Bet On Me: Royal Bastards MC: Baltimore #1
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Bet On Me
Royal Bastards MC: Baltimore #1
Elizabeth Knox
Contents
Available Now
Coming Soon
Playlist
Acknowledgments
Royal Bastards Mc Series
Royal Bastards Code
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Available Now
By: Elizabeth Knox
Series: Skulls Renegade
Reign
Redemption
Revenge
Relentless
Reckoning
Reclaimed
Regret
Reckless
Reclusive
Retribution
First Generation: A Skulls Renegade MC Boxset
Series: Steele Bros.
Tough as Steele
Stripping a Steele
Protecting a Steele
Steele her Heart
Series: Reapers MC
Scarred
Blackjack
Here Kitty, Kitty
Booger
Widow
Kade
Hawk
Bull
Cobra
Series: Iron Vex MC
Enraged
Series: Royal Bastards MC: Baltimore
Bet on Me
Series: The Clans with Iris Sweetwater
Promised
The Trade
Cherished
Deceit
Love is War
Defiant
Shattered
Ruthless
Covert
Sin City Fets with Linny Lawless & Aubree Valentine
Switched
Coming Soon
By: Elizabeth Knox
Heretic
(The Clans #10)
Guns Blazing: A Mafia Anthology
Rocked to the Core: A Rockstar Charity Anthology
Mouser
(Reapers MC #9)
Bet on me
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Bet on Me. Copyright © 2020 by Elizabeth Knox. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews. For information contact E. Knox.
https://www.facebook.com/elizabethknoxbooks
Cover Design: Jay Aheer, Simply Defined Art
Editing: Kim Lubbers, Knox Publishing
Proofreading: Jackie Ziegler, Knox Publishing
Formatting: E.C. Land, Knox Publishing
Photographer: Reggie Deanching, RplusM Photo
Model: Al Spinelli
Created with Vellum
Playlist
You Should Be Sad — Halsey
Simmer — Hayley Williams
The Man — Taylor Swift
My Own Dance — Kesha
NASA — Ariana Grande
Mad At Me — Kiana Lede
Acknowledgments
My Royal Bastard MC Brothers & Sisters— This was an amazing project to work with you all on. I know for a fact we’re all going to kick ass.
Sapphire Knight— To say collaborating with you was a dream come true is a massive understatement. You’re truly one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people I’ve ever had the pleasure to come across in this community. Now I can’t wait to dive into Ripper.
Addison Jane— My girlfriend, baha. I still laugh at that meme ‘she thinks we’re friends but little does she know we dating now’. Cracks me up to this day! We’ve been friends for quite a while, but I’ve always wanted to collaborate with you so this has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for letting me use Hatch/Hatchet in Gamble’s story. Although, I hope this is just the beginning for us!
Kristine Allen— We’d never really spoken before this project, but I’m so glad we connected! You’re a total sweetie and I can’t wait for Ghost’s story when his comes. Thanks for letting me borrow him at the Baltimore charter for a few hours.
Erin Trejo— I think we both know we can totally rely on one another when it comes to collaborations. Thanks for never being afraid to jump with a crazy idea I have, no matter how high. My betas are still asking me when Demon is getting his book.
Glenna Maynard— Much like Kristine I don’t think we ever spoke before this project. That’s so crazy, right?! Your man Murder has been the talk of the town amongst my beta group. They’ve all claimed him as theirs and wanted his story yesterday. Thanks for letting me borrow him in my story.
Linny Lawless— Thanks for letting me borrow Heavy for the one thing he’s known for. I’m sure everyone will be seeing a lot more of that side of him when your book releases!
Crimson Syn— Thank you for putting this project together. I was a bit terrified at first with working together with so many authors. All those moving puzzle pieces were a bit much for my mind to process for a bit, but once we started getting closer all of my worries drifted away. This has honestly been one of the most organized projects I’ve ever been a part of and I look forward to sticking with the RBMC authors in the long run! Also, thanks for letting me use Rancid and show an even more fucked-up side of him. I’m sure the readers will hate him even more now, haha!
My Betas, Courtnay, E.C., Jai, Chas, Tania, Janet, Taneesha, Kim, Isabelle, Jojo, Michele, Cynthia, Heidi, Vikki & Lisa— This has been the quickest paced project I’ve worked on in quite a while. Thank you all for giving me your countless feedback. Not only that, but for reading chapters as I sent them and letting me know your true thoughts. You ladies have superpowers when it comes to making me feel confident in my writing. Thank you so much for that and I hope everyone loves Bet on Me as much as you ladies did. I know we can’t wait for the second book in this series and I haven’t told y’all yet but Mammoth is the next Royal Bastard up for a story!
