by Bella Jewel
FLICK
BELLA JEWEL 2020
Also by Bella Jewel
Iron Fury MC
Darkest Hour
Sassy Little Thing
Our Final Tale
Whiskey Burning
Hushed Torment
Me, please.
Jokers' Wrath MC
Melancholy
Anguish
Desolation
Precarious
Jokers' Wrath Boxed Set
Bestie
Valiant
King's Descendants MC
King's Descendants Part 1& 2
MC Sinners
Hell's Knights
MC Sinners Next Generation
Manacle
Drifter
Rumblin' Knights
Knights Rising
Knights Fury
Knights Burden
The MC Sinners Series
Knights' Sinner
Heaven's Sinners
Volume One
We Are One
Standalone
Number Thirteen
Wingman (Woman)
'Til Death
'Til Death Pt 2
'Til Death Boxed Set
Flawed Heart
Flawed Love
How To Fall In Love
Pandemonium
Fleeting Moments
Amore - Boxed Set
Wild Child
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION
~*FLICK*~
FLICK | Copyright © 2020 Bella Jewel
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
PROLOGUE | FLICK – THEN
1 | BRIELLA
2 | FLICK
3 | BRIELLA
4 | FLICK
5 | BRIELLA
6 | FLICK
7 | BRIELLA
8 | FLICK
9 | BRIELLA
10 | FLICK
11 | BRIELLA
12 | FLICK
13 | BRIELLA
14 | FLICK
15 | BRIELLA
15 | FLICK
16 | BRIELLA
17 | FLICK
18 | BRIELLA
19 | FLICK
20 | BRIELLA
21 | FLICK
22 | BRIELLA
23 | FLICK
24 | BRIELLA
25 | FLICK
26 | BRIELLA
27 | FLICK
28 | BRIELLA
THE END
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION
To Lance
For believing in me and kicking my ass to keep writing even when I didn’t want to.
For this awesome title. I suppose it’s pretty good ☺
For always making me laugh, even if I occasionally snort.
For loving me harder than I’ve ever been loved.
For being the best damn thing to ever happen to me.
This is for you.
It’s always for you.
~*FLICK*~
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
FLICK
Copyright © 2020 Bella Jewel
FLICK is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
As always, my heartfelt thanks to every single blogger, reader and author that has supported my journey. From reading my books, to sharing them, to raving about them, to being there for me. Thank you. My career would be nothing without any of you.
A huge thanks to the gorgeous ladies from Give Me Books for organizing my reveals and blitzes. You all do such an amazing job. No matter how many times I use you, I am always blown away by how efficient you are. Nothing is ever a drama. Thank you for giving me so much support.
A massive thanks to Ben Ellis from Tall Story Designs for this gorgeous cover. You’re the easiest, most efficient person I’ve ever worked with. You make my covers absolutely gorgeous every single time. I couldn’t do it without you.
To my favorite editor Wendi from Ready, set, edit, for always coming through for me on my edits, whenever I need them. You’re amazing and I’m so thankful to you. You’re super easy to work with and so nice. I’m glad to team up with you for these things.
And of course, to my admin, MJ, for ALWAYS keeping my page running beautifully. I couldn’t do it without you, girly. I love your teasers and your passion; thank you for taking the time out of your life to help this poor girl keep everything running.
And, last but certainly not least, to my loyal readers. To each and every one of you that picks up my books and give me a chance. To the reviews you write, good or bad. To the time you take to make me a better person. You make this real for me; never stop giving such love and passion. You make our journey so amazing.
PROLOGUE
FLICK – THEN
I look into my dad’s eyes and my heart thuds against my chest. My ribcage feels like there is no way it’ll be strong enough to hold it. No way it’ll keep me intact. My eyes move over the bloody mess that is the man who raised me, battered and bruised, fingers dripping with blood. He holds my eyes with desperation, a look that pleads with me to understand.
Pleads with me to get it.
“You’re makin’ a mistake, Dad,” I say, my fists clenched by my side. “I’m not fuckin’ ready for this.”
“You are ready,” he growls, his panting suddenly becoming drowned out by the wheezing of his labored breaths. He’s going to pass out soon, I know he is, and when he does, I’m going to have to do the thing I am most afraid of in the world.
Lie to fucking everyone I love.
Lie to the brotherhood that has come to trust me almost as much as him.
“I’m not fuckin’ ready.”
My voice is strained and frustrated. My head is spinning. My life has already been turned upside down, Briella is gone and nothing is making sense to me anymore. Now this. Now him.
