Copyright 2026 by M Violet

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

SMOKE

M VIOLET

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior consent and permission of the publisher.

No portion of this book may be used for training AI.

Cover Design by 3CROWS AUTHOR SERVICES. All stock photos licensed appropriately.

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For information on subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher at authormviolet@gmail.com

SMOKE is a Dark Romance novella meant for adults 18 years of age and older. It is a why choose stepbrother romance with heavy themes of blasphemy and humiliation rituals.

A note about consent: In real life, consent is ALWAYS a must. This book is a work of FICTION. I do not condone, nor do I promote any of the FICTIONAL actions taken by the FICTIONAL characters in this book. This book is intended for entertainment purposes only.

Please refer to the full list of CWs on my website. Your mental health is of the utmost importance. www.mvioletbooks.com

Cherry – King Princess

MARTYR – Britton

UNETHICAL – Faouzia

The Sick – Bella Kay

Idagaf (Heavy) – TAELA

ENOUGH TO BE – Presley Regier

psycho – Camylio

Whiplash – Allegra Jordan & Ellise

Holding Me Down – Picturesque

Cinnamon Girl – Lana Del Rey

I’m the Sinner – Jared Benjamin

Drown Me – Noah Thorne

Chains of Love – Charli xcx

MINE – October Ends

After The Lights Go Down – Noah Thorne

ASK FOR IT – Magnolia Park

iloveitiloveitiloveit – Bella Kay

Evil Against Me – Shaya Zamora

Taste of Metal – Henry Morris

Sparks – Skylar Grey

Maraschino Love – EZI

Taste – Melrose Avenue

Forgiven (‘Mile End Kicks’ – Music Inspired by the Motion Picture) – The Haunt

Girls with Tattoos – Passengers Unknown

Family Tree – Ethel Cain

Deserve – Austin Giorgio

These Eyes (Acoustic) – Izzy Escobar

Wishbone – Julia Wolf

Midnight Killer – Stela Cole

Perfect Strangers – Archers

Believe It – Jared Benjamin

jAGUAR – Cloudy June

595 – Violet Grohl

take my bones – Camylio

It’s You – Lo Spirit

Devotion – Sunday (1994)

Cherry – Lana Del Rey

To my high school teacher who said I wasn’t going to amount to anything…

Turns out you were wrong about a lot of things.

The color red follows me everywhere. From the gloss on my lips, to the nickname that stuck since I was a child, to the blood stains on my hands. Red was what I saw when the Kensington boys violated me. And it’s red that paints the walls and stains the shag carpet with their blood now.

I could’ve stopped at poison. Stabbing them after they were already dead might have been excessive.

But I always have to take it a step further. Show me the line, and I’ll leap all the way over it. Some say I’m like this because I don’t have a momma. But my daddy says it’s because I got a little bit of the devil in me. And daddy knows best. He is the town preacher after all.

He says the devil likes dancing with me, or maybe I like dancing with him. Either way, the Kensington boys won’t be sticking their unwanted fingers and cocks inside any more girls again.

“Their parents will be back soon,” Roxy whispers as if the dead can hear us. My best friend isn’t just ride-or-die, she’s a who-do-I-need-to-kill and where-do-you-want-to-bury-the-bodies type of bestie.

But as I glance into the living room’s floor-to-ceiling mirror, the glimpse I get of myself scares me. So I don’t blame Roxy for being spooked. I lost control tonight. They deserved it, but I went too far. That can’t happen again.

I charge into the kitchen and turn on the water in the sink. It’s hard not to fixate on all the blood and bits of flesh falling into the drain. Fuck. I start to panic, afraid to leave anymore of my DNA inside this house.

A whiff of peaches wafts to my nose, calming me a little. Roxy wraps her arms around my waist from behind. “They got what they deserved,” she murmurs. “But we have to get out of here before Mr. and Mrs. Kensington come back.”

I shake my head. “No, Rox. You have to get out of here. You’re eighteen now and on probation. If you get in trouble again, they’ll send you to federal prison this time.”

She spins me around, her eyes watery. “I’m not leaving you, Cherry. No fucking way. We’re in this together.”

This part of the plan was never supposed to include her. I just didn’t tell her that much because I knew she’d fight me on it. But time is ticking and I need her to fucking go. I would never forgive myself if she got locked up again.

I grab her hands. “Listen to me. In about two minutes, Hawk and his crew are going to walk in here and help me clean this up. And they made it really fucking clear that no one else better be in here except me. So I need you to go, for both our sakes. They’ll make sure that this ends tonight. No bodies, no evidence, no suspects. Okay?”

Roxy huffs, realizing I held out on her again. But she has her secrets too. “You should’ve told me… about all of this.”

I look down at the remnants of dried blood in my fingernails, disgusted with myself. “I know. But you have your own shit to deal with. After that whole mess with your stepdad… I just didn’t want to burden you with my fucked up problems. Sometimes being best friends means embracing the unspoken shit as well as the deep, dark confessions.”

She pulls me into an embrace. “You’re right. I’ll slip out the back. But you better text me as soon as you’re clear of here. And if anyone asks, we were playing pinball all night at Level Up. I’ll go down there now and make sure everyone sees me.”

There’s an eerie feeling on the back of my neck. I shudder as we pull apart. This fierce girl has been riding with me since we were in diapers. She’s the right amount of unhinged to match my mine. But I’m scared that this might be the last time we ever see each other.

I blink back tears. “Promise me you’ll leave here tomorrow and never look back. This town will destroy you. You’re too good for Crimson Valley, Roxy. You always have been.”

She doesn’t hold her tears in. They stream down her cheeks, casting lines in her makeup. “You could come with me. You’re better than this shithole too.”

My sweet Roxy… This girl is going to have a good fucking life. I can feel it. But that won’t happen if she stays here. And I don’t deserve shit except the bed I fucking made for myself. “You know I can’t leave my daddy. I’m all he’s got. Someday, maybe after he’s gone, I’ll come find you.”

Roxy throws her arms around my neck. I bite my lip hard to keep from bursting into tears. “You have to go now,” I whisper.

She grabs my shoulders. “Remember, text me when you’re in the clear.”

I nod. “See ya around, Rox.”

As soon as I hear the back door close, I’m tempted to lose it right here on this bloody floor. But the sound of the front door creaking open reminds me that this night is far from over.

He walks in like a tall cool drink of water. Like a movie star. My breath hitches when we lock eyes. It’s been two years since I’ve seen him. He still looks the same, his expression curious. Tortured. Conflicted. Tragically beautiful…

You got this, Cherry. I repeat these words to myself, running them through my head as I take deep breaths.

“Hawk,” I murmur. I let his name sit in my mouth, rolling each letter against my tongue.

He scrunches his nose. “Jesus, Cherry. What the fuck did you do?”

My lip quivers. The tears threaten to fall again as I stand here shivering, drowning in the sight of him. I can’t help but want a new emotion from him. Something other than apathy and disgust. It’s the same way he looked at me after the night I took his car. He didn’t care that I stole it. I was young and drunk and foolish. No. It was what I did after that put that look in his eyes…

“I… don’t know what came over me.” The blood stains on the carpet seem to mock me.

“So this is your badass sister?” A man with blond hair steps around Hawk. “She don’t look like much of a threat to me.”

Hawk grinds his teeth, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “Stepsister. And I never said she was a badass. Just a threat.” That familiar darkness still haunts his expression. That same indignation when his gaze flits over me.

A second guy stomps in. His black hair is cropped short, almost buzzed, revealing tattoos on his scalp. He smirks but his brown eyes look dead inside. “Cute. Let’s have your family reunion some other time. Where are the dead white boys at?” Dressed in all black, he wears a button down shirt, stiff slacks, and leather gloves. Black ink peeks out from underneath the hem of his sleeve.

My stomach knots. He’s told them about me. Two men whom I’ve never met. And yet he’s told them I’m trouble. That we used to be family. And probably that he hates me. “In the living room,” I rasp. I point toward the sunken sitting area, my fingers trembling. “There’s so much blood. How are you going to…” My head is spinning, my mouth dry.

Hawk nods toward the blond one. “Scarrow will get rid of your prints, fibers, and DNA. Omen will take care of the bodies… we’ll make it all disappear, Cherry. The blood, the weapon, everything.”

I nod and hug my own chest. Goose pimples flare across my skin. “What if their parents come home?”

His eyes darken. “That’s all you need to know. Now get the fuck out of here, Cherry. Go out the back, and take the long way to town through the woods.”

Scarrow snickers. “She’s going to need an alibi too, dawg.”

“Roxy’s down at Level Up. I’ll just go there.” I hug myself tighter, the sound of his voice making me shiver.

Hawk shakes his head. “Nah. You need to find a dick to suck. Give some dude the best fucking blow job of his life. One he won’t ever forget.”

I feel my cheeks heat. I’d forgotten what it was like to be slut shamed by a man I used to look up to. “Is that all you think I’m good for?”

He looks away as the other two stifle their laughter and start to get to work. “You called so I came. But this time, it ain’t for free. You’re gonna owe us. And someday, I will be back to collect.”

His words sound like venom. The disdain he has for me is thick, contagious, weighing heavy in the air between us like strangers. “What, no family discount?” I can’t keep the snark out of my tone. My self-pity is turning into bitterness the longer I stand here and soak in his degradation.

Hawk stalks toward me, the closest he’s been to me in years. As he glares down at me, I can’t help but want to touch the scar I gave him. It’s deeper than I remember, longer, as it stretches from the corner of his eyebrow to right underneath his cheekbone.

“Sweetheart, you’re the farthest thing from family that anyone could ever be,” he growls.

Butterflies swim in my stomach. And not the fun kind. No. These feel more like rotting flies. Owing a debt to Hawk Riley is not something I’d wish on my worst enemy. “Fine. I’ll pay you then. I’ve been working all summer at the fair. Name your price.”

He cracks his knuckles before taking off his leather jacket. “Oh, I will. But you can save your ice cream money for now. We’re about to clean up three dead bodies for you. There’s going to be a much higher price to pay down the road. This is intimate shit, Cherry.”

I swallow hard and try to look anywhere but at his corded biceps. They’re slick with sweat, giving a smooth sheen to his black tattoos. “Just tell me what you want, Hawk.”

Scarrow and Omen both look up. It seems like they want to hear what my payment is going to be too. Seeing as I will owe it to all three of them.

Hawk takes another step toward me and breathes in a deep mouthful of my scent. His lip quivers. “I haven’t decided yet.”

A familiar tinge of shame tickles my belly. My traitorous body wants to lean into him. I take a big step back instead. “When?” My heart races.

He shrugs as if he’s uninterested, but the primal hunger in his eyes is bolder than it’s ever been before. “We gotta go away for a while. So take care of yourself, sister. You better be in mint fucking condition when we come back.”

I fight the urge to cry. I vowed I’d never let him bring me to tears again. But he’s getting way too fucking excited about me having to look over my shoulder for the foreseeable future.

Scarrow and Omen undress me with their eyes as if they all of a sudden have permission to. Hawk tenses and I take another step back. “Thank you for coming. I didn’t know who else to call.”

He nods. “Back door. Woods. Blowjob. Go. Now.”

“See ya, asshole.” I blow out a deep breath and flip him off with both hands before shoving through the rickety screen door. I don’t have to turn around to know that he’s returning the gesture. He always does.

I charge through the woods and don’t look back. I do exactly as he tells me. And then I wait. Every day. Every month. Years… I wait until I give up thinking he’s ever gonna step foot in Crimson Valley again.

But deep down I know better. I know he’ll never let me off the hook. Hawk always collects on his debts. Especially from the preacher’s daughter who ruined his life one summer.

Eight years later. Present Day.

“Well, it’s about fucking time, Marv. My regulars are threatening to stone me to death. You can throw them in the back. Next to the other cases.” I sign the clipboard before handing it back to him.

“Sorry, Cherry. We’ve had three delivery trucks hit this month. It’s getting rough out there.” Marv’s been at this a long time. He’s old, weathered, and weary. But lately, he just seems dejected. Too poor to retire, and too proud to complain about the shitty working conditions.

I sigh as I shove a steaming hot, foil-wrapped burger into his calloused hands. “For the road. Stay safe out there, Marv. Ain’t no amount of liquor worth dying over. You get held up, let them have it all. That’s what these big corporations have insurance for.”

He nods. “Thanks, honey, but they’re hitting the small businesses just the same. Anyhow, you be careful too. No offense to your daddy, but not even holy water’s gonna keep these thieves away.”

I hold up the bat I have stashed behind my bar. “Don’t you worry, Marv. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

He chuckles. “I feel sorry for the schmuck who gets on your bad side.”

If he only knew the truth. That dark cloud returns, but I disassociate like usual. “Yeah, better not. My fuse is getting shorter and shorter these days.”

He thanks me again for the burger before heading back out to his rig. It’s one of the few newer looking ones parked out there. The rest of my vendors tend to pull up in semis that look like they’re being held together with duct tape. Times are tough and people are cutting corners. The increase in prices isn’t helping either.

I’m met with an onslaught of cheers when I drag out a case of Lavender Heights ale from the back. It’s been on order for weeks with no estimated delivery date in sight. My regulars were threatening to go track it down themselves. It ain’t cheap, so not having it was killing my bottom line.

“All right, relax,” I tell them. I set three down on the bar with chilled pint glasses for Hal and his buddies. They come every Wednesday after church. Only in a town like ours do people go to church on more than just Sundays. They drive straight here, pulling up at 10:55 am on the dot, five minutes before I open.

I’d love to open the doors earlier to get more of that breakfast crowd, but my daddy would have my head. You can’t let grown men choose between God and liquor, Cherry. They’ll choose the devil’s drink every time. I hear his voice in my head again, reminding me anytime I bring it up. One of the drawbacks of being the preacher’s daughter. So, I agreed to open later, lest I interfere with his random midweek services.

And don’t even get me started on Sundays. I’m not allowed to open at all. That’s the Lord’s day, Cherry. Honestly, I’m not too mad at it. It forces me to take at least one day off. God knows I’d work all seven if I could.

It’s a miracle he didn’t disown me for buying the bar to begin with. But I’m all he’s got in this world, and no one else is gonna wipe his ass when he’s too old to do it himself. It took some getting used to. Having an arcade and a small food menu helped soften the blow. But he loves to remind me every chance he gets that I’ve got one foot in heaven and one in hell.

“Hey, Cherry, give us three cheeseburgers and a big bowl of those famous cheese fries,” Hal orders.

