Savaged

by Nacole Stayton

  After the initial shock of my death, everyone moved on, including the media and Anton. Mr. Culver blinded me. He lived in my home and kept a close eye on me without me even suspecting it. Looking back, I should have seen the signs but I was too caught up in fighting my own demons to notice.”

  My eyes roam the crowd. I’m still on high guard. Can you blame me?

  “My duty to keep this town safe was ultimately the motive behind Mr. Vadmin’s hate for me. I was trying to keep men like him and the dealings that they partake in off our streets. My assistant, Jarod, was in on it the entire time. Without my knowledge of his and Mr. Vadmin’s relationship, they plotted against me. They kidnapped my girlfriend in an attempt to draw me out and finish the job that they failed at the first time. You see, the one thing they didn’t plan on was love. Cambree Evans loved me enough to stand up and take a bullet for me. Her bravery and adoration is why I’m able to stand here, in front of all of you, and tell my story. Her disregard for her own well-being is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

  Clenching my hands together, I feel like I’m going to faint. I don’t know how much longer I can stand here, with cameras flashing in my face and nosy reports jotting down notes. As I stand at the podium, I look to my left to see my lawyer, Tommy, and several other police officers.

  “I’d like to say on record and in this formal statement, that I am truly sorry for hiding my whereabouts. I can only hope that moving forward, I can earn back the trust of this community. Kincaid Enterprises will move on. As a company, we will flourish and see past the negativity that blinded us. We will not be taken off guard again; I pledge this to this town and to my loyal employees.”

  “Mr. Kincaid, why did your own employee turn on you? What was his personal motive for wanting you dead? Are you going to face any jail time for your part in the murder of Mr. Culver? Do you think there will be retaliation from Mr. Vadmin’s partners?”

  My lawyer stands up next to me and holds his hands in the air. “At this time, there will be no further questioning. I think that my client has been through enough.”

  “Just one more thing.” I cut him off and grab the microphone. “I’m sorry about what happened to Jarod. My sincere apologies go out to his family who are mourning their loss right now, but more than anything, I’m sorry to the woman that I love for making her a prisoner in the dark like I was.”

  Tommy steps closer to my side. “That will be all for today. Thank you.” He ushers my suit-covered back toward the rear of the stage.

  “That was good. You really got to them,” I say as I turn off the television when Niko enters my suite. “I’m so proud of you, baby. That took a lot of courage.”

  He sits down next to me on the hospital bed and grabs my hand. “You’re the one that told me I could do it. I wish you were there.”

  “I wish I was, too, but look at me.” I laugh and shrug my shoulders. “As soon as I get back on my feet, I promise we’ll go out. We’ll let every newspaper in this city take photos of us and plaster them everywhere. We’ll show the world that nothing can bring us down.”

  “Always so positive,” he says as he leans forward and rubs the tip of his nose against mine. He kisses me lightly.

  “I hate seeing you like this.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head, and then slides beside me on the bed. He’s careful not to tug on my IV or the cords and devices attached to my body.

  “What? Why? Now we have scars that match. I took the bullet for you and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  “Thank you. I know I’ve said it a million times, but I just can’t fathom a life without you in it.” His eyes fill with tears. He gets so emotional these days. It’s a rare sight, compared to the dark, gloomy man that I first met. I’ve known it all along. His heart was jaded and savaged, but I knew that he could be saved. I’m glad I stuck around to find out.

  “One day, when the past is behind us and we’ve had time to build a life together without all of the nonsense our relationship began in, I want to make you my wife,” Niko says. A small gasp escapes my mouth.

  I must look shocked because he continues. “I know you pawned Joyce’s ring. Don’t ask me how because you might not like the answer, but I got it back. It’s in a safe place, and when you least expect it, I’m going to show you that even I now believe in fairytales.” He grips my hand. “I love you, Cambree.”

  “I love you too, Niko Kincaid,” I whisper as I rest my head against his arm and look out of the window into the light that surrounds us.

