by Ally Vance
“Jack, please!?”
Fingers still wrapped around my throat, he pulled my head back and smacked it against the wall again. Sharp, stinging pains shot through my skull like a million knifes sinking into my brain at once.
It hurt so much.
“This isn’t you,” I tried a different tactic. “I know you, Jack. This isn’t you.”
“You don’t know shit, Becca.”
The fingers around my throat tightened, blocking the air from coming in or going out. Panicked, I clawed at his hands, the sharp edges of my nails digging into my own skin. “Jack...” I croaked out. “Please… Can’t…”
My world shifted. Everything around me going from focused to blurry. Slowly, a black fog seeped through corners of my vision. I tried to blink. Tried to focus on the words coming out of Jack’s mouth.
But they sounded distant and hollow.
My head lolled to the side; my gaze landing on the blurry figure sprawled out on the bed. I needed her to be alive. To be safe.
I opened my mouth to plead with my brother one more time but instead of words a strangled sound rolled off my tongue right before I was plunged into darkness.
Chapter Ten
Santiago
“Shit!”
I made my feet move faster, the scuffle inside the house growing louder the closer I got. I should’ve never sent her here. But my damn pride couldn’t take her defending this asshole and I thought if she saw for herself the monster he was, she couldn’t deny it anymore.
Fool that I was, I sent straight into the lion’s den without any form of protection.
I rushed up the porch stairs, through the open door and headed straight for the staircase. It took my brain a moment to realize that I had seen something out of the corner of my eye. Skidding to a stop, I immediately pivoted and darted into the room on my left.
My blood ran cold.
In the middle of the room a woman was naked and sprawled out on a mattress. She was either dead or passed out. Visions of finding Isa exactly like this assaulted my senses. I could still feel the weight of her lifeless body as I cradled her in her arms.
Could still see the ugly track marks and the dirty needle plunged deep into her vein. Her once beautiful eyes dull and glazed over.
A loud thud ripped me from the memory consuming me. I opened my eyes and angled my head to the side just in time to see Jack rushing toward me. The veins in his forehead thick and prominent, his cheeks red with rage.
Where the hell is Becca?
I got my answer when I ducked Jack’s incoming fist. Laying in a miserable heap on the ground was the woman I’d come to save. The one I couldn’t bear to lose. Her eyes were shut, her head at an awkward angle.
Ice-cold dread clawed its way around my heart in a vice grip. If Jack killed her… Unfortunately for me, it took the few seconds I was focused on Becca for Jack to regain his composure and come at me again.
The hard edges of his knuckles connected with the side of my jaw, slamming my teeth together with my tongue trapped between the sharp edges. I hissed out in pain and immediately returned the punch, my fist landing on his nose. I swallowed the blood in my mouth and grinned when the satisfying sound of bones crunching filled the air.
An angry curse roared from the back of his throat as he brought both his hands up to stop the river of red flowing from his nose. I could’ve stopped there. I could’ve turned around and tended to Becca.
Hell, I could’ve scooped her up and got out of there
Instead, I surged forward and tackled the bleeding bastard to the ground. “Te voy a mochar la verga y metértelo por el hocico.” Straddling him, I rained down punch after brutal punch. Bones cracked and crunched, red stained my hands and still I couldn’t stop.
I wouldn’t stop until Jack Martin blew out his last damn breath.
“Don’t…”
My fist stopped inches away from Jack’s mangled face. I blinked and surprisingly it wasn’t my bloody hand that came into focus but the small delicate fingers splayed on my forearms.
I angled my head to the side, the movement feeling heavy and slow. Becca sat next to me; her already bloodshot eyes filled with tears, her cheeks blotchy but it was the big angry marks on her neck had me grinding my teeth and clenching my fist tighter.
“Please don’t kill him,” she begged.
I shut my eyes briefly before opening them again. “Still, you defend him.”
“No.” Her frame shook with every broken sob that left her body. “I called the police. Let them deal with him.” I followed her gaze when she stared at the phone in her lap. Without looking up, she whispered, “Don’t drop to his level. You’re better than that.”
“You don’t know me.”
She looked at me then and it almost broke me. Eyes that’d shone so brightly a few hours ago, were now dull and filled with defeat. Her shoulders slumped forward, her fingers sliding from my arm.
“You should go,” she said, her voice robotic. “Before the cops get here and arrest you for assault.”
I looked at Jack, beaten into oblivion. She wasn’t wrong. I’d definitely be taken into custody. Slowly, I pushed to my feet, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not without her.
Holding out my hand, I begged, “Come with me.”
“What?” Becca tilted her head back to look at me.
“Let me take you away from this… I’ll protect you. Keep you safe.”
Her eyes darted to the girl on the mattress before meeting mine again. “I need to know why this happened… why my brother—” Her voice broke as more tears spilled from her lids.
Kneeling beside her, I took her cheek in my palms. “I won’t stop until you have answers. I swear it to you on my life.” In the distance, police sirens broke through the stillness of the night. “But you have to come with me right now. I know asking you to trust me after everything that has happened tonight is asking a lot.” The sirens grew louder. “Becca.”
