Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn Book 1)

by R. E. Bond

  “I’ll always need you.”

  “I need you. Now,” he murmured, his body almost sagging in relief as I tilted my head up to kiss him tenderly.

  He always knew what I needed, and I was more than happy to de-stress with him in a way that would help heal the both of us.

  I was only in my panties, so I kicked them off and tugged his boxers down before swinging a leg over to straddle him.

  He groaned, his fingers running through my hair as he pulled me down to kiss him as I sank over him completely, rotating my hips as his kiss became desperate.

  I sat back and put my hands on his chest to balance myself as I rode him, shyness taking over as I realized he was staring at my face.

  I blushed at the intensity of it, slowing my movements as his thumbs stroked my hips gently.

  “What?”

  “You’re just so fucking beautiful, Aurora,” he replied without hesitation, my heart thumping harder.

  I wasn’t sure why, but his words seared into me, wrapping around my heart and lighting the spark inside.

  “Really?”

  He sat up, resting his back against the headboard and wrapped his arms around me.

  His lips brushed softly over mine as he spoke, making me shiver.

  “I love you.”

  “Even after…”

  “I love you more, because of everything. You have no idea, baby,” he murmured, trailing his lips down my throat as I whispered, “I love you too.”

  Caden

  Skeeter had been the one to go into that room and tell us what had gone down.

  Slash had watched me as Skeeter told us that Rory had shot my father in the head, and he’d seemed surprised when I’d told them she should have dragged it out painfully.

  No one wanted their parents to die, but Tristan Holloway wasn’t a father in any sense of the word.

  He only helped make me, but that was where it ended.

  We’d never been close, and I’d spent most of my childhood being beat on by him or watching him beat on Mom.

  We were always going to be better off without him, and I was glad he was fucking gone.

  I’d spent a few hours alone, needing to clear my head before deciding I’d needed to go home to my girl.

  I’d watched her sleep for a while before climbing into bed with her, pulling her close as she woke from her sleep.

  I felt bad, but we needed each other, and I needed her to know that I was there for her, no matter what.

  I was shit scared of telling her I loved her, but watching her ride me like that? I’d been in fucking awe of how fucking perfect she was.

  She was the most beautiful, strong woman I had ever laid eyes on, and I couldn’t keep that shit from her.

  She deserved to know just how much she meant to me.

  I’d never really slowed shit down in bed, but it felt right with her.

  It was like our souls fucking collided amongst the chaos, and everything suddenly became calm and clear.

  You know all that bullshit about soulmates?

  It was totally fucking true.

  She was mine, and I was hers.

  I believed she had other soulmates out there, and I strangely didn’t mind in the slightest.

  She’d become part of mine, and that was all I gave a fuck about.

  Rory

  Skeeter didn’t speak as I walked into the shed first thing the next morning.

  He watched me cautiously, as if calculating what to actually say to me, but Slash shot me a wide grin like the proud piece of shit that he was, tossing me the cigarettes from his pocket.

  “Get much sleep last night, Killer? I sure as fuck didn’t, because I was awake all night with a fucking boner because of you. Fucking hell babe, you’re one cold-hearted bitch.”

  I grunted, plonking down in his chair and put my feet up on his desk.

  Pretty sure I was still in a sex induced coma from all the fucking orgasms Caden had given me through the night.

  “I spent most of the night fucking Caden between naps, so I guess I got a little bit of sleep.”

  He cracked up laughing like a fucking maniac.

  Trust him to get off on it.

  “You offed his dad and he got horny? You guys are some sick fucks. Where is he, anyways?”

  I glanced at Skeeter, who was still watching me, as I replied.

  “He bailed to deal with some shit.”

  “What shit?” Slash asked with amusement, making me shrug.

  “I didn’t ask. I know you guys have my dad on your radar, so tell me where he is.”

  Skeeter’s face stayed blank from emotion, but Slash chuckled.

  “You really turned cold enough to off your own daddy? Shame you don’t have a dick, I need men as tough as you in my crew.”

  “Sign me up,” I joked, but Skeeter finally spoke up, a touch of sternness in his voice.

  “You’re not even funny, Donovan.”

  I ignored him, like the mature adult that I was, turning my attention back to Slash completely, finally lighting a cigarette and leaning back in the chair.

  “So, where the fuck is he? Might be wise to tell me before I start firing shots at you, boss man.”

  He raised an eyebrow, obviously not amused by my demand.

  “Are you threatening me, Donovan?”

  “No, I’m warning you, big difference. Where the fuck is he?” I bit out, and he gave Skeeter a glance.

  Skeeter gave him a flat look in return, but I stood up and headed towards the door, sick of wasting time.

  “Fine, I’ll find him myself. Don’t get upset if I start sticking my fucking nose where you don’t think it belongs.”

  Fuck them, I’d just deal with it by my fucking self.

  I only made it halfway across the main room before Skeeter’s hand wrapped around my throat and I was pushed back into the side of the cage.

  I expected him to start yelling, but his voice was calm, his eyes holding mine with a mix of emotions.

  “You calm your thirst for fucking blood and we will go. Okay?”