My Blogger Team— I know I didn’t give you guys much time to read Bet on Me and I apologize so much for that. I started writing this novel just prior to release and I appreciate all of your support, whether it’s sharing or ARC reading my novels. Love you all so much and I hope you enjoy this!
My Editor, Kim and Proofreader, Jackie— You two blow my mind every single time we have another project. Thank you for always keeping up with my fast-paced writing and pointing out the small or major things I miss. I don’t know what I’d do without you both!
Rae, E.C., and Raven— You ladies have been the best accountability partners ever. Seriously, over the last month we’ve all had so many projects and I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished. Let’s keep rising!
Rae— Thank you for being my cheerleader through the crazy month of January. Out of everyone you were constantly telling me I could do this. Also, thanks for brainstorming ga
ng names with me and shooting down every one of them that sounded like trash. Haha, I love you dearly!
E.C.— I feel like we were racing each other in sprints all the time, and damn me for saying it, but I loved every second of it! You’ve come so far from when you first started writing and I can’t wait to see where this crazy world takes you. Let’s have sprints more often, they’re a great way to keep us both on track.
Raven— Here we both are with more releases. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how much crap we’re both facing in life, we somehow are able to push through it. You’re one of the strongest people I know and I’m so thankful to have you as not only my friend, but pretty much my work wife too haha.
To the broken ones – even our pieces can be put back together. Don’t let your past keep you from enjoying your future to the fullest.
Trigger Warning
This book is intended for mature audiences only. If darker books are not for you, please do not move forward. After re-adjusting my trigger warning system, I will not be giving any spoilers. Please understand that this is not your run of the mill romance and tough subjects will be spoken about in this storyline.
Royal Bastards Mc Series
Erin Trejo: Blood Lust
Chelle C Craze & Eli Abbott: Bad Like Me
K Webster: Koyn
Esther E. Schmidt: Petros
Elizabeth Knox: Bet on Me
Glenna Maynard: Lady & the Biker
Madison Faye: Filthy Bastard
CM Genovese: Frozen Rain
J. Lynn Lombard: Blayze’s Inferno
Crimson Syn: Inked In Vengeance
B.B. Blaque: Rotten Apple
Addison Jane: Her Ransom
Izzy Sweet & Sean Moriarty: Broken Wings
Nikki Landis: Ridin’ For Hell
KL Ramsey: Savage Heat
M. Merin: Axel
Sapphire Knight: Bastard
Bink Cummings: Switch Burn
Winter Travers: Playboy
Linny Lawless: The Heavy Crown
Jax Hart: Desert King
Elle Boon: Royally Broken
Kristine Allen: Voodoo
Ker Dukey: Animal
KE Osborn: Defining Darkness
Shannon Youngblood: Silver & Lace
Royal Bastards MC Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/royalbastardsmc/
Website
https://www.royalbastardsmc.com/
Royal Bastards Code
PROTECT: The club and your brothers come before anything else and must be protected at all costs. CLUB is FAMILY.
RESPECT: Earn it & Give it. Respect club law. Respect the patch. Respect your brothers. Disrespect a member and there will be hell to pay.
HONOR: Being patched in is an honor, not a right. Your colors are sacred, not to be left alone, and NEVER let them touch the ground.
OL’ LADIES: Never disrespect a member’s or brother’s Ol’ Lady. PERIOD.
CHURCH is MANDATORY.
LOYALTY: Takes precedence over all, including well-being.
HONESTY: Never LIE, CHEAT, or STEAL from another member or the club.
TERRITORY: You are to respect your brother’s property and follow their Chapter’s club rules.
TRUST: Years to earn it . . . seconds to lose it.
NEVER RIDE OFF: Brothers do not abandon their family.
Prologue
And in the end, all I learned was how to be strong alone.
~ Unknown
Gamble
Two Months Ago . . .
Tightness swarms over my chest and neck as my plane lands in New Orleans. I look out the window to see the busyness that is the city and suck in a deep breath, wondering what in the fuck I’m walking into.
I was told to get here as soon as possible. Those were Rancid’s exact words. Rancid . . . boy he’s another story. A man who is more creature than human. The type of person you either want to stick close to for protection, or completely steer clear of. Looking back at our thick history now I thought I’d made the right choices. Little did I know back then where my choices would lead me.