“And extra ketchup or this one will hog it all for himself,” Jerry chides.

I chuckle and nod, used to their abrasiveness. It’s not that they’re rude, it’s just the way we talk to each other around here. It’s casual and lived in. No need to fuss with formalities. We’re all here to live and get by just the same.

“Coming right up.” I jog to the back and throw a few hamburger patties onto the grill before dumping a bag of pre-cut fries into the hot oil basket.

Level Up is a simple place. It’s small and outdated, but I keep it clean and running. I can’t afford to hire anyone, so I do it all myself. I was lucky enough to find my grill and fryer at an auction for a good price. There’s also a decent walk-in freezer to store product. It’s not much, but at least it’s all mine.

I paid off the loan when I turned twenty-one with the money from my momma’s life insurance policy. My daddy had put it in a trust for me when I was a kid. He was hesitant to give me it at first. He wanted me to use it for college or trade school. But Level Up has always been my dream. And he knows that. Besides, once he saw that college was gonna cost a whole lot more than a shitty dive bar in Crimson Valley, he conceded real quick.

As for the land it’s on, it comes pretty cheap. We’re in an old strip mall owned by some company that doesn’t even have an office here. So, I don’t have to worry about any landlords crawling up my ass. I send them their check every month and they don’t bother me.

I load the plates on a push cart and roll it out to them at the bar. “You cheating at cards again, Hal?”

He scowls at me while Jerry and Abe laugh. “You know he is, Miss Cherry,” Abe quips.

I take care of another regular at the other end of the bar, a college girl, little younger than me, who posts up in the corner reading every weekend. Today, her eyes are glued to a worn copy of Jane Eyre. The plastic’s even still on it from the old Crimson Library that burned down.

I set her usual down in front of her—a bowl of cheese fries, ranch dressing, and a glass of white wine to wash it all down with. “Here ya go, Lila. Holler if you need anything else.”

“Thanks Cherry.” She smiles warmly. It’s customers like her who keep me afloat.

I laugh and joke around with Hal and his buddies as I cut up the rest of my bar fruit for the day. Limes for gin and tonics, lemon twists for the occasional martini order, and my namesake, luscious red cherries. See I don’t buy the cheap kind that dye the inside of your stomach. No, I order the fancy ones from Italy. I gotta have at least one bougie element to class up the place.

As I drop the fruit into their respective trays, a hint of chrome catches my eye through the front window. Wow, what a fucking beauty. With its shiny rims, glossy black paint, and roaring dual exhaust, I watch as it slides into the parking spot next to mine.

I squint through the glass, battling with the glare to try and get a look at who’s behind the wheel. When the driver’s door swings open, a man gets halfway out and leans against the frame.

My stomach flips.

No fucking way.

“You all right, Cherry? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Hal and his buddies snicker.

“That’s because I fucking have.” I move from behind the bar to the window and peer out to get a closer look. I gotta make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.

My breath hitches. It’s him. There’s no fucking doubt. When he catches me staring through the window, his whole body tenses.

We lock eyes and it feels like my heart’s about to cave in. He can crush me with just one look. Always. Since we were kids. And he knows it. He knows every thought and every emotion I have before I even know I’m having it.

I leave the bar and walk over to where he’s parked, ignoring the rapid rise of my heartbeat. I try to push it down as he looks at me like he’s seeing into my fucking soul. I beg my cheeks to cool, to stop flushing. Please.

“How long have you been in town?” I ask breathlessly. I’m annoyed with myself for being so winded.

“We just got in last night. This all yours?” He points his finger toward the bar. With his sleeves rolled up, I can see three of the many tattoos I watched him get. Every piece, a different memory that shatters me.

I nod. “Yeah, you want a drink?”

“Not right now. I’ll be back later tonight. We have a lot to talk about, Cherry. But I need to take care of some other shit first.” He lights a cigarette and leans back against the driver’s side of his black muscle car.

Straight to the point as usual. “I live above the bar, so I’ll be here all night… It’s been eight years, Hawk. No one’s seen or heard from you. Where the fuck have you been?” I’m trying desperately not to let him see me shake, but I’m seething.

He gives me that familiar look of disbelief. Hawk never trusted anyone or anything, including me. Especially me. Looks like that still rings true. “We’ll get into it later. You’ve done well for yourself, Cherry. You still going to your daddy’s sermons?”

I hate the way he dismisses me. Even after all this time, it still gets under my skin. “Nah. It’s better for both of us if I don’t show my face there. The Lord has enough sinners in his house. He doesn’t need one who can’t be redeemed.” I clench the bar rag in my fist like it’s one of those stress balls, grateful that I held onto it before strolling out here.

Hawk gapes at me, a flicker of remembrance in his eyes. He stubs his cigarette out on the pavement before stuffing the butt into the pocket of his jeans. He points toward the bar again. “Be here when I get back, Cherry. If I have to track you down later…”

“I told you I’ll be here. Is my word not good enough for you anymore?” I snap. I fucking hate it when he gets like this.

He sighs. “Keep the kitchen open for us. Omen and Scarrow will be hungry.” Another dismissal.

I snicker. “Excuse me? You don’t get to boss me around. I’m not a kid anymore, Hawk.”

He glares at me again before hopping back into his car. “I know it’s been a while, so let me remind you. You fucking owe me. And you know what happens to those who fail to pay their debts to us. So bite that pretty tongue of yours and play nice, little sis. I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere for a while.”

My stomach flips. “I can pay you now, Hawk. I’m not rich, but I have some money saved. Just name your price so we can squash this.”

He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “As I told you then, I don’t want your money. I want your loyalty, your obedience, and your fucking submission. The way I see it, you owe me your freedom. Which means I own you. But then you always knew that, didn’t you, Cherry?”

My heart feels like it’s going to bottom out. A memory flashes in my mind. I’m touching myself in the mirror while he watches. While he tells me where to put my fingers next. “We can work this out, Hawk. Just be reasonable. Please.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, we’re gonna work this out all right.”

I nearly choke on his exhaust when he starts the engine. Part of me wants to run away. To close up the bar and make myself scarce for a while. But I know him better than anyone. Even better than he knows himself. He won’t stop until he finds me.

That’s why I’ve never bothered to run before. I’ve just been here like a sitting duck waiting for him. And now that he’s back, I regret that decision. I should’ve at least tried to start over. Like Roxy did. She met a man who adores her, and they made a nice life together in Lavender Heights.

Sometimes I wish I had someone looking out for me like Roxy does. The way Hawk used to. But then I remember that a love like that isn’t in the cards for me…

Hawk is harder, colder, than he was before. But I’m not that wild girl he grew up with. I’m still unhinged, but these past eight years have taught me a lot about patience and humility. I have more to lose now than I ever did back then.

I know I owe him for more than just that night at the murder house. But he owes me too. For making me feel like this every time he comes around. For turning me into that desperate pick me girl that he loves to push around.

I flip him off with both hands before he drives off. He rolls down the window and returns the gesture before peeling out of the parking lot.

“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath.

“Hey, Cherry, can we get another round while we’re still young?” Hal calls out.

“I’m coming. Hold your horses, or I’ll call your wife and tell her you’re here instead of at bingo,” I yell back. That shuts him up. He still grumbles as he shuffles back inside though.

I take a deep breath and try to gather myself before heading back in. Fuck, this is going to be a long fucking night. It’s going to take everything I have to put on a happy face for the next eight hours. With each second, the anxiety grows like a pit in my stomach.

I’d be lying to myself if I thought Hawk was going to forget about my debt to him. A girl can dream. But I even stopped looking over my shoulder after that second year went by with no sign of him.

Eight. Fucking. Years. Now that’s what I call a blindside. Anyone in their right mind would think it was over at this point. That he was never coming back for me. Well, fuck me and fuck him.

But what really pisses me off is that he brought the other two with him. Omen and Scarrow. I don’t know them. Sure they helped that night but they ain’t family. They’re not even locals. I never asked Hawk how he ended up with them. Not that he’d tell me anyway. I’m assuming they all met in prison. Another thing I’m to blame for.

I make drinks on auto pilot, nodding and smiling but not really hearing what’s going on around me. All I can think about is how Hawk is going to ruin everything tonight.

Her hair is purple. Like a pale shade of lavender. Why the fuck can I not stop thinking about it? She’s not a kid anymore. I didn’t expect her to be. But knowing and seeing are two different things.

But she still has those same glossy, cherry-red lips. It’s like she thinks she has to match her name. That it dictates her whole life. Like the blood that stained her hands that night.

My sweet Cherry… Nah. She never was. I shake my head and light up another cigarette. “Did you find the mole yet?”

His inked fingers fly across the keyboard. At first glance, you would not think this dude is a tech nerd. Scarrow Moon is six-foot-four, two hundred and fifty pounds, and tatted up from the sides of his shaved head, all the way down to the soles of his feet. I think there’s even more underneath that thick tuft of blond hair he’s got knotted on top.

The tip of his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth, his brow furrowed. “Yeah, I got him. Well, I got a partial print and a still-shot of the back of his head. But it’s dark, and he’s wearing a hoodie.”

Omen spins his gun in a circle on the desk. “So, you don’t got him.”

Scarrow wrinkles his nose, ignoring the dig. “Relax your nips, I just need to find some more angles. This footage is super grainy. Crimson Valley street cams aren’t exactly the quality I’m used to.”

I blow a puff of smoke up toward the ceiling as I lean back in my chair. “How much damage did he do?”

Omen grits his teeth, his jaw muscle twitching. “He hit a couple of our trucks, but only after they were unloaded. Not too bright. Since there was nothing to take, he slashed all the tires and dragged a machete through the gas tanks. It’ll cost us more than if he had just snatched some cases of liquor.” Omen’s voice is extra raspy tonight as he finishes his third snifter of cognac.

He rubs a tattooed hand over his buzzed scalp. He keeps his black hair in a tight fade, otherwise it’s a mass of curls. And this man has no interest in maintaining that. With eyes harder than steel, he is not one to fuck with. None of us are really. But where Scarrow and I have short fuses, Omen’s doesn’t exist. He’s a live wire just waiting to singe the fuck out of the first person who looks at him wrong.

I jab my finger into the desk. “We catch this fucker and make an example out of him. The other guys are getting lazy and careless. I saw it in their eyes when I surprised them last night. They’ve gotten soft. We been gone for too long…”

“Yeah, and who’s fault is that?” Omen barks. His lip twitches every time any of us bring up that night.

Scarrow finally looks up from his laptop screen. He glances back and forth between us before going back to his sleuthing. “Have you seen her yet?”

Ugh. Her and her purple fucking hair. “I stopped by the bar earlier. She was shook up to see me.”

“Good. She should be. Your little sister owes all of us. And I’m ready to collect. I say we take the bar and force her to work for us.” Omen grinds his fist against his wool pants. He may be sadistic and dangerous, but he’s also perfectly polished in an impeccable Italian suit.

We’ve spent many nights over the years fantasizing about payback. But it’s never been about money when it comes to Cherry. She started a chain of events that almost ruined our operation. Leaving Crimson Valley was the best option, but it forced us to run our business from afar.

See, for me, it’s even more personal. “Stepsister,” I correct him.

Scarrow slams his laptop shut, and the nerd vibe seems to disappear with the screen. He tilts back, his muscles so big he barely fits in the chair. “We were on the road for so long, moving from place to place…. Fuck.”

I nod, knowing full well that Cherry’s no stranger to hardship either, but she has had it pretty good these last eight years. She’s gotten relaxed and comfortable. It’s almost like she got away with murder. “There has to be some fucking accountability,” I mutter.

Scarrow combs his fingers through his blond tuft. “We should make her into a trad-wife. That’ll piss her off. And I bet she’d look good wearing nothing but an apron and heels, bringing me homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

“Fuck that. We should put her on a drug run. Make her get her hands dirty for once.” Omen snarls, his lips curling around the rim of his glass before he takes another slow, calculating sip.

Scarrow laughs and almost spits beer out of his nose. “Bro, she massacred three dudes in cold blood. Stabbed the fuck out of them. I had to scrape their guts out of the carpet with a toothbrush. Her hands have been plenty dirty.”

“That was the easy part, Scar. That brat had all the fun and then bum rushed out of there while we covered her tracks. She left us to go suck dick or some shit.” Omen has been holding this grudge for so long it’s become part of his personality.

I hate that they’re both right, but I’m not going to defend her either way. She’s put me through way more than just the murder house. Shit these two don’t even know about. There are some things that even I don’t have the stomach for.

I sigh. “She needed an alibi.”

Omen snickers. “Yeah and she skipped outta there so fucking fast with a little pep in her step. I should’ve made her suck my dick first. That night’s the only time I’ve ever worked for free.”

“So let’s make her our little pet. And maybe even our slut too. If she’s still hot, of course.” Scarrow smirks.

She definitely still is. But I don’t want to think about her like that right now. Once I start, I won’t want to stop. And it ain’t good for her and I to go down that road. “Yeah, whatever you guys want.”

Omen slides a finger over the barrel of his gun, seductively. “I’m gonna enjoy lighting that live wire up.”

The anger and tension has been building around us for so long, it’s about to explode like dynamite in her face. Poor Cherry has no idea what’s coming.

I nod and hold up my glass of whiskey. “Cheers to finally getting payback, boys.”

Not again.

“No, no, no!” I hiss. “Fuck!” The tap on the keg makes a whooshing sound just as an ice-cold burst of dark beer sprays in my face. All the other taps work fine, but this one gives me problems every single time I change the keg out.

I grunt in frustration as I lick the bitter stout from my lips. I grab the closest rag and dab at my clothes, but it’s no use. I’m soaked. Ugh. Disgusting. I hate everything about beer—the taste, the smell, the texture. And now I’m covered in it.

I can’t even run upstairs to shower and change because Hawk could walk in any second. If he shows up and the front door is locked, he will lose his shit. And with all these robberies, there’s no way in hell I’m gonna shower with the door unlocked. Fuck my life.

I try not to gag as I wring out the bottom of my white tank top in the sink. The brown stains will never come out at this point. Another piece of clothing just became a casualty of bar life. I don’t regret my decision to buy Level Up, I just wish that I could afford to hire some actual help.

Doing everything by myself was fun at first, but five years later, it’s exhausting. Plus, I barely have time to have a life outside of these walls. I literally live here.

The buzz of my phone sends my heart racing. I curse under my breath before sneaking a glance at the screen. “Fuck,” I mutter aloud. It’s another text from the unknown number. But I know exactly who it is. One more fucking thing I don’t have time for right now.

