by H. R. Owen
H.R. Owen
Dark Mind
The Dark Series – Book One
H.R. Owen
Copyright 2018 H.R. Owen
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.
ISBN-13: 978-0646989907
Book design by Swish Design & Editing
Editing by Swish Design & Editing
Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing
Cover design by Soxsational Cover Art
Cover Image Copyright 2018
All rights reserved
Callen
My name is Callen Parker, and I’m hired to kill. I’ve never spent more than a few hours with a woman, until her. Until Dahlia Moore. A woman that’s far too perfect to fit into my world of sin and destruction. I will ruin her, but I have a feeling she might ruin me first.
Dahlia
I have a past I’m trying to escape. When a perfect man covered in tattoos saves my life, then kidnaps me, everything changes. I want him. I want to tell him everything. I just hope he feels the same when the truth comes out.
For my mum, Tynee.
Thank you for just being you.
First, a big thank you to Kaylene Osborn of Swish Design & Editing. Without you, this book wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you for putting up with all the painful questions I’m always asking and putting in the time to make this book perfect.
My husband, Luke. You are an amazing man and thank you for supporting me in this wonderful and time-consuming journey.
A big thank you to my bestie, Nicole. You’ve always encouraged my dirty talk, and here I am today, putting it all onto paper.
I would love to thank my children for helping me along the way. But in all honestly, they have made it harder, lol. Still, Aria and Ivy, I love you both to the moon and back.
Lastly, my mum, Tynee. Thank you for always allowing me to follow my dreams and make my own decisions, even if there were a few bad ones in amongst them You are one incredible woman, and I hope to become as amazing as you one day.
Blurb
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
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
Epilogue
Connect With Me Online
About the Author – H.R. Owen
CALLEN
My name is Callen Parker, and I am hired to kill. I don’t class myself as a hitman as such. I’m just a man who loves to have death surrounding me. I have no conscience, never really have.
Right now, I’m sitting in a seedy motel, a blonde woman whose name I have no idea, has her mouth wrapped around my cock, and all I can think about is my next kill.
My client informed me my next victim will be at the dock downtown at ten o’clock. As I look to the clock sitting on the blank white wall, which is void of anything personal and just the way I like it at my own home, the time reads nine, which means I only have an hour to get there.
The blonde on my dick is all teeth, and she’s currently scraping my shaft on the way down.
I’m done.
There’s no point having her here if she can’t even get me off. I pull her hair forcefully until I can see her face. “Get the fuck out,” I yell and throw her to the floor in front of me.
I take my half hard cock into the palm of my hand and start stroking up and down. I see the woman standing there with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion while she stares at me. “I told you to get the fuck out,” I grunt. “Do you want me to throw you out the fucking front door?”
She jumps in fright, picking her shirt up from the floor and covering her overly large fake breasts with it and runs out the door, slamming it behind her.
I’m not a good man, but I love my job. I was born to kill, and I have no problem with who the target is—man or woman. The blonde was lucky I let her walk out of this room alive.
Focusing on my dick again, I squeeze it tightly and start pumping. “Fuck,” I yell out of frustration. That rancid bitch has tainted my cock with her useless mouth, and now I can’t even get hard or get off. Giving up, I pull my favorite black jeans up. They’re well-worn with small holes around the knee area. They’re my killing jeans, the ones I always wear on a job.
Fuck it! It’s time to pack my bags and head off anyway. Hopefully, this kill will give me the release I’m searching for. I head toward my car and throw my bag on the back seat. As soon as I close the door, I’m greeted with an unwelcome feeling. I don’t know what I’m feeling because I pretty much generally have no feelings. I shake whatever that shit was off and slide into the driver’s seat. Starting my car, I hear the purr of the engine which excites me, and I drop the clutch, place my foot flat on the accelerator, and squeal the wheels.
As soon as I arrive at the dock, I park my car out of sight behind the wall of trees surrounding the lake. With my bag in hand, I sneak into the bushes off to the side which I scoped out last night and set up my tools. All around me I hear the wildlife buzzing in a persistent drone.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
It feels like I’ve been here forever waiting for this guy to show up, and I’m becoming very fucking tired of it.
Lifting my cell out of my pocket, I check the time—eleven-fifteen—over an hour late.
“Where the fuck are you?” I mumble.
Giving up, I suspect this guy isn’t coming, so I start to pack my shit and turn to leave, and that’s when I spot her. Long brown hair flowing to her waist, perky little tits, and a body that has me feeling weak at the knees. That weak-knee feeling was the same I felt earlier when I was about to get into my car and drive here. Weird.
