by Amity Cross
As I approached Beat, Dad glanced up and said something to one of the police officers, and then he practically ran down the street to meet me. Bloody hell, a little police action and I was flavor of the month.
“Ren,” Dad exclaimed, throwing his arms around me. A hug? I finally get a fucking hug? The sensation of his arms around me was alien and felt all kinds of wrong.
“What’s going on?” I asked, eyeing the cop over his shoulder.
“The studio was broken into last night,” Dad said, pulling back to look at me. “Thank god you weren’t there.”
I blinked. “Broken into?”
“They smashed the place up,” he went on. “Nothing seems to be stolen, the police think it might’ve been kids.”
“Kids?” I glanced over his shoulder where the roller door had been raised. There was police tape inside as well and a couple of plain clothes cops with cameras and dusting for prints.
“Where were you?”
“I was staying with Josie,” I said, desperate to know what they’d found.
What the fuck had Ash done on his way out? Covered his tracks. How did you cover up a murder? There was blood on the mats, but I’m sure if it was still there, the cops would’ve found it already.
“Have you heard from Ash?” Dad asked and I blinked hard. “Ren?”
Shaking my head, I said, “No. Not since he left last night.”
“He’s not answering his phone.”
“What-” My gut churned as I realized what Dad was hinting at. “No,” I exclaimed. “Why would he trash Beat? I don’t believe it.”
“Not Ash,” Dad said, pulling me out of ear shot of the cops. “Someone from that fighting racket.”
My eyebrows rose and any response I could’ve given him died in my throat.
“If you know something Ren, you have to tell me.”
I couldn’t. If I did, I may as well sign Ash’s arrest warrant myself. So, despite every moral compass inside me pointing at saying yes and spilling, I said, “No.”
I don’t love you, Ren. I can’t love you. I’m already lost. Get the fuck out and don’t come back.
He was such a fucking liar.
Dad eyed me with worry and nodded. “If you’ve got something to say, you can come to me, you know.”
“After all this time?” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Ren, please. This is serious.”
I nodded. “Okay. Fine.”
Patting me on the shoulder, he wandered off to talk to the cops again. Where was I going to stay now?
There was movement on the footpath as Monica got out of her car and walked towards the scene that was all of her own making, her mouth dropping open as she surveyed the damage.
She glanced up and our gazes met, invisible sparks of pure hatred passing from me to her. For the first time, I saw the vulnerable side of Monica Miller, the stupid little girl who’d made the biggest mistake of her life.
Yeah, I know it was you, I thought. I know what you did.
I should pity my poor little sister, blinded by misguided lust, but all I wanted was her blood. The moment I could get my hands on the bitch, she would pay.
“Ren,” she squeaked as she came to a halt a few paces away from my trembling form.
“Don’t you fucking talk to me,” I hissed. “I know what you did.”
“I never meant-”
“Do you know what they were going to do to me?” I asked, shoving her down the gutter between a van and a parked car so we were out of sight.
She shook her head, panic setting into her features.
“He was going to rape me, Monica. He almost did.” I shook my head, utterly disgusted. Anger had replaced last night’s hysteria, but it wasn’t any prettier than that had been.
“Ren, I’m-”
“Sorry?” I spat. “You ruined his life, you know that? Whatever happens to Ash next is on you.” I shoved her hard and she slammed into the back of the van, a whimper bursting from her lips. Poor fucking Monica. Poor. Fucking. Bitch.
It was too late for apologies. And it was too late to take back a life.
Ash, where are you?
They were after Ash. I’d become his greatest weakness and by forcing him to take me to The Underground and fighting like I had, I’d made myself his kryptonite. Take me out and they take out the only thing between them and a million bucks.
It was all my fault.
Ash could be anywhere. He could’ve done anything to Hammer. He could’ve killed him.
It was all my fault. Ash was ruined again, but this time it was because of me.
I was too chicken shit to turn up at The Underground on my own, just incase someone else was lying in wait for me, so I called the head honchos, but they hadn’t heard from him. They hadn’t heard from Hammer either, which was the most alarming thing out of the whole steaming pile.