  ★If you liked Savaged, I’d love to hear from you.

  Please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or iBook’s. ★

  SEVERAL PEOPLE DESERVE SPECIAL thanks for helping me shape this novel into the work of fiction that it is today. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough, but it will have to do. Erika, Jennie, Anna, Lea, Ana, Evette, Jenn, and J.L you all deserve ample amounts of praise.

  My beta team is simply amazing. I say it book after book and I mean it sincerely every time. Thank you for the hours that you devote to my fictional characters and me. Danielle, Kerrie, Carrie, Debi, Natalie and Elle, you ladies are rock stars!

  A special shout of to the women who make up my street team, Nacole’s Naughty Readers! You remind me daily why I love my job and I truly appreciate each and every one of you for it.

  Literati Author Services deserves abundant amounts of hugs and kisses, as well as my graphics queen, Sommer Stein of Perfect Pear Creative Covers. Without your assistance with my blog tour and covers, I would be lost.

  To my husband who continuously reminds me that he’s proud of me, I wouldn’t be able to do this, live my dream if it weren’t for your endless support. I love you.

  Last but certainly not least, a big thank you to my readers who were exceptionally excited for Niko and Cambree’s story. Thank you for not only loving every man that my crazy mind creates, but also for believing in my art and me. And if you’re new to my work, THANK YOU for purchasing Savaged. It humbles my heart to know that you’ve read it until the very end.

  I write because I love it. I stay up until the dawn creeps its way through my windows, with an aching back and a belly full of coffee because my characters beg for their stories to be told. The perk is delivering a meaningful book to you. With that said, I sincerely appreciate you, and hope one day to meet and thank you in person for your support.

  NACOLE STAYTON is the Bestselling author of The Upside of Letting Go, as well as other new adult and contemporary romance titles, including A Graceful Mess, In the Lyrics and Savaged. She is twenty-something years young and currently resides in the Bluegrass State where she spends her days working and nights writing vigorously on her current novel. She has a passion for helping others and wears her University of Kentucky gear proudly. While her husband loves all things outdoors, Nacole enjoys the finer things in life, like getting pedicures while reading on her Kindle. She is passionate about her faith, family, and The Vampire Diaries.

  Discover other titles by Nacole Stayton at www.nacolestayton.com

  Chapter One

  Ashlynn

  “Hurry your butts up! I want to get down to the beach,” Tamara, one of my sorority sisters, yells before slamming the passenger side door. She stomps up the wooden stairs to the deck of the beach house we’re renting for the next month, with her suitcase in one hand and her makeup bag in the other.

  We just drove over seven hours from Athens, where we all attend the University of Georgia together and are proud members of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. What should’ve been a five hour drive turned into seven thanks to a car full of girls who all had to stop a million times to pee and get iced coffees—hence all the peeing!

  Tamara, Nikki, and Becca are my sorority sisters, and have been my best friends since freshman year. We’re four of the most different girls you’ll ever meet, and somehow, our quirkiness drew us to one another, and now we’re inseparable.

  “Thank God that storm coming in ch
anged course; now we can spend the rest of the day on the beach. My ass is numb from sitting in that damn car. I need to frolic around on the beach and look for some hotties to party with tonight,” Becca says as she sets her suitcases on the ground beside the SUV.

  She packed her entire room, I think. I just grabbed bikinis, shorts, tanks, sundresses, and a few pairs of jeans and hoodies for windy nights. She has an entire suitcase just for stilettos! Who wears heels at the beach? The only heels I packed are some wedged sandals. I plan on living in flip-flops or being barefooted the entire month.

  We’ve saved up for this trip since we got back from Daytona in April. We’re renting this beach house for just the four of us. I have a feeling that the summer of 2010 is going to be the best summer of our lives. Becca and I are the only single ones here. Tamara and Nikki are both very much in love with their meathead boyfriends, and have been complaining about being away from them. The guys are in a fraternity together, and they all took a trip to Cancun.