I click on the message and read it in full, my stomach churning with anxiety.

Hey, Cherry. I wonder how Father Eli will feel when he finds out his little girl is a stone-cold killer. You think he’ll give up the cloth? Or maybe he’ll just off himself in shame.

What do you want, Kane?

My blood runs cold. He’s been threatening me for months. Ever since I rejected him. For years, we had an on and off again situationship. When we were young, his whole bad boy image was sexy, and messing around with him was a great way to piss off Hawk. But I’m not a teenager anymore. I’m a grown woman, and a business owner with bills and a mortgage.

While Kane’s still working the county fairs and markets just for enough chump change to score some blow. I’m done fucking around with him. I’ve been done.

The thing is, he’s not having it. And he’s using my past against me. He held his cards close all these years, never letting me know that he knew. Until he wanted more. And I had the audacity to refuse him.

You know what I want, Cherry. But you always gotta play so hard to get. Send me another pic of those perfect tits of yours, and I’ll hold off on going to church this week. But I want to see you pinching those nipples this time. Pinch them fucking hard for me, until they almost bleed.

If it keeps him quiet, I’ll do it. What worries me is that the rest of his brain cells will kick in, and he’ll start demanding more.

Fine. I’m closing up the bar. I’ll send you a pic before I go to bed.

I still don’t know for sure if he has any proof. But just him knowing about it is enough.

I’ll be waiting. Don’t forget, or I’ll post the other ones you sent on the church’s messenger board.

Fucking vile piece of shit. I shudder thinking about him. The way I sucked his dick twice that night after the murder house. He was the perfect alibi. I let him cum on my tits after the first time. He made me swallow on the second.

For now, I just need to keep him quiet. Even if zero proof exists, I don’t need him placing even a hair of doubt in anyone’s head.

Relax. You’ll get your pound of flesh.

I flip my phone over so I don’t have to look at the screen anymore.

It was an open and shut case. There were no weapons, no prints, and no motive. They classified it as a break-in gone bad, even though nothing was stolen, and closed it down. The parents sold the house and never spent another summer in Crimson Valley ever again.

But the local police have always been itching to reopen it. Their egos were beyond bruised. Especially after they lost the civil suit for negligence. Sherrif deputies traipsed all over the house before forensics arrived. Not that they would’ve found anything anyway. Hawk and his crew don’t miss. But still. If they get even the tiniest sliver of hope in solving it after all these years, they’ll take it.

So I send Kane the nude photos he asks for, all while wondering when he’s going to work up the nerve to demand that I fuck him again. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it I guess. I let out a deep sigh and go back to cleaning the bar.

After mopping up all the beer I spilled, I manage to get the tap on tight without further incident. I also make a note to order a new one when I can. I’m tired of fighting with it every weekend. Besides, I’m running out of cute T-shirts to wear.

I wipe the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand and slide onto the nearest barstool. I groan as I rub my calves. What I would give for a full body massage. If I could afford one. I sigh and light up a cigarette.

Level Up is not the gold mine I first thought it was. While the markup on alcohol is substantial, the overhead costs of keeping a kitchen and a fully functioning arcade is high. Hence why I don’t employ a single person. But something’s gotta give at some point. I can’t keep burning the candle at both ends.

I’m about three nude photos away from having a nervous fucking breakdown.

And just when I think I can’t take any more hits to my nervous system, a loud bang erupts against my window.

I spin around in the stool, my heart racing, to see that massive blond fucker, Scarrow, pounding his fist against the glass. Hawk and Omen hover next to him, both scowling.

Fuck, I must’ve locked it without thinking. I sprint to the door and can barely get it open fast enough before the three of them come barreling in. “Sorry, force of habit,” I mutter.

They toss curses at me, all while brushing imaginary dirt off their clothes, acting as if I’ve made them wait for hours in the middle of the woods. So fucking dramatic. I roll my eyes at them and stalk back toward the bar to finish my cigarette.

Scarrow and Omen each plop down in a bar stool on either side of me while Hawk slides behind the bar and helps himself to a bottle of whiskey.

“Please, by all means,” I snicker.

He glares at me while pouring three shots. “What’s yours is ours, sweetheart.”

I can feel the sweep of anger rising in my chest. The audacity. Fucking hell. “You can’t just come in here and assume you own the place, Hawk. I know I owe you a shit load but my bar is off limits.”

“Says who, mama?” Omen demands in my ear. He brushes a strand of hair off my shoulder.

I flinch away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

Scarrow pinches the back of my neck. “What is the going rate for cleaning up a triple homicide then?”

The contents of my stomach are swirling, threatening to bubble up. I made them just as guilty as me by involving them. And they had to skip town too. Same as Roxy. It’s my fault. I force people away. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” I murmur.

Hawk snickers. “Giving up so easily? Well, that’s no fun. What happened to the unhinged girl who stole my car?”

I shrug Scarrow’s arm off before blowing smoke in his face. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m sorry that the three of you are so obsessed with me that you can’t even see straight. Last I heard, someone’s been hitting your trucks. Maybe focus more on your own business and less on mine.”

Hawk grabs the whiskey bottle and drops it. I jump as the glass shatters on the floor.

“What the fuck, Hawk?” I yell.

Omen laughs. “What are you going to do about it?”

Hawk grabs another bottle, a top shelf tequila. “It’s a shame you lost all your supply tonight.” He does it again, letting it fall and smashing to pieces. The stench of liquor burns my nostrils as it wafts between us.

I jump up and start to crawl across the bar when they drag me back and slam my ass down in the stool. “You fucking pricks. Let me go.”

“Nah, you’re going to watch until you understand,” Scarrow whispers in my ear. He lets his lips linger a little too long for my liking. The heat from his breath sends a tiny shiver up my spine.

I squirm on the stool, writhing against the hold Omen and Scarrow have on me as I’m forced to watch Hawk destroy six more bottles of my best liquor. The smell is borderline toxic. I could get drunk off the fumes alone.

“Please, enough. What can I do to make you stop?” I beg. Tough or not, this is my livelihood they are messing with. I will get my revenge later, but right now I need him to stop. Or else I’m not going to have anything left to sell to my customers.

Hawk pretends to lose his grip on a hundred dollar bottle of Scotch, nearly giving me a heart attack, but instead he takes a pull off it. His eyes light up as he swallows. “Damn, Cherry. You’ve got good taste. Now let me hear you say it or else this one’s a goner too.”

Scarrow’s grip on my neck tightens while Omen slides his hand across my thigh. I shudder as the heat from both of them awakens an ache I haven’t let myself feel in a long time. And with Hawk’s piercing gaze burning into mine, it’s all I can do to not go into fucking heat.

I want to say something smart so fucking bad, but I bite my tongue. I can’t afford to lose anymore inventory. “Fine. What’s mine is yours,” I grit out. For now.

“Good girl.” He lets the Scotch drop to the floor.

I gasp, my mouth gaping open in shock and disbelief. “What the fuck? I did what you asked. Do you know how much money I could’ve made off of that?”

Omen takes out a cigarette from my pack and snaps it in half. “Ain’t no one in Crimson Valley paying more than twenty dollars for a glass of Scotch. You weren’t going to make jack shit.”

“Are we done here? Or will you not be satisfied until I have nothing to serve my customers?” I glare at a spot on the bar, refusing to make eye contact with any of them.

“Nah, I think you understand now. We’ll be setting up shop here until we find the mole in our organization.” Hawk comes from behind the bar and pauses behind me.

Great. I can’t even argue or he’ll probably burn the whole place down. I’m fucked. “Whatever.”

Scarrow and Omen both stand to leave but not before Omen takes another dig. He crushes the rest of my pack of cigarettes in his palm. “You should quit.”

I snort but keep myself in check. I’m still in the danger zone with these three rabid fucking bastards. “Thanks for your concern.”

“I’ll send you the bill tomorrow,” Scarrow taunts.

I swear if they don’t stop there’s going to be another triple homicide tonight. “For what exactly? My overdue therapy?”

He laughs. “No, but that’s a good point too. For the liquor. You’ll be ordering it from us from now on. And it looks like you’re running low on a few.”

Fucking bastards. I’m going to kill them. I grit my teeth. “What about my other vendors? I have contracts and outstanding orders.”

“We’ll take care of all that, mama. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.” Omen flicks his fingers against my temple, leaving me stunned.

They’re almost to the door when Hawk turns back around. “Oh, I almost forgot. Tomorrow. Sunday dinner. Don’t be late.”

If I thought I was going to commit murder before…. “I don’t go to those anymore, Hawk.”

He smirks, but as usual it doesn’t reach his eyes. No, his look is one of pure fucking disgust. “Well, you do now. The level of disrespect your daddy tolerates is beyond me. But no more. Not while I’m around. It’s gonna be just like old times, Cherry.”

Fuck. Me.

As soon as they’re outside, I bolt the door. A part of me wants to cry, but I know if I start now, I’ll never stop.

I groan as I survey the mess behind the bar. It takes me another two hours to clean it. I sweep up the broken glass and mop the floor for the second time tonight, cursing the entire time. But no matter how much soapy water I throw on it, the stench of booze is pungent. It’s a good thing I’m closed tomorrow. It will give me an extra day to air it out.

I drag my feet upstairs and let out a tightly held sigh of relief when I enter my apartment. The scent of candles and incense from last night still linger, a comforting aroma that wraps me up like a big hug.

After taking a long hot shower, I slip into a pair of shorts and a tank top. I start to climb into bed when I remember the promise I made earlier.

Fuck.

I slide my top down to my waist and lay back against the headboard. Holding my phone up in the selfie position, I pinch my right nipple so hard it swells and reddens. I snap the pic and send it.

Happy now?

Typing bubbles appear, stop, then reappear for what seems like forever.

No. I want the other one.

I sigh and do the same to my other nipple. I just want to go to sleep, not argue semantics.

Bye, Kane.

I’m going to cum so hard looking at these tonight, Cherry… Sweet dreams.

Yeah, my dreams better be as sweet as fucking pie because my waking life is turning into a real nightmare.

Sundays used to be my favorite day of the week. I’d get to put on one of my pretty dresses and sit in the front pew. Everyone treated me like I was a princess. Well, in Crimson Valley, being the daughter of a preacher was pretty much the same thing. Here, they love their bibles as much as they love the sins they commit in the Lord’s name.

I stopped going after my momma died. Didn’t quite see the point. Then Hawk and his momma started coming around for Sunday dinners. With a little coaxing, Miss Riley got me into that front row pew again. But I agreed on one condition. No more pretty dresses.

I didn’t feel like putting in the effort. Besides, my tits were growing faster than my prefrontal cortex, and I didn’t like the way the older men were starting to look at me.

Years later, I decided that the sexual attention was exactly what I needed. And for a while, you couldn’t say whore without saying Cherry Bradley in the same sentence.

Things got really bad when the whispers started about me and Hawk. That’s when my daddy started locking me in my room at night. He called me the devil’s temptress, accusing me of making Hawk sinful. Like he ain’t in control of his own dick or something.

Truth is we were both guilty of some fucked up shit. The kind of carnal deviancy that they make documentaries about. Fornication is a sin, Cherry. Even I can’t protect you from going to hell. But I won’t let you take that young man with you.

And that was the second moment that made me realize that religion is a joke, God doesn’t exist, and I’m going to fornicate with whoever I want. And I did. With half his congregation.

There’s something extra sinful about getting fingered by the newest clergyman in the sacristy behind the chapel while my daddy was mid-sermon. I came when the choir sang, loud and feral.

On the nights my daddy forgot to lock my door, I’d pad down the hall to Hawk’s room, barefoot in a T-shirt with no panties. I’d slide into bed next to him, careful not to wake him up. But he was never asleep. He’d make me play with my pussy while telling him all the ways I’d let other men touch me. It was humiliating. But the more wrong it felt, the harder I came.

One night, I thought for sure he was going to lose control and join in. I could literally feel him shaking the whole bed as he fought with himself. But he never caved. And eventually, I stopped sneaking in. That was when he started to pay more attention. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

As I stand at the front door of my childhood home, I can’t help but think about how fucked up of a family we are. As a widower twice over, my daddy is no stranger to grief and loss. It’s truly a miracle that he still preaches the word of the Lord. I guess that’s all he really has left.

I should visit more. I know this. But the toxic energy of this house suffocates me. Even now, all these years later. I keep telling myself I’m a grown woman and no one can scold me anymore. But here I am once again under Hawk’s fucking command. And all because I couldn’t keep my rage in check. I’m at the mercy of men again. The only question is, do I want to be their saint or their whore this time?

There’s a split second I consider turning around, hopping back into my car, and driving away. Except, in this fantasy, I don’t go home. I keep going until the haystacks of Crimson Valley are nothing but a blip in my rearview mirror.

But where would I go? And what would I do? This town is all I know. These men are in my bones. They’d just track me down and drag my ass back anyway.

The door flies open. My daddy squares himself in the doorway, a kitchen towel over his shoulder. “You gonna stand on the porch all night, Cherinne?”

“No, sir. Hi. How are you?” I squeak out as I shift back and forth on my heeled leather boots. Are we ever fully grown in the presence of our parents?

He grins and shakes his head. “Supper’s almost ready. Head out back and play nice. Hawk and his buddies were decent enough to BBQ for your old man.”

I stick out my lower lip. “I’m always nice, daddy.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Don’t you sass me, young lady. I don’t care how old you are, I can still wipe that nasty look off your face. I dare you to try me.”

A chill snakes up my back. He’s only slapped me once. But I got the belt plenty. I definitely deserved it. But I’ll never forget the sting of his hand on my cheek. Mixed with the shame of what I said to him. Words I’ll never dare repeat. Not even in my own head.

I nod. “Yes, sir.” I scoot past him before I piss him off even more. It doesn’t take much to ruin his mood. And he always finds new ways to punish me. Last summer, he forbid his entire congregation from coming to the bar at all on Wednesdays.

He threatened them with the ire of the Lord. All because I had the audacity to set up a booth at the Followers of Christ’s fourth of July cookout. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have put up the sign that said, Buy a beer, save a bible. But it was catchy.

He has told me explicitly that I’m only allowed at the county fairs and corn mazes where the derelicts and drunks hung out. But I said fuck that. I’m a grown woman. Blah, blah, blah. And I went to the cookout anyway.

