by Lana Grayson
I bolted to the bathroom.
Like it wasn’t bad enough trying to escape from Darius Bennett without suffering through an endless flu. I didn’t know what was worse. The running or the exhaustion. The nausea or the headaches.
Ugh.
I wiped my mouth and grimaced as I stared into the mirror.
Enough time had passed that the bruises faded on my cheek, but I still saw them. It was easier to run with the black eye. At least then, the hotel clerks didn’t ask questions when I ordered a room, paid in cash, and demanded absolute privacy.
I slipped from the bathroom and tossed Hamlet the rest of the burger. It was too late to eat such horrid food anyway. The clock blinked close to one, but it wasn’t like it mattered. I sure as hell wasn’t going back to sleep just to suffer through another nightmare.
Darius attacking me once was enough.
I didn’t need to relive it again and again in my sleep.
My cheeks wetted. I scoured my face with my nails.
I spared no tears for Darius or his violence, and I tried not to weep for Nicholas. I didn’t have time to pity myself, not if I planned to ensure it never happened again.
Darius had laid over me, destroyed my pride, and made the same promises as his son.
He swore he’d return.
And so I ran.
I hadn’t stopped running, or hiding, or protecting myself.
Even to tell Nicholas that I had gone.
I shuddered.
And I would never tell him what happened.
My stomach heaved again. I groaned. It lurched every day since the attack. I hoped gaining some control over my life would calm it, that the disgust and shame might have faded.
The night with Nicholas ended in horror, and I lost every promise of his love in the vile assault. I wanted to believe Nicholas could keep me safe. I wanted to use his strength to repair what Darius broke within me.
But I wasn’t about to depend on another for my safety.
Not anymore.
Not after…
I rushed to the bathroom again. Hamlet whined from the bed before following.
At least I had a traveling buddy.
My lifelong friend helped to pass the time. He didn’t judge when I sat in a silent, dangerous rage or when I plotted my every revenge against a man I no longer had the courage to face.
“Six weeks, Ham.”
I patted him and counted the days since I ran away.
Had it really been that long? That lonely? I remembered everything in perfect detail from that night. Nicholas’s touch. Darius’s grunts.
I hugged Hamlet. “Six miserable weeks…”
The nausea returned.
Six. Weeks.
Pin-prickles of panic raced heat and chills along the back of my neck, squeezing instantly into an attack that forced me to dive for my inhaler.
It was a ridiculous thought, a stress induced fear that I had no time to indulge.
I looked at the clock. Anxiety pulled me from the bed.
I left Hamlet and worked up the courage to enter the first drugstore I saw. I tossed a twenty at the counter and hurried to the motel, slamming and dead-bolting the door behind me as though it would lock out all the terrible possibilities.
The test wasn’t nearly as intimidating the first time I took one, even with my step-father and his sons all in audience to witness their failure.
I tapped my fingers against the counter as the time ticked down.
I threw up before I read the results. I already knew what it’d say.
I braced against the wall, sliding to the floor.
The test exposed my new, terrible, and impossible secret.
Pregnant.
The End
Coming September 2015
I never understood my family’s desire for vengeance.
The feud between the Atwoods and Bennetts existed for years.
I thought we could end it.
I was wrong.
The only way to save my family, my company, and my farm is through blood.
The only way to protect my child is in war.
Darius Bennett will die for the sins he’s committed.
And his sons will forever regret challenging me.
Don’t miss the thrilling conclusion of The Legacy Series—Join Lana Grayson’s mailing list and be the first to know how the war will end....
Other Works By Lana Grayson:
Warlord – Anathema MC Series #1
Trapped...
For twenty-one years, Rose Darnell desperately searched for a way out of the Anathema MC, but the only thing more dangerous than the desecrated club is the rival chapter manipulating Rose into starting a war.
Bound to a world of bloodied knuckles and drug money, Rose is determined to use her musical talent to escape her abusive father and overbearing brothers. A chance audition would free Rose from the outlaw 1%, but her brothers ensnare her within Anathema’s shadow.
A rival club threatens Rose, and only Anathema’s President, Thorne Radek, can protect her from the bloodshed.
Betrayed...
A traitor lurks within the brotherhood, and Thorne will burn the world to scorch the rat. When an innocent diva with baby-bunny eyes and dark secrets needs his help, Thorne volunteers to protect the girl and secures his ultimate bait to lure out the traitor.
Thorne may be the only man who ever distracted Rose from her music, but his obsession with the club's betrayal endangers the one woman easing his desire for vengeance.
Helping Thorne find the traitor will damn more than the club.
It will tear Rose's family apart...
Exiled – Anathema MC Series #2
Excommunicated…
Exiled from the Anathema MC, Brew Darnell escaped the bullet only to face the unforgiving solitude of the road. With no future before him, Brew battles his past and vows to protect the one he loves the only way he can—by hunting the man who destroyed his family, devastated the Anathema MC, and betrayed every promise he ever made.
Saved...
Trapped in an abusive relationship with a sadistic biker, Martini Wright learned to manipulate, controlling her boyfriend’s temper with a wink and a smile...until she’s traded as collateral to a rival MC. Her captor, Brew, has never trafficked a woman before, and Martini intends to exploit his guilty secrets to escape. Caught in the middle of a gang war, Brew and Martini fight a dangerous attraction—a second chance to heal from the mistakes of their past if they can confess the terrible truth.
Redeemed...
Brew failed his family before, but Martini can still be saved. With redemption delivered at the edge of a blade, Brew must choose who to rescue—the one he already lost...or the love he never deserved.
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Acknowledgements
Oh, my goodness gracious. This book was dark! I have to thank the people who kept me sane while writing it. The pinky swear from Takeover is still in effect—please, no one tell my family what I’m writing, lol!
First off, to all of my readers, thank you so much for all the support, love, and enthusiasm for this series. I’ll admit it, I love hearing the hate for Darius! I never expected something I wrote could impact people so much. It’s amazing, and I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to share my work with you. Stick with me guys! We’ve got a lot of Bennetts to get through!
And my husband. These acknowledgements always read the same when it comes to him. Dishes? Done. Dinners? Made. Obsessively outlining and reiterating every major plot point in the book? Tolerated. These books simply aren’t possible without him.
My beta partners and writing buddies: Jess, Kaylee—you guys come through for me every time and make me sane. Thank you so much for taking
the time to help, listening to me scheme, and for just being totally awesome.
Kelley, you are my number one, and I love you to bits. You cannot possibly know how much it meant that you helped me with this book. Your support is unrivaled, and I am so grateful for your friendship.
I also want to thank my AMAZING cover artist, Rebecca Berto. It’s like, I just throw photos at her, and she makes instant magic.
And Jesey and the rest of the crew at Sassy Fab, thank you so much for taking me on. I threw you into the middle of this all, but Jesey, you’re absolutely on the ball and so helpful. Thank you for the support and guidance!
Alright guys. Everyone has to strap in. We have one more book in this trilogy.
Can we handle some more of the Bennett Men?
…I think we can. ;)
Lana