KELL (The Valisk Family Series Book 1)

by Roxanne Greening

  I had a moment where I wondered if I was crazy, and she was a figment of my imagination. Our situations were very similar.

  “I’m nobody really. Just a girl who wants to get by,” she replies.

  “We are trapped in a fucking hole. There’s no getting by so the least we can do is enlighten each other,” I tell her.

  “Just in case one doesn’t make it?” She asks.

  “Yes,” I tell her.

  “Okay, I’ll start. I’ve been living in a little shell for years. My family’s written me off. All because I won’t marry this man.” She tells me her voice thick with tears.

  My eyes widened. Marriage seemed to be the bane of her existence.

  “I was one of the wealthy. I had dinners with the famous and rubbed elbows with important people. My parents wanted a higher social standing and were never happy with what they had,” she continued.

  She stopped and took a deep breath, and I could tell she was trying to compose herself. She was crying now. Her voice so thick with tears it was almost impossible to understand her.

  “I fell in love with a gangster when I was in high school we were high school sweethearts until he left me joined the army and literally ran away for his life here,” she paused before continuing, “Like a fool I let him back in.”

  When she didn’t elaborate anymore I realized It was my turn to tell my story, and it was the hardest thing I’ve done to date. Taking a deep breath, I let it sit in my lungs before releasing it.

  I hoped she’ll make it. I hoped she escaped and Kell found her. I wanted him to know the truth, I wanted someone to know, me, know all of me.

  Chapter 28

  Kell

  We couldn’t find a fucking trace of her, and I was going to have to make a call. I fucking hated that! This Sam, guy knew more about her than I did, and I needed him.

  “Texas?” He asked his voice was gruff, and anger had me gritting my teeth. I could hear the affection in his voice.

  “No,” I tell him.

  “Who the fuck is this?” He demanded.

  “Are you Sam?” I ask.

  “Where’s Texas?” He asked angrily.

  “Missing,” I tell him quietly.

  “Again, who the fuck is this?” Sam, asks his voice commanding.

  “Kell,” I tell him.

  There was no point in denying who I was.

  “Valisk?” He asks.

  “Is there any other?” I ask him.

  “Fuck! Where the fuck is she? If you…” he started.

  “Shut the fuck up and listen. She’s gone, and I need your help,” I shout sick of his shit.

  “Did she finish her job?” he asked out of nowhere.

  What the fuck was he talking about?

  “Shit, they found her,” he said.

  What? Who?

  “Kevin, I need to take off for a while, not sure how long,” he told someone.

  “What about…” Kevin, started. I’m guessing it was Kevin.

  “Fucking watch her,” Sam demanded.

  His anger was clear.

  “She’s your fucking old lady man. You know she’s not going to sit here,” Kevin, replied.

  I wanted to laugh at the frustration I’m sure Sam was feeling in the moment.

  “Fuck! Okay Lexa go get some shit. We need to head out.” Sam, relented.

  Then he was silent for a moment.

  “Fuck, I don’t have time for this shit. Sam, I need your fucking help with finding Texas.” I shout at him.

  “Who is she to you?” He demanded like I didn’t fucking tell at him.

  “She’s mine,” I growl.

  Those simple two words defined everything.

  “I’ll fucking kill you if you’re lying to me,” He tells me.

  I snarl in frustration.

  “Get the fuck here now before I hunt your ass down and put a bullet between your eyes,” I demand angrily.

  “Lexa and Texas may be a little upset about that, and trust me, you don’t want to get on either of their bad sides.” He tells me and I can hear the smirk in his voice.

  This motherfucker was going to die.

  “I’ll be there in an hour,” he tells me.

  The line went dead, and I fought the need to crush my phone as my fingers involuntarily clenched around it. It began to strain under pressure.

  Going back to my desk I look at the note that was sent to me a few days after she disappeared.

  Mr. Valisk,

  I’m not sure you know just who you were protecting. Texas is like a little viper. She kills for a living. She was trash and will always be trash.

  She owes us her life and her debts are far from paid. It seems you pissed off a lot of people and they are willing to forget and move on if you forget her.

  I’m sure now you know who and what you were courting. You must agree that she isn’t worth the time or effort. It’s time for her to come home.

  If you think for one moment that she can be saved, that maybe she killed only a few. I implore your redirection. She started down this path when she was very young.

  I don’t want to see your empire fall over someone unworthy of your time.

  -Management

  Once again, anger and despair, warred within me. I should have seen it. The black clothing, the strong, determined person under the surface.

  The way she stood up to me at the bar. The innocence she so carefully concealed. They thought the truth was going to set them free?

  That I would let her go now? That her blood would pay the debts of those I wronged? They were so fucking wrong. I wanted her even more now.

  She was fucking perfect. She was my queen, and they were going to bleed. I was going to drain them for taking her. They were right about one thing.

  Debts were going to be paid in blood.

  Chapter 29

  Texas

  “Hey? Are you okay?” Layla, asks.

  I was spacing. The memories came to me, and I was drowning. This was my punishment. They were coming for me, and I could feel the cold as if they were breathing down my neck.