He made Hal and all his buddies stay away from Level Up for three whole months. I felt that blow hard. Luckily, my landlord was nice enough to let me pay the space rental late a couple times without penalty.

So now I know better than to piss off Father Eli Bradley. This town is still his kingdom. Even though I’m not his little princess anymore.

The sliding door hinges to the side with a groan as the glass rubs against the rusted metal grates. As promised, Hawk hangs over the BBQ pit, a slick coat of sweat covering him. In just a tight white muscle tank and low slung jeans, he looks more like the pensive boy who once lived here than the lethal gangster he’s become.

He tends to several racks of ribs, drumsticks, and a row of meat and vegetable skewers. I close my eyes for a second and take in the smoke, the scents of glazed meat cooking in the heat with notes of brown sugar, leather, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. It brings me back. The nostalgia lodges in my throat. It hangs in the space between us.

My beautiful reverie breaks when I feel Omen and Scarrow’s gazes on me. Fuck, I forgot about them. Omen is a towering wall of hard muscle in a light grey suit. With no necktie, the first few buttons of his lavender silk shirt are undone. With a beer in one hand, he makes a closed fist with the other, managing to look both relaxed and uptight at the same time.

Scarrow, on the contrary, is taking a page out of Hawk’s book. In a fitted black T-shirt and baggy jeans, a trucker hat slightly tilted to the side, and a pair of bright orange designer sneakers, he looks like he’s lived in Crimson Valley his whole life. Just fitting in perfectly with the rest of us white trash.

A little tingle stirs between my thighs when I let my gaze linger on his enormous biceps a little too long. His tanned muscles are covered in tattoos from the wrist up, dipping inside the fabric of his short sleeves and then popping back out the top. And they don’t stop until right underneath his jaw. But as he briefly lifts his hat to the side, I notice that his ink extends past his hairline, circling his entire skull.

Fuck, he’s hot. All three of them are. And the way they look at me… Like I’m about to be served up on a plate next to some corn on the cob and glazed ribs… It makes my mouth water even more.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Scarrow drawls. He leans back in an old metal chair, careful not to let his jeans rub against its rusty legs.

I roll my eyes and head for the cooler. To my disappointment, it’s full of beer. No matter how many times I’ve suggested adding some ciders or wine for those of us who don’t like the taste of hops, he never listens. Shocker.

I sigh and retrieve the flask out of my purse. I wince as the first sip of gin rolls down my throat.

Omen chuckles. “Classy.”

I shrug. “If that’s supposed to be an insult, you’re hanging out with the wrong family.”

Hawk finally turns his head to look at me, gracing me with an acknowledgement. His gaze travels the length of my body. He takes in my high-heeled boots, tight shredded jeans, and faded band tee. “There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge inside. It’s the pink one.”

My heart flutters. He remembered. I chuckle. “You mean the rosé. Thanks.”

Scarrow pops up. “I’ll get it, princess. You want a fancy glass for it too?”

Why are they being so nice all of a sudden? I shake my head. “We don’t do fancy around here. Anything is fine.”

Omen stalks closer, towering over me. “Interesting.”

“What?” I feel a blush coming over my cheeks even though I have no idea what I’m supposed to be embarrassed about.

He leans down a bit and murmurs, “You’re so used to being treated like trash that you don’t expect anyone to treat you any other way.”

I swallow hard, the blush now turning into full blown heat stroke.

He chuckles and gets closer to my ear. “Yeah, I got you pegged. You’re dirty. No bark, all bite. Loves it from behind. No gag reflex either I bet.”

My mouth gapes open, and I can tell by the sloppy grin on his face that I’m beet fucking red. “You’re an asshole.”

He licks his lips before taking a sip of his beer, his smirk deepening. “But I’m not wrong.”

By the time Scarrow returns with a glass of rosé for me, I’ve already downed half of the gin in my flask. Hawk eyes me like I’m a bomb about to explode.

My daddy hates the smoke so he always waits inside for us to bring the food to him. So now I’m stuck out here with their taunts and their insults until it’s time to eat. I know I deserve this. I literally got away with murder. I ain’t never paid a price for it. If anything, I’ve thrived.

I don’t bitch when I have a slow month at the bar. I don’t push back when my daddy forbids me to open on Sundays. So, I will not throw a tantrum now just because the three men who cleaned up my bloody mess want payback. I will let them punish me for it. Because if they don’t, who else will? Those who don’t repent their sins will only know damnation.

I strut over to Omen and hop up on the picnic table next to him. “You’re wrong,” I whisper. “I bark and bite.”

He arches an eyebrow and laughs into his beer. “Like I said. Interesting.”

I’m used to being the only woman in this room. Spent countless dinners being overlooked while Hawk and his friends rattled on about sports or video games. Even though not a single one of them could ever beat me at Street Fighter.

So many nights I sat in this very spot. In the center with Hawk across from me, staring me down, and my daddy on my right at the head of the table. But tonight is the first time they’re all looking at me like I’m some lit fuse at the end of a stick of dynamite.

“Amen.” We all collectively murmur after my daddy finishes saying grace.

“How’s the trash business treating ya, son?” Father Eli asks before taking a sip of his milk. At least he practices what he preaches. I’ve never seen my daddy drink even as much as a sip of alcohol. Guess my momma drank enough for the both of them.

Hawk nods but finishes chewing before answering. He’s always so polite when he wants to be. Some would think the man was actually civil. “It’s good. Usually runs itself. We’re about to be shorthanded soon though. That’s why we came back. To get things in order.”

My daddy nods as if he even has an inkling of what Hawk’s actually talking about. The man has spent his entire adult life preaching the good Lord’s word, collecting donations, and wearing the same three outfits. “Well, don’t you listen to any of the naysayers. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And it’s honest work at the end of the day.”

I nearly choke on my wine but catch myself. Although I can’t stop a little dribble of it from spilling down my chin. It’s ironic that out of the two of us, I’m the one actually making an honest living, but Hawk has my daddy so far up his ass, he can’t even see how much bullshit he’s swimming in.

Hawk glares at me. “You got something to say?”

I’m this fucking close, asshole. But I bite my tongue instead. It does no one at this table any good to shatter the illusion. As far as my daddy’s concerned, Hawk is a legitimate business owner, and I’m the harlot who slings drinks for a living.

I shake my head. “Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.”

If he ever finds out the truth, that Hawk runs the largest drug and weapons organization in the county… well, it won’t be because of me. And it’s not because I’m scared of Hawk or his stupidly hot friends.

For one, I’m not a snitch, and two, I just don’t fucking care enough. I’m never gonna be anything more in my daddy’s eyes than I am right now. Hawk getting exposed as a criminal ain’t gonna change that.

“Cherry here was nice enough to let us use her office for a bit. Just until we can sort out our staffing issues.” Hawk flashes me a toothy grin. Another one that doesn’t reach the cold dead steel of his eyes.

This time I do choke on my wine. I really need to stop sipping when he talks. I cough into my napkin. Motherfucker.

Scarrow rubs my back. “You okay, sweetheart?” He asks in a tone so condescending, it takes all of my willpower not to stab him with my butter knife.

My daddy’s eyes narrow. “Is that right? Well, that’s mighty fine of you, Cherry,” he says, his lips pursed. He takes another sip of milk and looks between us. “It’s been a while since you two spent any time together.”

My stomach knots.

“Not to worry, Father. Scarrow and I will keep them out of trouble,” Omen drawls. I want to wipe the smirk off his face.

“Please, call me Eli. And I ain’t worried one bit. You both are grown now. I trust you’ll behave as such.”

“Yes, sir.” My breath hitches when I realize that Scarrow’s hand is still on my back, except he’s moved it down some. With my chair slightly turned toward him, it’s not obvious to everyone else.

He rubs in slow deliberate circles, careful not to draw attention as he inches his hand down my spine. I shovel another bite of potato salad into my mouth as I try to ignore it. He keeps going until he reaches that little divot just above my ass. But I don’t dare react. I will always be the bad guy. Always the whore. So I keep my mouth shut and my legs closed. Just not closed too tight.

The second he realizes this, he knows he owns me at this table. He slips his finger inside the back of my jeans and I lurch forward. I feign another cough. “Sorry, I don’t know why I can’t drink like a normal person today.”

He withdraws his hand quickly but leaves it on my back. He chuckles. “You don’t get out much, do you, darlin’?”

My daddy glares daggers at me. “What in the world is wrong with you, Cherry? Are you drunk in my house? You know, I like to treat you all like adults, let you have a few beers, but I will not tolerate vagrancy, young lady.”

I feel my cheeks heating again. “I’m not drunk, daddy. I swear it. I just got a lot on my mind.” I push the glass of rosé away like it’s going to bite me.

“Aw, I think we’re just making her nervous. It’s been a long time since she’s had to act ladylike,” Hawk quips before gnawing into a crispy drumstick.

What the fuck? Oh, I’m going to let them have it later. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m so overwhelmed by all the glorious manliness, I can barely contain myself.”

“All right. Enough. Finish your supper. Then the lot of you can get going. I gotta prep my sermons for the week still,” Father Eli huffs.

We finish the rest of our food as quickly as we can shovel it in and swallow without choking for real. When Father Eli makes a decree, it’s best to follow it. His mood is already starting to sour, and I don’t want to be here when it’s completely turned.

He walks us out with a grumble, but makes us all swear that we’ll be back next Sunday to do it again. Great. Love that for me. I don’t understand why he insists on keeping up this stupid tradition. I’m sure he secretly hates it as much as we do.

Before I hop in my car, Hawk corners me between the door and the frame, boxing me in. “We’ll follow you back to the bar.”

I snort-laugh in his face. “Nah. It’s my night off. I’m heading down to the Wild Boar to get a drink. You three can do whatever the piss you want for all I care, just do it far away from me.”

“Cherry,” he warns.

I give him a little shove so I can get in and close the car door. But he keeps a firm grip on it. “It’s barely 7pm, Hawk. I’m going out. Just like I do every Sunday. I’m sure you boys can find something to occupy yourselves with until I get back.”

Omen and Scarrow nod at him, urging him to step away from car. As soon as he finally concedes, I close the door and start the engine. I roll the window down and light up a cigarette. “Don’t wait up.”

Hawk grits his teeth, his jaw muscle flexing. Why is that so hot? “I got eyes everywhere, Cherry. Remember that.”

Fucking prick. I put it in drive with him still standing dangerously close to the car. As I peel out, I stick my hand out the window and flip him off. Once I’m at the end of my daddy’s dirt drive, I glance back in the rearview mirror to see Hawk returning the gesture with both hands.

I can’t help but smile. A tingling sensation stirs between my thighs. The way I would hate-fuck that man… Ugh. I need to stop. We don’t play like that anymore.

He wants to ruin my life. I need to remember that every time my nipples get hard around him. But I can’t stop thinking about how that man makes me want to do filthy, devious fucking things. All three of them do.

I hadn’t thought about bending her over a table and fucking the sass out of her before. But after getting my hand halfway down her jeans, that’s all I can think about. I did it to get a rise out of her, which was fun to watch, but I also got a literal rise out of my cock. That was a fucking surprise.

And now I just want to make her cum angrily all over my hand. But I gotta see what’s gonna fly with my boy first. If Hawk’s okay with me spreading his naughty little stepsister’s thick thighs apart…

Anyone with eyes can see how fucking hot that woman is. With her soft, thick lips, come-fuck-me eyes, and tits that are more than a two-handful grab, she is pure perfection, unfettered desire, and absolute torture for my dick. Not to mention the way my glands start to salivate every time I try and imagine what her pussy tastes like.

Shit. I gotta focus on business. “Yeah, the buy-in’s five hundred. You know the drill. Don’t play dumb, Roscoe. You know we don’t do charity here.”

This fat fuck with his shifty eyes is always trying some sneaky shit. I take his money and let him through. I wait until he disappears up the stairs to Cherry’s apartment before addressing the next player.

Hawk trots down seconds later. “I need to grab another case of beer. Any sign of Cherry yet?”

Even the sound of her name is starting to do salacious things to me. I shake my head. “Nah. I’m sure we’ll hear her before we see her. She’s gonna go bat-shit when she finds out what we’ve done.”

Hawk smirks. “Good. Serves her right. She still thinks she calls the shots around here. It’s time to remind her who’s in charge.”

Omen struts up, looking slick and dangerous as usual. “The Sheriff came by, but I got rid of him.”

I feel the vein in my neck pulse. “What the fuck did he want?”

Omen puts his pistol back inside the holster vest. It’s strapped to his chest underneath his wool coat. “He saw a commotion and wanted to make sure there wasn’t a break-in. Even he knows Cherry goes out solo on Sunday nights.” Omen chuckles and pats me on the back. “Don’t worry, I assured him it’s all good. Told him she rented the place out to us for a private party.”

“You think he’ll call her? Fuck, I dare her to say anything different.”

“Nah. She’s spicy, but she ain’t stupid. We have too much dirt on her. She’ll keep her mouth shut and then come yell at us later.”

My cock throbs again. Fuck me. The thought of her angry as hell is a legit fucking turn on. I wonder just how mad I can make her before I fuck her… “All right. Sounds good. Yeah, five hundred,” I say to the next guy in line.

Omen stalks off to do another perimeter check while I take the money. In an hour we’ll switch positions. That’s how we’ve always done it. It keeps both of us alert and serves as a warning to the players.

We got three games going tonight: Texas Holdem, Three Card Poker, and the old tried and true, Five Card Draw. It’s a tight and exclusive event with just four players allowed at each table. Winner takes all—well, except our cut.

No time limits either. The last event we hosted went for almost forty-eight hours. Hence why we’re doing it up here in her apartment and not on the arcade floor. She opens for business tomorrow morning and we gotta keep that going as well.

After I collect the money from the last player to arrive, I lock the front door, and head upstairs with Omen. I let out a low whistle, impressed with how quickly Hawk managed to transform Cherry’s apartment into a card room.

In the living room, the couches have been scooted back against the wall and replaced with a card table and five folding chairs for four players and one dealer. A second table with another five chairs has been set up in one of the guest bedrooms. The kitchen dinette is now an actual bar with a couple of dudes already hanging over it in between games. And finally, the Texas Holdem game is set up at the dining room table in the corner by the front door.

I give Lola a wink and hand her a drink. “You need anything else, sugar? Any of these losers get outta hand, you let me or Om know.” Part of why the buy in is so high, is the fact that our dealers for the evening are three gorgeous women. And they’re topless.

“Thanks, baby. I’m good for now. You know I don’t mind when they act up.” The blonde flashes me a toothy grin before shuffling her decks.

