Grit (King's Harlots #1)

by J. M. Walker

  “Will you give us a moment?” I asked my brothers.

  They nodded in agreement but grumbled under their breath. They knew Vega wouldn’t talk with a crowd. If I could get information, any at all, it would help us with our mission. That shit needed to be dealt with. We needed to move on with our lives and do our actual job.

  “Watch him,” Coby mumbled, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Something’s not right. He’s on edge.”

  I nodded once, thankful my brother saw the change as well.

  Coby would know since he had lived on that same edge for years.

  “You need to talk, Boss,” I told Vega once we were alone.

  “About what?” His gaze snapped to mine, bright and shiny.

  “What’s going on?” I pushed, knowing it would be the one way to get him to speak.

  “What’s going on?” he repeated, shaking his head. A light laugh left him. “Everything is going on. These women, these girls… I’ve never cared about something that had nothing to do with the country we live in. We fight together. We die together. We breathe—”

  “Together,” I finished for him.

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “We do.”

  “So what’s the problem?” My heart pounded against the walls of my ribcage. My hands became sweaty. I had a feeling, a horrible agonizing feeling, that he was closer to the mission than he let on.

  “My niece.” Vega swallowed hard. “She was taken during the night last night.”

  “Fuck,” I blurted. “And you think it’s whoever took the other girls?”

  “It has to be. It makes sense. My sister is broken over this. If I don’t get her back…” His eyes shone. “I don’t know what will happen to her.”

  “We’ll get your niece back,” I reassured him. Something else was still bothering him. “Safe and sound,” I added. Yeah, cause I was God and knew all. Shit.

  “Don’t you dare sit there and tell me that shit. I’m not stupid. That’s the same line we use on civilians.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” I said. “This is not our job. We protect our country. We get the bad guys who threaten it. Some of these girls aren’t even from the US.”

  “I need you to go in because of my niece. I don’t fucking care if it’s against protocol. I don’t care if I get fired over it. I need her back. For my sister.” Vega’s voice was filled with shaky desperation, his eyes moving back and forth, wild and bright. “I refuse to watch my sister lose herself because some bastards get their rocks off by preying on the weak and innocent.”

  I bit back a scoff. The women I knew would chew up those men and eat them for dinner. My thoughts traveled to a tall redhead with alabaster skin that I couldn’t wait to feel against my own again and again. Jay and her girls were anything but weak. They each had their own story and learned to live in a world overrun by men. The Alpha inside of me wanted to protect them. Jay was the Queen of her surroundings, and I found myself wanting—no, needing—to be her King.

  “Angel?”

  My thoughts snapped back to reality. Clearing my throat, I headed to the door. “We will find your niece.” Dead or alive went unsaid.

  Vega nodded, slumping in his chair. “Thank you. Right now, I’m willing to do anything and give up what I’ve worked so hard for to see my sister happy again.”

  I knew how he felt. Although I had no blood relatives that I knew of, Vice-One were the brothers I never had. They were my family. We fought. We argued. We shot the shit together. We were a unit. We put our lives on the line for each other, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

  “Who am I dealing with when it comes to this new guy?” I asked, remembering Vega mentioning a Victor Steve or whatever the hell his name was.

  “Vincent Stone. Best in his class. Been in the military for over five years. Needed a change when he saw some shit go down and transferred to the Navy.”

  “Makes sense,” I mumbled.

  “He’s strong, and he won’t let you down, Angel.” Vega handed me a file. “Read up on him if needed but know that he’s loyal.”

  I nodded, leaving the office to be met by my brothers.

  They threw question after question at me. What is going on? What now? When do we leave? But the one that stuck out the most was Dale’s question of, How long will we be gone? I was curious to find out as well because I missed Jay. I missed her sass. Her witty humor and the sailor mouth she had on her. Knowing I needed to call her, my stomach twisted.