  All the souls that I extinguished were here for me.

  “Let me tell you more about me, okay?” she asks.

  She was giving me time to collect myself. Time to fight the demons nipping at my heels. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” I tell her.

  “Oh good. I….” she started.

  “I kill people.”

  The words blurted from my mouth, and I just continued with no filter.

  “I was unworthy of love. My parents threw me away, literally. I was tossed into a dumpster like uneaten food. They left me to rot.”

  Tears were streaming down my face. I was crying, something I haven’t done in a long time.

  “They found me and took me in. Then, one day I was told about all the money they wasted on me. They kept a detailed list. Each piece of candy, every scrap of food, even the toothpaste I used,” I tell her.

  She was silent, and I feared she was closing me out. I needed her. I needed her to tell him I was real and that I loved him.

  “When you leave here Layla, I need you to find someone. Tell him the truth. Tell him I loved him.” I tell her.

  She sobbed, and I smiled through the tears.

  “I won’t let them kill you. He will keep you safe,” I say

  “Stay with me Texas, we can get out of here together,” she begs

  “My hands are stained with so much blood. I’ve killed a lot of people. I can feel them waiting for me, I know where I’m going,” I respond.

  Her hand latched onto my arm. I could see her shadow as she scooted closer.

  “Find Kell,” I say.

  “We can find him together.” She tells me.

  “I’m not leaving here, Layla.” I inform her.

  I’ve accepted it, and she needs to as well.

  “I’ve done so many horrible things but meeting him wasn’t one of them.” I say.


  She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder.

  “Tell me about him.” She asks.

  “Kell? He’s perfect. My other half.” I say quietly.

  I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to tell her how much I loved looking into his eyes, or how much I loved his big strong slightly calloused hands.

  I wanted to tell her all the things that I wished were different. I wished I could stay with him and love him. Have babies with him. Then, the door opened, and the light pierced my eyes.

  I cried out as it stung, and I was momentarily blinded.

  “Bring her to me,” The woman who raised me. Her voice echoed around us. Now that I was weak, she was going to take me out to play.

  “Bring her to the room and put her in the chair,” Mother said.

  My body couldn’t hold my weight. I was so tired, and I couldn’t remember the last time I slept. I was used to the lack of food, and my body learned to adapt.

  The room was slightly darker than the one I was just dragged through. My eyes watered, and I could only make out faint shapes.

  They were going to torture me. Men I didn’t recognize stood along the left wall watching.

  “If she doesn’t come around in the next three hours, she’s ours.”

  His voice was full of desire, and dread filled me. I would do anything they asked if it meant being spared that fate.

  My hands and feet were secured to the chair, and my head hung down. I didn’t want to look around and see all the things this room had to offer.

  “You ready to come home?” Mother, asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I tell her.

  “I don’t believe you Texas. I know you’ll run again,” Mother, says seeing through my lies.

  I nodded my head. No matter what I say, she’ll know I was lying. Her hand connected with my cheek.

  It stung, and blood filled my mouth as my teeth scraped along my cheek.

  “I will thank you for finishing the job. But you need to be punished,” Mother, informs me.

  “Yes, ma’am.” I reply.

  Another slap had tears springing to my eyes. I was weak, and I hated myself for it. Another slap followed by another. Soon, she grabbed a leather riding crop.

  It hit my leg, tearing into my jeans and ripping into my flesh. Biting my lip, more blood spilled into my mouth and went down my chin. I fought the screams as it rose in my throat.

  I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of my screams. Fingers wrapped in my hair and she smiled.

  “He wants some time with you, should I give it?” She asks.

  “Please don’t, ma’am, I’ll be good. I promise,” I beg.

  I could feel his fingers run down the side of my neck and I cried out. Fear took me, and I shook.

  “He’s killed so many. Taken too many of our men. Someone needs to pay for it. He destroyed years of business. You should be his punishment,” the man, shouted

  “Leave her,” Mother, demanded angrily.

  Relief washed over me.

  “Put her in the room,” she continued.

  My shoulders slumped as pain throbbed in various places on my body.

  “She needs more time to reflect,” Mother, said and I was relieved.

  She was right, I did. I needed time to think about how I was going to kill her.

  Chapter 30

  Kell

  The building was crawling with them. Ghosts. That’s what they were about to be.

  “Sam, take the left side and go to the back. Ivan go to the right, and I’ll take the front,” I tell them both.

  Ivan nodded and moved away, but Sam just stared at me before doing the same. I was going to walk right through the front door. These motherfuckers took what was mine, and I was going to show them the error of their ways.

  Leaning against the cold metal door, I took a deep breath and turned. My foot connected with the solid surface and the door slammed open, bouncing off the wall.

  Everyone froze and turned in my direction as the back door also slammed into something. The gun in my hand was light. Lighter than it usually was.

  Releasing bullet after bullet, I watched as bodies dropped to the floor. By the time the fifth man hit the ground, I was moving down the hall.

  I heard sobbing as I closed the distance between myself and the four closed doors. I turned the knob to the first and pushed it open.

