by S. Nelson
Whatever. Was. Necessary.
Because it was dark out, I only saw shadows on the other side of the lot, closer to the gate. It wasn’t until I was practically on them, under the lighting, did I see who was present.
Hawke was yelling at the guy on the ground, pointing his gun at the man’s head, like Brick said. Ace and Kaden stood next to the nomad with their weapons drawn as well.
“What the hell is goin’ on?” I asked, rushing forward.
The guy lying on the ground had been beaten badly, the side of his face covered in blood, his one eye swollen shut. There was no way Hawke could’ve caused all that damage in this short amount of time.
Kaden kicked the guy in the side, and he grunted. When he finally lifted his head enough to look up at me, I saw that it was indeed Pike, the Reaper prospect who’d shoved Maddie at me during the fight and told me to take her. She’d told me some things about the guy, and while she painted him to not be as bad as the rest of them, that he tried to help her as much as he could, he still had a hand in mistreating her. She claimed he was forced to rape her, but he raped her just the same.
A garbled barrage of words spewed from his mouth, but none of us could make out anything he said. Kaden kicked him again, which only made his speech worse when he tried a second time.
“Hey, maybe don’t kick him so we can understand what the fuck he’s tryin’ to tell us.” Kaden looked more annoyed than pissed off at the request, taking a step back.
“Why are you here?”
“War… warn you.” He spit on the ground, a string of bloody saliva dangling from his mouth. “They’re co… comin’.”
“Who?” Hawke shouted, bending over and pressing the barrel of the gun to the guy’s temple. “Your fuckin’ buddies?”
The prospect nodded.
Then just like in a movie, I saw Maddie running toward us in slow motion, Brick a few feet behind her, reaching out but not quite making the connection to snatch her back.
She skidded to a stop and fell to the ground next to his bloodied form. “Cody,” she cried, running her hands all over him. She looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Please don’t kill him.”
“You have a soft spot in your heart for the guys who raped you?” Hawke asked, sneering at her as if she disgusted him.
“He’s not like that. He tried to help me,” she hiccupped, her tears and concern for the bastard making me insanely jealous and angry. I barely had enough time to reel it in before Hawke’s words finally registered, incensing me on a whole other level.
I was furious at Maddie for disobeying me and giving Brick the slip, which he’d hear about, of course, and for also trying to protect a Reaper. Help or no help.
“Brick, get her outta here,” I shouted, tapping the gun against my thigh.
He reached down and scooped her up with no effort at all, his hand wrapped around her waist as he carted her off. She wore a thin top and short shorts, and while I hated that anyone had seen her like that, I doubted they were paying much attention with what was goin’ down.
“Lincoln! Please don’t do it,” she bawled, beating her tiny fists against Brick’s arms to try and get down. “Please…” Her voice faded the further away he took her, leaving the rest of us to focus on this guy.
“Now, why exactly did you come here to warn us?” I asked. “Did they send you in as bait?” I looked to the other guys. “Is there anyone else around. Did you check?”
“Yeah,” Hawke answered. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
I wanted to shout “It is for me,” but that comment was unnecessary. We were in it now, my decision to take Maddie that night the catalyst to what was happening right at our feet… literally.
Pike shook his head as best he could in response to my question, his breathing coming in shallow spurts.
“Who fucked you up?” I asked him.
“Griller.”
“Why?”
“Be… because I tried to…” He coughed, spitting up more blood onto the gravel. His hands clenched into fists while he struggled to take air into his lungs. “Convince them to leave Maddie alone. Get new pussy.”
His reference to her made my blood boil, the inferno erupting inside me set to blow any second. Trying to remain calm was difficult, but I somehow succeeded, albeit barely.
“When are they comin’ for her? For us?” Ace asked, running his hand over the top of his head, his other holding his weapon steady.
“Soon.”
Contemplating what to do with him, I teetered between gettin’ rid of him, in whatever way that entailed I wasn’t sure yet, and keeping him around for more questioning.
I crouched down so I could see him better. “Did you guys set the fire at Indulge?” A crease formed between his eyes. “One of our strip clubs,” I clarified, guessing the answer before he gave it with a nod… then fell unconscious.
“What are we gonna do with him?” Kaden asked, walking in a circle while glancing down at the Reaper every few seconds. “We can’t leave him here.”
“We can dump him where we’ve discarded the others.” Hawke pulled out his cell and dialed a number, allowing his words to sink in. Ace, Kaden, and I exchanged glances before I closed my eyes and pushed out a breath.
“And where is that?” The more I learned about the dealings of the club in the old days, the more hesitant I was to ask questions, but I supposed it had become a necessary evil as of late.
“’Bout an hour from here.” He walked away as soon as his call connected.
“What the fuck?” Ace griped, pacing around the Reaper and mumbling to himself. “I’ve never been involved in a murder before, and now the count is gonna be up to two.” He explained further when Kaden and I kept staring at him. “Tag and now this guy.”
“We don’t know Tag is gonna be killed,” I said.
“What else do you think is gonna happen?” Kaden shook his head and took a few steps back.
Before I could even think of a reply, Hawke came walking back over, shoving his phone in his pocket. “Prez said to bring him to the safe house. He’s givin’ Miles, Rez, and Nash a heads-up we’re comin’. I’ll grab the van.” He walked away without another word.
