by L. Wilder
Day Three- A Hitman Romance
What Bad Boys Do- Book 1
L. Wilder
Jasper
Copyright 2019 L. Wilder
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication or any part of this series may be reproduced without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Some of the places named in the book are actual places found in Tennessee and New York. The names, characters, brands, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and owners of various products and locations referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Warning: This book is intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language, violence, and explicit sex scenes.
*BookBub- https://www.bookbub.com/authors/l-wilder
L. Wilder’s Newsletter (sign up for giveaways and news about upcoming releases) http://eepurl.com/dvSpW5
*Special acknowledgement- The quote, Murphy’s Law- Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, was written by Edward A. Murphy, an engineer who was working on Air Force Project MX981.
Cover Details:
Cover Model: Chase Ketron
Photographer: Furious Fotog
Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations www.facebook.com/MayhemCoverCreations
Editor: Lisa Cullinan
Proofreader- Rose Holub www.facebook.com/ReadbyRose/
Teasers & Banners: Gel Ytayz at Tempting Illustrations
Personal Assistant: Natalie Weston PA
Catch up with the entire Satan’s Fury MC Series today!
All books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Summer Storm (Satan’s Fury MC Novella)
Maverick (Satan’s Fury MC #1)
Stitch (Satan’s Fury MC #2)
Cotton (Satan’s Fury MC #3)
Clutch (Satan’s Fury MC #4)
Smokey (Satan’s Fury MC #5)
Big (Satan’s Fury #6)
Two Bit (Satan’s Fury #7)
Diesel (Satan’s Fury #8)
Blaze (Satan’s Fury Memphis Chapter)
Shadow (Satan’s Fury Memphis Chapter)
Riggs (Satan’s Fury Memphis Chapter)
Murphy (Satan’s Fury Memphis Chapter)
Damaged Goods- (The Redemption Series Book 1- Nitro)
Max’s Redemption (The Redemption Series Book 2- Max)
Inferno (Devil Chasers #1)
Smolder (Devil Chaser #2)
Ignite (Devil Chasers #3)
Consumed (Devil Chasers #4)
Combust (Devil Chasers #5)
The Long Road Home (Devil Chasers #6)
My Temptation (The Happy Endings Collection #1)
Bring the Heat (The Happy Endings Collection #2)
His Promise (The Happy Endings Collection #3)
Created with Vellum
Contents
Prologue
1. Jasper
2. Madison
3. Jasper
4. Madison
5. Jasper
6. Madison
7. Jasper
8. Madison
9. Jasper
10. Madison
11. Jasper
12. Madison
13. Jasper
14. Madison
15. Jasper
16. Madison
17. Jasper
18. Madison
19. Jasper
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Excerpt from Blaze: Satan’s Fury- Memphis
Prologue
1. Blaze
Prologue
“You still haven’t told me.” Her green eyes were filled with hope as she lifted the covers and slipped into bed. “How did your first day go?”
“It was fine.” I pulled off my t-shirt then crawled into the bed next to her. “Typical construction stuff. About what I expected.”
As soon as I was settled, she curled into my side and rested her head on my chest. “So, do you think you’ll like working there?”
“It’s a job, Lainey. I don’t have to like it, but don’t worry, I’ll make the best of it.” I shifted my head on the pillow as I thought about all the different jobs, I’d applied for over the past few months. I was more than qualified for each and every one of them, but as soon as my potential employer saw the list of PTSD meds I was on, they sent me walking. Just as I was starting to get desperate, her brother offered me a spot on his construction crew. I’d run out of options, so I accepted. I kissed her softly on the temple and told her, “I appreciate Josh giving me a chance.”
“Are you kidding? It was the smartest thing he could’ve done.” She looked up at me with those big green eyes of hers and placed the palm of her hand on my chest. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“Glad you think so.” Lainey and I had known each other for years. We’d gone to high school together, and her father ran the local gin where my dad took his cotton to be processed. We’d been around each other all the time, but rarely ever spoke. It wasn’t until I transferred to the base in Millington that we had crossed paths again. I had asked her out, and from there we just kind of fell into a relationship. Lainey and I had only been dating a few months when I was sent to Iraq. We had gotten close, but we weren’t exactly in love—at least I didn’t think so. I never expected her to wait for me to return, but she did. Apparently, she thought we had something special, and she wanted to see it through. Even after it became apparent that I wasn’t the same man, that I was broken and far from the guy she’d originally fallen for, she still stuck by me. “It’ll be nice to have the extra income. Maybe, we can get started on fixing this place up.”
