“Angel, what the fuck?” Braxxon hollers, while he moves her behind him.
“You’re supposed to be on bed rest, Win. Come on,” Piper persuades her.
“I’ll go, but if they aren’t gone in five minutes, I’m calling the cops. I’m done doing this shit the illegal way. If they won’t leave, I’ll get the cops and the media to do the job.” She shoots an evil grin at her mother.
The media is the last thing this place wants to deal with. It might open secrets that need to stay buried deep down in the hard desert ground. We definitely don’t want anybody digging that shit up.
“Get back in bed, Angel. You can’t be up and moving around!” Braxxon growls.
She retreats backwards and doesn’t answer him.
“Get your people and leave,” Braxxon repeats.
Iiana orders her men to pick up the guy that I shot. I honestly don’t care if he dies or not. That is how disgusted I am that they had the audacity to point a gun in my face, as if I was the one who was spewing threats. Sabine rolls her bags towards the gate, and Rap opens it to reveal the black SUVs that Iiana and her men arrived in.
“Don’t come back, and I assure you, Angel won’t be contacting you again.” Braxx reminds her, “You have until the morning to get the fuck outta my town.”
I wouldn’t have given her that much time.
“If my daughter wants to create a family with white trash, then she can,” Iiana spits out, adding fuel to the already steaming hot fire blazing in the compound.
Oh, why couldn’t she leave when she was asked? Why would she run her mouth more, only to feed the already burning situation? People don’t learn. She’s been ordered to leave, and now she runs her mouth? It’s like she loves to push other’s buttons so hard that there is no going back.
“OUT!” my dad screams. “Your bitch of a daughter talked my son into going into a mess, and he got fuckin’ killed. You’re lucky I didn’t put a fuckin’ bullet into her skull. If you’re not out of here in the next thirty seconds, all of your motherfucking brains are gonna be splattered on this cement,” he roars, aiming his gun directly at her head.
Shadow’s free hand moves to my stomach so that he can get a better handle over me. I stop trying to fight and lean into his body. I don’t give a fuck anymore. This is my life, this is what I know, and I have to accept this is how it is always going to be.
***
Shadow
Tatiana has given up. I felt it when she shot that guy in the gut. It was the strangest thing. It was as if all the sweet in her turned sour. She isn’t sorry she shot the guy. She knew what she was doing, and she knew what the result would be from the action she chose. All I can do is hold her until these people are gone, because if someone so much as lays a finger on her, I will kill them.
When Rap hits the button to close the gate, everyone lets out a breath. We don’t want to lose anyone else. In my opinion, everyone is still in damn shock over Mace Jr.’s death. It was a fast one. He came out of nowhere.
“Tatiana, I’m not sugarcoatin’ this shit. You most likely killed that guy,” ZZ tells her.
She shrugs against my body before she answers back. “He pointed his gun at me. I’m tired of guns being pointed around here. At least he won’t be able to point a gun at another innocent woman.”
I chuckle and squeeze her closer to me as I tuck my gun back in the holster. ZZ hands me the one he took from her, and I tuck it back in my waistband. I’ll have to dispose of it later. I’ll be damned if I take the risk of Winter’s mom turning the dead guy over to the cops, and the possibility of the bullet and gun being traced back to Tea.
“Tatiana, go inside. I have to talk with Shadow,” ZZ orders her and everyone scatters.
Prez took off as soon as the gate closed, no doubt to bitch at Winter for getting out of bed and risking her and the baby’s health.
I watch her retreat inside before I turn back to ZZ. “I can’t believe she fuckin’ did that,” I hiss and let my frustration finally show.
“She’s gone cold. My daughter has gone fuckin’ cold. Losing my son hit her harder than she’s letting on,” he says with a beat down tone.
“ZZ, brother, I gotta get outta here for a while. Danick called. He has a shit ton of leads on his wife’s murder.” I hate that I am bringing this up, but he needs to know I won’t be here. My friend needs my help, and I can’t go back on my word.
