by Dee Garcia
Hear Me Roar
A Bloodshed Novel - Book 2
Dee Garcia
Copyright 2017 © Dee Garcia
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the Author’s imagination and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the reader of this review ebook ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the Author. All songs, song titles and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
ISBN: 978-1-64136-254-2
Cover design: Passion Creations by Mary Ruth
Editing: All About The Edits
Formatting: Decadent Designs
Note from the Author
Hear Me Roar is the second installment in The Bloodshed Duet. It is not a standalone and should be read after I Am Lioness.
Due to strong language, explicit sexual situations, and some scenes that may cause triggers or emotional distress, this book is intended for mature audiences only.
Contents
Dedication
Playlist
1. New Beginnings
2. Legalities
3. Domesticated
4. Confessional
5. Still Got It
6. Secrets
7. Rookie
8. Wake Up Call
9. The Truth Always Reveals Itself
10. Unknown
11. California Love
12. Awkward
13. Big Money
14. Winds of Change
15. Strike Two
16. Bitches and Cemeteries
17. 1.5 It Is
18. It Can't Be
19. Precautions
20. He's Coming
21. Strike-motherfuckin-Three
22. Return to Sender
23. Timber
24. One After Another
25. Poker Face
26. The Lioness has Returned
27. Precious Cargo
28. Black
29. Nuked
30. Stronger
31. S.O.S
32. Ready?
33. Happily Ever Afters
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Connect With Me Online
About the Author
Dedication
No one ever said it would be easy.
So don’t give up when it gets hard.
Playlist
Tremble - Nicole Miller
Lust For Life - Lana del Rey & The Weeknd
Army Of One - Coldplay
Beast (original mix) - Onder Koffer
13 Beaches - Lana Del Rey
R U Crazy - Conor Maynard
Case Of The Ex - Mya
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled, Rihanna, and Brysen Tiller
He Loves You Not - Dream
Unstoppable - Sia
Run - AWOLNATION
Warrior - Demi Lovato
Certain Things - James Arthur & Chasing Grace
Gravity - Leo Stannard & Frances
Say You Won’t Let Go - James Arthur
Just You and I - Tom Walker
All of Me - John Legend
I’ll Be - Edwin McCain
Claire De Lune - Claude Debussy
You Are My Sunshine - Anna Bennigh
“Breathe,” Knox reminded me as we stepped out of the elevator hand in hand, en route to his sister’s office.
Dragging my gaze to his, I flashed him a soft smile and nodded, hoping the simple gesture would fool him into believing I wasn't nervous at all. But Knox never missed a beat, so it shouldn't have surprised me when he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and pulled me into his side, his lips pressing a tender kiss to my temple that quietly urged me to relax. Hooking an arm around his waist, I took a deep breath and counted to ten, blowing it out slowly between my lips as my fingers scrunched the soft fabric of his tee in what felt like desperation when relief failed to wash over me. Knox’s presence usually soothed me in a way nothing or no one else could, but clearly the extent of my anxiety wouldn't allow it this time around. It was disturbing, to say the least; which, in turn, only made me all the more nervous.
The closer we stepped toward the door, the more my stomach churned about. I couldn't believe this was finally happening. For years, I wondered about her. Wondered how it might be if she were around. She, Bernie’s daughter, Maya. I didn't know much about her and I'd known better than to ask. Mostly because the first time Bernie even mentioned having a daughter – shortly after he took me under his wing – I pressed a little too far on her whereabouts, and as a result, he was closed off and robotic in the days following. It took him a while to finally explain the painful details of what happened between them, and by the time he choked out the last bit of it all, I understood why it was a topic of conversation he didn't care to rehash.
So now, here we were, moments away from finding out where Maya had been living her life for the last seven years, and Bernie wasn't even here to learn the truth. My chest ached, the thought of him and all that he was shooting white-hot tears of grief to the brims of my eyes. His death was still so fresh, only a little over half a year old, making the current situation more difficult than I’d initially anticipated. I clung to Knox all the more, willing my emotions to subside, as he opened the door and ushered me into the waiting area of Karley’s law firm. I’d never been here before but at a first glance, the place immediately screamed Karley Carr; White walls, black furniture, teal pops of color in all the little details, and bunches of fresh flowers strewn about. With my body firmly in his grasp, we sidled up to the small window where a mousy brunette with rosy cheeks and a bright pink lip greeted us.
“Hey, you,” she said to Knox, far more friendly than I cared for, if I were being completely honest.
“Hey, Sasha. Is my sister back from lunch yet?”
