Savaged Dreams: Savaged Illusions Trilogy Book 1

by Jennifer Lyon

  Breaking free, he hurried after them. Had to get to her. Don’t leave me. She’d begged him to stay with her. He’d promised. A million thoughts stabbed him. Liza laughing. The night she stood up to him, refusing to take the drink in the club. Kissing her. The feel of her body against his.

  The night she’d told him who she was and that she’d woken alone in the hospital. That wasn’t happening this time. He’d be there with her. He wouldn’t let her be scared and alone.

  Lynx caught his arm as they loaded her in the back of the ambulance. “You can’t go in there. The doctor is working on her.”

  Wrong. Liza knew Ben, but Justice had told her he wouldn’t leave her. “I’m going with her.” She was afraid of unconsciousness; he couldn’t leave her alone in it.

  This whole night was a nightmare. Who attacked her? He knew it had something to do with her past. It had to be one of the crazy Hayes groupies she’d warned him about.

  He shrugged off Lynx’s hold and climbed in the back of the rig just before the door closed. As the vehicle sped away with sirens blaring, Ben and the paramedic worked on her at a frantic pace. Justice gently folded her cold, limp hand in his. The blood pressure cuff on her arm hissed as it automatically went on.

  A minute later, things in the ambulance calmed, and Justice looked at Ben. “Now what?

  The man studied the small cardiac monitor he’d hooked her up to. “We wait. As long as she doesn’t code, there’s not much more I can do until I get her into the hospital.” He ground his teeth. “When the guy attacked, Em was thrown to the ground. I helped her up and didn’t get to Liza fast enough to stop the crazy bastard from cutting her.”

  Vividly aware of her unresponsive hand in his, a part of him wanted to lash out. But Ben was fighting to save Beth and deserved his gratitude not anger. “You said the man attacked from behind you. Obviously he snuck through the security and waited. You couldn’t have stopped him.” Justice swallowed the knot of hot fear for Beth. Please let her live, he prayed silently. If Justice had the power, he’d switch places with her and bear any amount of agony to spare Beth this. But right now, it was Ben he needed to reassure. He dropped his gaze to Beth. “She knows you’re trying to save her.”

  “Wasn’t just me.”

  “You mean Em? I know, she—”

  “No. The man who attacked Liza wasn’t going to stop. He’d raised his arm for another knife strike when another man came out of nowhere and tackled him.”

  Confused, Justice tore his gaze from Beth. “What man?” Who else had been with them?

  “I don’t know. The two of them were fighting on the ground, then the knife guy ran, and the hero chased after him. I focused on Liza.”

  A strange sensation like déjà vu rippled over him. “This hero, what did he look like?”

  “Ragged. Your height, long hair and scars on one side of his face.”

  Shock gonged in his brain, stunning him. “That’s my—”

  Something beeped. The blood pressure cuff? The heart monitor? Worry chased out everything else in Justice’s head. He pressed his fingers around Beth’s. “I’m here, Beth, I’m here.”

  Her fingers tightened around his. Her eyelids fluttered, and she muttered something he couldn’t hear.

  “Good girl, Liza,” Ben said. “That’s it, fight.”

  Justice jerked his head up. He could see waves shooting across the screen of the heart monitor Ben stared at, but he couldn’t interpret what they meant. “What’s going on?”

  Ben’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Her blood pressure’s rising and heart rate’s getting stronger. Still shocky and not out of danger yet, but better. She’s rallying hard.”

  Justice leaned closer to her too-pale face, furious hope rising in him. “You’re going to make it, and I’ll be with you every second.” He had to swallow the knot of emotion. “I love you, Beth. You’re not alone, I swear. Just keep fighting.”

  Her fingers flexed around his once more, then she settled into a calmer state and her lips lost the bluish tinge.

  As his panic eased, the harsh reality of what had happened hit him. Someone had come too damned close to murdering her. But a mysterious hero had saved her from that last, fatal knife strike.

