Sky (Legacies Book 2)
Page 1
Sky
Legacies Series
Book 2
Erin Osborne
Copyright 2020© Erin Osborne
All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for brief quotations used in book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Erin Osborne has permission to mention the Rebel Guardians MC series by Liberty Parker and Darlene Tallman in this book.
Cover Photo: DepositPhotos
Cover Design: Erin Osborne
Editor: Darlene Tallman
Proofreader: Kim Richards
Character List
Legacies
Strippers:
Sydney ‘Delight’ Thompson
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
Waitresses:
Hope ‘Heaven’ Kent
Tabby ‘Dream’ Kendrix
Kait ‘Fawna’ Vaughn
Emily ‘Gabby’ Vaughn
Bartenders:
Colt Johns
Thorn ‘Vanish’ Alexander
Logan Johns
Bouncers:
Zander ‘Breaker’ Williams
Timothy ‘Crave’ Bennett
Killian ‘Bounce’ Graves
DJs:
Trey Kingston – Day
Kevin Edwards – Night
Managers:
Tonya Johns
Axel ‘Blood’ Johns
Kings Vengeance MC
Officers:
President: Axel ‘Blood’ Johns
V. President: Timothy ‘Crave’ Bennett
Secretary: Anthony ‘Specs’ Adams
Treasurer: Randy ‘Ledge’ Coleson
Sgt. At Arms: Zander ‘Breaker’ Williams
Enforcer: Killian ‘Bounce’ Graves
Road Captain: Lance ‘Carver’ Hilton
Members:
Thorn ‘Vanish’ Alexander
Patrick ‘Digger’ Lewis
Shayne ‘Grunt’ Carter
Thomas ‘Greek’ Carter
Prospects:
Colt Johns
Logan Johns
Levi Bennett
Charlie Wilson
Ol’ Ladies:
Tonya Johns – Blood
Sydney ‘Delight’ Thompson – Bounce
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes – Colt
Sweet Butts:
Tempest
Ginger
Carrie
Needa
Lynne
Connie
Sky Blurb
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
The one word I associate with life is hard. One second took both my parents. One to death and one to grief. I also lost my two best friends shortly before then. To a girl raised in a sheltered life, that made my life hard as hell; having no one to turn to.
The next word is abuse. I no longer know love or peace. At least until a friend steps in to help. Will I finally find my home again? A family to love me like they used to.
Colt Johns
The one word I associate with life is loss. I have my family by blood. I’ve lost more than one uncle to violence. The one loss I can’t get past is my best friend, Emersyn. When she returns can I get past myself to claim my woman?
Will Sky’s past come back to tear everything apart?
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Darlene. Thank you for everything. You’ve been a friend, beta reader, and editor for me over the years. I’m honored you’re taking a part in this series to edit it. Thank you so much for everything over the years.
Table of Contents
Sky
Copyright 2020© Erin Osborne
Character List
Sky Blurb
Dedication
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
Sky Playlist
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Other Books
Prologue
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
MY STORY ISN’T your typical story. I grew up with two loving parents. Dad was an investment banker while my mom was a stay at home mom. She loved being there for me when I got home from school, helping me with my homework, and going to anything I did at the school. They were so in love and showed me how a man and woman love one another.
Dad and Mom would hug, hold hands, and often gave one another a kiss just because. Neither one of them left the house without a kiss goodbye and saying, ‘I love you’. From an early age, I envied my parents’ relationship. It’s what I want for myself when I grow up and don’t think boys are disgusting and filled with cooties.
Mom used to tell me I was their miracle baby because they never thought they could have children. It took them trying for almost five years to get pregnant with me. So, I grew up an only child and the center of my parents’ entire world. Especially my mom. Not to say they weren’t the center of each other’s lives at the same time. Some days they spent together without me and I know they used those days just to be with one another. I love that they did that and then also included me on some of their trips too. Our little family was all I ever needed.
I didn’t have grandparents when I was born because they had already passed away. Mom used to tell me stories about them and show me pictures, but I guess my thought was I can’t miss what I never had. Even hearing other kids talk about their grandparents didn’t leave me feeling empty and there’s one very important reason for that; the Johns.
The small family consisted of Axel and Tonya Johns and their two sons, Colt and Logan. Our families were very close and spent a lot of time with one another when there wasn’t work or school. Axel and Tonya stepped up and were like second parents to me. They didn’t have to and I love them for everything they did for my parents and me. All because they wanted to be a part of our family and wanted us to be a part of their family.