“Your mentor, Danick?” ZZ rubs his nose between his fingers.
I give a jerk of my head to answer his question.
“And you gave him your word?”
“I did.” I pull out my smokes, light one, and offer him one, too.
No brother goes back on their word.
“Shit, man, I’ve got to go to my son’s parents, and she can’t be left here without one of us. Storm refuses to let me do this on my own. Tatiana’ll need you.”
I already know that she does. I don’t know what to do. I take a puff of my cig and inhale the biggest hit of nicotine.
“Take her with you.”
He’s got to be joking. I’m heading straight into shit worse than this, and he wants me to take her with me? He’s fucking lost his ever loving mind!
“I’m dealin with the Italian mob, brother. It’s safe here, and she won’t be safe with me if she goes.”
She can’t go. She’s fucked up enough over her brother dying, and now shooting this fucker. She thinks she isn’t showing it, but she is. The pain laced in her words and her movement assures us of that.
“She can’t,” I argue.
ZZ takes a hit off of the cigarette and blows out some smoke. “Take her. Keep her safe, but let her see how dangerous shit actually is out there. It’s easy here, but she thinks it isn’t. This is not even one percent of the fucked up shit in this world.”
He’s right, but why the hell does he want me to take her with me and show her that? I do not understand his logic on this one.
“She shot a fucker! Take her with you, and see if she’s really hardened or if it’s a show. Do you think I would insist that my daughter go with you after losing my son? I trust you with her life. She’ll see that this is peaches and cream compared to the shit you’re about to get into. If you have problems and you have to send her back, I’ll come get her if it gets serious.”
There is no detouring him on this. He’s deadset and not changing his mind. I don’t have to take her, but he definitely has guilted me into it. I don’t want her by herself, and if Storm and ZZ are going to Mace Jr.’s adoptive parents without her, I’m not leaving her here with the stress of Winter’s pregnancy and all the other bullshit. I’ll figure a way to sway her away from all the bad shit.
“I trust you with my daughter’s life, Shadow. You wanted to be with her, so be with her,” he says in a tired voice.
I do want to be with her, but at what cost? Her accidentally getting caught in the crossfire? Is my wanting to be with her worth that? I’ll have to watch her back, my own, and help Danick at the same time, but it sounds like ZZ needs me to do this as bad as Danick needs my help.
ZZ is tired. Everyone is over it all. The bloodshed, the wars over drugs, business takeovers, and top that off with Winter’s stressful pregnancy and Mace Jr.’s death. The entire club is depressed and morale is down a significant amount.
“I’ll take her with me. We’ll leave first thing in the morning, so you need to go tell her bye.”
ZZ doesn’t wait for me to say anything else. He takes off inside without another word. I’ve never prayed a day in my life, but I think I’m going to start. I don’t think our club can handle any more loss.
***
Tatiana
Last night, when my dad told me that I was leaving with Shadow, I don’t know what was going through my head. Dad warned me that I was heading towards shit I’ve never been around my entire life. The Italian mob. They’re ruthless, cunning, and devious, he said.
For my own father to let me leave with Shadow is not something I would
have expected after losing my brother, but knowing my father, this is to show me that my life is easier than others. He always has a plan behind his motives, and I am not naïve enough to think there isn’t a motive behind this.
Mine and Shadow’s relationship is brand new, and we’re heading straight into more shit? Nothing like starting something and putting it to the test quite like this way. It’ll definitely test our connection.
When Shadow said that we were heading to New Orleans, I was excited until his eyes turned cold on me. He laid it out to me after my dad left my room.
“This isn’t a joke. You think Jamaica is heavy with crime! It ain’t shit compared to going up against the American Mafia, aka the Italian Mafia. I’m still pissed ZZ wants me to take you with me. The only fuckin’ reason you are goin with me is because I ain’t about to leave you here by yourself, and to show you that your cold, callused new you is a bunch of bullshit.”