The flight attendant at the front starts telling us we can disembark the plane and allows us off row by row. The nice man who sat beside me on the flight opens the overhead cabinet and hands me my black carry-on bag. I found out his name is Jackson; he’s a mechanical engineer and he’s come down here to work on some brand-new hotel they’re building right in the French Quarter.
Little does Jackson know who I’m involved with, or the type of woman I am. Whenever I’m walking around, I get mistaken as Christina Aguilera all the time. It’s almost as if I’m her paler doppelganger. The man made small talk, told me about his life and drummed up whatever conversation he could during our three-hour flight. I’m blessed or cursed with one of those innocent faces. It makes me approachable, which puts me in situations like this where a stranger chats with me for as long as they can in the hopes I might fuck them.
I’ve known men like Jackson for years. Hell, I still deal with men like him. I sling my carry-on bag over my shoulder, holding the strap over my black fringe leather jacket and walk forward since Jackson allows me to walk in front of him as our row exits the plane. Going down the aisle I walk into the terminal and turn my head at the sound of my name, “Gamble, are you going to be in town for a while?”
I shrug my shoulders, “I sure hope not.”
My answer causes Jackson to look a bit confused, but he swiftly recovers. “Ah, I see. You didn’t tell me why you’ve come but it must be on stressful terms. If you . . . feel the need to destress at any time while you’re here give me a call. My number is on the card,” He hands me a black card with white font on it. Just from the velvet finish I can tell he does well for himself.
I give him a nod, “I have to get going, but thanks for the offer.” I head down through the terminal and follow the constant flow of traffic out toward the front of the airport. I pull my phone out from my back pocket, turn off airplane mode and select one of the many apps I have. Uber wants to charge nineteen dollars to take me to the club while Lyft wants to charge me sixteen. Looks like Lyft wins today.
Within five minutes my Lyft driver is approaching me and I hop inside. I don’t make any small talk because I’m entirely too busy trying to figure out what the fuck Rancid wants with me, and why he wants it now. He hasn’t spoken to me in almost six months and it’s been the most peaceful time of my life. I haven’t woken up in a dead sweat in the middle of the night, terrified I had yet another nightmare of him wrapping his hands around my throat, fucking me until I passed out.
For far too long that was my reality. He made me his personal clubwhore, stealing me away from my home in Baltimore. Rancid came out when I was fifteen, blowing every single person in my father’s club to shreds. The Knights of Retribution MC were the only thing I knew until that day, until Satan himself came to our door.
I was the only survivor besides a little ten-year-old boy named Charlie, but Rancid made sure to let me know the only person who would be surviving was me and only if I did exactly as he said.
At fifteen years old I became a personal fucktoy for Rancid to use whenever he wanted. He dragged me around from club to club and only recently let me run back to Baltimore. Even though it was as a clubwhore I was happy to get away from him, to have some aspect of freedom, but most of all to be in my hometown again. Fuck, I remember how much my stomach would turn when he bragged about raping the wives and daughters of his enemies before he’d kill them in front of their families.
The Lyft driver stops right in front of the gates at the club, “I’m not going in there, sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I don’t blame you.” I mutter in response, unbuckling my seatbelt I stare out to the chain gates and contemplate running. I think about every scenario where I could tell this driver to take me straight back to the airport and I’d buy the first available plane ticket to somewhere far, far away. But at the end of the day he’
d find me. He always has and he always will. The Royal Bastards MC’s reach is far too vast for me to successfully flee without my trail getting picked up on.
The driver gets paid through the app so I loop the strap of my bag in my hand and exit the vehicle, slam the door shut and walk toward the gates. There’s a new guy standing behind it, looking me up and down like I’m some lost little girl.
“You should get outta here sweetie, unless you want the big bad wolves of this here club to rip you up like little red.”
“Save me the warning, kid. Rancid called and told me to come. I’m Gamble, a name you should probably remember before you’re the one who gets ripped to shreds by him. He doesn’t like it when others touch what no doubt belongs to him.” The kid’s eyes go wide as he staggers backward a couple steps.
“Shit, I’m so sorry. Please don’t tell him what I said to you, Gamble. I’ve heard all about you and . . . please don’t say anything.” There’s a begging tone to this kid’s voice. He can’t be older than eighteen. He could be nineteen and have a baby face, but regardless he knows to be afraid of the fearless leader. If he’s smart he’ll leave this club before he gets in too deep and Rancid kills him.