She gave her brother a long look that we really didn’t have time for before slowly shifting her gaze back to me. “You’re the only true thing I know right now. Take me away from this, Santiago.”
Three weeks later.
“I found something.” Becca came rushing toward me with two papers in her hands. “I think they were using the firm to find their victims.”
In the weeks that followed, Becca had thrown herself into finding the answers she needed. And I’d been there every step of the way, much to Jorge’s dismay. But as Becca had pointed out not long after that fateful night, this thing was bigger than just her brother.
She wasn’t wrong.
It hadn’t taken us long to figure out that her uncle was the driving force of this sick game and that there were a lot more victims than we could’ve imagined.
She handed me the papers and as I scanned over it, I recognized a few of the names as some of the victims we’d uncovered. It made me sick. Both Jack and her uncle were immigration lawyers, and it now seemed as if some of their clients had turned into their victims.
“They probably knew these women would be afraid to go the police.” I set the papers on my desk. Reaching forward, I hooked my fingers around the back of Becca’s neck and tugged her face to mine.
Our lips met in what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but as always, it turned hot and needy fast. Once again, I was reminded that no desire for revenge could ever match the hunger I felt for this woman.
And if I had to spend the rest of my life fighting whatever demons haunted her, I’d do it happily just to see her smile.
Pulling back, I slid my fingers under her chin and tilted her head backward. “We’ll make them pay, princesa. Every single one of them.”
About A.K. Macbride
About A.K.:
Author of romances that leave you with ALL the feels.
She likes her coffee big and strong and her chocolate sinfully dark.
Living in a small town in South Africa, she’s afforded the luxury of being surrounded by mountains
and waking up to birds singing their morning songs.
In addition to her coffee and chocolate obsession, she can’t say no to cheesecake or pastry.
When she is not creating emotional reads that tug on heartstrings, she’s busy being a wife to her best friend and a mom to a sassy little girl (whom she wouldn’t want any other way).
She just so happens to love stalkers, so visit her website www.akmacbride.com to see all the different ways you can get your stalk on.
Books by A.K.:
Instant Heat
Shattered
Broken Roads
Deviant
Cassia Brightmore
Prologue
Obsession holds a seductive energy; a pull so strong it snaps morals and rips away layers of decency. When dark desire mingles with unbridled lust, there’s no telling the lengths a person might go to in order to possess the object of their greatest affection.
In a battle of wills, innocence isn’t guaranteed to survive and malice isn’t obliged to obey the rules of polite society.
Deviance shall always have its day.
Chapter One
A slight gust of wind rustled Lola Petersen’s dark hair as she followed the dirt covered path that wound along the trail. The scent of apples and pumpkin faintly permeated the air, a familiar reminder that the season was changing. The leaves had begun their transition from the mossy green colour of summer to a rusty orange in yet another tell-tale sign that fall would be upon them sooner than they thought.
With a smile, Lola tugged on the leash of her chocolate lab, signalling to him that his time stuffing his snout into the pile of leaves and dead grass he’d happily discovered had come to an end.
He looked up at her with pitiful eyes as they continued their walk, a master manipulator when it came to puppy dog expressions of longing.
“Oh, Barkey, cut it out,” she told him with an eye roll for added dramatic effect. “It’s not like you won’t find an equally interesting tree or bush to sniff in the next thirty seconds.” Barkey swung his head around and let out a breath, as if he somehow was unimpressed with her accurate description of his antics.
She’d had him since he was a mere twelve weeks old, and now, at the ripe old age of four, he was still as rambunctious as the day she’d brought him home. A wriggling puppy with big brown eyes slightly too large for his face, and an infectious bark that seemed to be never-ending. It was obvious he knew his own name before she did, and as an instant sucker for his adorableness, he was appropriately named Barkey. He’d been her best friend since day one, a constant companion as she navigated the struggles of high school. Now that she was close to graduation, the freedom to take him on the long hikes he loved opened up while she spent time deciding which of several university offers to accept.
It was her dream to become a registered nurse. It’d been a lot of hard work and extra school courses to ensure she was set up for the option to get into the best universities once she finished high school. She’d spent many sleepless nights and endless hours doubting if she was making the right decision stepping into the medical field. But at the end of the day, it was her dream to help people, and she’d make it a reality no matter the sacrifice.
She already knew what hospital she wanted to work at when she finally got her diploma as a nurse. Lincoln Hospital was one of the most prestigious in the country. If successful, she’d have the opportunity to work in one of the most competitive cardiac programs, complete with access to state of the art research and medical equipment. The oldest seventeen year-old she knew, with her goals firmly in place, it didn’t leave much time for a social life, but that didn’t bother her in the slightest.
