Sinner's Kiss: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by April Lust

  “Isabella, could you help me?”

  Sue’s voice made her jump and broke her Jace trance. “Oh, sure, Sue. What do you need?

  “I want to move around some of these shirts. The same ones have been in the front too long and they don’t seem to be selling as well as the others. Let’s make sure the sizes are all together, too.”

  Isabella went to the rack of t-shirts and began sorting them as Sue went to the other rack and did the same.

  “Everything okay?” Sue asked.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just have a lot going on, I guess.”

  Sue picked up a purple shirt and moved it to Isabella’s rack with the other purple shirts.

  “You just seem a little unfocused today. And yesterday.” Sue paused to look at her. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

  “I know.” Isabella sighed. “It’s guy trouble, I guess. I kind of met someone, but I think I messed things up.”

  “Oh? What happened?”

  “Well, remember my sick friend I was taking care of last week? He was actually more like half dead, left on the side of the road, and I took him to my apartment to recover. But then I just found out that he’s maybe more of a bad boy than I thought. But he’s really nice and sweet, and not like most guys who are like that, you know?”

  Sue nodded. “It’s easy to make assumptions about people.”

  “Yeah. And I think I assumed wrong.”

  “Well, there’s one way to fix that.”

  Isabella shuffled around a few shirts, putting them in order from smallest to largest on the rack. “I’m not sure it’s fixable. We got into a fight and I said some mean things. We haven’t known each other that long, so I don’t know what he’s thinking right now or anything.”

  “How long ago was this fight?”

  “Yesterday morning.”

  “You haven’t heard from him?”

  “Well…” Isabella made a quick glance around the store. She’d gotten in the habit of doing this. Looking for the man who’d come in to warn her, looking for anyone else who might be looking for her. Everyone seemed to be just regular customers today, though. “There were flowers on my car yesterday. But there was no note or anything, so I don’t know for sure that they’re from him.”

  “Hmm. If they are, that’s a good sign.”

  “I know. But I don’t want to act on that and assume they were from him and then find out they weren’t.”

  “Who else would they be from?” Sue raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Is there someone else you’ve been talking to?”

  “No. That’s the thing. I have no idea who else would have done that.”

  “Sounds like it’s your guy, then.”

  “Yeah. I hope so.”

  Sue moved another shirt to her rack. “Let’s move this shirt design to the front. People seem to like it.” She held up a green shirt with an image of a tree on the front. They started moving the shirts.

  “I’m sure they were from your guy. What’s his name?”

  “Jace.”

  Sue smiled. “Maybe you should call him. You’re saying it was kind of your fault? The fight?”

  “No, it was definitely my fault. You’re right. I have to call him. Unless I want to let him go forever.”

  “Doesn’t sound like that’s what you want.”

  “No. It’s just so hard for me to trust people. What if he turns out to be like Craig?”

  Sue put her hand on Isabella’s shoulder for a moment. “Of course you have trouble trusting people. That’s to be expected. And I’m sure that you know what signs to look for.”

  Signs. Like being in a motorcycle club? She reminded herself that Jace hadn’t actually acted like Craig at all, and just because they did the same things didn’t mean they were the same type of person. What if they had both been accountants? She wouldn’t be having these thoughts then.

  Maybe Sue was right. Did she know the signs, though? Craig had been so charming and nice in the beginning. Kind of like Jace was now. Though Craig had often lied and made big promises that he didn’t come through on. He’d make plans to take her out, then cancel at the last minute or not bother to show at all and swoop in the next day with an apology and a sparkly bracelet or some other romantic gesture to make up for it.

  Jace had already made good on the one thing he’d said he would do—paying for the damages—and he’d been reliable, though there wasn’t much to go on. It was just so new. She didn’t have much to compare and time usually revealed things. Well, if time would reveal it, then she’d watch for it. She would know what to look for. Anything that felt or sounded like Craig would be a warning. Enough warnings and she’d end it. But so far, the only thing on that list was that they both happened to be MC leaders and have similar interests. Bikes, crime, fighting.

  Thinking of all that again made her stomach ache. Even if he was different, he did have a dangerous lifestyle. The gunman, the crime. Would she have to bail Jace out of jail a bunch of times like she did for Craig? Did Jace keep wads of cash hidden all over his house in case he was arrested? That way, she could pay to get him out on bond by just going in and grabbing a wad or two.

  Even if Jace was different, did she want to be part of that life again? How much of that could affect Sara? And the real question, if they got together and stayed together, would he ever give up that life? She’d tried to get Craig to, many times. Find a straight job and live on the up and up. He’d refused. Said he never wanted a normal job. Too little money, too much time, too exhausting. She couldn’t blame him. When she’d considered the ways their lives would change if he did, the money thing was significant. But wasn’t it worth it? How much money had they spent on bonds and lawyer fees and bribes over the years? They’d have none of that if he wasn’t running around breaking the law constantly.