Colt, Logan, and I used to do everything together. We played together, went swimming, had sleepovers until we got too old for them, and were inseparable. I didn’t need brothers when I had them. The two boys looked out for me in school and made sure everyone left me alone when they found out I was being picked on. I’m short as hell and everyone used to pick on me about my size. Especially once I started developing.
The two
boys taught me how to skateboard, ride a bike like them, and let me do the same things they did when we would play around at the beach or playground. When I broke my first bone, it was with them. They were teaching me how to do a trick at the skate park and I got ran over by another kid on his skateboard. The resulting crash ended up leaving me with a broken wrist. Colt and Logan were so scared for me and stayed by my side no matter what. None of the adults were mad or upset because of it; kids will be kids as far as they were concerned.
Logan, even though he was younger, started pulling away from our little trio first. He started seeing girls in a different way; one I didn’t understand. When we were about fourteen, our trio became a duo. Colt and I started spending more time together with Logan out with his other friends and spending time with girls. This is the time in my life I started falling in love with Colt.
Colt was my rock, my best friend, my teacher, my protector, and the one person I wanted in my life more than anything. Unfortunately, he only saw me as a little sister because I’m two years younger than he is. Especially when he began to follow Logan’s path and started seeing girls in a different light. Colt was the first person to ever break my heart because I went from being an everyday friend to someone he only saw every now and then.
The one thing that never changed was the two boys sticking up for me and making sure no one hurt or upset me. If I was being bullied at school, they would make sure it stopped. Yeah, they got into more than one fight protecting me. Axel and Tonya weren’t even mad at them when they had to come down to the school because of their fighting. I remember the first time it happened and what Axel told his sons and the school
“You boys, I’m so proud of you. You’re protectin’ Emersyn because no one else in this school will. If you get in a fight every single day, I’ll die a happy man because it shows we’re raisin’ you right,” he told them as we all sat in the office with the Principal.
“Mr. Johns, that’s not the kind of children we want in our school. It’s not okay to fight,” the Principal admonished him.
“Then you bring all those other kids in here and suspend them like you’re tryin’ to do to my sons because they were bullyin’ this poor girl and not a single adult stepped in to help her. What do you think everyone will think about that fact?” Axel countered, showing he wasn’t afraid of our Principal in the least.
That was when Colt was seventeen, Logan was sixteen, and I was fifteen. It was also one of the last times I saw the Johns family. Something happened and they ended up moving away. Axel had to step into the family business or something like that. Them leaving is the second time my heart broke and I experienced a loss like nothing before it.
Instead of going to the playground and beach, I would sit outside and stare at the empty house once the Johns family left. There was no reason for me to go out and do things when I didn’t have them. As sad as it is to say, Colt and Logan were my only friends. Now, I also had to be careful in school too. I didn’t have my protectors. So, I kept my head down and spent all my unoccupied time studying and getting straight A’s so I could go to college the second I graduated.
A month after the Johns left, I felt another loss. My mother had gone to the store one night for a few extra groceries and on her way home, a drunk driver hit her. She was killed instantly, and her loss was deeply felt not only by me, but by my father as well. In a matter of seconds, he lost his best friend, soulmate, and the love of his life. I was all he had left in the world and it was like I was a ghost because he stopped seeing me.
The day we buried my mom is the day my father checked out for good. It was a ceremony with just the two of us. I’m not sure why because my mother was loved by everyone who crossed paths with her. I can only think my father wanted it to be this way so no one would see the grief and loss filling him.
We stayed at the gravesite of my mom for hours after they lowered her casket into the hole. My dad cried and sobbed hysterically and sounded like a wounded animal. I shed tears and cried for our loss, but even at fifteen I knew we still had to move on with our lives. Unfortunately, my dad didn’t feel the same.
I had to drag him from the cemetery and put him in the car. Even though I didn’t have a license, I managed to get us home. Thankfully it was only a few miles. Once we walked through the door, we were assaulted by my mom’s perfume, the scent of her favorite candle, and an entire flood of memories of her in this house. My dad broke down and continued to cry as he grabbed a bottle of alcohol and shut me out as he locked himself away in his room.
Our home had gone from being filled with love and memories to a shell of a building filled with pain, sadness, and grief. A house I took charge of as my dad could only manage to get out of bed long enough to go to work on a daily basis and then come home to drink his life away. I paid the bills, got groceries, cleaned, cooked, and made sure my dad had what he needed. Just not the alcohol.
