“North” Broken Deeds MC #7
By Esther E. Schmidt
Copyright © 2019 by Esther E. Schmidt All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Incidents, names, places, characters and other stuff mentioned in this book is the results of the author’s imagination. North is a work of fiction. If there is any resemblance, it is entirely coincidental.
This content is for mature audiences only. Please do not read if sexual situations, violence and explicit language offends you.
Cover design by:
Esther E. Schmidt
Editor #1:
Christi Durbin
Editor #2:
Virginia Tesi Carey
Cover Model:
Travis
Photographer:
Wander Aguiar - wanderbookclub.com
Dedication
For all my Broken Deeds MC readers who love each character as much as I loved creating them. This might be the final book in this series, but when you’re done reading North…you will know the end will also be a new beginning.
Big hugs,
Esther
Christi Durbin
I loved your twins idea for Kray and North when I didn’t see them sharing one girl. It all fell into place right after.
You’re my friend, my bestie, my PA, my person. You have been right next to me with each book I released. You’re my rock and my support, the one who always keeps it real and gives it to me straight. “Thank you” are just two words but you know how much weight and love I put in there for you, and you give it back equally.
Table of contents
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
***Twenty-two years later***
Chapter 01
***North***
Reva. My heart is reaching out to her through my eyes. Sounds fucked-up, but it’s the truth. Even more fucked-up? I only met her five days ago when I rescued her from the claws of Zay Brice, otherwise known as Shade. He was the head of an online black market ring. We’re talking about organs, weapons, drugs, whatever you need, they will supply it; for a price.
How did Reva get pulled into this shit? She’s a special agent. A very talented one, one with incredible hacker abilities. Reva was kidnapped when she—and with it her team—was close to ripping the case right open. Her twin, Vienna, also a special agent, suspected there was a rat in their team. With Reva gone missing and her computer wiped clean, it wasn’t hard to believe. Not to mention Reva was missing for over ten fucking days before Broken Deeds MC was requested to take on the case.
It took us a few days to dive into everything and when I found a way to go in undercover, I set it all up in an effort to get her out. The plan was to get her out quickly once I had the chance but what I didn’t expect was everything going to shit when Shade’s crew turned on him. It did however provide an unexpected exit strategy.
But even if I saved her…no one saved her from the hell she went through before I came and pulled her out. And I might have brought her back, but being around her makes it clear the woman is simply a shell of who she was. No fucking life inside; only a body going through the motions of staying alive. A blind man can tell with a mere glance.
I’m glad she’s finally sleeping. And I’m damn glad I broke rules set to protect. I had no other choice; it was either this or watch her slip away to her own death. And I’m not fucking exaggerating. It’s the damn truth.
Try to imagine being taken from your job, ripped away from your twin, and being caught in the claws of some of the evilest motherfuckers alive. To hell and back is a statement but I’ve managed to pull her out and I don’t fucking know if the scars on the inside are as ugly as they are on the outside.
And I didn’t call my ten plus ugly just now, ‘cause this woman is the most gorgeous presence to walk this damn Earth. Even if one side of her face carries burns, and as of this morning…knife wounds because she couldn’t stand the look of being branded by Shade.
That’s right, this strong woman grabbed my knife—without me realizing it—and was carving off her own burned skin when I found her in the bathroom after I thought I’d check because she was in there way too long. And let me tell you, I’ve seen some pretty fucked up shit in my life with my military background, working for the government, and being a part of Broken Deeds MC. But this? She could have very well ripped out my damn heart with her delicate fingers.
Reva wasn’t crying, not one damn tear. There was no life in her eyes and the only thing she said when I stumbled into the bathroom to find her carving off one side of her face was “I had to. I couldn’t bear to keep seeing what he did to me.” Then she fucking collapsed and I barely managed to catch her before she crashed to the floor. Blood everywhere; her wounds, the floor, on me.
I had to get her medical help. For the cuts on her face but her mind probably needed more help than the open wounds on her face. Skin heals. It takes time, special care, but it fucking heals on its own but her mind? A long fucking road where there’s no damn guidance where it will lead to.
She maybe slept a handful of hours over the three nights we stayed in the safe house I took her to after I rescued her. And I kept my eyes on her so, I damn well know she didn’t really get restful sleep for those hours, but was pulled back in the hell she went through in the nightmares flaring up. Memories clawing inside her brain to torment her every second.
Like I said, I broke rules to get her here; into my own bed instead of hiding in a location only one other person in this world knew about. Because I rescued her but with the mutiny of Shade’s crew where he ended up dead, they could come after her. Even more because the computer whiz they were using before her was found dead.
Not to mention the dead woman was also covered with burn marks and scars, and died a gruesome death. It’s not safe for Reva to return home, hence the reason I stayed put with her in a safe house…until this morning when I had to put her sanity before her damn safety.
A soft knock on the door draws my attention. I swing my head back to see Kray leaning against the doorjamb. “You got a minute?”