“You don’t get a choice,” he growls, then coughs, blood splattering across the sidewalk in front of him. “I’m not givin’ you an option here, Alarick. You’re takin’ over this club, it’s yours now, and you’re goin’ to do what I’m askin’ you to do. This is important to me, more important than you’ll ever begin to understand. I need you to step up.”
“You want me to fuckin’ lie to them all,” I bark, shaking my head in frustration. “You want me to go in there on false grounds and lie. They find out I lied, I’ll never be respected again.”
“Trust me on this, will you, boy?”
I grind my teeth. “You’re not going to give me a choice.”
“I have to do this. Have to fuckin’ do this. You need to understand and respect that. I don’t need you questionin’ me, I just need you to make this real.”
Make it real.
He wants me to make it so fucking real everyone believes it.
He wants me to sp
in their worlds until they’re so dizzy they don’t look through the gaps and find the lie.
He wants me to walk in there, take over that club, and move on with my life.
A life that will be lived without him.
He wants me to do the unthinkable.
“I have nobody else,” I say, my voice rough and jagged around the edges, much like him.
My father, King, steps forward and puts his hands on my shoulders. He’s crumpled over, he’s exhausted, and if he does manage to live through this, I’m not going to know about it.
“You’re the best fuckin’ thing in my world, Alarick. You and Sissy are goin’ to be just fine without me. I have to find my answers, this is the only way I can do that. I’m in danger, and I’m not goin’ to put the club in danger because of my actions. If I’m gone, they’re goin’ to back off you. If I’m gone, you start again clean.”
“If you’re gone, I’m fuckin’ alone ...”
He leans forward, pressing his head against mine. I can smell the scent of bitter blood wafting over my face, but I don’t move back.
I can’t fucking move back.
“I’m proud of you, boy. I love you. This club is yours, and I know you’re goin’ to do right by it.”
I step back and look at my father, I take him in, and I pray he’ll fucking walk out of this alive.
Then I turn and walk away from him.
I know what I have to do.
He knows what I have to do.
I just don’t know if I can stand here a second longer.
“I love you, my boy,” he calls out, and then I hear him cough again.
So forcefully I wonder if I turn back, he’ll actually be dead.
On the ground, drowning in his own blood.
I don’t look back.
I put one foot in front of the other and keep walking forward.
I’ll walk all the way into the club and tell them the lie.
The lie that’ll change everything.
I’m going to tell them King is dead.
I’m going to tell them that, I, Alarick, will be the new president.
I’m going to lie to every single one of them.
And pray they never find out.
1
BRIELLA
It has been four weeks since I got Rupert removed from my brain.
Four, long, frustrating weeks.
You could say I’m irritated because for the first two weeks, I couldn’t do anything, and then for the last two weeks, all I could do was think about King. My mind has been a scramble ever since the night he came into the hospital. I’ve wanted to ask so many questions, but he asked me not to tell anyone, so that’s exactly what I’ve done.
There have been times Alarick has been sitting beside me, stroking my hair, and I’ve wanted to blurt it all out.
But it’ll hurt him, right? I mean, of course it will.
He doesn’t want to find out his father is alive, that all this time he has been grieving someone who isn’t dead.
So, I’ve sat on my little secret, keeping it locked away tightly where nobody can unleash it to the world.
I don’t know what King wants from me, I don’t know if he’s going to show his face again, I don’t know what it is he’s been doing all this time, but I could almost guarantee it has something to do with my mother and her death.
There are so many mysteries surrounding her death, around Magnolia’s death, around everything that I once believed. Nothing has been right, nothing is true, and all of it is messing with my thoughts.
I have to go back to the beginning, start again, trace their steps and find out what it was they were so afraid of, only I don’t know where the beginning is. Is it with my mom? Is it with Aviana? Is it with Magnolia? Is it with this mystery Dax? Constable Bennett? I just don’t know.
“Hey lady, how’s things?”
I look up from my spot on Alarick’s bed at the club to see Mykel strolling into the room, one button on his jeans undone, his hair all messed up, shirtless, and looking as gorgeous as ever.
“Been busy, have you?” I ask him, snorting when he glances down at his button and then quickly does it up.
“You know how it is, a man has to find relief ...”
“Just imagine,” I say, pushing up from the bed, “if we ladies did that? Just fucked whatever moved for relief?”
“Why don’t you?” He grins, cheekily.
“Because we’d be labelled a slut and no man would ever want us.”
He chuckles. “I’d want you, honey.”