He hadn’t contacted Dean or Lincoln, either. I didn’t know if he had any family or friends outside of Beat. I didn’t have anyone else to ask.
I’d run out of leads and had to resign myself to the inevitable.
Ash wasn’t coming back. Why the fuck would he?
I was empty. Hollow. Broken. Abandoned.
Figured.
Chapter 37
Ash
I popped the boot of the car and kicked it open.
Staring down at the unconscious and bound Hammer, I squashed down the beast inside, deciding what I should do with him.
He’d hurt her. He hurt my Ren and he had to be taught a lesson.
I stood over the guy as his head rolled back and forth, a strangled moan echoing in the empty space around us.
I’d come close to the line and I’d mother fucking toed it, but I’d never crossed it completely.
If I went through with this, the line would be obliterated.
Ren was worth it. I’d do anything to keep her safe from scum like Hammer.
Anything.
I fisted my hands into the front of his shirt and hauled him up and out, letting him fall heavily on the ground.
He and I…we weren’t going to be winners in this game. It was all a matter of who was going to lose the most.
I might lose Ren and my freedom, but I would still have my life.
And she would have hers.
I warned them and they didn’t listen.
Now, they had to pay.
Thank you for reading BEAT. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve just devoured, please consider leaving a review at the retailer you purchased this eBook from. Reviews help and inspire indie authors more than you will ever know.
Beat is the first full-length novel in The Beat and The Pulse series by Amity Cross. Book two, PULSE, is on its way. Flip the page to read what it’s about.
xo
Amity Cross
Pulse (#2 The Beat and The Pulse)
Erotic Romance - 18+ due to mature content
Ren Miller never dreamed her life would turn out quite like this.
On the cusp of qualifying for the brand new woman's UFC league, she's finally found the thing that makes her tick. She finally has a whole new life before her, but it’s one that doesn't include Ash Fuller.
No one has seen or heard from Beat's Golden Boy in six months, not even Ren. He's disappeared off the face of the earth and he's just another person who's ended up abandoning her when she needed him the most. He broke her heart, but he took the one thing that was hers. Her spirit.
When someone unexpected turns up at Beat with an ultimatum, Ren must make a decision. Go after Ash and her own heart or make her Dad's dream of winning a Championship come true.
Will Ren choose to fight?
Or sacrifice everything to save the man she loves?
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About the Author
Amity Cross isn't my real name. That's no secret.
I didn't want my Mum and my workplace to find out I wrote about doodles
and tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo.
I live in a leafy suburb of Melbourne, Australia writing about screwed up relationships and kick ass female leads that don't take s**t lying down.
xo
Follow Amity:
AmityCrossWrites.com
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Contents
Before – Ash
After – Ren
Chapter 1 – Ren
Chapter 2 – Ren
Chapter 3 – Ren
Chapter 4 – Ash
Chapter 5 – Ren
Chapter 6 – Ash
Chapter 7 – Ren
Chapter 8 – Ren
Chapter 9 – Ash
Chapter 10 – Ren
Chapter 11 – Ren
Chapter 12 – Ren
Chapter 13 – Ash
Chapter 14 – Ren
Chapter 15 – Ash
Chapter 16 – Ren
Chapter 17 – Ash
Chapter 18 – Ren
Chapter 19 – Ren
Chapter 20 – Ash
Chapter 21 – Ren
Chapter 22 – Ren
Chapter 23 – Ren
Chapter 24 – Ash
Chapter 25 – Ren
Chapter 26 – Ren
Chapter 27 – Ash
Chapter 28 – Ren
Chapter 29 – Ren
Chapter 30 – Ren
Chapter 31 – Ash
Chapter 32 – Ren
Chapter 33 – Ren
Chapter 34 – Ren
Chapter 35 – Ash
Chapter 36 – Ren
Chapter 37 – Ash
Pulse (#2 The Beat and The Pulse)
About the Author