"What the hell?" I asked her, unsure of what else to say, what she might be up to. She clearly had not been working alone. For all I knew she had gotten in touch with those men from my apartment and made some kind of deal. I had no way of knowing, but I had to make it out of there alive. There was a life inside of me to worry about now.
"You will never be good enough for Logan. I know you are not going to be able to accept all the horrible things he has done. It’s so early, you may think you can now. But you'll wake up one day and run in a panic, realizing you are with some criminal. then, you’ll go find someone who is boring and ordinary. I am a better fit for that man than you ever could be. You're just a detour, a little slut that caught his eye. You can't have him. You won’t have him."
I could feel her jealousy and rage from where I was sitting as she paced, telling me these things. I shook my head. "You are just realizing too late that you made a mistake by not hanging onto Logan Steele. That’s not my problem, Tara. Not at all. You fucked up. Move on like normal people do," I scolded her. Maybe something direct would get her to stop this shit and let me go home. Even if she killed me or ran me off, Logan wouldn’t be with her. I could see it. It was why she was so desperate.
I wanted to know what the hell was going on. "What do you have planned for me anyway? You won’t get away with this."
Tara chuckled evilly, a smile spreading across her red lips. "Honey bun, c'mon out!" she called. I didn’t know who she was calling, probably whoever had actually kidnapped me.
I looked up, confronted with my kidnapper. It wasn’t….it wasn’t a serial killer. It was Bryce; my ex-boyfriend.
He looked more manic than the last time I saw him. Bloodshot eyes, track marked arms. He looked thin and pale, his skin covered in scratches from where he must've clawed at his own skin. He was losing his hair, too. He was the last person I wanted to see. If I had my way, Bryce wouldn’t even exist in the same world, or dimension that I did. But, I was terrified. Here was this man, so strong, so capable of hurting me. And now he had me in his possession, his grasp. To do with as he pleased.
“Brook, baby…I can’t believe you thought you could stay away from me for so long. I knew you still loved me, I just knew it.” His hands caressed my cheeks, and I flinched away, which made him frown. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. “I know you’ve missed being with me, being my princess… I know you’ve missed the good stuff, too. The drugs,” he laughed manically, and I thought my heart might've stopped in that moment.
“Bryce, no. I don’t…”
He shook his head, “I know you do. Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got a present!”
He pulled a bag out from behind himself. I knew what that was. Cocaine. “No, no…Bryce…” I tried to pull myself out of his grip, struggling against him and he sighed. He pulled me into his arms, caressing my face again.
“I know you want this. I know how much you love me, Brook. How we’re meant to be together. I knew seeing you again, at your father’s event… I knew it was meant to be.” He was completely out of his mind, and whether it was from the drugs or not, I didn’t know.
I was scared, for my life. What if he wanted to get me to overdose? What if that was his master plan?
I shook in his grip, wishing for some kind of distraction to take over so I could get away from him, but no such luck.
After moments spent brushing his fingers through my hair as I tried to squirm out of his grip, he turned his attention to the coke again. I struggled again, “Bryce, please. No. If you love me, you wouldn’t,” I tried to plead with him, and he paused again at that.
“I do love you, Brook, so much. That’s why I have to do this. It will bring you back to me. I know it will.” I thought I might've been getting somewhere, but he poured a fair amount of coke into his hand. Tara laughed maniacally, like a cackling witch in the back ground. "Stop struggling because you're either going to be shot and killed, or you're going to coke land with Bryce. There is no other option here."
I couldn’t let it happen, though. It could kill the baby if I took the coke; I knew that. For the first time, I actually felt like a mother, and I knew I had to do whatever it took to save that baby inside of me; the baby that belonged to Logan and me. I had to protect my child.
“You need me. You need these drugs. Without them…you’ll be a failure. You can’t get far in life without them.” I couldn’t believe the words that spilled from Bryce’s lips. How did I not see this in him sooner?