  Justice had recognized Ben’s description of the hero. Gratefulness filled his chest.

  His father had saved the life of the woman Justice loved.

  ~The End~

  Dear Readers,

  Thank you so much for reading SAVAGED DREAMS. But it’s not over yet! In SAVAGED VOWS (book 2) Justice and Liza’s love is tested by the blazing glory, and the dark underbelly, of fame. And in SAVAGED DEVOTION (book 3), they come back fighting hard for their love and happily ever after against all odds. I really hope you continue the journey with Justice and Liza!

  SAVAGED VOWS will be released in July 2017, and I’m striving to release the third book, SAVAGED DEVOTION, in September 2017.

  To get all the latest news on releases and contests, sign up for my newsletter here. And if you have a moment to leave a quick review online, I’d really appreciate it.

  Happy Reading!

  ~Jen

  Coming July 24, 2017

  SAVAGED VOWS

  Savaged Illusions Trilogy, Book 2

  by Jennifer Lyon

  Available on Amazon

  Turn the page to read Chapter One!

  Chapter 1

  Liza Glasner gave in on the wheelchair and allowed herself to be rolled out into the bright sunshine. God, she detested hospitals. But she loathed the reason she’d landed there for three nights even more.

  Someone had tried to kill her. A man she didn’t know had hated her that much. Nothing like an attempted murder by a stranger to make a girl feel special. Okay, not special so much as seriously pissed off. She hadn’t been bothering anyone, she’d just been walking to her car when she was tackled and stabbed.

  Chill bumps splattered her arms despite the warm day in San Diego. She rubbed her palms over her biceps as her stomach knotted, and pinged her gaze around, careful not to move her head. The orderly had stopped a few feet back from the curb of the horseshoe-shaped pickup zone. Beyond that lay a road and huge parking areas. People milled around, coming and going at a brisk pace.

  Did any of them want to kill her too?

  Jeez, paranoid much? Liza squeezed her eyes shut, determined to get control. No one was trying to murder her here. She was fine.

  “Beth.” A warm, comforting hand settled over her fingers digging into her arms.

  When she opened her eyes, her world filled with the man crouched in front of her. Justice Cade’s blond-streaked brown hair refused to be tamed, and his irises sizzled an angry blue flecked with moody gray and warm concern.

  “That was fast,” Liza said. He’d gone ahead of her to get the car out of the parking facility, and now the Jeep idled at the curb a couple yards away.

  “I figured you’d be in a hurry to get home to your stash of candy.” He flipped up the footrests of her wheelchair.

  That coaxed a smile from her. “You better not have eaten any, rock star. I don’t care if we’re living together, some things are off-limits.” She stood carefully, trying not to jostle the healing slash that ran from the center point of the back of her neck down to her right shoulder blade. Or the bruises and split lip from getting slammed to the asphalt. The pain pills helped, so she managed.

  Justice wrapped an arm around her, avoiding any tender spots. At the car, he opened the passenger door, helped her in then tugged her seat belt across her.

  “I can—”

  He lifted his head, his eyes hard and his jaw unyielding. “I’ll do it. You’ll sit there and be a good girl, or all your candy will vanish.”

  She could almost feel the rage, frustration and worry snapping out from his pores, yet he was gentle and caring with her. “Are you threatening me? I’ll have you know I survived a stabbing, and that makes me a bona fide badass.”

  His face softened. “Definite badass and a
tough-as-hell survivor.” After locking in her seat belt, he cupped her jaw. “But anyone tries to hurt you again, I’m going badass on them, and when I’m done, they’ll be bleeding on the ground. Breathing is optional.”

  He hovered over her like a shield, and yet he’d called her tough. He didn’t see her as weak and reckless, but as a survivor who wouldn’t let some maniac with a knife kill her. “Lot of badass in this car.” She sank back against the seat, surprised at how tired she was just from dressing, arguing over the wheelchair and getting into the car.