I lift my chin and leave the room. The doctor who stitched her up—a brilliant plastic surgeon who Broken Deeds can call upon when needed—gave her a sedative to make sure she will sleep dreamlessly for a while.
Kray and I go way back. We met over twelve years ago, right before we had to report for our first tour together. After leaving the military—where we met our Prez, Deeds—we became a part of Broken Deeds MC.
Kray and I have a special connection, we’re more than brothers. It’s something easily explained as being on the same level and finding a friend for life. One look and we know what the other is thinking. It’s been this way ever since the day we met due to a confrontation at a bar where we both ran into our ex. Which happened to be the same damn woman.
Fucked-up story but to cut it short…since then, we decided to test the merchandise—so to say—from that moment on together; to prevent one another from making the same mistake when it comes to women. We’d always wanted to find the perfect ten plus. One woman who’d have it all. Great personality, slamming body, perfect quirks; the perfect Old Lady.
It took twelve damn years and we’d given up hope, but when Reva’s twin, Vienna, walked into the bar where we were supposed to meet our contact to update us on a ca
se we might be interested in…Kray and I both labeled her as a ten plus. I doubled back though, once she’d opened her mouth, she just pissed me off. Kray might like attitude and a strong woman, and I might respect one too, but it’s not something I’d see in my ten plus.
Come on, we’re talking about the ultimate dream. Insane demands where you set your standards so high…you never expect to find what you’re looking for. Well, the ‘never’ part turned out to be twelve damn years of waiting for the both of us. Because when I heard Vienna had a twin sister…one she told more about than we read in her file…I needed to know if Reva was my ten plus.
I remember walking into the room where Reva was sitting behind a computer. Not looking up and when I snapped her name? Those eyes meeting mine, her lips slightly parting, chest rapidly rising and falling? I was fucking falling. Even with the bandages on her cheek and when I discovered there were burns underneath. Or fuck, even with her slicing those away, it doesn’t matter. Ten plus is the whole package of the kind of person you want to share your life with.
Beauty comes in many forms and this woman is a fighter. I don’t mind fighting for her if she’s grasping for straws to hold her to this world with the kind of crazy she’s been through these few weeks. I saved her once, and I damn well will keep her safe from harm even if it costs me my last damn breath.
Or my friend, Kray, who I’m now facing because I know he’s standing before me to ask if his Old Lady, Reva’s twin, can see her sister. But I won’t let her. Not due to the fact I’m protecting her, but because I made a promise to Reva not to take her to her sister. And I never go back on my word. Even if I don’t agree with her not wanting to see her twin.
“What’s up?” I ask Kray, keeping my voice down as I close the door behind me.
He glances behind him and when I follow his gaze, I see Vienna standing at the end of the hallway. I release a deep sigh. I don’t agree with Reva’s decision but I gave her my word. I stalk past Kray because he obviously doesn’t want a word with me, it’s Vienna who wants to ask me for the gazillionth time in the past few hours to let her see her sister.
“You should get some sleep,” I tell Vienna softly.
She shakes her head, eyes red and puffy. “I can’t. I need to see her.”
“I’ve explained it three times already, Vienna. You know I can’t. I gave you my word I’d get her back, I did. I gave Reva my word not to let you see her. Please, respect her wishes, and with it the trust I gave her to keep my word.”
A sob ribs from her and I don’t know what these two women have done to me but it’s as if they found a secret hatch to release some damn feelings into my veins. Fuck. I reach out and pull her close. There’s absolutely nothing sexual about it. Even if before all of this Kray and I used to share a woman, it’s in the damn past. The woman I’m holding and comforting is completely his, my dick doesn’t even stir.
“Give her some time, Vienna,” I mutter next to her ear. “I’ll try talking to her about it when she wakes up, okay?”
Her head bobs against my chest and she tightens her arms before she lets go. She places a flat hand against my pecs and pats a few times.
“Sorry for the tears and snot,” she says on half a laugh, half a sob, and adds, “Thank you.”
“Thank you for pretending I’m the tissue here?” I wave a hand in front of my shirt.
Now she smacks my pecs harder. “No, you goof. Thanks for keeping your word.”
I let my knuckles softly brush by her jaw. “Don’t mention it.”
“I’m okay now. You can go back,” she urges.
The corner of my mouth twitches. When I first discovered the case we took involved Vienna’s twin, I classified her as my future ten plus. The best ever. Exactly how me and Kray grade pie together. You don’t discuss what you like or don’t like or every nagging ingredient, you grade to have a clean system. I’ve never tasted a ten plus pie. I’ve had good ones, great ones, very fucking bad ones, but never a ten plus. See? Gotta leave something to wish for.
Well, Vienna here realized I’d set my eyes on her twin before I even met Reva in person. She tried to warn me to back off at every turn. That is until I promised her to get Reva back within two days.