“Please Bryce, believe me…I don’t need this…we don’t need this…”
I worried for my future. Would Bryce kill me? Force me to overdose in this dark, dingy warehouse? Was this some kind of revenge plot? These were all questions I wished I could ask, but I wouldn’t dare to rile him up further. He was stuck in his little world, where he believed we were in love and meant to be. It sent shivers down my spine, knowing that he had this kind of control over me. That he could decide what he wanted to put into my body.
I shuddered, completely afraid what this would do to me. I could see it in his eyes that he was high, too—He was frantic, desperate, and utterly disturbing. He could do so much wrong when he was sober, and I was terrified of what he could get away with while he was high. I didn’t want him to drag me back into his world; the world I once knew. I was happy now, and he wanted to ruin it.
My chest was heaving when Bryce’s attention turned back to my own. “I can’t wait until we’re living happy again. Together. I’m never going to let you go, princess.” His smile made me want to throw up. It was like he felt that what he was doing was completely okay—there was nothing wrong with this, with him. To Bryce, I was his for the taking. Completely and utterly his. “Please, Bryce, if you really love me you won’t…we don’t need this,” my heart was almost beating out of my chest as I tried not to make eye contact with him. I didn’t want him to see the fear in my eyes, the weakness. He just chuckled, his hand running through my hair again.
“You’ll feel better after this, princess. I know you will. My precious girl.”
Bryce covered my mouth with his hand. Good God, I needed to breathe, but I couldn't. If I breathed in, the coke would be in my system. I would be high again, easily slipping back into addiction, and the baby could easily be killed.
I felt like I was going to pass out as I continued to hold my breath. "Sniff it or die!" Tara called out just as I slumped over in the chair, about to be forced to give in by my own body.
Then, the door burst open, and I watched as armed men came in shooting. Tara and Bryce both went down, the coke spilling out onto the ground and on my clothes. That was when I saw him; Logan, my saviour walking through the doors in his Armani suit. There was a gun in his hand as well, a silencer over it, and he glared at my two kidnappers before looking to me with an intense softness. He was blaming himself, especially as he saw his ex-wife laying there. I knew it.
CHAPTER 20
Logan
It had been a longer wait than I would have wanted at the hospital, getting her checked out. I had paid for them to keep it quiet and check her out in a private room. I didn’t need there to be any rumors going around or anything.
I was finally able to take her home, and I stayed with her, holding her hand as we went inside. I kept waiting for her to have a nervous breakdown. I knew she was shaken up. Bryce being there had done a number on her, and the fact that she was covered in cocaine had told me he tried to force her to take it. I didn’t know if Alfred had been involved at all, but that was a question for another day. Right now, I needed to focus on the woman I loved to make sure she was alright.
"Maybe you should change into something comfortable," I told her, leading her to the bedroom. She just nodded and shut the door. I knew she would need time, but I needed her to know how sorry I was for everything. I couldn’t believe that my own ex-wife had been a part of trying to kill the woman I was with now. I knew she had problems, but none that big. She didn’t seem evil; just not a good wife.
&
nbsp; I stood up when Brook came back out of the bedroom, looking more comfortable with a shy smile on her face. She looked tired, and I led her to the couch for us to sit down. "I have to apologize to you Brook," I told her form my heart. "I should have seen it, but I had no idea Tara and Bryce were that kind of a threat. I thought it was someone else this whole time; the cartel we cut ties with in Mexico or something." She had to accept it. I couldn’t live with myself if I lost her over those two low lives.
Brooklyn looked at me. "I don't completely understand this lifestyle, but what I do know is that Tara and Bryce couldn’t have been behind Christian's car accident. There must be another threat, and maybe that one is the cartel you're talking about. So, I don’t think you failed in that at all. Me getting taken was simply an act of stupidity by two crazy and desperate people who neither of us expected to take things so far." Brooklyn reached out and placed her hand on top of mine. I couldn’t help but be relieved.
"I should have protected you better, though," I admitted, looking down.
"Everything turned out alright, though. Everything is okay. I am fine, and the baby is fine."