Sasha’s big green eyes flickered to where I stood for a split-second and then she nodded, flashing Knox what appeared to be a sexy smile. I wanted to knock it right off her pretty little face, my hand clenching into a fist at my side as I stared her down from the short distance separating us. You’d think I would’ve been used to it by now, how everyone – and I mean everyone – admired Knox, but it was cheeky broads like Sasha who pissed me off every single fucking time. Don’t smile at my man with that saucy little grin, visions of him fucking you into oblivion so clearly set in your eyes, when I’m standing right beside him. In fact, don’t smile at him at all.
He’s mine.
Back. The. Fuck. Off.
“She just got back about twenty minutes ago. Let me tell her you're here, then I'll buzz you through,” she purred, pulling me out from a very vivid daydream that consisted of me beating her face in.
Repeatedly.
Swiveling away from us with that snarky smirk set firmly in place, she rose to her stiletto-clad feet and sauntered away to Karley’s office, her hips swaying in an exaggerated fashion that was obviously meant for Knox to enjoy.
I know, what a bitch.
Hence why my reaction was instantaneous.
An inflamed, angered veil of red briskly clouded my vision, throwing all rationale and my previous anxiety out the window. Who the fuck did this chick think she was?
Grinding my teeth together, I sucked in a breath so deep, my chest puffed up along with it, like one of those hardcore gym rats training for a bodybuilding competition. Not that Knox and I weren’t gym rats, but you get what I mean...
“Easy there, tiger,” he chuckled beside me, prompting me to peek up at him slowly from the corner of my eyes, my lips set in a grim line. He knew how much I hated tiger.
I wasn’t a damn tiger; I was THE Lioness.
The irate expression on my face did nothing but earn me another amused chuckle, though, because much to my dismay, my glares didn’t faze him. Ever. It’s like he was immune to them. Cupping my face in his hands, he brought our lips together in a chaste kiss and smiled.
“Relax with the claws. She’s had it out for me since she started working here a few years back. I never gave her the time of day then, and I sure as hell don’t plan to now,” he assured me, rubbing his thumbs along my cheeks.
“I still don’t like it. She’s fresh as fuck eye-fucking you like that when she can see you’re not here alone,” I growled indignantly.
“That’s Sasha. She gives no fucks, baby, and you shouldn’t either. I’m yours and only yours.”
“You better be,” I muttered and he swiftly kissed me again, countering with a fervent, “Forever,” that skipped the beat of my heart.
Ahem.
Our heads snapped toward the disgruntled sound in tandem, the tender moment between us slipping away like a shard of ice. Apparently Little Miss Sasha was back, looking none too pleased at the amorous image painted out before her. Her brow was arched, lips puckered in an unamused smirk. She was burning a hole through my head, too, and all I could do was smile in satisfaction.
“She’s ready for you.” Her voice wasn’t as cheerful and flirtatious anymore as her eyes pinned me not so subtly in place.
Clearly she had no idea who I was.
Unfazed in her efforts to intimidate me, I held her stare without falter and wrapped an arm around Knox’s middle, pressing myself against him with coy, rightful purpose. Watching her face fall as his arm snaked around my waist was the cherry on the top.
Burn, bitch, burn.
“Great, thanks,” Knox said evenly, guiding me away from the window and my estrogen-fueled showdown of propriety.
I could all but feel the silent amusement radiating off him, which was obviously a good thing. Most men hated jealousy spats, but not mine. He reveled in it; said the feeling of being wanted and protected by the woman he loved proved we were meant for each other. Then again, he was probably just saying that because he was pretty damn jealous himself, so he knew exactly how I felt.
The dull buzz alerted us we were clear to pass through into the back, and as we sauntered past an irked and very defeated Sasha on the way to Karley’s office, I couldn’t help but giggle. Served her right.
“You're impossible,” Knox whispered candidly.
“She started it.” I hooked a shoulder. “I simply finished it.”
“Wait till Karley hears about this.”
“You're gonna tell her,” I squeaked, my hand squeezing around his like a vice.
“I won't have to. Sasha will, for sure.”
“Seriously?”
“Without a doubt. She's been trying to get Karley to hook us up since she started here,” he explained, rapping his knuckles against the deep chestnut door.
Knock, knock!
“Come in!” Karley’s sweet voice called out from inside her office.
Knox turned the steel handle and pushed open the door, motioning for me to go in first. I shuffled into the chicly decorated room - again all black, white, and teal - and caught sight of my man’s sister sitting behind a massive, inky-colored desk with papers strewn about. The entire wall behind her was lined with books, mostly encyclopedias and law-related material. Karley smiled brightly and shot up to her feet, bounding toward me with an almost inaudible squeal. She wrapped me in her arms and I embraced her in return, smiling fondly as her now comforting scent enveloped me. The woman might have been Knox’s sister, but she'd become mine too.