  But if Jace was so different, maybe he had other plans and aspirations. Maybe he already wanted to get out of the life of crime. It wasn’t something you could really talk someone into. Not really. He might do it. Leave and give up his club and everything if she begged him to. But then he’d hate her for it someday. That was never a good plan. Either he’d have to want to leave on his own, or she’d have to assume that he never would. And was she okay with that?

  None of these things could be decided here on her own. She’d need to talk to him first. If he wouldn’t talk to her, then there was no sense in worrying about anything else. So that was it. She would call him. She would talk to him. Apologize and hope he’d forgive her. Then they could go from there. She could get to know him better and see what he was really like. How hard was his life really? And could she be part of it for the long-term?

  Though even at that thought, she had some hesitation. What if she got to know him, fell in love with him, and then discovered he would never give up his life of crime? She’d have to be okay with it. Or she better not fall in the first place if she wasn’t.

  Throughout the rest of her day, she changed her mind at least a dozen times. Yes, definitely call him and work things out. No, don’t call him because you aren’t going to be okay with his lifestyle.

  She finally settled on sending him a simple text. Hey. Can we talk about the other day?

  She held her phone in her hands for several minutes, hoping he’d respond quickly. But after five minutes, she put her phone back in her pocket. After thirty, she figured he was either busy and couldn’t answer, or the answer was no.

  She tried to focus on work and think about what she’d make for Sara for dinner that night. She had some chicken and vegetables. Probably there was still some rice in the pantry. That would work. She had laundry to do, and Sara’s room could stand a vacuuming. She made a mental list of everything she’d fill her time with. Hopefully it would be enough.

  Toward the end of her shift, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It wasn’t a text; it was a call. Her heart leapt. Maybe he’d decided to respond to her text by calling her. She pulled her phone from her pocket and her heart sank when she
saw Jeanine’s name on the screen. Jace still hadn’t responded.

  “Hi, Jeanine,” she said, making sure her voice still sounded cheerful. It wasn’t Jeanine’s fault that she hadn’t been who Isabella was hoping had called.

  “Isabella? Are you at work?” Her voice sounded frantic and panicked in a way Isabella had never heard before. Her whole body tensed instantly.

  “Yes. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Sara. She’s gone.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jace approached his house, his mind already spinning. Had any of his guys gotten there? Was anyone inside? How bad was the fire, and would his house be damaged beyond repair? Too many things to think about right now. This was a time for action, not thought.

  He sped up and raced to his house. When he was a few hundred away feet away, he saw the flames. Angry red and orange licked out of the windows. It was bad. The fire looked like an inferno already. The smoke turned black and even thicker.

  He stopped his bike at a safe distance away and ran toward the house. His helmet was still on, making the scene even darker. He yanked it off and carried it under his arm. He pulled his phone from his pocket as he ran, but the screen was dark and it wouldn’t turn on. Damn it. It must’ve died. Great timing on that. Hopefully a neighbor or someone would call the fire department. His house might already be destroyed, but someone would need to put out these flames.

  As he ran to the house, he saw a man standing out front. The smoke was thick enough on the ground to disguise his face, but he thought maybe it was Aaron. Another man was on the ground, on all fours.

  “Hey!” Jace shouted.

  Their heads turned. The man on the ground coughed and tried to wave the smoke from in front of his face. The man standing had a bandana over his nose and mouth, but said, “Jazz? That you, man?”

  It was Aaron’s voice. Jace reached them and clapped Aaron on the back. The roar of flames and crackling wood was so loud they had to shout to each other to be heard.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” Jace said. “There’s too much smoke.”

  “Can’t.” Derrick, on the ground, broke into a coughing fit.

  Then he saw Alex run out the door. “I can’t find him!”

  Jace’s heart sunk. Someone was inside still? In this blaze and heat and smoke? “Who?”

  “Daniel’s in there,” Aaron shouted, leaning close to Jace to be heard. “Derrick and I made it out, but Alex was trying to find him. He was in the bathroom when we smelled the smoke. But by that time, smoke was already coming in the room and there were flames everywhere when we opened the door.” He coughed several times and bent over, his hand on his stomach.

  “All three of you, get across the street and make sure the fire department is on their way.” Jace pointed and reached down to clasp Derrick’s hand. He pulled him to his feet and Aaron and Alex helped him walk. “Is anyone else here?” Jace shouted after them.

  Aaron turned back. “Just Daniel!”

  Jace pulled his shirt up over his nose and mouth. He wished more than ever he had his Crimson Hawks leather jacket. It’d be much better protection than his riding jacket. He zipped the jacket up as he bent over to avoid the smoke as much as possible. He popped his helmet back on for protection, even if it made things darker. Better to keep his head safe.