  “Angel,” Coby’s baritone voice snapped me from my thoughts. “What’s doing, brother?”

  “We head out in ten. I don’t want to think about home yet because then time will go by slower,” I told the men standing around me. “We will be meeting Vincent Stone at the base.”

  “Ooh,” Dale rubbed his hands together. “Fresh meat.”

  “I like ‘em raw,” Asher joked a long with him.

  Dale sighed. “It was like we were meant to be,” he swooned, batting his eyes.

  Asher laughed, clapping a hand on Dale’s shoulder.

  “I hope Vincent knows what he’s getting into,” Coby said as Asher and Dale walked away.

  Yeah. Me too.

  THE MOMENT we started toward the base, the excitement in my stomach grew. It started out as a shiver, sliding up my back and gripping my spine until it took my breath away. I loved my job. I lived for it. I breathed for it. We all did.

  Set up outside of town; the drive to base took three hours. That part was the worst. I would rather fly, jump, and fall, landing in the unknown until we had to find our way out.

  We were all antsy.

  Asher’s knees bounced up and down.

  Coby leaned his head against the wall of the convoy, his eyes closed. His face was calm, relaxed even, while he waited.

  Dale bobbed his head up and down to the beat playing through the earbuds in his ears.

  And I just sat there, watching, waiting.

  We all had our own vice, our own way of dealing. We often went in blind, not knowing what we were getting into until we got to base. Even then we weren’t given much information. We went in, got the bad guy, and left. Most times it went off without a hitch, but not always. We all had our scars to prove it. And Vincent Stone, the newbie, would definitely know about missions going wrong. My heart hurt for him. I wasn’t a sentimental guy. But I would lay my life on the line for my brothers, the men sitting around me, before I let them leave me.

  “Half an hour,” Asher told us, a slow grin spreading on his face. He loved that moment, going in, not knowing what would happen. I usually did too, but I was ready to go home before shit even began.

  Jay.

  I should call her.

  “You should call her.”

  I glanced up at Coby. “Are you reading minds now?”

  “No. I just know you,” he pointed out.

  And that was why I hated getting close to people. I loved my brothers but sometimes I wanted things for myself. We spent so much time together that we knew each other’s dirty little secrets. Or I did, at least. Funny thing was, I hated talking, but they sure enjoyed talking to me.

  Three days. It was all I wanted. Seventy-two hours to make up for the weeks away. I needed to get to know Jay. I craved her touch. Her gaze as it roamed over my body. I wanted to wrap myself in her warmth, reveal everything I had felt over the years. Fear. Happiness. Regret. Emotions I had never let anyone see before. Feelings I never considered sharing until I met her.

  My phone buzzed.

  Jay: Three days, huh?

  Shit. I called her instead of texting her back.

  “What?”

  A slow grin spread on my face at Jay’s sass. God, I loved the mouth on her. “Miss me?”

  “Please,” she scoffed.

  “I will make it so every time I leave, your body aches for me.” Shifting in my seat, I adjusted my pants. The mere thought of her spread-eagle on her bed sent heat racing to my dick.

  Her breath caught. “You told me
three days.”

  “What do you want from me, Jay? I can’t tell my boss that I need to stay home because I have this woman who gets under my skin.”

  “I hope I stay under your skin, Angel,” Jay purred. “And I hope you lay awake at night, thinking of me with only your hands to satisfy you.”

  A loud click sounded in my ear. All of those thoughts pushed their way into my mind, giving me ideas on what I would do to her when I got home. Her attitude struck a chord with me and made me crave her even more. She was pissed, but I knew it wasn’t because I had to leave for work. I was getting to her. And she hated me for it. In the short time I had known her; she had let it be clear that she would rather be alone. She loved her sisters but her trust was shattered when the people closest to her had ripped her heart out.

  “Was that Jay?” Dale asked from the other side of the convoy.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Did you tell Max we left?”