I looked back up at her, trying to decipher what she meant. "The baby?' I was puzzled.
Brooklyn began to nod and smile while I tried to process. "When I went to the doctor, I found out I was pregnant."
EPILOGUE
Brooklyn
I looked down at the baby in my arms. It had only been two days since I had him, and we were all gathered at the new house. We were in a beautiful home inside a gated community that Logan had insisted on having. He wanted the big yard and white picket fence for his boy, and I was pretty happy about it too.
We had named our little boy Emmett Reginald Steele, and the Reginald was in honor of Reggie, the man who had given his devotion and who would have given his life in order to protect the Steeles, Emmett included. Reggie kept arguing with us, demanding that we didn’t “curse” our boy by giving him that middle name. I just kept rolling my eyes and telling the man to shut the hell up ‘cause it was happening. "Isn't he just beautiful?" I cooed, letting him play with my pinkie. He had those hazel eyes and dark hair just like Logan but lighter skin like me. He could be one of those models in baby magazines for sure. "I could easily go for another of these. I just can’t stop looking at him."
Logan began to laugh at me. "She wants a whole football team, apparently," he teased me, looking to his brothers.
"No, I want four, which is just short of a full basketball team. In fact, maybe we should be good Samaritans and adopt the fifth?" I asked, making everyone break out in laughter. It felt so natural, like all of us were family. Jordan and Christian never treated me like anything else.
I looked back down at Emmett and saw that he had fallen asleep in my arms. I knew that other mothers would probably say I was spoiling him, but I couldn’t imagine him sleeping alone in his room when I was perfectly comfortable holding him. He would probably wake up in an hour ready to eat anyway.
Making conversation, I looked to Christian. "Whatever happened to that girl form the other day?" I asked him.
“The girl?" Logan asked, both him and Jordan looking to their younger brother for answers.
“Yeah, Christian saw a girl at a party a couple of weeks ago, and he never got her number or name or anything. But then he saw her again a couple of days ago. Did you get her number this time?" I asked him. Christian shook his head. I couldn’t believe it. "I didn’t, but I will."
"I can’t believe you didn’t get it!" I chastised him, trying not to wake the baby.
"I got her name, though."
"Well, that’s something, at least," I told him.
"What do you know about the girl?" Jordan questioned.
"I know that her name is Selena and that she is mine, even if she doesn't know it yet."
“You sound just like your brother” I laughed.
Stripping a Steele
A Steele Brothers Novel
Book #2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHRISTINE – We’re at number seven in one year…holy fudge balls. How did we get here already? Here’s to making 2018 our bitch!
AUDEN – Thank you for being an amazing friend and chilling me the hell out when I need it! your words literally bring me back down to earth and motivate me so much. you have no idea how much I need that sometimes! Love ya, girl!
JEN – You have been the best friend a girl could ask for and I’m so thankful that we crashed into each other. I can’t wait for 2019 in Chattanooga or to see your butt in Nashville this month!!
GG – I made you my beta since the first moment I started writing Stripping a Steele. Your feedback helped me give what I know readers wanted and overall helped me put the finishing touch on this story. Thank you so much for your endless support and friendship! It’s your turn now girl! Blow ‘em away with Better with You! (Better with You – Gianna Gabriela, go buy it, babes!)
MY AMAZING ARC READERS – you amaze me again and again. I’ve taken you down some demented paths, and This is one of the less crazy ones. I know you’ve been waiting for Christian’s story and I’m so happy for the feedback received so far. I just have to say, I have the best ARC team ever!!!
MY TWIN, JENNA – Thank you for putting up with my endless bullshit of sending you chapters via Facebook messenger for immediate feedback and for me basically making you one of my beta readers without asking. Your feedback helped me make this story so much better, thank you so much! #Twinning (P.S. My twin is starting her journey in the writing community! Go pick up her book! Emerald by Jenna Lee.)