After months of being the ‘adult’ in the house, I started rebelling. I would go to school, pay bills, and cook for my father but that’s it. When I wasn’t doing one of those things, I was out partying and hanging with a bad crowd. I started smoking weed, drinking, and staying out all hours of the night. It’s not like my dad even realized I was gone.
That’s where I met Jeremy. He was usually the one holding a party. Jeremy started paying attention to me and eventually I became his. Things were great at first. I’d still live my life by going to school and taking care of things around the house for my dad. Then I’d spend time with Jeremy and help him throw the parties he was quickly becoming famous for throwing. It’s not like he went to school or anything because he didn’t. Jeremy dropped out his senior year and almost convinced me to do the same thing.
Things slowly started to go downhill from there. Jeremy became possessive, wouldn’t let me spend much time at my house, and slowly alienated me from all the people who came to his parties. Now, I was relegated to making food and then staying in the bedroom until Jeremy needed something. If I wanted to party, I had to hide it from him and pray I was asleep before he came to bed so he didn’t know.
The first time he caught me drinking in the room alone, he smacked the hell out of me. I had a bruise on my cheek for days I had to cover with make-up; making me look cheaper than I already felt. Jeremy completely beat the shit out of me when I stopped going over there. He didn’t like that I wanted to break up with him and had started staying home so I could get back on track to go to college.
From then on, he knew he had me. Things didn’t change, but I started to realize the more I stayed away from him and let him do what he wanted, including cheating on me daily, he left me alone. Every now and then, he would have sex with me and I hated every single second of it.
I left him again when I found out I was pregnant. There was no way in hell he was going to influence my child with his abusive ways and drugs. The only thing I did was leave him a note before packing as many of my things as I could from my dad’s house and get as much money as I could find before leaving for good.
My cell phone was left behind along with my car. Anything I could think of where Jeremy could track me. I didn’t want much of my things either. The only things I took were my clothes, some pictures of my mom and dad, and a few pictures I had from when Colt, Logan, and their family were still around. I also grabbed my license, birth certificate, and any other important papers I thought I’d need. Anything else, I’d get on the road.
I also didn’t have the slightest clue where I was going. All I knew was I was getting the hell out of town to start a new life where no one knew me. It wasn’t going to be easy either considering I was not quite eighteen yet. Maybe I could find someone to help me with a fake ID.
Leaving in the middle of the night, I hiked to the outskirts of town to the bus station and bought a ticket with some money I’ve been stashing away for the last two years. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to get me started. The only important thing right now is protecting my baby and myself. I don’t care abou
t anything else.
Chapter One
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
Two years later
MY EYES SLOWLY open and I realize I’m once again in the hospital. Several smells assault my senses as I wake up. These include death, the sterile smell usually associated with hospitals, and strong cleaning products. I hear the annoying beeping noise letting me know I’m hooked up to machines monitoring me. I’m not sure what the hell happened this time. I only know it’s because of Jeremy; again.
I’m alone in the room and I know it’s a matter of time before Jeremy makes an appearance. This is the same thing that happens every single time.
The pain radiating throughout my entire body is horrible. I feel as if I’ve been run over by a Mack truck but it’s nothing new after one of Jeremy’s ‘lessons’. This isn’t the first time he’s put his hands on me to the point I’ve ended up in the hospital. If I could make it the last one, I would. I just don’t see a way out.
Needless to say, I didn’t end up leaving town. Jeremy found me as I was about to board the bus to get the hell out of there. He dragged me back to his house and beat the shit out of me. The only area he didn’t touch was my stomach. So, I learned to live with him because I wasn’t allowed to leave the house unless I had a doctor’s appointment for the pregnancy.
Well, that lasted until he thought I was flirting with one of his friends at a party one night. Jeremy beat the shit out of me because it was all my fault and left me bleeding on the floor in the kitchen while he partied some more. If it weren’t for one of his many whores, I would have laid there all night long. That was the night I lost my first baby. I was alone when it happened, and Jeremy then got mad again because I lost ‘his’ baby.
He ended up fucking me until I got pregnant again and laid off the whores. For someone who acts like they want a baby, he doesn’t give a shit he’s the reason I lost the first one. This time around, there was hardly any hitting or using me as a punching bag.
Jeremy laid off hitting me too much because I had regular appointments. Not that he went with me to them. I thought things were getting better. Especially when he showed up to the hospital when I had our daughter, Zoey. Instead, he got pissed because she wasn’t a boy and as soon as I got home, the beatings started. Lately, he’s been threatening me with killing Zoey so I ‘stay in line’. His words, not mine.