I shove his shoulder and murmur, “Where’s my favorite biker?”
“He’s runnin’ a meeting. Told me to let you know he’ll be longer than he thought.”
“Ugh,” I murmur. “I’m so ready to be out of this room. He’s meant to take me out today. I really need to be away from these four walls.”
“Are you sayin’ you don’t like our company?”
“I’m saying if I hear another bitch moaning because you stallions are pounding her against the wall, I’m going to cut my own ears off.”
Mykel bursts out laughing and shakes his head. “C’mon. You’ll be glad to know I got permission to take you out, now you’re in the clear. Tell me what you wanna do.”
I eye him suspiciously. “You’re going to take me out?”
“Fuck yeah I am. I got shit to do anyway.”
I’m not going to say no. Other than attending Magnolia’s funeral, which was followed by a shit load of questions I mostly lied to the police about, I haven’t been out of this club. I’ve gone back to Cohen’s, been to Alarick’s, but other than that I spend most of my time here because Alarick is always busy and it’s the only way I can be near him.
I’ve spent a few hours at the tattoo shop, but for reasons unknown to me, the tattoo needle agitated me, and I couldn’t be around it too long.
So, I got stuck listening to the club whores moaning as they were ridden like a train through the station.
Nasty.
“I’m happy to go out, let’s go.”
I grab a coat and look to Mykel, who just chuckles. “No holdin’ you back is there?”
“You try sitting in here as long as I have. Where are we going first?”
“Get some lunch, then I’ve got a few errands to run. Then, we can do whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” I say, pursing my lips.
“Nothing illegal, or against club rules,” he throws in.
“You’re so boring.”
Chuckling, he takes my hand and tugs, and we both walk out of the club and to his truck. I get in the passenger seat, and when Mykel climbs in, we hit the road.
We make our way to a local diner where I order a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake because my god, I’ve been a healthy little eater in the last few weeks. You know, trying to be kind to my body after having Rupert and all, but man, I need this more than I probably need Alarick right about now.
“You eat like a man, and I love it,” Mykel tells me when my food is put in front of me.
I snort. “You’re not going to catch me eating like a mouse, hell no. Food was made to be enjoyed, and I’m going to enjoy it.”
“That’s my girl.”
I grin at him and pop a fry into my mouth. “Can I ask you something?”
He nods, taking a bite of his burger. Even eating like a starving caveman, he’s still so gorgeous. Whatever woman gets to lie in Mykel’s bed every night, is going to be a lucky one.
Though the amount of women he’s ploughed through in the last few weeks, I’m guessing he is still a man whore and isn’t yet ready to settle down.
Can’t say I blame him.
Being a taken girl is hard.
“What happened to King?”
For a moment, Mykel looks confused. Like why the hell wouldn’t I know the answer to that question?
I go on before he can get suspicious. “You know I didn’t live here when he died. I never asked Alarick about it because
I didn’t want to upset him but, you know ... I want to know all of it. Not just the basics.”
Mykel swallows his mouthful and thinks on it for a moment, before answering. “He got beat up real bad. Was drivin’ home and his car went off the edge of some big fuckin’ bridge. Found the car, never found his body.”
“They never found his body?” I question. “How is that so?”
“Heard he must have gotten washed out of the car, and fuck knows where he ended up.”
“How do they know he got beat up?”
“Said there was blood everywhere in the car, and it was his. Looked like it must have been that he was in a bad way.”
“Oh, I never realized,” I whisper.
“We figured if he made it out, he would have come home. He didn’t. So, we knew he was dead.”
Oh god.
If only they knew.
“What was he looking for?”
“The person who killed your momma, same as Mags.”
I glance down at my burger and say softly, “Do you think their fate is my fate?”
“Fuck no,” Mykel says. “You have the club on your side, and we’re not goin’ to let you get hurt lookin’ for that son-of-a-bitch. You gotta know that.”
Right.
“You’re not goin’ to go and look into this without us, are you?”
His voice is stern, and his face is hard. He knows me, well enough to know I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about all the ways I can get this ball rolling, of all the ways I can track down this man who has brought on so much pain and horror in my family. He knows that I’m thinking about it, and I’m going over every way I can to figure this out.
“Briella,” he urges. “You don’t want their fate, then you gotta use your fuckin’ brain. You know that. You go in without us, you’re goin’ to end up hurtin’ yourself, or worse. Don’t be stupid.”
I look at him, and then nod. “I’m not going to be stupid.”
And I’m not, at least, not intentionally.