  “Don’t like me now I’m like you?” I gritted out bitterly, sorrow flashing across his face as his grip on me loosened slightly.

  “Baby girl, I don’t like me like this, so of course I don’t want you like this.”

  “Let me go or I’ll cut you. I’m not fucking around anymore,” I seethed, praying he’d let me go.

  He didn’t move, even as I yanked my knife from my pocket and pressed it against his throat.

  “I mean it, Skeet. Let me go.”

  He moved forwards, the blade pushing against his throat until I saw a tiny drop of blood, his voice low as he spoke.

  “Cut me then, because I won’t let you go anywhere, guns fucking blazing, with your head in the clouds. Word’s out in our world that we offed the big bad Tristan Holloway, so Max will be on edge and ready for it. You’ll have to fucking kill me if you want to get past me, Aurora. Don’t say shit without intending on going through with it. Don’t ever make fucking empty threats.”

  His gaze was hard, and I finally pulled my blade back and put it back in my pocket, his lip twitching into a small smile.

  “Well, at least I know you aren’t completely cold inside.”

  “Where the fuck’s my dad, Skeet?” I asked quietly, waiting for him to let me go before I reached out and ran my thumb over the small cut on his throat, lifting it to my mouth and licking the droplet of blood off the tip.

  He growled loudly, “Jesus fucking Christ, unless you wanna go back to mine instead, I’d stop that shit if I were you.”

  I smirked, knowing he wasn’t serious.

  Well actually, he’d fuck me right there in front of everyone.

  I really shouldn’t taunt him.

  “I’ll play fair when you do.”

  “Get in the van, I’ll be out in a minute,” he muttered, rolling my eyes as he stalked back to Slash.

  I headed outside and found the old beat-up black Chevy van and climbed in
.

  The vehicle screamed dodgy to me.

  It had tinted windows and everything.

  Skeeter emerged from the shed a few minutes later, hoisting himself up behind the steering wheel and slamming the door harder than necessary.

  Once on the road, he glanced at me with a scowl.

  “Three bodies in a week for a newbie is a little crazy, babe. When you off your old man, you’re going to crash and burn. You thought your break down over Liam was bad? You wait till it’s your own dad in a shallow grave. You sure you wanna do this?”

  “Yes, I’m fucking sure. He showed no mercy with me, so I’ll be fucking damned if I grant him any as his final wish,” I snapped, relaxing as his hand rested on my thigh, his voice becoming gentle.

  “Hey, it’s fine. I’m there if you need me to finish it or anything. Either way, we aren’t leaving till he’s dead,” he promised, revving me up more.

  My mind was full of nerves, hate, and rage, as memories of Max flashed through me the whole drive.

  I honestly didn’t have a single good memory of him, and that was all I needed to keep me going.

  Skeeter parked at the end of a street, making me frown as we climbed out of the van.

  “Where are we?”

  “Walking the rest of the way. Can’t have him hearing us arrive in case he’s ready,” he answered as he started walking, and I had to jog to catch up to him.

  Once we’d reached an empty-looking house right at the end, surrounded by overgrown weeds and open fields, Skeeter signalled for me to stay silent as we moved along the side of the house and around to the back.

  I followed him until we reached a door and he silently opened it, creeping in with me right behind him.

  He hesitated just as Max’s voice hit my ears from close by.

  He couldn’t see me, but if he had a gun, he could hurt or even kill Skeeter.

  “What the fuck did I ever do to your crew, huh? Whatever Tristan did to get himself killed has nothing to do with me,” Max hissed out, fear and anger rolling out of him in waves.

  I heard a gun load, and I instantly pushed down all my doubts and fears, before moving into the room and standing right in front of Skeeter as a shield.

  Max’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Aurora? What the fuck are you doing here? If they need information about shit and are using you as bait, it’s pointless. I don’t give a fuck about you,” he bit out, a confident smirk stretching across my face

  I knew Skeeter would have my back, so I spoke with more bravery than I normally would with Max.

  “I’m not here as leverage, Max. They don’t use the people they care about, unlike some. They didn’t kill Tristan Holloway, I fucking did.”

  He glanced between us nervously as the ball seemed to drop, his voice becoming quieter as denial moved through him.

  “No, you wouldn’t…”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I already killed one of their fucking members for being a problem, so Tristan was an easy one, because it was fucking personal.”

  “Caden will never forgive you when he finds out. You just fucked up the only chance at love you ever fucking had. Then again, I think he’s just using you again. Who’d fucking want you?” he sneered, but I could still hear the fear in his voice.

  “Caden showed up after seeing me covered in his father’s blood, and he still climbed into bed with me and fucked me while telling me how much he loves me. Maybe he and I do have more in common than we thought?”

  “How so?” he swallowed, and I shrugged as I flicked my blade around in my hand, letting out a small chuckle.

  “Well, neither of us give a shit that our dads were murdered, because we felt no fucking love towards them in the first place.”

  “I’m not dead, Aurora.”

  “Not yet, I’m getting to that part,” I replied bluntly, halting the blade’s movement.

  He actually smiled slightly. “Seriously? You’re going to kill your own father? You don’t have the guts to for starters, but you wouldn’t handle jail, honey. Just go home, trust me, I won’t bother you again.”

