded herself half- heartedly.
Seeing the fasten seatbelt symbol light up, she knew they had reached their destination. Looking over at her husband, he still watched her intently, so she gave him a tiny grin and they shared a kiss. Butterflies danced in her chest, reassuring her she had married the right man, and
she chose to linger with her face next to his, relishing in the feel of his warm breath on her skin and the small smile on his lips.
Using their German, she spoke softly, “You were right, you know.”
“Oh yeah?” he countered, “About what?”
“About love,” she smiled, “This is definitely worth it.” She pushed her face forward to kiss him again. “I love you, Michael Anderson. Please don’t ever forget that,” her left hand moved up to grasp a few sandy brown ringlets.
“I know, and I won’t. I love you, too.” Caressing her side and back with his right hand, they remained in their private moment, holding one another until the plane came to a halt in front of the gate and they could exit the massive craft.
Rags to Riches
Reaching under her seat, Tori retrieved her bag that carried the items she had packed for their road trip, before it was so rudely interrupted. Tossing it over her shoulder, she could see the two men once again exchange angry smirks as they squeezed down the aisle. The three of them made their way out into the tunnel and on through the gate area in silence.
The JFK airport felt as daunting as the others she had seen. Staying close to Michael, fingers still attached, Tori followed the two men as they weaved their way through the crowd. Not having any baggage to claim, they smoothly made their way directly out to the front, where a black Crown Victoria waited for them.
Tori climbed into the back seat and slid across, Michael taking the seat beside her. The door closed with a loud thud, and Eli shuffled into the front passenger seat, closing his door with an equally heavy slam. She looked over at him sharply, noting his face tense and he clenched his jaw repeatedly. She could tell he still fumed inside, but felt no sympathy for him. He made his bed and now he’s gonna have to lie in it.
“So, are you gonna tell us where you’re taking us?” Michael spoke up, staring at the back of Eli’s head and resisting the urge to injure the man in front of him.
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 1