  I told them before they graduate, settle down, and start popping out mini football players they need to have a real girls-only getaway. We’re only nineteen, for crying out loud. We’re too young to be tied down to boys. I dumped my loser boyfriend four months ago. While we were all in Daytona together for spring break, the asshole slept with some chick he met at a wet t-shirt contest one of the local dive bars held.

  I learned quickly college boys only care about one thing, and that is sex. They may claim to love you and have eyes for only one girl, but let’s be honest—is it really logical to believe a twenty-year-old college guy is going to be monogamous?

  All my friends rallied around me and helped calm me down. When I walked into my hotel room Evan and I were sharing with Tamara and her boyfriend Reggie and found Evan having sex with the bottle blonde from the bar, I flipped. I felt as if I was a football player running full-force at the scumbag and the skank he was with.

  The look of shock on his face was priceless. He jumped up, wrapping the comforter around himself as he tried to come up with an excuse or reason he was cheating on me with a chick he only knew for about an hour. I didn’t want to hear it. I stomped up to him and smacked him straight across his lying, cheating face. Then, I turned to the girl who was just banging my boyfriend and told her I hoped she enjoyed his pencil dick, because he was all hers now.

  I was fuming as Tamara, Becca, and Nikki dragged me out of the room. Every inch of me was screaming to claw his eyes out. Looking back, I’m glad they pulled me out of that hotel room, because more than likely, I would’ve ended up sitting in jail for assault.

  We changed rooms, of course, because who wants to sleep in the bed their boyfriend had just fucked some slut in? Then we spent the remainder of spring break partying it up and having the best week of our lives. Being two years away from legally buying my own drinks means nothing when you’re a girl. Guys are more than willing to buy you drinks, whether they are twenty-one and up, or just have a really convincing fake ID.

  I don’t think I’ve bought myself a drink the last four months we’ve been going out. Nikki’s brother loaded up my car with beer, a few bottles of Malibu Rum—my personal favorite, because I can make a million different drinks with it—and a few bottles of Grey Goose Vodka.

  This summer is going to be nothing but fun in the sun!

  As soon as we finish unloading the car, I’m making myself a drink and going to tan on the beach. I love having the beach right at our doorstep. By the time we head back to Athens, I’m going to be rocking the best beach tan, which should last well into fall.

  “Is that everything?” Nikki asks, slamming the back passenger door.

  “The only thing left is the boxes of alcohol.” I drape my beach tote over my shoulder, grab my two suitcases, and wheel them towards the house, with Nikki not far behind me.

  The second we step into the beach house, the energy is explosive. Tamara already has the stereo on in the living room blasting Ke$ha’s Blah Blah Blah and all the windows open, letting the salty sea breeze blow into the house. We found a rental with three bedrooms—two with full size beds, and one with two twin beds. We decided on the car ride over that Becca would get one of the rooms by herself, because she is the world’s biggest slob. That girl…I don’t think she’s used a closet in her whole life. Her entire wardrobe is always on the floor.

  Tamara and Nikki offered to take the twin beds and give me the other private room, since my parents paid the deposit on the beach house for us. No one in their right mind would rent out their gorgeous beach house to four nineteen-year-olds, so Mom and Dad set it up for us.

  “You girlies hurry up and get your swimsuits on. I’ll run down to the car and grab the alcohol so we can officially kick off our summer vacation!” Becca shouts over the music, flashing us all a devilish grin before pushing open the screen door and hurrying down to my car.

  Her father gave her a credit card for ‘emergencies’, and for Becca, that would equal bail money. She has been known to get a little too drunk at campus parties and lose her clothes. She’s been in trouble with the campus police more than a dozen times over the last two years.

  In record time, all of us are changed and back in the kitchen, playing bartender as we get to work mixing our drinks. With a red solo cup in one hand, and a beach tote and folding chair in the other, we trudge down towards the water.