It’s a win-win. Our players pay for the visual as well as the opportunity to make money. And we get a chance to distract them and take more of a cut. See, we take a percentage off the top of every hand. The more money they put in, the better. After a few stiff drinks and a nice pair of tits in your face, it gets easier and easier to lower your inhibitions.

Then there’s the wild card round. Winner takes the pot and gets a little treat from the dealer. That’s where Omen and I really have to be on guard. There’s always one who gets a little too handsy and we gotta take him out back until he cools off. These poor bastards ain’t never seen women like this before, let alone half-naked. They can’t keep their fucking dicks in their pants.

For me, I could care less. These women are working. It’s their literal job. While I can admire a good set of tits, I don’t pay for them. And sure, plenty of them have offered themselves up to me for free countless times. Back in the day, I used to partake. But I’m over it now. It gets old after a while.

I check in on Rita next in the living room, then Darla in the back bedroom. So far so good. Drinks are flowing, money is piling up, and everyone’s having a good time. I check my phone. It’s 10pm on the dot, which means our resident bombshell has been out drinking for three hours. Hawk says she can drink most men under the table, so I’m guessing we ain’t gonna see her pretty face until closer to midnight.

Fine by me. I want her sauced up, feisty as fuck, and coming in swinging. Any excuse to restrain her hot ass works for me.

“What are you smirking about?” Hawk asks as he doles out a few beers.

“I can’t wait to see the look on your sister’s face when she walks through that door.”

“Stepsister. Bro, how many times I gotta tell you? And yeah, it’s going to be a shit show. You have no idea how fucking unhinged that woman can get when she’s provoked. But remember, no one leaves until we’re paid. I don’t care how much she ruins the vibe. I want our fucking money, Scar.”

I nod. “We still on for the usual reckoning?” That’s the icing on the cake. The cherry on top. We have an appetite for destruction. For unholy acts. We never touch the winner. That would look too suspicious and discourage anyone from ever playing again.

So, we pick one from the three who lost the most, and we kill him. It’s a quiet example. A reminder of who we are and what we do. It’s the risk you take when you step into the lion’s den. At some point, we gotta eat too.

“Of course. Nothing’s changed. We operate our business as usual. And maybe even get a little intel in the process. One of these idiots has got to know who’s been fucking with our trucks.” Hawk lights up a cigarette while snatching a hot pink mug from the cupboard. I chuckle when I read the side of it: This whiskey might be coffee. He fills half of it with water from the sink and then taps his cigarette over it.

“You know we brought ash trays, right?” I cross my arms, amused at how fucking petty he’s being.

He flicks another chunk of ash into the cup, snickering. “Oh, did we? I must’ve forgot.”

I’m almost giddy. “Man, she’s gonna fucking pop a blood vessel in her head.”

It’s a quarter past midnight and still no sign of Cherry. I see Hawk glancing between his phone and the front door a million times a minute too. If she doesn’t get home soon, he’s gonna send one of us out after her. I can feel it in my bones.

For now, I post up at the Five Card Draw table in the guest room. Roscoe just cleaned out the other three players and is getting ready to reap his wild card round reward. I hang back to make sure no one gets out of line.

Darla shuffles the deck and cuts it. She taps the top with her pointy hot pink fingernail. “Pull till you hit one of the wilds. A joker gets you a peek, a king gets you a kiss, and an ace gives you permission to touch.”

Roscoe’s forehead beads with sweat, his eyes glazing with lust and drunkenness. “Come on aces,” he pleads as he starts turning over the cards. Each one sends another chorus of oohs and aahs through the room. Even the losers kind of win because they get to watch.

He slows down as he nears the end of the deck. “Fuck, I’m shaking.” He laughs.

The other three look just as excited as he is, their cheeks red, eyes bloodshot. Hawk sets another round of drinks down. “Make sure you give Darla a good fucking tip, aye,” he growls.

They nod and murmur something that sounds like a yes in unison. Roscoe gasps as he turns over the next card and spots the ace. Lucky son of a bitch.

Darla downs a shot of tequila before transferring herself onto his lap. She sits facing the rest of us and leans back against his fat belly. She spreads her legs and holds her panties to the side. “Have at it.”

I think he might have a heart attack. He clumsily grabs onto her nipples and squeezes. “Oh, yeah.” Darla almost looks bored. She barely makes a sound when he plunges two of his thick fingers inside her cunt. Well, almost. She finally arches when he hits something that tickles her, and lets out a throaty moan.

“Double or nothing,” I offer before he can get too worked up.

They both freeze.

I smirk over the toothpick hanging out of my mouth. “Flip another card. If it’s wild again, you get to keep the house’s cut too. Oh, and Darla will let you stick your chubby fucking cock inside her for a few minutes. Isn’t that right?” She knows the drill. More money for her either way.

She nods and takes another shot of tequila.

Roscoe leans forward, excited, his hand already making a path for the deck of cards.

“But. If it’s not a wild card… you get nothing. No money. No Darla. Nothing.”

The other players gasp. “Don’t do it, bro,” one of them mumbles.” I shoot him a glare and make a mental note. This one might be our sacrificial lamb later.

“I-I don’t know.” He snatches his hand back and fixates on the deck. He’s trying to count the cards that are left.

“You’ve gone through most of the deck, Roscoe. The odds of one of those being a wild card are high as fuck. I’d do it.” I would never gamble with the likes of us.

The other two are shaking their heads, mouthing no. I might have to kill all three of them later.

Darla arches her back and starts to grind against his palm, his fingers still deep inside her. “Come on baby. You wanna fuck me, don’t you?”

We give this offer to every table. But we rig two of them. Gotta have at least one get it right or else they’d never play to the end. It inspires the others when they get to see it actually happen. Makes them even more tempted to keep going.

And we make it a game for us as well. We let the Diva Dealers rig it so we can enjoy the surprise too. Plus, it makes it more believable that we ain’t in on it.

“Just say the words and flip the card, Roscoe. The power is in your hands.” I give a subtle nod to Darla who starts moaning and whimpering.

Roscoe curses under his breath. “Fuck, that’s a lot of money too… Fuck it. All or nothing.”

That’s right you will. I fucking love degenerate gamblers. “Good boy, Roscoe. Now go on. Flip it over.”

With the hand he doesn’t have lodged inside Darla’s pussy, he reaches for the deck, his fingers shaking. This moment will either make him the happiest man alive, or send him to an early grave. Because with the amount of money on the line, he will for sure put a bullet in his own head if he loses.

He flips the card over slowly and sets it down. Everyone lets out a collective sigh. I give him a wink. “Lady luck is on your side tonight, buddy.”

“Holy shit! I won again!” He screams as he holds up the ace of spades. He’s so fucking happy, he’s about to cry.

Darla rolls her eyes before she turns around on his lap. It takes him less than ten seconds to unzip his pants and pull his cock out. She seats herself on him and goes to town, riding him hard while the other three players’ eyes bulge out of their sockets.

The other two tables won’t be so lucky tonight.

My hand goes to the gun behind my back as a loud crash erupts from the main room, followed by shouting. “Finish him now, Darla. I gotta go check this out.”

She groans as she fucks him harder. “Come on, baby. Be a good boy and fill me up with your cum.”

“Oh shit,” he rasps. “Fuck, yeah.” He grunts as he thrusts up a few times and lets out a loud moan. “Ahhh. Oh my gawd.”

“All right, let’s go. Time’s up.” I yank Darla off his lap while he’s still cumming. But he doesn’t seem to mind. He finishes releasing into his own hand. “Go clean yourself up and then come find me so I can give you your bonus.”

She nods, her eyes vacant as she saunters down the hall toward the bathroom, indifferent to the cum streaming down her thighs.

I raise my pistol and freeze as soon as I come around the corner. Cherry’s got a piece of broken glass pressed against Hawk’s throat. He looks like he’s about five seconds away from taking it from her and returning the favor.

Here we fucking go.

There aren’t enough curse words in the English language to express my murderous fucking rage right now. A bunch of strange men ogle me from poker tables that are spread out across my living room. But they don’t dare say a word.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” It takes me less than ten seconds to assess what’s going on, grab a beer bottle, break it, and pin Hawk against the wall. I press one of its fragmented shards against the base of his throat.

He glares down at me as if I’m the one who’s done something wrong. “Put it down and let’s go talk about this outside.”

“You’ve turned my apartment, my sacred space, into an illegal gambling den. Now all these vile pieces of shit know what the inside of my place looks like. They know the exits, what rooms are where, and what brand of fucking tampons I have in the bathroom,” I grit out as I dig the shard in a little deeper. Just enough to draw a tiny droplet of blood.

“They also know who you run with and that we aren’t to be fucked with. So calm the fuck down before you give yourself an embolism.” He leans into the pressure, daring me to stab the shard straight through. No fear.

“Careful, Hawk. You remember what happened the last time I had a sharp object on you?” My gaze flits to his scar. Out of my peripheral, I can see Omen and Scarrow closing in. They’re about ten steps away from tackling me. But until then, I’m not backing down.

“I remember that it didn’t end well for you after.” Hawk wraps a hand around my wrist, applying light pressure with his thumb. He’s toying with me. Pressing any harder will force my hand open. The shard will drop to the floor and I will be the one in trouble.

“Is that what this is about? Tit for tat?” It’s the same old song and dance. We trade our licks, push each other to the edge, and then tap out before any real fucking damage ensues.

He smirks while still glaring with those cold dead eyes. “We needed a spot to run the event tonight. That’s it. Our place is compromised… It’s a lotta money, Cherry.” He leans in closer, taking the jagged edge into his flesh another centimeter. “But it’s just a dent in what you owe us,” he whispers in my ear. “It barely scratches the surface.”

I shudder as his warm breath tickles my ear. It sends a shiver down my spine. I try not to imagine what his lips would feel like. We came close once. Too close for my daddy’s liking. He caught us in the game room one night, pressed up against the pool table, our faces inches away from each other… We weren’t allowed to be alone in a room together for weeks after that.

Eventually, we cooled off and convinced him he was overreacting. That there was nothing but stepsibling love between us. I think he even gaslit himself at one point and chalked it up to being tired and overworked. Like he imagined it or something. But deep down, all three of us knew that sins were being committed. Even without a physical act, the dirty thoughts persisted… Fuck. I’m having them right now.

I take a deep breath and start to lay into him again when I’m grabbed from behind. “What the fuck?” I yell.

“You’ve had your fun. Enough is enough,” Scarrow barks. He yanks my head back and wraps another massive arm around my waist just as Hawk digs his thumb hard into the inside of my wrist, forcing me to drop the makeshift weapon as I knew he would. “Fuck you. Let me go.”

“Nah, not until you stop causing a fucking scene,” Scarrow snarls in my ear as he drags me down the hall.

“Show’s over. Get back to your events,” Omen orders. He gives me a smug look before I disappear into the back bedroom with Scarrow.

He tosses me on the bed. “You gonna behave?”

I whip around, snarling like a rabid dog on all fours. “You have no right. This is my apartment.”

He leans against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. His biceps are so fucking big they barely fold. And my god are they sexy with all that ink… “We got issues, you and me. Big fucking issues. I mean, are you actually fucking okay in the head?” The sarcasm drips from his tone. “You see, you seem to forget that I helped cover up the fact that you murdered three people.”

My heart sinks. Fuck. My fingers start to tremble. Every time I think of that night. Before they got there. What those pigs did to me. “You think I killed them for fun?” I cry.

He sighs. “Fuck no. I think I have a pretty good idea of why you did it. But it was stupid, reckless, and unorganized. You were a mess then and you’re a fucking mess now. We all made sacrifices that night, Cherry. Time for you to make some.”

I slump back against the headboard. “You didn’t have to come. You could have made me deal with it myself.”

He crosses the room, his eyes darkening. My heart skips when he climbs onto the bed and straddles me. “No, we couldn’t. Hawk would never have forgiven himself if we let you go to jail.” He pins my wrists over my head. “Omen and I swore loyalty to him. Always. We do what he says. No questions asked. That’s how deep our shit goes.”

My chest heaves, my breath quickening as I feel his cock pulse against my belly. He’s so fucking hot, it’s all I can do not to get lost in his blue eyes and soft lips. Well, they look soft anyway. Like two pillowy, perfectly kissable—

“Are you listening to me, darlin’?”

“Yeah. Loud and clear. I ruined everything. Now you all hate me and are going to use my apartment, and my bar, until you feel like you’ve punished me enough. Did I miss anything?” It’s not that I’m ungrateful for what they did for me. I just hate being at anyone’s mercy.

He smirks. “Pretty much. You forgot one thing, though. We’re gonna use you too.” He lowers his lips to my ear. I almost black out from my own arousal as his hard chest presses against my tits. He murmurs, “I’m personally going to use your body for my own selfish desire.”

He releases one of my wrists and drags his hand down my arm till it lands on my belly. He pulls up the hem of my shirt so he can touch my skin. I draw in a sharp breath. “Don’t I get a say in that? Or are you just like those fuckers I poisoned?” Please don’t stop.

Scarrow chuckles, his lips brush my earlobe. “You gonna tell me no? I bet every single dollar in this joint right now that you’re going to be begging me on your knees.” He dips a finger just under the very top of my waistband, taunting me. “You want to be used by me so fucking bad you can hardly sit still right now. You’re screaming inside your own head, praying that I touch your pussy.”

My cheeks heat. I can’t admit that to him. Not after what I just walked into. I grit my teeth. “Get the fuck off me and get rid of all these fucking criminals. I want all of you out of my apartment. Now.”

He laughs and slides off the bed. “We’ll be out of here shortly. Until then, you’re staying in here. I’ll be right outside the door just in case you get adventurous and try to wander out.”

I scream and throw a pillow at him. “Are you fucking crazy? You can’t keep me as a prisoner in my own bedroom!”

Scarrow licks his lips. “Hey, just knock if you get bored. I’m more than happy to make you cum while we wait.”

I grunt in frustration and chase after him but he slams the door in my face. When I yank it back open, he is in fact standing in the doorway, blocking it. All six-foot-four and two hundred and fifty pounds of him.

“Move, Scar.”

“Not until the event is over.” His blue eyes sparkle with amusement.

Ugh. “You go tell Hawk I want to talk to him right fucking now.”

He shakes his head. “No can do. He’s busy. Relax on the bed. Play with your vibrator. It will help you unwind.”