We made a deal. I could take Reva out on a date, if Reva wanted to go with me on one that is. Clearly, I kept my end of the deal when I saved her. Seems like Vienna’s sticking to her end of the deal or she had a change of heart and sees I’m a nice guy who’s not messing with her sister just for the hell of it. Whatever. It’s in the past because in my gut I know Reva will be my future.
I stroll back to my bedroom and pass Kray. He nods and the grateful glint in his eyes says enough. Stopping in front of my bedroom door, I glance back to double check if they’ve left my part of the house. Which they have.
Kray and I have always spent our time together as brothers in Broken Deeds MC. Seeing we have a solid friendship thicker than blood we decided to live together and yet keep our own space. Meaning we had two identical houses built in mirrored versions of each other with an enclosed space in between. This allows us to be near one another and yet it gives us the privacy we need at times.
I decide to check on Reva’s pet first. Turning, I head for the room I placed a large habitat in the day we checked Reva and Vienna’s place. It’s normal to check a person’s house to know everything there is to know about the missing person. Minor details can help to trigger any possible clue or can be of value when you need it the most.
And in this case, the knowledge of Reva owning a pet allowed her to trust me instantly when I met her for the first time. Not to mention it was crucial for me to have her trust because I needed her to come with me so we could escape. Fuck. The spark of life hitting her eyes when I literally told her, “Trust me, ‘cause you don’t want to have your sister looking after Kazz much longer since she tried to turn him into a vegetarian.”
And I wasn’t lying either, it was the damn truth. Kazz is Reva’s bearded dragon. They eat all kind of insects but Vienna—to put it lightly—didn’t want any part of it so she only gave Kazz bok choy. Yeah, that little fucker was not a happy camper, I can tell you that.
It’s the reason why I took him with me to my house and bought him a large habitat to let him settle and feed him the correct way. And because I had no clue when we were going to find out where they were holding Reva and how long it would take to get her reunited with her pet. Anyway, I’m fucking glad I did because now I have the both of them to look after in one place.
“Hey, buddy.” Kazz lets me take him out of the habitat and I bring him with me across the hallway and into my bedroom. “Why don’t we watch a movie together, huh?”
Yeah, I’m talking to a bearded dragon but he needs the attention, okay? And they make great pets. They love to sit and sleep on your lap or chest when you’re watching some TV. I grab the remote before I sit down in the lazy chair near the bed.
I hit a few buttons on the remote and settle in to watch a marathon of some supernatural series. I don’t have to give it much attention, I just need the distraction while I’m watching over Reva. She’ll be out for a few hours or so the doctor told me. But I need to be near her in case the nightmares come.
There’s a blast on the TV flowing through the room. I try to lower the volume in an automatic response but I realize I don’t have to. Reva won’t wake up from a little noise. It’s not because of the sedative the doctor gave her. It’s because Reva is completely deaf on one side and hears very little on the other side.
All because she suffered from a high fever at a young age. They were late discovering it due to the fact she doesn’t feel pain like a normal person would. She feels pain, but she just has a very high tolerance.
And both I’ve experienced firsthand. The high tolerance when she was slicing her own burns off with a knife. And the non-hearing; when she wants to shut out the world, she simply lays on the ear that has some hearing left. Fuck. This woman is something else.
I reach out
and let my fingertips barely touch her hair. Where her sister has short, spiky hair, Reva has long hair, both the color of rich dark chocolate. Identical twins and yet so damn different. I drag my eyes away from her and back to the screen. Kazz has settled in for some sleep and I kinda envy the guy.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep with the stabbing pictures going through my mind of what happened the last few days. So, instead, I will stare at the flashy screen and watch over this strong woman. And to me that’s soothing something inside me.
Seems I’ve closed my eyes for a brief moment and I can feel someone’s gaze on me. I’ve locked the door and with it prevented anyone from coming inside without me knowing. Slowly opening my eyes, I’m now staring into haunting green ones. Though they have a faint twinkle as she reaches forward and lifts Kazz from my chest.
“Heya Kazzy,” she murmurs and settles herself against the headboard.
Her eyes slide to mine and I know she wants to say something but I’ve come to know her over the last few days. Being on the run and locked inside a cabin twenty-four seven leaves you with no other choice.
“You want coffee while you muster up the courage to throw out what you wanna say to me, babe?” I don’t need to raise my voice to know if she hears me or not. I happen to know she’s also a very good lip reader.
Her eyes hit the sheets covering her sweet curves. “Yes.”
For some it’s just one word, to me? Confirmation, information, and understanding. And I can damn well hear the slight snap of annoyance in her tone, and that shit makes my cock twitch. I’m not the only one who got to know her, she got to know me in return too. Slowly rising from my chair, I place the remote on the bed near her legs and leave the room to head for the kitchen.
I take my time making coffee and roam around the kitchen for something I can also bring her. Coffee, crackers, along with some chocolate is all I can manage in one go. Two mugs in one hand while I’m holding on to the rest with my other hand. I open the door with my elbow and stroll inside my bedroom.
North: Broken Deeds MC Page 1