“I’ll be right back.” I tucked the gun into the back of my waistband and jogged toward the clubhouse. While I continued to deal with twinges of jealousy and anger toward Maddie, I still didn’t want to leave her. But it looked like I had no other choice in the matter.
She was sitting at the bar, Brick caging her in her seat. While I didn’t appreciate how close he was to her, or that he’d had his hands on her before, I trusted him to not be inappropriate or cross any lines where she was concerned.
The moment she saw me, she hopped off the stool and rushed toward me, throwing her hands around my neck. “Please tell me you didn’t kill him.” She sobbed, her concern for this guy making my stomach roll.
I pushed her back so I could see her face, hating every one of her tears that were being shed for another man. “He is none of your concern.”
“Lincoln, please…” Her body trembled as she looked up at me with her imploring stare. “Please don’t—”
“Maddie, listen to me. Whatever happens to him is not on you.” She opened her mouth to interrupt, but I shook my head before continuing to speak. “He knew what could happen by showing up here.” More tears stained her cheeks. “What he did to you is unforgiveable. I know you believe he’s not a bad guy because he was nice to you sometimes, but he’s a coward. He took you to his club knowing what type of men they are. And you can argue with me until you’re blue in the face, but that piece of shit out there,” I said, raising my voice and pointing toward the door, “is not someone who deserves your tears. And don’t think for a second he won’t lure another unsuspecting girl back to his buddies.” Even as the words left my mouth, I became conflicted with the suspected truth of them. Pike had come here to warn us, but as of this moment, I couldn’t figure out if he told us the truth or if this was part of a set
up.
When her tears slowed, I looked over her head to Brick. “We gotta go. Can you stay here and watch her?”
“Of course,” he responded right away, alleviating some of my worry.
Maddie clutched on to my shirt, the fabric stretching when I tried to pull away. Gently but firmly unfurling her fingers, I passed her back to him.
As I walked away, I couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling of dread that passed through me over what was to come.
Are you excited to find out what happens next? Well, you won’t have to wait long for Ace, book 3 in the KCMC Next Generation series, which will be released in early July 2020.
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HAVE YOU READ THE ORIGINAL KNIGHTS CORRUPTION SERIES WHERE IT ALL BEGAN? IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BINGE WORTHY MC READ THAT WILL CONSUME YOU, THEN START TODAY WITH MAREK
With the weight of the club on his shoulders, Cole Marek, president of the Knights Corruption MC, had only one choice:
Turn their livelihood legit.
Everything was falling into place until one unexpected, fateful night. With an attack on his fellow brothers, Marek had no choice but to retaliate against their sworn enemy.
Swarming their compound, he comes face-to-face with the daughter of his rival club, making an astonishing decision which would change his life forever.
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WANT A STORY THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS? THEN GRAB YOUR COPY OF ADDICTED, BOOK ONE IN THE ADDICTED TRILOGY
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She intrigues him.
She challenges him.
She threatens the secret he’s been hiding for years.
Will a promise made long ago be the very same thing that destroys their chance for happiness?
S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013.
Her passion to create was overwhelming, and within a few months she’d written her first novel. When she isn’t engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can. She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.
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If you are a new reader of my work, thank you so much for taking a chance on me. If I’m old news to you, thank you for continuing to support me. It truly means the world to me.
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If you’ve enjoyed this book, or any of my other stories, please consider leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be long at all. A sentence or two will do just fine. Of course, if you wish to elaborate, feel free to write as much as you want.
To my husband, thank you for always holding down the fort so that I can pursue my dream. I love you!
Clarise (CT Cover Creations), you are so freakin’ talented, woman! Lincoln’s cover is AMAZING! You’ve done a brilliant job and I cannot wait to work with you on my next project.
To Becky, my editor, your suggestions and comments have really helped to polish the second book in the KCMC Next Gen series. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Ruth, I’m so excited to have you in my corner. You’ve been my rock, especially when I feel like pulling my hair out. I look forward to our chats and love that you love my men as much as I do. I can’t believe book two in this series is already done!
Elmarie, thank you so much for taking the time to beta read yet another book for me, although something tells me you were looking forward to finding out what happened in this one. I can’t wait to chat with you about the next one.
To all of the bloggers who have shared my work, I’m forever indebted to you. You ladies are simply wonderful!
To all of you who have reached out to me to let me know how much you loved my stories, I am beyond humbled. Thank you so much, and I’ll continue to do my best to bring you stories you can lose yourself in, even if it’s only for a few hours.
And last but not least, I would like to thank you, the reader. If this is the first book you’ve read from me, I hope you enjoy it. If this is yet another story from me you’ve taken a chance on…THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Standalones
Stolen Fate
Redemption
Torn
Blind Devotion
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Massey Security Duet
The Assignment
The Score
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Addicted Trilogy
Addicted
Shattered
Wanted
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Knights Corruption MC Series
Marek
Stone
Jagger
Tripp
Ryder
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Knights Corruption Complete Series (all five MC books in one: Marek, Stone, Jagger, Tripp, Ryder)
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Knights Corruption MC Series-Next Generation
Kaden
Lincoln