Oh my god. The fucking audacity. “Go to hell.” I slam the door shut and retreat back. I pace around the room for what feels like at least an hour. He took my phone so I wouldn’t be tempted to call anyone, namely the police. I’m more insulted that they think I’d snitch. Not my style.

At least my bedroom has a bathroom attached. Now I’m walking around making mental notes of all the things I need to add to this room for next time. I should have a mini fridge, a wet bar, burner phone, and weapons. A tranquilizer gun would be handy right now. I’d love to put that giant blond, sexy-as-fuck asshole down directly on his ass.

My adrenaline crashes, my energy plummeting as I sink down onto the bed. It’s got to be close to three in the morning by now. I fight tooth and nail to keep my eyes open, but the night is catching up with me. And sleep is a demanding bitch.

I’ll just rest my eyes for a second…

I wake up with a gasp in a pitch dark room. After a few blinks, I acclimate, remembering I’m in my bedroom. I sit up too fast. Fuck. A sharp pain shoots up the back of my neck. I must have slept wrong. Or I’m already hungover. I stagger to my feet and hesitantly make my way to the door.

“Everyone’s gone.” Hawk’s voice pierces the eerie quiet, shattering my resolve.

I yelp and jump back. “Fucking hell! You scared the shit out of me. Are you just lurking in the dark watching me sleep like a fucking weirdo?”

“You’re a liability, Cherry. I had business to conduct and needed to make sure you didn’t screw it up.”

I squint in the dark and finally make out his figure sitting in a chair by the foot of my bed. “Well, maybe don’t conduct your business in my fucking apartment then. Or give me a heads up first so I’m not walking in blind. What the fuck did you expect from me?”

He bolts from the chair and is at my side faster than I can blink, towering over me. “A little fucking respect would be nice to start. And a thank you. You’ve never said those words to me. Not once.”

Still disoriented, I stumble back until my ass hits the wall. “You’re right. Thank you Hawk. I’m so sorry I never showed you enough gratitude for cleaning up my blood bath. I must’ve been too distracted trying to cope with the fact that I just murdered three boys after they took turns violating me.”

He flips on the light switch, illuminating both our faces. “I want you to see the look in my eyes, Cherry. Is this sufficient for you? Do you not see the pure fucking psychotic rage I have for what they did to you?”

I want to wrap my arms around him. To bury my head in his neck and weep for the innocence I lost. But I hold back. Always. Because I can’t trust this. He warned me years ago that he would break my heart. So I don’t let him have it to begin with. “No, it isn’t. You brush it off like you do everything else.”

He grunts in frustration and shakes his head. “Whatever, Cherry. I give up trying to understand you. But I am back for good. And whether you like it or not, you’re going to do what I say. So get used to it. Things are going to be different around here. Starting with this apartment and this bar.”

“Mine, asshole. My bar and my apartment. I worked my ass off for this. Not for you to just swoop in and claim it like you do everything else. I’m not one of your fucking lackeys, Hawk. Go play gangster somewhere else,” I bark. He’s dangerous, cunning, and deadly. But I’m not afraid of him like everyone else is. I grew up with this man. I know his fears and his weaknesses.

He pinches my chin between his fingers, tilting my face up so I have to look him dead in the eye. “You never thanked me for going to prison for you. That’s what I’ve been waiting for all these years. A simple fucking thank you for taking the blame after you crashed my car with that piece of shit you were whoring yourself out to.”

“I told you I was sorry, Hawk. But I never asked you to take the fall!” Tears stream down my cheeks. My chest heaves. I feel like I’m drowning and never coming up for air again.

“You think I would let you?” He kisses my cheek. “I will never let anything happen to you, Cherry. You know this. But you push my limits every fucking time.” His breath hitches as he places another soft kiss on my cheek. “I don’t want your apologies. I don’t even expect you to thank me. Just don’t fucking disobey me.”

I’m shaking, crumbling against him like I did that night after I came back from summer camp. When he lied and told my daddy that those were his drugs he’d found out back by the shed. He knew my daddy would go easy on him out of guilt over his momma dying.

I still remember the weight of his arms as he held me, pinning me against the metal door of the shed, professing his undying loyalty to me. But he wanted something in return. He wanted to watch. He was too scared to touch. And it destroyed me every time. Because all I wanted was for him to stop treating me like I was his dirty little secret. If he had just touched me back…

I bite my lip and choke back a sob. “I can’t go through this again with you, Hawk. I can’t. I can’t. I…”

He pulls me to the bed. “Lay down and let me watch.” He kisses my cheek again.

I try to kiss his mouth but he pulls away. “You owe me,” he whispers against my lips. He coaxes me down and pulls off my pajama pants before nestling into my side. “It’s been a long time. You used to love letting me watch.”

I gurgle back another cry as my lust for him rears its vile head. I can’t say no to him. He’s the only man on the planet that I would let this happen with. But it’s a sick obsession. A filthy fucking game that we still haven’t outgrown.

I slide my panties to the side and swirl two fingers around my clit. “Please touch me, Hawk,” I whine. I beg and plead over and over again as I finger myself in front of him.

But he won’t. He will jerk himself off while he watches but he will never allow either of us the satisfaction of touch. It’s a sin.

“Oh, fuck.” I arch my back and let out a raspy moan as my orgasm crests. A fierce tingling reverberates out from my clit to deep inside my pussy. I grind my hips in a circle and fuck my own hand while he soaks my belly with his cum. He pumps his fist back and forth, releasing himself on my heated flesh. And how is this not a sin? How have we convinced ourselves that this is somehow better?

We lay quiet in the dark for a while, clutching our trembling hands to our sides. Until I can’t take the silence any longer. It’s more agonizing than his restraint.

“How long am I going to owe you, Hawk?” I ask breathlessly.

He shrugs. “Don’t know. Maybe forever. Now go back to sleep, Cherry. We’ll iron out all the details in the morning.”

I groan and roll over to stare at the wall, mesmerized by the way the moonlight casts these little, splotchy spots on the wood paneling. I let his cum drip down my belly. I punish myself by not wiping it off. “I hate you.”

It’s a whisper but I know he hears me by the way he slams the door behind him when he leaves.

Everything I’ve done has always been to try and keep Cherry safe. Even from herself. I’m going to hell for sure, but I won’t drag her down with me.

The things she did that night stained her soul. It makes me so angry. I could strangle her to death just to show her the consequences of her reckless actions.

I wash my hands in the kitchen sink, scrubbing until I get all of my cum off. I run the water hot, scalding my skin as punishment for even thinking what it would feel like to unload inside her sweet pussy.

“You okay?” Omen asks.

I nod. “Fine. How much money did we make?”

He arches an eyebrow, not thrilled that I’m dismissing his question. “With the buy-in fees, our cut from the bets, liquor revenue, minus the bonuses for the Diva Dealers, and what we have to put back in the till for Cherry…” He rapidly taps on his phone. “We’re pocketing about thirty grand.”

Scarrow lets out a low whistle from the couch. “Not bad for our first party back in Crimson Valley.” He’s sprawled against the cushions, shirtless and barefoot and sipping on something clear. Probably tequila. Most likely the good shit. He won’t put anything in his body that’s not top shelf.

I dry my hands with one of her black and white checkered towels. “Good. That’s a start. We need to find another spot though. I don’t want these degenerates getting any wrong ideas about Cherry. She’s off limits. Only us.”

Omen snickers. “I’m good. That chick is a fucking annoyance. I wouldn’t touch her with your dick.”

That’s why your cock tents your fancy designer pants every time she’s in the room. But I keep these thoughts to myself. He’ll learn what it’s like to have Cherinne Bradley’s hooks in you soon enough. Once they dig in, forget trying to pry them out.

Scarrow pops up from the couch. “Oh, I think I will partake. She’s been drooling over my tats for days. If she behaves, I’ll let her lick one.”

Omen huffs. “Yeah, you have fun with that.”

Scarrow shrugs, but he can’t keep that smug grin off his face. I’ve seen the way Cherry looks at both of them. Scarrow’s easy, but Omen will be a challenge.

And I’ll get my fill like I always do when I watch.

She’ll do it for me. My little live wire always performs for her keeper. She’s the match and I’m the gasoline. Yeah, I’ve kept her all these years like a delicate flower. I hover close enough to breathe her in but never touch. If I did, I’d crush her petals. I wouldn’t be able to stop until she was bruised and swollen and weeping for more. And that would send us both straight to hell.

Omen eyes me warily again. “You sure you’re good, man? You’ve been acting off since she walked through that door.”

“Just settling back in. Don’t fucking ask me again, Om. I already had a momma once and you ain’t as pretty or as smart as she was.” They are the closest things to best friends a man like me will ever get. But they aren’t gonna know my soul like Cherry does. They can’t see the filthy despicable things I do to her in my mind.

I forget that they’ve never seen me around her. I met these two in prison and kept them away from Preacher’s house at first, only bringing them with me to church so he could get used to them hanging around.

But I wasn’t ready for them to meet Cherry. I knew they’d want her and she’d want them. I was still hoarding her for myself back then. But now… I know she needs more than I can give her. So I’ll let them play with her too.

“Hey, Scar, why don’t you check on Cherry? See if she needs anything.” I can’t keep the ache out of my voice.

A blush sweeps across his face. “You sure?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’ll be right behind you.”

Omen shakes his head. “I’m gonna grab a bed in one of the guest rooms. I’m fucking beat, man.”

I wait a few minutes before stalking down the hallway. As I get closer to her room, I hear that feisty voice of hers, followed by Scarrow’s laughter.

I wait outside the door, my heart racing, listening.

“Let me make it up to you, Cherry,” Scarrow pleads on the other side of the door. “I can make you feel so fucking good.”

“I’m tired, Scar.” Her resolve is fading, her resistance down. I can hear it in her voice. I got her worked up earlier, so now she’s fucking desperate to be touched. She just needs another little push…

I open the door and lean against the frame. My pulse ticks up a notch when I see Scar straddling her, boxing her in against the mattress.

Her breath hitches when we lock eyes. “Is this what you want?” she asks on a wispy breath.

I return to the chair that still sits at the foot of her bed. Where I watched her sleep earlier. Now I want to watch her do something else. “Stop being so stubborn. You know you want him to make you cum.”

Scarrow slides his hands down her belly. “Pretty please,” he begs.

She nods but never takes her eyes off me. “Okay. Yes, I mean. You can eat my pussy.”

Scarrow lets out a little whimper of approval as he peels her panties off. He spreads her legs and blows on her pussy first.

Her eyes widen as she arches her back. “Ohhh. Okay. Fuck. Mmm.”

My cock stirs when I see how she glistens for him. For me.

“Relax, darlin’,” Scarrow coos. He drags the tip of his tongue up the length of her slit. She rolls her hips up, matching his rhythm.

“Yeah, just like that,” she urges.

The sight of her squirming and twitching underneath him while he licks her thoroughly is enough to make me cum hard and hot real fucking quick.

“Spread her lips back,” I murmur. “She likes that.”

Scarrow moans and follows my suggestion, peeling her open like a delicate flower. He licks the inside of one of her pussy lips.

She bucks and screams while fisting the sheets. “Oh, fuck. What are you… fuck. Yeah. Please don’t fucking stop.”

He chuckles knowingly as he slides the entire length of his tongue inside her and goes to town. He wraps his lips around her clit, humming as she grinds against his whole face.

And my restraint slips ever so slightly. I free my cock and quickly cum into my palm. I grunt in short bursts, careful not to erupt into a roar. I like to keep my release quiet so as not to distract them from theirs.

But when my gaze flits to her face, I find her looking at me. She keeps her eyes locked on mine while she cums hard in his mouth.

The screams between them are deafening. Strange and gurgled and primitive. He laps at her juices, alternating between licking and grinding his nose against her clit. This man has never tasted anything better. I can hear it, see it, feel it.

He licks her thighs and places gentle kisses on the edges of her pussy lips. He blows quivering breaths against her, tempting her into another orgasm. I can see by the way her legs shake, her hips arching up.

“Yes, don’t stop what you’re doing. Please, Scar.” She threads her fingers through the tuft of hair that knots on the top of his inked head.

“I told you I’d make it up to you,” he purrs in between licking, sucking, and blowing.

After wiping myself off, I tuck in my cock and get up from the chair. I pause at the foot of the bed, locking eyes with her one more time. A lifetime of anguish and lust and vile thoughts fill the space between us.

“Make her cum again, Scar. Then let her sleep,” I rasp.

I stalk out of the room before either can respond. I’m two steps down the hall when I hear her moans turn into screams. I smile at Omen who is in an even fouler mood than usual.

“I thought you were heading to bed,” I quip.

“Kind of hard to sleep with all that fucking moaning.”

I shrug. “Come watch next time.”

“You two have a weird fucking thing between you. You know that, right?” Omen growls.

“Don’t worry, Om. Soon, the two of you will too.” I’d bet that entire thirty grand on it.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes and lean back against the cracked leather chair. My third cup of coffee sits untouched on the desk. The first two didn’t do shit, so why bother? Event nights always take a lot out of me but this time is different. The crux of my exhaustion stems from the emotional and physical roller coaster known as Cherry Bradley.

This makes me even more pissed as I glare at the photograph that Scarrow sets in front of me. He was able to scrape the blurred image from our security footage.

“Either he’s got help, or we’ve hired the most useless muscle in the history of organized crime,” I bark over the cup, finally succumbing to the ineffective liquid.

Scarrow rubs his temples. He didn’t get much sleep either. Not with his tongue lodged inside Cherry’s cunt for most of the night. “This feels personal, Hawk. Nothing was taken. But this fucker broke three windows and slashed the tires on all our fucking trucks. We can’t roll a shipment out this week now.”

I slam my fists down and send the cold coffee toppling over. It streams over the photograph and off the edge of the desk. “Shut it down. All of it. Send everyone home for the night. Then we’ll reconvene tomorrow at the bar. We’re going old school.”

“How do you mean?”

“Word of mouth, no phones, and no wires. Everyone gets patted down. We give them each a small delivery, and they have to use their own vehicles. Once a drop is done, they call into the bar and we reveal the location for payment.”

Scarrow smirks, his eyes lighting up. “Ahh so if someone doesn’t show, they’re either our fucking mole or our little vandal. Or dead.”

I nod. “Bingo. And if someone doesn’t like it, we get rid of them. Permanently… We keep the guns at the shed and the drugs in the fridge at Level Up. This fucking warehouse is compromised.”