MY AMAZING BLOGGERS: JENNA, JEN, SHANNON, CHASIDY, ANGIE, HEATHER, LIZZIE, JAMIE, ANA, AMANDA, DEANNA, ANGELA, REBECCA, ALICIA, JAMIE, CHRISTIANA, CHRISTIANN, KRISTIN, VALERIE, ATLANTA, CIA, LEANNE, LINDA, EMILIE, SHASTA, NICHOLE & ERIKA – You help me reach new readers every single day and I appreciate every single one of you. I couldn’t do this without all of your support, sharing cover reveals and release blitzes.
Thank you so much.
DEDICATED TO MY BOOK BABES
I cannot thank you enough for continuing to give me support, even when I think I’m not the greatest. You are here for me through every twist and turn in my stories, even when I think you’ll all suddenly hate me for being the evil demented bitch that I am. You still stick by me.
Without you, I truly wouldn’t be able to do what I do every single day.
So, this one is for you.
PLAYLIST
Repercussions | Bea Miller
Bad Chick | Somo
Come Get Her | Rea Sremmurd
Masterpiece | Jessie J
Personal| The Vamps ft. Maggie Lindemann
Help Me Out | Maroon 5 ft. Julia Michaels
Just Like You | Louis Tomlinson
Red Wine + White Couch | Danielle Bradberry
Wishlist | Kiiara
Fuck Feelings | Olivia O’Brien
Never be the Same| Camilla Cabello
Play | Somo ft. Maty Noyes
Lips on You | Maroon 5
Barbies | P!nk
CHAPTER 1
Selena
Like a record playing on repeat, it’s the same shit on a different day. No matter what I do to escape the normalcy that floods my life, I can’t, as much as I try so hard to. It’s just past six in the morning, and I wake up to the sounds of my baby sister’s cry flooding through our house. There’s no reason for her to cry, and yet, she still screams her bloody head off every morning. Only today, well, today I thought I’d be able to sleep in for just a little bit.
I toss my comforter to the left, sling my legs over the bed, and stand up quickly, hoping that I can get to her before she wakes up the whole house. In the back of my mind, I know that it’s no use. There’s this running joke that Ellie wakes up the neighbors, and to be honest – she might.
I open the door to my bedroom and walk directly across the hall to hers. She’s sitting up in her toddler bed, tears flowing over her soft, rosy cheeks. She just
turned three, and for the life of me, I still don’t understand why she cries. When she was a baby, I understood it, she needed to be fed, or a diaper change, or maybe she was tired. Now, it’s different. She wakes up every day crying like something horrific has happened to her.
I turn my expression into a happy, doting smile as I walk over to her, sit on her bed and pull her into my arms. “Baby, what’s the matter?” I ask her as I brush my thumb under her tear ridden cheeks.
“I….I f-fought y-you l-left me…” Ellie is still struggling with her speech, some of her t’s sound like f’s and s’s sound like z’s. We’ve gone to the doctor about it, and he told me that it’s nothing for us to worry about, we just need to practice, and eventually, she’ll grow out of it.
“Why baby? Why did you ever think I would leave you?” I pull her closer to my chest, holding her in the tightest bear hug I could muster up.
Ellie turns her body around to mine, her bouncing black curls shape her face, and those dark brown eyes stare up at me with such intensity. “Daddy left.”
Her words cripple me beyond belief, granted she is three and doesn’t understand. Sometimes, I’m still shocked that she even remembers much of our Dad. “No baby, Daddy went to Heaven, he didn’t just leave us.” Like our mother did, I want to add, but I won’t. I bite my tongue.
“He-aa-ven,” Ellie repeats back slowly, and I nod with the biggest smile on my face to conceal the hurt and pain hidden inside me.
“Yes, baby, it’s where all the angels go. Daddy became an angel, and he’s with God now.” I pick Ellie up and take her towards the window. As I move the curtains out of the way to let the sunshine in, I point up to the sky. “See that, baby? That’s Heaven, and Daddy is up there watching over you, me, Luke, and Sabs.”
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