  It’s gorgeous out today, with a little cloud coverage, so the sun isn’t continuously beating down on us. There’s a warm, salty breeze rolling off of the water that instantly helps me relax. There’s just something about the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves rolling up to the shore that just sets a peaceful calm over me.

  We all open up our lawn chairs and plop down in them just at the shoreline so we can dip our toes in the water and sip on our cocktails. I’m drinking a Malibu Bay Breeze; it’s one of my absolute favorite drinks. Anything with pineapple in it, I’ll drink. I added blended ice instead of cubed, which is perfect for a hot and humid day like today.

  Luckily for us, the beach is semi-private where our place is, with only people who live here or are renting a beach house allowed to use it. It’s way unlike when we stayed in Daytona at a condo on the main beach, where a thousand bodies crammed together on the sand.

  We spend the entire afternoon down by the water soaking up the sun and enjoying doing absolutely nothing after being trapped in a car for seven very long hours. Only after our stomachs begin to rumble do we pull ourselves away. It’s almost six-thirty at night, so we decide to head up to the house, shower, and go out somewhere for dinner.

  Four girls getting ready is not a speedy process. After almost an hour and a half, we’re finally dressed and ready to explore Myrtle Beach.

  Just as we’re making our way down the tall deck stairs that lead down to the driveway, we spot a group of guys climbing out of a speedboat that is now parked at a dock in front of the house next door.

  “Damn. Why am I not single?” I hear Nikki mumble as we all gawk at the three guys, who are wearing nothing but board shorts and flip-flops. They all have sunglasses on and beers inside koozies in their hands as they make their way up the beach towards the two-story house to the right of ours.

  I glance at their driveway and notice a yellow Suzuki crotch rocket and two other vehicles, a jacked up red Silverado, and a black Mustang convertible.

  “Well, we’re single and definitely ready to mingle, right, Ashlynn?” Becca hints, elbowing me and giving me a cheeky grin. I just shake my head and let out a soft chuckle.

  They are definitely easy on the eyes. All three of them are very nicely toned and tan. If I had to guess, I’d say they’re all around our age. The idea of partying with them makes this summer getaway look even better.

  “They’re all hot. Do you think they had some type of interview process, ‘Only good-looking dudes allowed in this bromance’? I definitely wouldn’t kick any of them out of my bed,” I say, laughing as I press the button on my keys, unlocking the doors o
f my Explorer.

  Just as we get about halfway down the stairs, the group of guys, who are laughing at something tall, tanned, and extremely good-looking just said, spot us four dorks staring at them. I think we all need a bib to catch the drool that’s dribbling down our chins right now.

  They all flash us mega-watt smiles that sparkle in the slowly setting sunlight. This time of year, it stays daylight out until almost nine-thirty at night, so we have one more hour until the sky turns dark and the board walk of Myrtle Beach lights up.

  We all squeal and scurry down the stairs to my car just as the guys raise their hands and give us a small wave. “Welcome to Myrtle Beach, ladies!” the guy with shorter dark hair shouts across to us. The other two just wave and keep smiling. Just that alone has short circuited our brains.

  Waving back at them, we quickly climb into my car, and I waste no time starting it up.

  “Holy shit, they are hot!” Tamara says, staring straight ahead at the area the guys were just standing before they disappeared into their house. It’s as if she believes if she keeps staring, they’ll magically reappear. Just as the thought pops into my head—BAM!—out comes all three sun-kissed Greek gods onto the large wraparound deck with platters in their hands as they head over to a grill.

  “Hurry up and start moving the damn car, Ashlynn, before they think we’re weirdoes sitting in a car just staring at them,” Nikki snaps at me from the back seat.

  I shift the car into reverse to back out of our driveway, but before I can move my foot off of the brake, my eyes lock with the gorgeous man with ocean blue eyes and dirty blonde hair standing at the grill. The color of his eyes pop against his tanned skin, and for a moment, I get lost in them before Tamara slaps me on the arm and brings me out of my trance.

  “Ashlynn, start driving before I end up settling for cannibalism. I’m freaking starving!”