“That sounds messy, but I agree it’s the best option for now. I’ll fill Omen in too. He’s downstairs beating the shit out of Rodney for the break in. He was the last to leave. And someone’s gotta fucking take the heat. Show the rest of them that we ain’t playing.”

I nod. “Good. I wanna take a little trip out to Lavender Heights in the next week or so. Look into hiring some new blood out there.”

Scarrow raises an eyebrow. “That’s gonna cost a bit more. Crimson Valley isn’t exactly a dream job destination.”

“Yep. But one winning racehorse is worth three losing ones. If we want to grow our empire, we gotta start acting like kings.” I’m sick of this petty small-town shit.

I stay in Crimson Valley because it’s my territory. I’ve worked too hard to let it go. And I’m not ready to go to war with the head of Lavender Heights. His time will come though.

“I’ll put in a call to Canyon’s crew and make sure they know we’re coming. See if they can spare a couple guys.” Scarrow types into his phone, his brow still sweating out the tequila from last night.

“That’s what I like to hear. Send Omen up when you see him.”

Tap. Tap. He knocks against the doorframe. “No need. I’m right here, bro. What’s up?”

Scarrow pats him on the back before scurrying past him. He gives him a nod.

“Hey. About last night…” I start, not sure how to explain the chaos between me and Cherry.

Omen shakes his head and holds up his hand. “Nah, it’s all good. It was the liquor and the lack of sleep talking. Don’t even sweat it.”

It’s not his fault that he doesn’t yet understand the hold she has on me. “Appreciate you. If you don’t want to fuck with her like that, I’m not going to guilt you into it.”

He sighs. “Look, I know you got history and feelings and shit with her, Hawk. But that woman is the fucking devil. I promise you that. El fucking diabla in the flesh. No matter how alluring that flesh may be, you gotta resist it. She’ll eat you alive… or put you back in fucking prison.”

“I chose to take the fall for her, Om. I don’t expect you to understand. She’s not as evil as you think. She’s had a hard fucking life.”

He snickers. “We all have, bro. She ain’t special. Remember that next time she leaves you hanging.”

When this motherfucker cracks, it’s not going to be pretty. His awakening will be vile and messy and deranged. And beautiful. I can’t wait to watch it. “That’s not going to happen this time, my friend. She owes me too fucking much. Trust me. There are plenty of little punks who drool over her. She walks all over them and leaves stiletto marks on their fucking souls. But I ain’t one of those chumps, Om. Don’t get it twisted.”

He nods. “That’s your business. I’m just saying, I will put that woman in her fucking place if she tries that shit with me. And I will get what’s owed to me too.”

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back. “No sex. No money. What do you want from her, Omen?”

He licks his lips, his eyes darkening. “Pain and suffering.”

I can’t help but smirk. He has no fucking idea that underneath that demand is the very thing he thinks he hates. It’s only a matter of time before it’s his head I find between her thighs.

Seven fucking missed messages from my favorite unknown number. Great. Just what I need right now. I brace myself as I unlock my phone. But before I settle back against the bar, I glance around and make sure everyone’s drinks are full.

My stomach knots as I read Kane’s texts. They go from unhinged to desperate to homicidal. I’m lucky he hasn’t shown up here. The last one was sent at four this morning. What a fucking psycho.

You better text me back soon, slut. Maybe I call the Sheriff. Or maybe I come over there and do the same thing to you that you did to those boys. Right after I make you suck my dick, of course. You remember how good my cum tasted, don’t you?

I grind my teeth, my blood boiling. I can’t believe I used to fuck with this guy back in the day. It was partially his fault that Hawk went to prison. Kane was the one who egged me on that night. It was his idea to get fucked up and steal Hawk’s car.

Except Kane stayed sober. But he got me drunk and high before making me drive us to the make-out spot on the hill. Then he almost choked me to death while fucking my throat in the back seat. He kept me strung out all night. The sun was barely coming up when we finally started to bead back.

I was out of it and could barely see straight. Driving way too fast, I misjudged a hairpin turn and flipped the car into a ditch. We crawled out, lucky to be alive, then ditched the car before anyone saw us. When I got home, Hawk took one look at me and knew what I’d done. He always knew when I was up to no good. Not to mention I had cuts and bruises all over me.

By the time I fessed up and told him where the car was, it was too late. The cops were there, investigating the scene. The inside of the car was littered with pills, blow, and liquor bottles.

Hawk had a valid alibi. He could’ve easily told the cops that I stole his car. But he didn’t. He lied for me and went to prison for two years. Another thing my daddy’s never forgiven me for. Yeah, even preachers hold grudges.

Kane laughed when I told him. He said it served him right for looking at me the way he does. He was always jealous of Hawk.

I finally text Kane back after pouring another round of beers for Marv and his buddies.

For fuck’s sake, I was sleeping. Take it down a notch. I always get back to you.

The knots in my stomach tighten when I see the texting bubbles. He’s obsessed, doing nothing but waiting for me to respond. It makes me sick.

Well, maybe start setting some alarms, baby. I expect you to respond as soon as I message you. Or I’ll make good on my threats.

Fuck you, asshole.

How long are you gonna drag this out, Kane? I can’t live like this forever.

YES YOU FUCKING CAN. AND YOU WILL!

My breath hitches in response. What is it about messages in all caps that trigger instant anxiety? Am I’m gonna have to kill him too? Because I don’t think he’s going to stop. Fuck.

Whatever, Kane. Are we done for today? I got a packed bar right now.

Not so fast, Cherry pie. You owe me a pic. A special one for making me wait all fucking night. This time I want to see two fingers in your pussy. Get them in nice and deep.

I wince as I read it. I hate when he fucking calls me that. It makes me feel cheap and trashy. I look around the bar again to make sure everyone’s good.

“I gotta go to the lady’s room, Marv. Keep an eye out for me?”

He nods. “You know I got you, sweetheart.”

I opt to go upstairs to my apartment instead of using the public restroom down in the bar. I need to make sure I have total privacy for this.

I’m waiting like a chump here, Cherry.

Hold on. I told you my bar is packed. Give me a minute.

I lock the door behind me and rush to my bedroom. The disdain I have for him rises as I take off my jeans and panties. If Hawk knew about any of this, he’d kill me and Kane. He’d take care of it like he always does. But I’ve already asked him for too much. I can’t keep running to him every time I fuck up. No. This is my mess to clean up.

I spread my legs and thrust two fingers inside my pussy. As I’m about to snap the pic, another text from him pops up.

You know what? Scratch that. Send me a video of you fingering yourself.

My stomach drops.

What the fuck, Kane? I gotta get back to work. This is going too far.

Do it right fucking now. Fifteen seconds. In and out, baby.

Fuck me. I don’t have time for this. I angle the phone between my legs and press record. I thrust my fingers deep inside, then pull them out slowly before thrusting back in. I do this like I’m on autopilot and count the seconds down in my head.

But as I get closer to hitting his time minimum, an orgasm starts to crest. I can’t help it. Every time I touch myself, I think of Hawk. I imagine I’m recording this for him.

Fuck. I know how to get myself off better than anyone. I’ve been practicing for years. I forget about the video and pump harder, my juices sloshing down my thighs as I ride my fingers. I bite my lip to stifle a moan. I will not let him hear me enjoy this. Fuck that.

My legs shake as I hit that sweet spot deep inside. Oh, fuck. I clench around my fingers and roll my hips. As my cum drips down my hand, I remember the fucking phone and hit stop on the recording.

Fuck you, Kane.

I attach the video and hit send.

In the time it takes me to wash my hands and put my clothes back on, he’s watched it.

Holy shit, Cherry. You outdid yourself. This is gonna have to be our new thing now. At least until I get you to perform for me live.

I shudder. No fucking way. Never. The last time I let him fuck me was last year. He strangled me so bad I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die. That’s when I told him no more. And that’s when he decided to start blackmailing me.

I like a little rough housing during sex, but with him it was brutal. There’s no way I’m doing it again.

Not going to happen, Kane. This is all you get.

Oh, you’ll give me whatever I ask for. Just like you always do. Because you’re a fucking slut. And if you don’t, I’ll send these to your daddy and to your big brother. Yeah, I bet he’d get off on it. Sick fucking weirdo.

He’s my stepbrother, Kane. And I swear if you send anyone this video, you’ll regret it.

Nah, I don’t think I will regret it. You better lock your doors, Cherry pie. Next time you come home, I might just be waiting.

I scream and throw my phone onto the bed.

My bedroom door bursts open.

I scream again, half-expecting it to be Kane, already making good on his threat.

“What the fuck are you doing up here? You got customers asking for you,” Omen barks.

Fuck. “I-I… I’m on my period,” I lie. “What the fuck are you doing in my apartment? How did you even get in?”

He towers over me, his eyes narrowing. “I made copies of your keys. We each have one. I came up here looking for you.”

“Are you joking? You can’t just make copies of my keys without asking me. Fucking hell. I have no fucking privacy anymore,” I yell as I push past him.

He stalks after me. “You should’ve thought about that before you did what you did. Now you gotta put up with us. Those are called consequences.”

I snicker as I sprint down the stairs, back toward the bar. “That’s rich coming from a criminal.”

He grabs my arm before I make it into the bar, and swings me around to face him. “No body, no crime, mama.” He pushes me flush against the wall. “I did that for you. You’re only a criminal if you get caught.”

I take a deep breath and curse myself for getting wet again. He’s hot as fuck though. Like one of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen in real life. “Thank you, Omen. Would you like me to say it every day?”

He squeezes my arm harder. “Yeah. Maybe I do.”

I swallow hard and pray he doesn’t notice my lip quivering. Crammed inside this tight little space between the stairs and the door, our bodies are so fucking close together, I can feel his breath on my face.

“Can I go back to work now?”

He glares down at me for another thirty seconds before releasing my arm. “Next time, let one of us know where you’re going. It does no one any good if the bar gets robbed while you’re changing your tampon.”

I roll my eyes and snicker again. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make a mental note.”

I shirk past him and head into a barrage of angry voices caroling for more drinks. As I refill everyone’s orders and serve some new people who wandered in, I can’t help but notice Omen’s eyes on me. He watches my every move. It’s unnerving and a turn on at the same time.

The rest of the night goes by fast. I get a nice big burst of customers for happy hour and then another rush from the after-dinner crowd. By ten pm, I’m down to just a few regulars and Omen.

He perches on the corner of the bar, his head buried in his laptop. “Quit staring. If you got something to say, say it.”

I wipe the bar down next to him, scrubbing at the sticky ring marks the bottles made on the wood. “You look so fucking serious all the time. Ever smile or have fun?”

He arches an eyebrow but never lifts his gaze from the screen. “Not when I’m working. I’ve got a lot of security footage to watch.”

“Is that something you do on the regular?” I have cameras here too, but I don’t look at them unless I have a reason to.

He sighs and turns the laptop around so I can see the screen. “We had a break in the other night. Not the first one either. But dude knows where our cameras are, so he hides his face.”

I snicker. “You sure it’s a he?”

Omen glares at me, making eye contact for the first time. “No. But this is personal. And you’re the only unhinged woman we know. You the culprit, Cherry?”

“Obviously not, Om. Let me watch the video,” I snap.

The footage is grainy, but I can tell that it’s a pretty big guy, about Scar’s size, wearing a black hoodie and black pants. He keeps his back to the camera the whole time. He’s probably wearing a mask too. At least that’s what I’d do.

The guy runs at one of their semi-trucks and shoves a knife in the front tire. It takes him a few minutes to rip through the thick rubber. But he manages to flatten it along with the rest of them in a matter of minutes.

Then the guy picks something off the ground and chucks it through the window, shattering it. “What the fuck?”

“He’s throwing bricks. We have tons of them lying around for our scales,” Omen quips.

“Holy shit, he’s just destroying everything. What did he even take?” I ask, dumbfounded that one person could cause that much havoc in such a short time. And get away with it.

“Not a fucking thing. He’s not a thief, just pure chaos. A vile fucking vermin who’s only goal is to wreak havoc.” Omen reaches over the bar to help himself to a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey.

“I can get that for you, you know?” I’m not as irritated as I should be.

He nods. “I don’t need you to wait on me, mama. Just keep looking at the footage. Tell me what you see.”

I grab another shot glass and place it on the bar. To my surprise he pours me one after he does his.

When I turn my attention back to the screen, I see the guy’s sleeve slip up for a second, revealing a tiny peek of ink. “Can you zoom in?”

Omen nods and enlarges the frame.

My stomach drops into my ass. I grip the edge of the bar to keep my knees from swaying. The visible part of his tattoo is the tip of a sword pointing toward his wrist. What Omen doesn’t know is that the rest of it goes all the way up his forearm and past the crook of his elbow.

Fuck.

He’s right. This is personal. And it has everything to do with me. I’m going to fucking kill Kane.

I loosen my white-knuckle grip and down the whiskey.

He pours me another. “You know who that is?”

I can’t fucking tell them the truth. Not yet. I need to fix this first. Fuck. I shake my head. “Sorry. Looks like every other drunk asshole I’ve seen in here.”

He glares at me as he snaps the laptop shut. “You know what we do to rats, Cherry? We cut them open and string them up by their entrails.”

I swallow hard. “Sounds messy.”

He nods and pours himself another whiskey. “But you know what I hate more than rats? Liars. When I find out who’s been lying to us about all this, blood will fucking spill. I promise you that.”

Omen doesn’t trust me to begin with. I just hope I didn’t give anything away in my face. If he suspects I know something, I’m fucked. I will tell them. But not yet. I need to have a word with Kane first.

I hold up my glass. “Well, cheers to everyone getting what they deserve.”

He doesn’t clank his glass to mine. Instead, he knocks it back and slams it on the bar. “I’m gonna finish my work upstairs while you close down the bar. If that’s all right with you, that is?”

Wow. Is he actually asking me this time? Now I know something is up. He’s being too nice. “Yeah, sure. Just keep your nose out of my panty drawer.”

He snickers. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. I’m not in the least bit interested.”

Maybe he’s finally warming up to me. He can hate me all he wants, but I’m not blind to the way he looks at me. Deep down there’s a part of him that aches for my lips on his.

The thought of him upstairs in my apartment actually stirs something really fucking primal in me. But he’s stubborn. I could walk past him naked and he wouldn’t break. Not yet at least.

I reach under the bar for my phone when I realize I left it upstairs. I threw it on the bed and never picked it back up after Omen came in and nearly gave me a heart attack.

Fuck.

Omen.