  Justice leaned in, kissing her on the side of her mouth to avoid her sore lip. “You’re my tough girl.” After closing her door, he slid in the driver’s side and got them on the road. “We’ll get your stuff moved Saturday from your apartment to my house. I’m borrowing a truck and rounding up Sloane and a few friends. We’ll get Emily’s stuff moved to her boyfriend’s for her too.”

  “But I haven’t finished packing.” Before the attack, she’d been so busy with her internship and finals, there hadn’t been time. Now reality dropped on her like a ton of bricks. She had to be out of her apartment by the end of the weekend, and since she was injured, it fell to her best friend and boyfriend to do everything.

  “Emily said she’ll handle that.” He shot her a look. “You’re not going to the apartment. Reporters might be there. And you—”

  “I’m not hiding.” Not anymore. She’d had enough of that before she met Justice, when she lived with her aunt. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Damn right you didn’t.”

  “Tell that to my aunt.”

  Justice clenched his jaw, his head snapping around. “What the hell did your aunt say to you?”

  She fisted her hands at the memory of the phone call. Despite having been on morphine, she could recite it verbatim. “She said I told you something awful would happen if you kept dating that rock star. You put yourself in danger with bad choices. You have to leave Justice and stop behaving like a drunk groupie.”

  He slapped his hand on the wheel. “That cold bitch. How the fuck is this your fault? Blaming the victim is bullshit.” He narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t see your oh-so-fucking-perfect aunt getting her ass in the car and coming to the hospital. You almost died, goddammit.”

  His arm bulged, making the beautifully inked guitar on his upper arm swell. His shirt sleeve cut off the old-school microphone above it. The whole design was wrapped in a crown of thorns with drips of blood—the only spots of color in the intricately shaded gray-and-black tat. She loved the ink, loved the man who wore it, and she loved the way he defended and cared about her. He’d slept at the hospital to be there with her if she had night terrors.

  Stroking his arm, she could feel his fury in his rigid muscles. And it wasn’t just her he was worried about. When he wasn’t at the hospital, he’d been out searching for his dad. “You haven’t found any sign of Noah?”

  His jaw tightened. “No. Both he and the man who attacked you vanished.”

  The worry for his dad poured off him. Had Noah been injured fighting the assailant? “He’ll turn up when he’s ready. If something happened to your dad and he was hurt, or worse, the cops would have found him.” She had to believe that.

  He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. “You’re right. And he saved you. I’m grateful to him for that.”

  The sweet warmth of his words washed over her, more comforting than any of the drugs they’d given her in the hospital. This man loved her, stood by her, no matter how bad things were. “So am I.”

  Justice squeezed her hand then released it to steer the Jeep around a slower car. “Let’s not worry about my dad right now. The important thing is that you’re out of hospital. We’ll be home soon, and you can rest. I had a security system put in too. You’ll be safe.”

  “Home,” she repeated. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, not only dating a rock star, but living with him.” If she thought too much about it, her head would spin. She’d met Justice Cade and the world as she knew it shifted into a new, exciting place.

  And more dangerous.

  “I’m the man who’s going to keep you safe, Beth. Trust me.”

  Beth. The name she’d been called for the first fourteen years of her life, until her aunt changed it, trying to erase a huge part of who Liza was. But Justice latched on to that name, making her feel whole and accepted.

  “I do. And I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.” That was what her aunt and grandmother didn’t get. Justice made her feel like she mattered and supported her dreams, while they cut her out of their lives when they didn’t agree with her choices.

  “I won’t lose you,” he added. “From now on, your security is my first priority. Especially with that fucker who stabbed you still on the loose.” Anger vibrated in every syllable.

  Concern for Justice welled in her chest. He’d suffered this week too. “Are you and your band okay?” The four other guys in Savaged Illusions were like brothers to him.

  His jaw flexed. “Yeah, the guys are in L.A., meeting with Christine and handling things. We’re not giving up.”