“It’s a studio apartment, Jasper. It’s supposed to look rustic. Do you have any idea how many people would kill to have a place like this?”
“That doesn’t mean it couldn’t use a fresh coat of paint and a sofa that doesn’t feel like it has rocks in the cushions,” I argued.
“It’s not that bad,” she scoffed. “Besides, it was free.”
“Free doesn’t make it good. You deserve something better than someone else’s trash.”
“Actually, I kind of like it. It pulls the room together.”
Lainey was an artist and had used her talents to make the most of our small apartment. She’d bought used furniture at yard sales that she’d fixed up and added her own artwork on the walls to brighten the place up, but it simply wasn’t enough. Not only was it in a bad part of town, it was falling apart with a growing list of things that needed to be fixed, and it was over a popular local bar. On the weekends, it could be after one a.m. before the noise died down enough for us to fall asleep. “That’s a big job considering the size of this room. Maybe one day we can have a place that actually has walls.”
“I like our place. It has character.”
“I know you do, but it isn’t safe. There’s a slew of thugs living behind us in those low-income apartments, and
—”
“Jasper,” Lainey whispered, soothing the rumble of frustration that was starting to fester deep inside of me. I never really understood how she did it, but she had a way of calming the part that wanted to lash out when things didn’t go the way I wanted. “We’ve been over this a thousand times. It’s close to work, and I have plenty of room to paint here. Besides, it’s only temporary. When we can afford to buy a place of our own, we will.”
“Until that happens, I plan on fixing things around here.” I looked down at her. “You good with that?”
A smile crept over her face as she answered, “Yes, I’m good with that.”
“Then, it’s settled. I’ll start with the water heater, and once I have that taken care of, I’ll start painting. Just need you to pick out the color.”
“You know, the landlord should be the one fixing this place up, not you.”
“Well, the landlord is a douchebag slumlord who needs a foot up his ass,” I snapped. “I’d like five minutes alone in a dark alley with that piece of shit.”
“Well, let’s hope for his sake that doesn’t happen.” The room fell silent for several long seconds, and then she asked, “Have you rescheduled your next appointment with Dr. Campbell?”
If anyone would’ve told me that I’d need a fucking shrink after I returned from the war, I would’ve laughed in their face. After all my training, I thought I was ready for anything, but I was wrong. I wasn’t prepared for the constant pressure I felt to succeed in my mission, knowing that one wrong move could cost thousands of lives, including my own. The intensity was all-consuming, but the worst was seeing child soldiers being used to clear landmines, hearing the sounds of gunfire and explosions every minute of every day, and watching as one of my fallen brothers took his last breath. Those were the things that no amount of training could’ve prepared me for, and they stuck with me when I returned stateside. I tried to adjust to life back home, but I was struggling to keep my emotions in check, especially my temper.
My short fuse had cost me several nights in jail and a rift between me and my family, and when I was stabbed during a bar fight, it almost cost me my life. While being discharged from the hospital, one of the nurses encouraged me to pay Dr. Campbell a visit. I was reluctant at first, but Lainey finally convinced me to give it a go. It had taken some time and lots of patience on his part, but Dr. Campbell had helped me a great deal. He hadn’t done it completely on his own. I was taking a handful of pills every night, but I was feeling less angry, less bitter, and the nightmares were becoming more infrequent.
Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t lie about not rescheduling the appointment I’d missed, so I answered, “Not yet.”
“I thought you were going to call him during your lunch break today.”
“I was, but I ran out of time.”
When I saw the look in her eyes, I knew what was coming. “Those sessions have been helping you, Jasper.”
“I know. I know.” I turned to look out the bedroom window and said, “I’ll call him first thing tomorrow and reschedule.”
“Good.” She leaned towards me and pressed her lips to mine, briefly kissing me before returning to her spot in the crook of my arm. “I have to be at work early in the morning. We have some new pieces coming into the museum, and Gloria wants me there to help get everything displayed for tomorrow afternoon’s big reveal.”
“Sounds like you’re going to have a busy day.” I kissed her on the forehead. “You best get some sleep.”
“Good night, Jasper.” As she nestled in closer, she whispered, “I love you.”
I didn’t say it back. I never did. That didn’t mean I didn’t care about her, because I did. I cared for Lainey a great deal. I just couldn’t say those words to her. Maybe it was because I wasn’t actually in love with her, or maybe I was incapable of truly feeling love. The thought weighed on me, making it difficult to sleep. I was lying there listening to the soothing sounds of her breathing when I heard a strange noise coming from the hall. As the sound grew louder, I lifted up in the bed. I was just about to get up when I heard the door handle turn, and then turn again. I got out of bed and grabbed my pistol out of the bottom drawer of my dresser. By the time I’d gotten over to the door, the handle had stopped spinning. I leaned forward, placing my ear close to the door, and couldn’t hear anything moving around in the hallway.