  “Uh, yeah.” His cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

  Huh. It seemed my brother had a thing for the vice president of King’s Harlots. Maybe more than I thought.

  “Dale’s in love,” Asher teased, punching him in the shoulder.

  “Fuck you I am,” Dale snapped. “I get regular pussy with no strings. What better relationship is there?”

  “Loyalty,” Coby answered. “Or so I’ve been told.”

  I didn’t know, either. But I knew I wanted that one person to go to bed with at night and wake up to every morning. I wanted to give her breakfast and coffee in bed. And then we would make love until we had to go to work. To see that person, knowing you are spending the rest of your life with them, would be satisfying.

  I never thought I would want a committed relationship. What Jay and I had was too soon to even consider that, but my short time with her made me realize I wanted more. Marriage, kids, everything you could share with that one special person. I needed it. I craved it. And I would work damn hard to make Jay see that there would be more to us than just sex.

  ***

  (Jay)

  It was unreasonable for me to get pissed over Angel being called away earlier than expected. But a part of me wanted him to prove that I would be his in just three short days. The back and forth was enough to drive me insane. I craved the feeling of his hands on my body, his mouth brushing across my skin. His fingers kneading into the flesh of my ass as he helped me ride the beautiful essence of him.

  A tingle brewed between my legs, forcing me to squeeze them together. My hands did nothing. My fingers didn’t appease the torture. It hadn’t been long since I saw the man, and already I was losing it.

  “Jay, girl, are you all right?” Brogan approached me wearing shorts and a white tank top.

  “Yeah.” I shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Come.” She hooked her arm through mine. “Let’s go work out,” she said, leading us down the hallway to the gym we had set up.

  Brogan loved working out and being healthy. She was a couple inches shorter than me but could no doubt drop me on my ass faster than most people gave her credit for.

  “Do you remember what we did last time?” she asked, stepping away from me and opening the door.

  “You made me hit some things.” But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember all of the tips and exercises she told me.

  Brogan laughed, which in turn made me smile. The sound of her laughter was full and loud. It rolled up from her stomach, letting everyone around her know that something was funny. Her dark-auburn curls bounced, brushing her shoulders with a shake of her head. She walked around the punching bag, cracking her knuckles and sizing up the item before her as if it were her victim.

  “Why do you work out so much?” I asked, stretching my arms above my head. I was limber and obsessed with making my limbs move in positions that freaked most people out but lifting weights and gaining muscle wasn’t important to me. I smiled to myself, remembering Angel’s breathy groan when he realized how flexible I was.

  “I’m single. It helps reduce my frustration.” She winked, hitting the bag with a balled-up fist.

  “Does it work?”

  “No,” she mumbled.

  I laughed, grabbing hold of the bag and watching her hop from one foot to the other.

  “That guy you’ve been seeing, he treat you good?” she asked, not breaking contact with the bag.

  “Well, I don’t know him that well, but yeah, I guess you could say he does,” I told her, a shiver rippling down my spine at the mere mention of Angel.

  “That’s good.” She glanced up at me through dark lashes. “I wouldn’t want to have to make him disappear or anything. You think it’ll become serious?”

  “You think you’ll start seeing someone anytime soon?” I threw back.

  “Ha,” she scoffed. “Not likely.”

  “Exactly.” I gave her a small smile.

  “You like him,” she pointed out, grabbing the bag and motioning for me to start hitting.

  “He’s delicious and gives me what I want. What’s not to like?” The man could please me with just his fingers for the rest of my life and I would be a happy girl.

  “Does he give you everything you want?” Brogan started spouting off orders before I could answer her question. Smart girl, because I wouldn’t have answered anyway. “Back straight. Fists up. Hit like your life depends on it.”

  “I think your life depends on it because I don’t care…” My voice trailed off.

  “You don’t care about what?” she questioned, her brows narrowing. “About life? About your life?”