  The cold-hearted business manager wasn’t Liza’s favorite person, but she was more troubled by the tension riding Justice. “That’s good, right?”

  He glanced over at her. “Court of Rock offered us a spot on their summer tour in July. Christine’s negotiating that contract now. We need the money and exposure, but will you be okay when I’m gone?”

  Was that what had him anxious? They were only a week into June now. But more importantly, this was the life she’d signed on for by loving Justice. He was a rock star—well, right now his star had taken a beating and gotten shoved into the shadows. But he and his band would fight their way to the top. He’d never once lied to her about his goal.

  Fame.

  Darkness weighed down on her lungs, trying to suffocate her in fear-soaked memories. But Justice wasn’t her father, or the bastard her dad traded her to for a shot at stardom. She wasn’t letting her past dictate her choices, not anymore.

  Lifting her chin, she said, “You have to go on this tour. I’ll be fine. I’m going to be working anyway. I wonder if Wylie will let me go back to my waitressing job?” Or would her notoriety be a problem?

  “Not until the doctor clears you.”

  “I can’t just sit around.”

  “You can write your books. Then you can send me chapters when I’m gone. Maybe I won’t miss you so much if I can be a part of your secret world.”

  She hadn’t told anyone about her writing until she’d shared it with Justice. It had been her way of escaping her fears and feeling in control. He’d embraced it and encouraged her to write, believing she could one day publish.

  Now it was their secret world.

  “I had this idea about my heroine,” she blurted out. “What if she’s a groupie who falls in love with the lead singer and—”

  Her cell phone rang. It took her a second to remember she’d tucked the device into the plastic bag of all her stuff that Justice had put in the car. She tried to twist to find— “Ouch.” Pain streaked out from the cut and her sore muscles.

  “Don’t move.” Justice steered with one hand and reached back to grab the bag and set it on her lap.

  Liza fished out her phone and eyed the screen. Her heart jumped. “The police station.” Quickly she hit the speaker button so Justice could hear, and answered, “Hello, this is Liza.”

  “Miss Glasner, this is Detective Jenkins.”

  Her stomach tightened. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m calling to inform you we may have a break in your case.”

  Finally. The knot of anxiety in her stomach eased. “Do you have my attacker in custody?” She desperately wanted to feel safe and to know who hated her enough to try to kill her.

  “Not for your attack specifically. We’ve arrested our suspect on another charge, and that led us to evidence that suggests he’s involved in your stabbing.”
>
  She couldn’t stand it. “Who?”

  “Noah Cade.”

  Her fingers went numb. Oh my God, they’d arrested Justice’s father.

  * * *

  Justice swerved into a gas station parking lot and shoved the car into park. He couldn’t believe this. His dad arrested?

  Glaring at the cell phone in Beth’s hand, he shouted, “What the blazing hell, Jenkins? My dad didn’t stab Liza, he saved her.”

  Beth winced, which pissed him off more. She was in enough pain without him losing his shit.

  “Detective, as you can hear,” Beth said, her gaze wide in stark contrast to her pale, bruised face, “Justice is with me. You said Noah is under arrest, but not for my attack?”

  “Correct. He was picked up early this morning for an outstanding warrant. He’s failed to pay several citations for encroachment.”

  Justice gripped the steering wheel to keep from punching it.

  “What’s encroachment?” Beth asked.

  “A way to hassle homeless people for setting their stuff on public property,” Justice snarled. “I’ll pay his damned tickets.”

  “It’s more complicated than that. Mr. Cade was in possession of a jacket covered in dried blood that matches Miss Glasner’s blood type. And there’s more evidence we’re following up on.”

  “Of course he has her blood on him, he tackled the assailant right off her.” He forced calm into his voice and settled his hand on Beth’s thigh. “I had her blood on me, and so did half a dozen other people.”

  “It wasn’t Noah,” Beth jumped in. “I would have recognized his voice. It’s a rusty version of Justice’s.” She lifted the phone closer to her face. “Why are you doing this?”