  The front door was open and thick black smoke poured out. He dropped to his knees and crawled through the living room. It was hard to see anything. He didn’t have to worry about his face shield making things too dark. There was already too much smoke to see through. He felt his way around, careful not to put his hands on anything hot or burning. He listened carefully, too. If it sounded like the roof was going to collapse or the walls were going to fall in, he’d have to get out fast. It wouldn’t help anyone if he got trapped, too.

  He felt the opening that was the doorway from the kitchen down to the basement. They always met in the basement. He’d finished it off years ago to make it nice down there. Carpet, couches, the whole deal. He’d even had a bathroom put in. That was where Daniel was now, or nearby. Alex had known he was in the bathroom and couldn’t find him, so maybe he’d come out and got trapped trying to get out.

  He coughed, and his chest burned. The shirt covering his mouth and nose wasn’t doing much at all. His head spun already with dizziness. Just keep going, Jace. Got to find Daniel and get him out. He couldn’t let one of his guys die in there. Especially not like this.

  He thought he heard the faint wail of sirens. Good. Help was on the way. He hoped.

  He felt the first step with his hand. “Daniel!” He listened for any sound of movement or a voice. But it was so loud with the flames. Who knew fire could make so much noise. And the heat was getting to him. He felt sick to his stomach. His head was spinning worse than before. And he was wet with sweat.

  But he had to keep going. Had to save Daniel. Help was on its way.

  He turned around and slid his knee back until he felt the floor disappear. He moved his knee down carefully, crawling down the steps backward. Going face first had seemed far more dangerous than going backward.

  Jace tried to see down the stairs, but the smoke was coming up too thick and fast. He went as quickly as he could, keeping his throbbing head down as much as possible to get it out of the worst of the smoke. His helmet felt like it weighed fifty pounds, but he didn’t dare take it off.

  “Daniel!” No response again. If he’d been in this house the whole time, he was likely passed out already. Maybe he was even dead. No. He couldn’t think of that. He would save him. Had to. He could not die here like this.

  Finally, his knee hit the harder basement floor. There was a small layer of air that was less smoky and he lay flat on his belly for a moment to breathe. Maybe he could just take a quick nap right here. That would give him more energy to move forward. To find Daniel.

  He closed his eyes. He was so tired. But then he heard shouting. Not in the house. Outside. It brought him back to awareness and he got to his knees. Had to find Daniel.

  “Daniel!”

  But he was turned around. Which way were the stairs? Which way was the bathroom? He felt around, but it was all the same carpet and empty space. No Daniel, no items in the room at all. Where were his couches? Where was the table?

  He crawled along the wall. If he kept going, he’d make it around the whole perimeter. That would take him to the bathroom and then the stairs if he just kept following the line of the wall.

  His hand reached to the wall again, and he almost fell when it landed on empty space. He’d found the door. The bathroom was so black, he didn’t want to go in, but he slid along the ground, feeling. The toilet, hot to the touch, the wooden vanity that almost burned his skin. He circled the room, but no Daniel.

  He kept following the line of the wall. It was the only way to stay on the right path. If he got turned around, it was all over. He crawled back out into the big room. He kept crawling and feeling around him. Now the sirens were getting louder. Definitely help was coming. Good thing because he didn’t think he could keep this up much longer. How long had it been? Felt like hours he’d been down here, breathing in the smoke and coughing and crawling along, but it was probably only a few minutes. A person couldn’t last very long in this smoke, so if he was still alive, it couldn’t have been as long as it felt.

  Then his hand hit something that wasn’t floor or wall. He felt in a circle. A leg. Definitely a leg.

  “Daniel?”

  No response. The leg didn’t move.

  Jace crawled up the body to his head. It was Daniel, he was pretty sure. A brief thought ran through his mind—what if one of Lionel’s guys who started the fire had gotten stuck and he was about to rescue him? But no, that was stupid, irrational thinking. His guys said Daniel was in here. Said he had gone to the bathroom and this body was very close to the bathroom. He wished he could see better just to be sure, but there was no time to worry about that now. If he rescued the wrong guy, then he’d just choke him when
they got outside. No problem.

  Jace tugged on Daniel’s body and managed to drag him to the wall. Beside the bathroom was a small room that held the water softener and furnace. Also some random boxes of old things that he was storing. But in the room there was a window. A small one, but a window all the same, and it was big enough that they could fit out of it with some help.

  He crawled a foot, then tugged and slid Daniel’s body along behind him. It was slow progress, but they were moving. He found the door. Something about feeling the door in a fire before opening it came back to him. Probably learned it ages ago in high school. This door didn’t feel hot. In fact, it felt somewhat cool in comparison to the heat of the room. So this room should be safe.