  “She won’t be going to jail, I’m here to deal with the aftermath,” Skeeter stated, Max laughing at him with amusement.

  “You and what army?”

  “The usual,” Caden’s voice suddenly said from behind us as he and the guys walked in, standing behind me to give me the strength I fucking needed.

  We heard cars outside, and a sadistic grin spreading across Skeeter’s face as lethal torment laced his tone.

  “Looks like the clean-up crews arrived early. Damnit, hey?”

  Max took a step back, howling as I snatched Skeeter’s gun and shot him in the leg, making him drop to his knees in pain.

  I moved closer until I was squatting in front of him, giving him a smile.

  “Yeah, damnit is about right.”

  “Wait! You’ll never know about what happened to your mother if you kill me!” he exclaimed desperately, but Skeeter scoffed and I tensed instantly.

  He was too amused to not know anything, and I hid it well as he spoke, despite my insides being crushed by every single fucking word.

  “Marla Donovan, age forty-three, worked at the local diner until she ran away when Rory was eight. She worked cash jobs here and there for a year, but then vanished without a trace for a month. Her body was found with distinct markings that I just happen to know is done by an acquaintance of mine. Turns out, you paid him to get rid of her, and you managed to keep it all on the down-low so your daughter wouldn’t fucking know. She’s spent the last ten years looking for a woman who’s been dead for nine.”

  I stepped forward, my entire body going numb.

  I couldn’t fucking look at him.

  “Why, Max?”

  “Why? She didn’t fucking run away, I made her leave, and she was working her way back to you! She wasn’t going to fucking take you from me! If I was going to sink, you were fucking going down with me!” he snapped, and I finally looked him in the eye, my body warming slightly as realization hit me.

  “She wanted me?”

  “Of course she did, but if I told you that, you would have gone fucking looking for her. She had a nice little house, not many friends, a fucking baby on the way,” he bit out, a shiver running down my spine.

  I was meant to be a big sister?

  “What?”

  “Your mother managed to get herself knocked up by some prick that took her in for a while. He was paying someone to take you from me. The plan was, she’d steal you, and he was paying someone to keep you under the radar once she’d gotten you back. If they took you, I had no fucking hope,” he spat bitterly, a frown taking over my face.

  “At what?”

  “Getting out of all of the problems I ended up in! You were my bargaining chip, and I was just lucky you were too scared to venture off because you knew I’d bring you back every time. You can’t escape me, Aurora. When will you fucking learn that?”

  I was still reeling about that fact that Mom wanted me.

  “But she could have just taken me because I’m her kid! Why…”

  His chuckle made my stomach twist, and I felt Skeeter’s chest against my back, letting me know he was there if I needed him.

  He could sense me weakening.

  Everything was starting to spiral and burn as the man who was meant to be my father, completely wrecked me.

  “Your birth mother died in the hospital the day you were born. You were a daily reminder of what I lost, so when Marla found out she was pregnant, I knew I didn’t want more children. I hated you, and Marla loved you like her own, so I got rid of that baby while I could. Rich family adopted her. Marla thought her baby girl died, but she didn’t. The kid was born premature and is the same age as you. Well, I technically knocked Marla up before your real mother died, while I’m being honest with you. It was easy to believe she was your birth mother because she had the same fucking blue eyes that your real mother did,” he grinned like the fucking m
onster he was.

  “Where’s my sister?” I whispered, my throat going tight and the gun in my hand feeling heavy as he kept grinning.

  “After seeing how well she grew up, I kind of like Claire more than I ever fucking liked you. She goes to your school, right?”

  I heard one of the guys behind me suck in a breath, but my body shifted into an emotionless shell as I lifted the gun and gave my father a big smile, his eyes going wide.

  “That’s funny, I like that cunt more than I ever liked you too, and I fucking despise her. Fuck you, Max,” I said, my voice steady and blank from emotion.

  The single gunshot echoed in my head as I watched his body lie motionless on the floor in front of me, glancing up as Skeeter’s guys made their way inside.

  I tossed the gun to one as I turned, my voice completely cold as I spoke.

  “Burn him,” then I walked outside without another fucking word.

  To be continued…

  SURPRISE! Book two in the Watch Me Burn Series is up for pre-order!

  Amazon pre-order: Twisted Fate

  Acknowledgments

  First off, a massive thanks to my Instagram soul sister, Megan! We might not have met, but you’re my most cherished friend. You were the first person to ever read my book, and I’m only published today because you convinced me that people would love it.

  Honestly guys, without her, this wouldn’t have happened! Follow her book review account on Instagram! It’s how I found her! Wideeyedbookreviews

  Alright, time to brag. I have the best graphic designer and cover artist in the fucking world! I’m so grateful to have you as part of my little writing family, Ciaran Strange, and I’d be so lost without your talent! Check him out guys, he’s multi-talented!

  To my editor at Dark Raven Edits, and my second editor and proof-reader at Diamond Editing and Proof Reading, I can’t thank you enough! I had so many questions since it was my first book and you guys just powered through all the answers and dove straight into this book!