  “That’s not what I meant. Of course I care about my life. I just… Forget I said anything.” I rambled. I didn’t ramble. I always knew what to say, and when I did, I would say it. No questions asked. Sometimes it got me into trouble, but in most cases, people appreciated it.

  “What’s going on, Jay?” Brogan pressed.

  I slammed my fist against the bag, a sharp pain shooting up my forearm.

  “Shit, Jay, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” Brogan grabbed my hand, rubbing her thumb over my knuckles. She stretched out my fingers, moving my hand back and forth. “Does that hurt?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t know what had come over me, but I wondered if Violet felt it. Wherever she was. We had been told our whole lives that twins had a different connection than regular siblings. We would joke that it wasn’t true.

  “Come on, Jay. Let’s switch places.”

  “But why?” I had asked my sister. “I’m boring.”

  Violet had hugged me. “You are not boring. You’re my sister.”

  I was boring. She’d known it. I knew it. Everyone knew it. But for whatever reason, Violet had never said so.

  We had sat on the bench in our backyard for what felt like an eternity, the silence swallowing us whole.

  “Why do you want to switch places? What happened this time?” I had asked, leaning my head against her shoulder.

  “Nothing.”

  She was lying. Every time Violet had gotten into trouble, she wanted to switch places. She told me it made her feel normal for at least a moment. She’d never told me why. But she didn’t have to. We may have been twins but our personalities were different.

  “Okay.”

  Her shoulders had relaxed, a long sigh escaping her. “Thank you.”

  A breath left me on a whoosh at the painful memory. It had been a beautiful day, one filled with laughter and sunshine. I wish I would have known how much Violet needed me to switch lives with her. God, I missed her. My chest ached. A cold shiver of fear rippled down my spine.

  “Jay?” Brogan frowned.

  “I need a moment.” I knelt on the mat, taking deep, cleansing breaths. Everyone around me knew that my sister was taken. They didn’t talk about it. So when the girls started going missing, I could feel the eyes on me. The questions about if I was going to snap or lose it going unsaid.

  I needed an unbiased person. Someone who didn’t know her. Who didn’t know my relati
onship with her. Someone neutral.

  Angel.

  Usually, I would curse myself for even thinking his name, but at that moment, I needed something other than the panic attacks to keep me warm at night. I needed him. It scared me but I would push that fear aside if it meant getting my sister back.

  “If you need to talk,” Brogan offered. “I’m here.”

  “I know.” I took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

  “I think that’s it for today,” she said, helping me to my feet.

  I nodded, rubbing my shaky hands down the front of my sweats. Grazing a hand down the smooth leather of the bag, I closed my eyes.

  I will battle you. I will overcome you. You are my demon but I will not let you win.

  I CALLED Jay a week into the mission. Knowing I would get the sass I was craving, a tingle of heat spread over my body.

  “Hello?”

  I frowned at the small voice. “Jay?”

  “Hi, Angel.” She sighed.

  “Uh…” My stomach tensed. “Hi.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m…fine. How are you?” The casual conversation was throwing me off. It wasn’t like her.

  “I’m…” She hiccupped. “Fine.”

  “Have you been drinking?” I asked, catching Coby’s gaze when he motioned that it was time to meet our new recruit.

  “A little bit,” Jay answered, a slight slur moving over her words. She was mellow, a husky tinge coating her voice.

  Well, that explains it. “You should go to bed,” I told her, even though I wanted to hear more of what she had to say.

  “Don’t want to.”

  “And why not?” I asked, lowering my voice.

  “It’s lonely. I need a big, dark, brooding man to keep me warm. Angel,” she purred, “are you that man?”

  Fuck me hard and call me Sally. “Yes.” I would be whatever she damn well wanted me to be.

  “Good.” And with that, she hung up.

  I stared at my phone, stunned by what just happened. If my semi hard-on was any indication, I needed to go home.

  “Ready?” Coby asked, clapping a hand on my shoulder.