It hurt, not going to lie, but he spoke part of the truth. If my own father thinks this is what it will take to show me the harsh world, so be it. I’m done arguing. I don’t necessarily want this to be how Shadow and I start whatever it is that we’re starting, but nothing is ever ordinary in our world.
So here it is the next morning, and I’m saying goodbye to our family to take a life lesson trip. That is what I’ve called it since last night. It seems suitable for this situation.
“Listen to his every word, baby girl,” my dad whispers into my ear as he hugs me goodbye. “I love you, kiddo.”
I squeeze him back and say that I love him, too.
When our goodbyes are over, my dad opens my car door, helps me get in, and shuts it behind me. Shadow climbs in and tells me to buckle up as he starts the Rover and we drive off towards New Orleans.
***
Turn the page
Note #1 The relationship between Shadow and Tatiana is very complex. There are things that they need to experience together before they hit that place in their relationship where three words are exchanged. It did not feel right, trying to squeeze the learning curve of the type of relationship Shadow craves into one novel.
With that said…
You haven’t seen the last of Shadow and Tatiana. Join them in my new dark romance novel, Pain of Mine, releasing the end of this year.
(Set in New Orleans, Louisiana)
If that is not enough to fix your craving, you can find them in their second book, Schooling Me, due to release February 2015.
SURPRISE! I’ve hinted around online about a second full-length novel and this is why. They’re both very young and their story wants another go at it.
(Set in New Orleans, Louisiana and Jamaica, Nevada)
Angry over the ending of Shadowing Me?
(I wouldn’t be Crystal if I didn’t make a few of you mad. ☺)
Angry at who I killed off?
Don’t worry that person gets a short novella.
TBA soon.
Note # 2 – Different from Seize Me, Withstanding Me and Resenting me, huh? I know. Unfortunately, I can’t write about my characters getting killed off over drug battles all the time. Although, there is somewhat of a cliffhanger with other characters, that is done purposely. If you read my author note before starting Shadowing Me, than you should understand that sometimes it has to be about the main characters of their own books. You will find out what happened with Sabine and young Mace in his novella. (He was killed off for a reason. His death has an impact on ZZ and Storm issues with having children in the future. You will also get your answers for Winter’s baby in Discovering Me. My beta readers were asking if you will be able to see the letter from Lana to Sabine as well. The heartbreaking letter will be revealed in Pyro’s novel, Damaged Me. Every single thing that happens in my novels, has a tie in somewhere in the series. That is why it is imperative to read them in order.
Note # 3 – Publishing a novel is hard work. It goes through so many processes of editing before it can be formatted and published. The best of the best can miss the smallest item. Shadowing Me was edited and proofed, but if you find any mistakes in this novel, please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will get them corrected.
Thank you ☺
Acknowledgements
My husband – I couldn’t have made it through this past year without you. I love you, bighead.
To my Mini Mes – You won’t read this for another fifteen years, but know this, you two are the most amazing children a mom could have asked for. I love you, doodles!
Southern Mama - Kathryn Crane – We’ve come a long way since Talania. You are a main ingredient to my writing recipe. You push and teach me with each novel, and my only hope is that it never changes. I continue to grow because of you. I love you!
Julie Deaton – You’re always there for me when I need you. I love you! (Readers, pay attention to Tatiana’s middle name, coming in Schooling Me. Julie came up with it. ☺
And lastly, Readers, Reviewers, Followers, Pimpers, My Breakneck Bitches, and Bloggers: A HUGE MASSIVE GIGANTIC THANK YOU!
Contacting Crystal Spears
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Current Releases
Breakneck Novels
Seize Me, Book One also available in Audio
Withstanding Me, Book Two also available in Audio
Resenting Me, Book 1.5 or 2.5 (My readers call it both)
Shadowing Me, Book 3
Discovering me, Book 4 (Pre-Order Available)
Other Books
Talania – A trip down memory lane…
Orlando (Pre-Order Now Available)
The Breakneck Series has lots of books, novellas, and novella shorts coming up as well.
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Shadowing Me (Breakneck Series #3) Page 17