“How are you?” she asked, pulling away, same blue eyes as her brother’s shimmering in the light.
“Nervous,” I admitted.
Now that we’d left Sasha behind, the anger that had taken place of disquietude in her presence swiftly fell away, leaving me in a newly-restored anxious state at the reminder of why we were here.
“Don't be,” she beamed as Knox came up behind me and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Releasing me from her grasp, she motioned to the leather seats that faced her desk. “Sit, sit, so we can get started. I have a meeting with one of my clients in thirty, hence the mess, and I want to fill you in completely.”
Shuffling around her desk, Knox and I dropped into the two chairs, his inked arm stretching out toward me, beckoning for my hand. I took it without hesitation, needing his touch to keep me grounded for what was to come...
“So, I found Maya,” my sister said, leaning forward onto her elbows. “But I’m sure Knox already told you that.”
Hazel nodded while squeezing the shit out of my hand. Somehow, in the short span of two minutes, she’d paled significantly and it was just now that I was realizing it, prompting me to squeeze her hand in a silent show of support. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why she was so nervous. If I put extensive thought into it, I guess it was almost like being adopted and finally receiving information that would allow you to meet your birth parents. Only in this case, Maya was the long-lost sister Hazel never thought she’d meet. Though Bernie hadn’t been her blood father, he’d loved her and treated her as one, making this whole situation with Maya more significant than just carrying out his final wishes.
“She's been in New York,” my sister added, to which Hazel’s eyes slightly bugged out, Karley’s attention quickly turning on me thereafter.
“How much did you tell her?”
I shrugged. “Just that you got in touch with Maya.”
Her face fell and she scoffed. “Gee, thanks, lil’ bro.”
“What? I figured it’d be better for you tell her, seeing as you spoke to the woman,” I countered, flashing her the finger and an exaggerated smile.
“You knew more, and all you told me was that she got in contact with Maya?” Hazel asked incredulously, her question hastily melting away said shit-eating grin.
Fuck.
I didn't know how to respond. I hadn’t kept the little I did know from her on purpose. I’d simply thought it was better for Karley to go through all this shit with her, rather than having to put her through it twice, but clearly that wasn't the brightest idea. Snapping my gaze to where my sister sat, I motioned towards Hazel and flashed her a pleading look for help.
Karley rolled her eyes and shot up out of her seat, coming around her desk to lean against it as she delivered the rest of the information.
“Did Bernie know Maya married a Dimitri Petrova?”
“I believe so,” Hazel said quietly, instantly forgetting my offense.
Thanks, sis.
“I remember him saying she'd gotten engaged right when she turned eighteen, even after he'd been clear he didn't approve. I'm assuming he’s the same man, unless she’s gotten divorced and remarried.”
“No, that's him. I did a little research on Maya’s background, and she's been married to Mr. Petrova since 2011. It's no wonder Bernie didn't approve of him. There's quite a large age gap between the two.”
“How much?” I couldn't help but ask because all of this was news to me. Hazel hadn’t shared any of this prior.
“Fifteen years.”
“What the fuck? So, he's a cradle robber?”
My sister tipped her head and puckered her lips. “Seems that way. Age is just a number to some people in society, as long as it's legal, and while that's okay, you can’t ignore the fact that Dimitri was already thirty-three when Maya turned the big one-eight.”
“How soon after did they get engaged?” H
azel asked curiously.
“There is no after. He proposed on her eighteenth birthday.”
“You're kidding, right?”
“Honest to God, it’s part of the information Maya volunteered.”
Hazel blinked several times, staring at Karley with a stunned yet enlightened expression. “So, they must’ve been an item before she was even legal.”
“Oh, one-hundred percent, which only makes Bernie’s lack of approval all the more valid. I mean, she gets engaged before she's even blown out the last candle on her birthday cake. Coincidence much? I don't think so. Makes you wonder what a wealthy man in his thirties would want with a teenager.”
“He’s wealthy?”
“Very,” my sister explained. “He owns the Diamante hotel chain.”
Woah.
He's mega-wealthy.
“Did Bernie know that?” I peered at my girl and she shook her head.
“He never mentioned it, but then again, he didn’t mention much of anything where Maya was concerned. Either Dimitri hid his empire from her until they left California, or Maya knew and kept it from Bernie all along.”
“Or maybe Bernie did know.”
Two sets of eyes swung to where I sat. Hazel’s brow arched high in question while my sister’s stare was dubiously intrigued.
“Think about it,” I went on. “If Maya and Dimitri were some sort of an item before she was even legal, that’s grounds enough for Bernie withholding his blessing. Hell, I’m surprised he didn’t have him arrested, or worse yet, kill him with his own two hands.”