A loner at heart, it wasn’t as though she was worried about missing out on a romantic relationship. She’d yet to date anyone seriously, no one had expressed interest. She’d had crushes, sure, but her shy nature held her back from acting on them. That, and the fact that both her older brothers went to the same school. It would be so embarrassing if she dated one of their friends. Instead, she kept her circle small — her best friend, Marti and the few friends they shared. At times, she’d observed the way her brother, Oliver, and step-brother, Beckett embraced their easy popularity, and longed to have the same sort of life, but something always held her back. It might have been the fact that she and Oliver were adopted at a young age. She didn’t quite feel as though she always fit in, or would be accepted as she was. She and Oliver were lucky enough to have been placed with her mother and father together, a truth she would always be grateful for. When the chance came for the family to grow in size three years earlier when her mother remarried, she was beyond excited. While she knew all of her family loved her, her new step-brother, Beckett, seemed to be somewhat of an unknown. He kept her at arm's length, never allowing their relationship to blossom into one like she shared with Oliver, a fact that always left her a little heartbroken.
As if in agreement, Barkey let out a series of sharp barks, tugging incessantly on his leash as he stared at something unknown in the treeline. Letting out a sigh, Lola maneuvered him away from the area, continuing their walk around the park.
A sudden chill ran up her spine, the hairs at the back of her neck slowly starting to stand on end. Freezing in place, she strained her ears, positive she heard a slight rustling in the bushes to the left of the trail. Scanning the area, she didn’t notice any movement, but something had set Barkey off and had her senses on high alert. The longer Lola stood immobile, the more certain she was that she wasn’t alone. Fear sent shivers through her body, as Barkey began to tug impatiently on his leash, almost begging her to get them both moving.
Giving her head a shake, she let out a laugh that sounded nervous to her own ears. “There’s nothing there, Mr. Puppy,” she told the dog, using her pet nickname for him in an attempt to chase away the terror that was still creeping around the edges of her senses. Propelling herself forward at a quickened pace, she sucked in a breath when the rustling sound grew louder and seemed to surround her on all sides. A light sweat broke out on her forehead. Without being fully aware of she began to jog, Barkey’s legs working overtime to keep up with her.
The shivers along her body increased, as she realized what the issue was.
Someone was watching her.
Not caring about anything, her jog immediately transitioned into a full-blown run. Footsteps pounded the gravelled path behind her, and Lola barely contained her scream. A million heinous scenarios played out before her eyes — captured and chopped to bits by a madman with a machete, her eyes scooped out by a psycho using only a spoon, a dog hater who tied her up and made her watch as he cooked Barkey as his next meal and finally, the worst fate possible. Taken and sold into slavery against her will. Her dark hair clung to her forehead as she ran and sweat poured down her back, causing her t-shirt to stick uncomfortably to her skin. Skin she might not be lucky enough to keep if she didn’t gain her freedom from the clutches of the park.
Why are you so stupid to walk alone in a secluded area, Lola?
Breaking through the trees, she came to a skidding halt before darting into the busy street. She had a split second to come to her senses and yank Barkey back before he took a flying leap onto the road, his anxiety heightened along with her own.
Steeling her spine, she chanced a glance behind her, relief washing over her when she saw she was alone. No one had followed her out of the park; it was possible no one had been there at all. Feeling ridiculous, she cast her gaze down at her faithful companion, who was staring up with her with an expression full of understanding. He clearly didn’t think she’d lost her marbles; at least that was something.
Then again, he was a dog.
Lola arrived back at home a short while after her imagined (or real) almost attack in the park. Her house had always been her safe haven; a gorgeous three story home with red-brown brick, a yard you could get lost in, and memories she wouldn’t trade for anything. She’d lived there with her family as long as she could remem
ber, even before her mother remarried and they’d become a blended family. Her father had died when she was only two years old, not leaving her with many memories of him. Oliver, only a year older than her, somehow still remembered him; a fact that at times brought on thoughts of jealousy that she did her damndest to hide from him.
Their parents had gone away on a weekend getaway, meaning it was just herself and her brothers in the house. Lola was grateful that was the case, as her mother would have known immediately something was wrong. Rounding the corner of the large marble island in the kitchen, she unhooked Barkey's leash and regarded him with a small smile as he immediately raced to the large water bowl to rehydrate. Pleased that he at least seemed unscathed by their adventure in the park, she tossed her keys on the counter and headed for the upstairs bathroom, taking the stairs two at a time. Leaning her hands on the sink, she stared into the mirror. Tousled dark hair, pale skin and blue-gray eyes that suddenly seemed too big for her face stared back at her.
Had she imagined the whole thing? Or was it possible that someone had been following her? The likelihood of that seemed slim, it was much more feasible that like her, another person was simply enjoying the fall weather and perhaps searching for hidden treasures in the deeper parts of the treelines.
Turning the faucet, she splashed cool water on her face and gave her head a small shake. "Get a grip, Lo," she whispered.
"I've been telling you to get a grip for years, you never listen to me," Oliver stated from the doorway. Glancing up, she found him casually leaning on the door frame, regarding her with interest. She hadn't realized he was home, much less awake at the early hour.
"Shut up, Ollie," she retorted, not in the mood for his shit. Brushing past him, she shot him a look that hopefully told him to watch his step and headed for her bedroom. Never the perceptive one, Oliver followed her, tugging on her damp hair.