I find myself staring at her, and as hard as I try, I just can’t pry my eyes away. She walks under the light near the dock, and her face comes entirely into view. She’s perfect. Her long brown hair tickles her face in the light breeze that fills the air. She uses her fingers to brush it from her face, and as she does, her eyes lock with mine. I feel my cock strain against my jeans as I stare into the bright blue eyes that shine under the light.
I must have her.
She finally breaks eye contact and instantly I feel lost. I attempt to shake off the feelings she’s invoked, and that’s when I see a dark shadow behind her. It’s him. The man standing behind her is the one from the photo my client sent. How the fuck am I going to do this while she’s there.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Gunfire rattles off, and I watch as her tiny body falls to the ground hitting her head on the thick railings. I watch him come into view, gun in hand and looking like he’s just won first prize at a fucking carnival. I quickly draw my gun and aim it at his head, pulling the trigger.
Bang.
One single shot is all that’s needed, and he drops to the ground like the piece of shit he is. Wasting no time, I run over to the dock and jump straight over the blood-splattered railings to find her lying there holding her shoulder.
“Fuck, darlin’, are you okay?” I ask.
She looks up at me with pained eyes and a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Um… it’s my shoulder. I’ve been shot. Oh God, it hurts,” she cries out.
“It’s okay, I’ll get you out of here.” I pick up her limp body and shuffle her in my arms until her side is flush against my chest. Carrying her to my car, I stare down at her in wonder, and she seems to have the same look in her eyes. I open the back door and lay her gently on the back seat closing the door behind me. I throw my bag on the passenger side seat and make my way to the driver’s side, not taking my eyes off her for one second.
Starting up the car, I pause with my hands on the steering wheel and take a big breath. What the fuck am I going to do with her? I can’t take her to the hospital, she just saw me take a man’s life. Even if she thinks I was trying to save her life, there’s a chance she’ll tell the police everything that happened tonight, and I can’t take that risk.
I know I’m going to regret this.
I’m taking her home.
DAHLIA
I’m walking home from my dance studio near the old docks, the place I bought after I moved here and fell in love with it. The cool breeze is running through my hair, and after the heat of the last few months, it’s a welcome feeling.
Deciding I’ll take a walk along the dock to extend the feeling of finally feeling cool, I sit on the edge of the old wooden structure and take my shoes off. The water in the lake looks clear even in the dark of night. Breathing in the smell of the lake and humming my favorite song into the silent night, I feel the cold becoming too much, so I make the decision to head home and have a warm bath.
Walking along the dock, I see a dark figure standing in the bushes by the lake. Goosebumps tingle from my hands and travel down to my bare feet as I notice the dark form watching me.
As I come to stand under a light, a gush of wind gently blows my hair into my eyes. I push it out using the tips of my fingers and look back to the bushes. Whoever it is, is still standing there watching me, and suddenly my eyes lock with his. A man with eyes so green I can see them shimmer even in the dark. A small, uncomfortable smile forms on my lips, and I pull my gaze away heading home.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Gunshots ring out, and I stumble when I feel my shoulder thrust back with a force so aggressive that I fall to the ground hitting my head on something on the way down.
What the fuck just happened?
Feeling dizzy and confused, I blink a few times and look up to see a short, round man trudging toward me. His gun is raised and pointing in my direction. Harsh trembles rush through me.
He shot me.
Shit! He’s going to shoot me again.
I’m not walking out of here alive.
Bang.
I hear the shot, and my one good arm goes up trying to protect myself, but I don’t feel the bullet hit me. Running my hand over my body, the only wound I appear to have is the one on my shoulder where the bullet tore through only minutes ago knocking me to the ground.
The thud sound of the round man dropping to the ground puts me in a daze. As I look closer, I notice blood pooling around his head and seeping down into the cracks of the wood panels. Still lying where I fell, I hold my hand over my wound to try and stop the bleeding.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
There’s a large body running toward the dock at full force, jumping the railings like there’s nothing standing in his way. I shift back trying to get away, but he’s too fast.
“Fuck, darlin’, are you okay,” he drawls.
“Um… it’s my shoulder. I’ve been shot. Oh God, it hurts.”
The look in his eyes almost resembles sympathy, but there’s something off, something missing.
“It’s okay, I’ll get you out of here,” a strong, deep voice states, and it makes my whole body tremble.