  The room was empty. There wasn’t even a photo on the wall. Room two had a chair, and the stench of blood filled the air. Door three was locked.

  Lifting my foot, I gave it the same treatment that I gave the front door. The stench hit me first, and the sobs got louder.

  “Stay with me Texas, don’t leave me,” I beg.

  My gut clenched as I searched the darkness. The light from the door provided a small amount of light, but nothing substantial.

  “Go away you monsters,” a woman’s voice screamed.

  “Who the fuck are you, and where is Texas?” I demand

  “Kell?” she asks.

  The woman asked, and I froze in place. Who the fuck was she and how did she know my name?

  “Who the fuck are you?” I demand.

  “Layla. Texas is hurt, she won’t wake up,” she whimpers.

  My heart stuttered and refused to beat as my world came crashing down. Was I too late?

  “Ivan?” I call out.

  “Boss?” He replies.

  “Light!” I demand.

  A flashlight scanned the room and paused on two women one shielding her eyes and the other lying prone on the floor.

  “Little Dove?” I whisper.

  My knees hit the floor in front of her as my hands caressed her face. I watched as her chest rose and fell. She was alive! I slipping one hand under her legs and the other under her back. Then, I pulled her to me.

  “Wake up darlin,” I beg.

  The woman beside me sobbed again.

  “Ivan, deal with her,” I tell him.

  The light bounced to her and slowly moved as he closed the distance between them. Her gasp had me almost looking, but I couldn’t remove my eyes from Texas.

  “Put me down you brute!” she screamed.

  “Fuck woman, that’s my ear!” he growled.

  I would have laughed. She was yelling at him. Slowly their voices faded as they left me alone with her. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I held her tighter to me.

  “She alive?” Sam, asked.

  Shit, I forgot about Sam.

  “Yes,” I tell him.

  “I’ve got a few people. They tried to run, but I was able to gather them up easily enough,” he tells me quietly.

  I nodded at him in thanks. Standing, I walked past him and out to my car. I was too late. I had no fucking clue what all was done to her, but her face was covered in bruises, and her legs and arms were bleeding.

  The drive home was full of swears. She was really laying into Ivan. Little Layla all grown up and Ivan was getting exactly what he deserved.

  “She loved you. She wanted me to tell you that,” Layla’s, sweet voice was directed at me.

  Taking my eyes from Texas briefly, I looked at the woman we found with her. Her face was completely serious.

  “She’s not dead,” I tell her.

  “I know I just...” she starts.

  “What? You thought it would make it better?” I demand anger surfacing.

  “Yes,” she replies honestly.

  Her voice had turned hollow, and I felt a small stab of remorse.

  “Thank you,” I tell her quietly.

  Her smile was weak, but she nodded and turned back around. Silence engulfed the car as we made our way home.

  Chapter 31

  Texas

  I ached. My body was sore, but I was warm, and someone was running their fingers through my hair. it felt amazing. I must be dreaming no one has ever taken care of me.

  “Little dove, wake up, I need you.” Kells voice was music to my ears.

  I smiled to myself. We were together just
a few hours ago.

  “Come on darling, it’s been months since I’ve seen those beautiful eyes,” he continued.

  Months? Then it came back in a wave, and it crashed against me. Threatening to shake my foundation.

  “We need you,” he tells me.

  We?

  “Feel that? We made that.” He asks.

  My stomach churned. What was going on?

  “Kell?” I ask.

  My eyes opened, and there he was, hovering over me. His eyes are full of concern as they connected with mine.

  “I’m thirsty.” I croak the words.

  His smile was annoying. My throat felt like the desert had taken up residence, and my stomach flipped.

  “Here Darlin.” He says.

  A straw pressed to my lips, and I sucked at it greedily, but it was quickly pulled away.

  “Slowly.” He demanded.

  I wanted to snarl and take it from him.

  “Water.” I snapped at him, and his eyes got big. The straw was back, but instead of sucking the cup dry, I took small little sips.

  “Who the fuck is we?” I demand.

  His hand returned to me and found its way to my abdomen.

  “Our child.” He replied easily.

  “What?” I asked in complete confusion.

  “You're pregnant Texas.” He tells me happily.

  His eyes looked uncertain for a moment.

  “It’s ours, no matter what.” He tells me.

  I smiled and pressed my dry lips to his. The words were beautifully haunting. He was willing to take it on, no matter what.

  “Yes, ours.” I tell him.

  “They didn’t… they….” He tried and failed to ask.

  “No.” I tell him releasing him from the jumbled desperation.

  His lips press against mine again, and I could feel his relief.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked

  “Weeks.” Kell, says softly.

  Looking down and saw the soft, barely there swell.

  “Layla?” I needed to know she was ok.

  “Ivan has her.” He replies.

  My eyes got big, and a laugh rose from deep within. Big Ivan was taken down by a girl.

  “I love you, Texas.” Kell, whispers.

  “Even after you learned the truth about me?” I feared he wouldn’t want me anymore. That I wasn’t the perfect woman he thought I was.