“Jasper … what is it?”
“Not sure. I think someone was at the door.”
“I didn’t hear anything … Just come back to bed. I’m sure it’s nothing,” she tried to assure me.
“I know I heard something.”
“Maybe you did. Maybe you didn’t. Either way, they’re gone now.”
Needing to prove that it wasn’t just my imagination, I turned the lock, and as soon as I opened the door, I knew I’d made a mistake.
Three men stood before me, and they all had a menacing look in their eyes. I’d seen them before and knew they were trouble. “You guys need something?”
The big guy in the middle replied, “We’re looking for Marco.”
“There’s no Marco here.”
“Sorry, man. Looks like we got the wrong place.”
There was something about the way the guy was looking at me that gave me an uneasy feeling. Hoping it would be the end of it, I nodded and said, “No problem.”
I stepped back and went to close the door, but one of the men charged forward, forcing the door back open. When I went to stop him, the big guy aimed his gun at me and fired. I could hear Lainey’s screams as a searing pain burned through my chest. Rage washed over me as I raised my gun and started shooting. I had no cover, no time to think about the shot I was taking, but that didn’t slow me down. I just kept shooting, and I’d already taken one guy down and wounded the second before they started firing back. They hit me a second and third time in the chest and gut, but it still didn’t stop me. As I flailed back, I continued shooting until my chamber was completely empty. When I landed on my back, Lainey got up and rushed towards me. I raised my hand, trying to stop her, but it was too late. The big guy pointed his weapon in her direction and pulled the trigger, shooting her directly in the heart. I watched in disbelief as she dropped to the floor next to me with a hard thud. Her eyes searched for mine as she extended her hand towards me and muttered, “Jasper.”
As I tried to reach for her, I heard one of the men ask, “You all right?”
“I’m good. Looks like the bullet went straight through.”
“Good.” He paused for a moment, then said, “We need to get the hell out of here.”
“Yeah, but what are we gonna do about Lynx? We can’t just leave him here.”
“We’ve got no choice.”
They riffled around our apartment, opening drawers, searching through closets, and God knows what else before they both finally walked out of the apartment. I wanted to go after them, kill them both and make them pay for hurting Lainey. Without any ammunition and a chest full of bullet wounds, there was nothing I could do but lie there and bleed out. I looked over to Lainey and watched as her breaths grew shallow. The color drained from her beautiful face, and I knew her end was drawing near. I took her hand in mine and whispered, “Hold on, Lainey. Help will be here soon.”
I felt guilty for lying to her, but I knew I had to say something to keep her there with me.
“I’m sorry,” were the only words she could muster as her eyelids fluttered closed. My chest tightened as I watched her take her last breath. She was gone, and it was all my fault. I was the one who was supposed to keep her safe, and I’d failed her. Knowing I’d lost the one good thing I had left in my life, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness, letting it take root deep inside of me. The cold chill of death crept over me, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I met my maker. I didn’t fight it. There was no point. I had nothing to live for, not anymore.
Two weeks later, I woke up in a hospital room surrounded by my family. I could see the relief on thei
r faces as they hovered over me, but all I felt was rage and heartbreak like I never had before. I shouldn’t have lived. It should’ve been me who died, not Lainey. My brothers tried to be sympathetic, but they just didn’t get it. They couldn’t understand the feelings of disgust and frustration that consumed me, and I didn’t bother trying to explain myself. Instead, I packed up everything I owned and moved to a cabin in the mountains. I wanted to be alone, free from judgement and looks of despair, and that’s exactly what I got. At the time, I had no way of knowing that fate would come knocking at my door, but it did, and it brought an opportunity I simply could not refuse.
1
Jasper
“They say New York is something to see this time of year. Maybe you’ll have time to check out some of the sights while you’re there.”
“You know I don’t give a fuck about the sights,” I grumbled. We were sitting at a local diner just outside of Chattanooga, the same place we’d met many times before, and even though we’d only been there a few minutes, I was already growing frustrated. “Just give me the information I need, and we’ll call it a day.”
As he handed me the flash drive, Charles shook his head and said, “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to get out and enjoy life a bit. Maybe meet some young lady who will—”
“I don’t have the time nor the desire to get out and enjoy anything, Charles,” I interrupted.
“That right there is the very reason why I worry about you like I do.”