He scoops me up in his big arms, his muscles going tense and pulling against the tight fabric of his black shirt. He carries me over to a big black muscle car hidden amongst a row of trees along the lake and opens the door, easing me gently onto the back seat. He throws a large gray bag on the passenger side seat and walks around the car and slides into the driver’s side. When the door shuts behind him, he stills for a long moment, sighing, then finally starts the engine. The loud rumble vibrates between my legs, and in one swift move, he pulls on the wheel, and the car slides along the grass letting out a loud screech when the tires hit the road.
My head is spinning and thumping, my shoulder’s burning with a sharp pain, and it’s then I realize I’m in a car with a perfect stranger.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask when I notice he’s going in the opposite direction of the hospital.
Turning around to look at me, his mouth is set in a hard line, and there’s something dark lingering in his eyes. “Home, sweetheart. I’m taking you home.”
“You don’t know where I live. How can you be taking me home?” I ask, all too confused.
“Darlin’…” he drawls. “You’re coming to my house. You just watched me blow a hole in a man’s head. There’s no way I’m letting you go and run your mouth off to the police. I just can’t risk that.”
“Please, just pull over and let me out. I promise you I won’t talk to the police. I just want to go home,” I snap.
Words come out of his mouth, but I can’t make out a damn thing. My head starts pounding, and my eyes begin to blur and upon trying to speak, nothing comes out, not one word. Looking up, I make out the handsome stranger mouthing something to me, but it’s too late. I collapse on the seat, and everything goes black.
CALLEN
Pulling up to my house, I know I’ve made a huge mistake bringing her here. I should have left her there with that scumbag who shot her, but she’d already seen my face.
The house is a massive two-story home that my friend, Bates, inherited when his grandmother died ten years ago. We’d spent the first four of those years gutting it and turning it back into what the house may have looked like in its former glory. Bates and I had made a pact not to succumb to a woman’s allure when we were in the ninth grade. I never had a problem with it, mostly because I only saw them as a place to put my cock and fuck them off when I was done.
Bates, however, started out that way then slowly began to change over the years. He’d been distant in the last few weeks before his death, and I’d thought there may have been a woman involved, but I think he may have gotten himself into deeper shit during that time. It’s been almost two years since I heard the news of his murder, and when I find the fucker who killed him, I will tear him apart with my bare hands.
There’s a large porch which wraps around the entire house on the bottom level, and small balconies coming off each room on the top level. The outside planking is painted white with gray shutters, and the property is surrounded by large oak trees covered in moss. It’s not the type of place you’d expect to see two men living in, especially a contract killer and drug dealer, but this place is my sanctuary, and bringing a woman here
for the first time makes me have a few regrets.
“What the fuck am I doing?” I groan as my head hits the steering wheel.
I finally snap out of it, realizing I need to get her inside and see how much damage has been done by the bullet. She’d passed out not long after we got in the car and has been out the entire drive home.
Hopping out of the car, I make my way around to the back door and open it, picking her limp body up in my arms. I try to pull her as close to me as I can, and her tiny body sits perfectly against my chest. She’s so light in my arms, I feel like I could throw her into the air with ease.
Unlocking my front door proves difficult, but once I get the key in the lock and open the door, I step inside and use my foot to kick it shut behind me. I continue walking through the dark house and carry her up the stairs to my bedroom. Stepping over to the bed, I place her tiny body softly on the mattress. The adjoining bathroom has a first-aid kit under the sink with everything I need. I hope she stays out cold so I can get a good look at the wound before she starts flipping out on me. I grab the kit and walk back to the bedroom. The image of her splayed out on my bed, her long, wild hair fanning across the mattress makes my dick go rock-fucking-hard, and I need to adjust myself in my jeans.
Heading over to the bed, I sit on the edge and open the first-aid kit, pulling out some alcohol, bandages, scissors, and some cotton cloths. I slowly cut a line down the middle of her tight, white singlet trying not to wake her. “Holy fuck,” I grunt and clear my throat. She has no bra on, her perfect breasts pop out, and are on full display. Perky nipples on small, creamy flesh point in my direction, and they’re just asking to be tasted. Taking the rest of her singlet off, I throw it on the floor ready to be put in the trash.
The wound on her shoulder is only a graze, a deep graze but nothing too fatal. I grab the cotton cloth and splash some alcohol on it, gently dabbing over the entire wound. She won’t need any stitches, so I cover the cleaned area with a bandage and tape it up. Wiping away the excess blood from around the area, I look up and see her chest rise and fall with her breathing, her nipples poking out in stiff peaks, then finally becoming fully erect. My heads starts to lower to her chest of its own accord, and my tongue darts out licking over one of her tight buds. My mouth opens, and with a small suck, I pull against her nipple.