He’s upstairs with my phone. And every single vile text message I’ve had with Kane in the last three weeks.

She knows who the rat is.

After being an interrogator for four years in a special unit, and then two years in forensics, reading people is in my blood. It’s what I’m good at. Well, fucking, fighting, and reading people. Sometimes all at the same time.

It didn’t take me long to spot her tells. Everyone has them. Some people laugh when they’re nervous. Others avoid eye contact. But for Cherry, the throat bob, hitched breath, and her iron grip on the edge of the bar let me know she’s hiding something. It was subtle, and she recovered fast, but I’m ninety-nine percent convinced she recognized the guy in the footage.

But why lie about it? Why is she protecting this fucker’s identity? And this is why I’m up in her apartment snooping around now. I figure I have about twenty to thirty minutes before she comes back up. Plenty of fucking time.

I go over to her desk first. It’s old with deep scratches throughout the dark wood, particularly on the legs and drawers. It’s not messy, just lived in. On top, are a few framed photos—Cherry cutting a ribbon with a giant pair of scissors in front of the bar, a close-up shot of the band Melrose Avenue in mid-performance, and a faded pic of a beautiful woman who looks like an older version of Cherry. Except her eyes are vacant. Like she’s checked out. That must be her mother.

Hawk told us about her once. That she died of a drug overdose and Father Eli didn’t waste any time putting a ring on Hawk’s mom’s finger. Then she died too. Talk about bad fucking luck. Or maybe God just got jealous like a woman scorned.

If you swear an oath to the cloth, you better not be dabbling in pussy on the side. Shit. I was raised Catholic. They don’t even bother with all that. Our priests marry God. Period. These preachers down here are trying to have their cake and eat it too, I guess.

There’s a drawer in the middle and one on each side. I yank open the middle one first to find the expected pens, calculator, staples, and an old school checkbook. There’s also some arcade tokens and a few stickers.

I can’t help but smirk when I open the large drawer on the left. I reach in and pull out a bottle of gin with a rosary wrapped around the neck. “This fucking girl,” I murmur. Next to it I find a pack of cigarettes. Nope. I crush the whole pack in my palm and shove them into the pocket of my suit jacket.

The right drawer nearly takes me out. My breath catches in my throat when I see the three polaroids of her in a bikini. But it’s not just that. I’m not some fucking asshole who’s never seen a half-naked chick before. No it’s what she’s fucking doing in them.

I bite my lip to stifle the groan that tickles my throat. She’s got her legs spread and her hand on the edge of her bikini bottoms, posed like she’s about to pull them to the side. In the second picture she’s pinching her nipples over the fabric. And in the third, she’s starting to pull the bikini bottoms down. The pic was taken with them right below her hips. She teases the camera in every single one of these.

I can’t tear my eyes away. And I’m getting annoyed wondering who took these. Who did she share this intimate moment with? Who did she fuck after the bikini came off? Fuck. Why do I fucking care?

I toss them back in the drawer and slam it shut. “Focus, Om,” I mutter to myself.

But it’s impossible. Being up here in her space, smelling her everywhere, seeing her things, her delicate lingerie draped over chairs… The sweet and spicy scents of her perfume and body wash permeating every inch of this apartment… it’s making me question my own motives. Because I am a fucking man after all.

And like a moth to a flame, I find myself stalking into her bedroom and pulling open her drawers. My hands shake as I plunge them inside, threading my fingers through the side loops of her flimsy thongs. I run the tips of my fingers over the entire drawer, consumed by the feel of the different fabrics. She has panties cut from satin, cotton, lace, and even vinyl. This naughty fucking thing.

But she’s wrong if she thinks I’m sniffing any of them. Where’s the fun in that? I learned a long time ago that the only pair of panties worth smelling are the ones a woman’s still wearing. Mmm. Yeah you get that sweat and arousal. So fucking good you wanna taste it too.

I chuckle to myself as I carefully close the drawer. I don’t know what I thought I’d find up here. Maybe I’m lying to myself, and I just really wanted to creep around her shit. As much as her arrogance pisses me off, I’ve been curious on more than one occasion as to what makes that brain of hers tick. What’s going on behind those deep blue eyes.

She’s the only woman I’ve ever met who always looks like she’s caught between lust and sadness. Like she either wants to fuck or take a bubble bath with a lit fuse. And some days she looks like she just wants to rub up against something hard to satisfy that ache between her thighs.

My cock twitches. Fuck. Hell no. Nope. I spin around to leave, knowing I need to get out of her room before I’m tempted to rub one out on her bed. But before I make it to the door, a shiny glint of silver metal catches my eye. What looks like a glittery bejeweled phone case peeks out from in between the crumpled sheets.

I snatch it up. Now we’re talking. I touch the screen and fail the facial recognition so that it’s forced to take me to the passcode prompt. I type in her birthday first, then Hawk’s, and finally her mom’s. All declined.

I grit my teeth, tempted to just tie her down and unlock the phone with her face. But if there’s nothing on here, then I don’t want her to know I’m invading her privacy. I sigh and punch in the date that she took over the bar. I’ll never forget it, thanks to Hawk.

I try three more attempts with familiar number sequences that most people gravitate to. People are predictable and tend to pick the easiest combinations to hack. Codes like 1111 or 1234.

Oh, wait. Would she? Nah. But maybe. Fuck it. I punch in the date of the night Hawk went to jail for her. My stomach flips when it unlocks. “You gotta be shitting me.” So our little masochist loves how he fucking starves for her. I snicker. Another reason why I don’t like her greedy ass. She’s gonna mess him up for good this time. I can feel it.

I go straight to her text messages and scroll through them. I find a few from some chick named Roxy. One from Father Eli, and then Hawk, of course. And finally, a number with no contact name attached to it. That seems like a good place to start. When I click on it, my jaw nearly hits the floor.

What the fuck is this? Message after message of someone named Kane, blackmailing her. This fucker knows what we did. And he’s making her send him pics and videos. Aw, hell no.

My fingers tremble as I hover them over the video. I can already tell by the still frame that it’s filthy as fuck. But again, I can’t tear my eyes away. I can’t fucking help myself. I press play and nearly cum in my pants.

I stagger back against her dresser as I watch her slide her fingers in and out of her wet cunt. She’s so into it too, rocking and grinding against her own hand. Fuck me. I nearly pass out because I forget to breathe while I watch her cum for the camera.

She’s holding the phone so close… I can see the milky droplets when she squirts. “Damn, mama…” I break out into a cold sweat and will my erection to go down. I can’t relieve myself here. She could come back up any minute now.

Unless I pop into the bathroom real quick…

The front door slams with a bang. “Omen? Where are you?”

Fuck. Too late. “In here.”

She stomps in, her face already contorted in rage. “I literally said to not sniff my panties. And here you are in my bedroom. What the actual fuck, Omen?”

I hold up her phone. “Care to explain why you didn’t tell us about this little blackmail situation you got going on?”

“Because I’m handling it. It’s fine,” she huffs.

“Oh yeah, it looks like you got it totally under control while you’re finger fucking yourself for this pervert.” I push play and crank up the volume. I smirk as the sound of her juices sloshing against her fingers fills the room. “You’re in some real trouble now, Cherry pie.”

She turns beet red. “Don’t fucking call me that… Look, you don’t know Kane like I do. He’s harmless. I’ve got it handled.”

“If that’s true, if you’re not fucking scared of him, then that means what? You’re doing this for fun?” I flip to another pic and hold it up in front of her. In this one she’s pinching her nipples so hard they’re bright red and swollen. I’m trying with all of my fucking willpower to not get any more turned on by this. And I sure as hell don’t want her to see that I am.

She shakes her head, the flush in her face spreading to her chest. She charges at me, furious. “It’s none of your business. Give me my fucking phone.”

I raise it up out of her reach. “Nah. This Kane bitch mentions Hawk in these texts. That means he’s threatening all of us. Not just you. This is above your pay grade now, mama.”

Cherry slumps down on the bed in defeat. “Fine. What do you want, Omen?”

I slide her phone in my jacket pocket before stalking toward her. I gaze down at her, relishing my dominance. “We’ve already got this fucking rat we’re dealing with, and now this…”

Her eyes widen as she looks up at me. “Yeah, I get it. I’m fucked. What’s your price to keep silent?”

My stomach tightens. Does she think I’m about to blackmail her too? This chick has got some deeply distorted ideas about her own self-worth. Fucking hell. I feel the muscle in my jaw tick in annoyance. “Sweetheart, I ain’t about that. You’re going to tell Hawk everything after I show him and Scarrow these text messages.”

She springs up and almost barrels into me. “No. I don’t want Hawk involved. He hates Kane. If you make me tell him, he’s going to torture him or even kill him. I can’t let him go back to prison because of that fucking guy again.”

I grab her wrists without thinking. “You gotta be shitting me. That’s the guy? The guy who drugged you, fucked you, made you drive and crash Hawk’s car, and then let him take the fucking fall? That’s the asshole who’s blackmailing you?”

She glares up at me. “You’re not from here so you wouldn’t understand how things work. How we deal with each other in this town… He’ll get bored and move on eventually. Leave it alone. Please.”

The fuck I will. “Cherry, you’ve got text messages that go back almost a year. When exactly is he going to get bored? Nah, this ends now. I’m done with your lying ass. Everything’s getting laid out on the table. And you’re gonna tell us who the fucker in the security footage is too. I know you fucking know. Is it him?” I jab my finger into her phone screen.

She wrenches away from me. “I told you I don’t know.”

I grab her by the throat. “Liar. I swear to fucking hell—”

“Whoa, what the fuck!” Scarrow yells as he barrels into the bedroom. He slides in behind her and places a gentle hand on my wrist. “Easy, Om. What’s going on?”

“This slut knows who broke into our warehouse but she’s protecting him. Some fucking Crimson Valley locals code or something. Isn’t that right, Cherry?”

Scarrow chuckles despite the fact that I’m seconds away from strangling our homie’s stepsister. “Well, killing her isn’t going to give us any answers. I say we torture her, old school style,” he teases.

“You think this is funny, Scar? That’s not all she’s been hiding.” I pull her phone from my pocket and the crumpled pack of cigarettes comes flying out with it. I unlock the phone and hand it to him. “There’s some good reading material on there. I suggest you check it out.”

“Get your hands off me,” Cherry rasps. She writhes in my grip. But even with both hands wrapped around my forearm, she can’t pry me off.

Scarrow lets out a low whistle. Then his eyes narrow. I watch his face cycle through about five different expressions before he finally meets my gaze. “This is serious, Om. Let her go.”

I sigh and release her. She coughs and backs away from me. “Asshole,” she sputters out.

Scarrow keeps scrolling through the messages. “He’s threatening her.”

“Yeah and us,” I grit out.

Scarrow cocks his head to the side and glares at me. “He’s going to hurt her.”

My stomach drops. “What? Nah. He’s a fucking pervert.”

“My ten years of working cyber security is telling me otherwise, Om. He pushes her more and more with each text. To see what he can get away with. He knows how and where to get to her at all times. Look at this one again.” Scarrow shoves the phone back at me.

You better text me back soon, slut. Maybe I call the Sheriff. Or maybe I come over there and do the same thing to you that you did to those boys. Right after I make you suck my dick, of course. You remember how good my cum tasted, don’t you?

I nearly black out from rage when I read it again. Something about this fucker talking to her the way he does, triggers something primal in me.

“Stop. Both of you,” Cherry pleads. She huffs and storms into her bathroom. Within seconds I hear the shower run.

She reenters the bedroom in nothing but a bra and panties. “I’ve known Kane since I was five years old. He’s not a murderer. That’s me, remember? He’s fucking pissed that I won’t fuck him anymore, so he’s blackmailing me out of spite. But while he might not be a real threat, he will send that video to my daddy if I don’t humor him. But that’s not something either of you, or Hawk, should be concerned about.”

While Scarrow salivates over the sight of her curves peeking out of the black lace bra and matching thong she’s got on, my blood is fucking boiling. “You can’t distract me, mama. Get buck naked for all I fucking care. We’re telling Hawk. Period. The end. Now either go take your shower, or put your fucking clothes back on.”

She glares so hard, I think her eyes might bulge out of her head. “Fuck you, Omen. I’m taking my shower. And for the love of God, stop breaking all my cigarettes. It’s rude.”

Scarrow glances down at the smooshed pack and stifles a laugh. “Aw, you don’t want her to smoke. That’s cute.”

I shake my head, irritated. “It was an accident. I don’t give a fuck if she blows her lungs out.”

A twinge of disgust simmers in my belly. When I said I hated liars, I meant it. Even if that list includes myself.

I want to die. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my entire life. Omen saw the video of me making myself cum. I’m mortified. Dead. Just bury me now.

I’ve never been to Hawk’s house before. He’s always lived with me and my daddy growing up. Then prison. I visited him once there. Only once because I couldn’t bear to see him like that. I tried again a few months later, but he refused my visit. It probably pissed him off that I didn’t come sooner.

I never told him how I felt seeing him in there. It doesn’t matter now. The second he got out, I asked him to do the most fucked up thing anyone ever could ask of a person. That night was the last time I saw him until I spotted him in the parking lot of Level Up five days ago…

So now he has a house in Crimson Valley. And I’m sitting in his living room, dying from embarrassment and sweating under the heat of his glare. Caught between Omen’s permanent scowl and Scarrow’s sloppy grin.

Scarrow licks his lips and I’m instantly reminded of how hard that same tongue of his made me cum the other night. I want to scream, cry, and fuck his face again. Not sure in what order though.

Hawk sits on the identical brown leather couch across from the one I’m sitting in. While Scarrow perches on the end of it, amused as usual. Omen paces behind it, only briefly stopping to snarl at me when I light up a cigarette.

I take a long drag and blow out a shaky, smoke-filled breath. “Look, it’s not that deep. Kane’s just being Kane.”

The look Hawk sends me is bone chilling. Murderous. Fucking diabolical enough to scare your soul right out of your body. He smooths his hand over the pistol that rests on the cushion beside him. “Is that right? So you like sending him pics and videos of yourself getting off then? Oh, and I’d be real careful what you say next, Cherry.”

Who the fuck do these guys think they are? Sharing a homicidal trauma bond does not give them the right to dictate everything I do. “So what if I did? How is that any of y’all’s business?” I wave my cigarette in the air, drawing an invisible line between the three of them with it.

Scarrow’s smirk disappears instantly. He rolls up his sleeves, revealing the thick veins that protrude out between his swirls of tattoos. “That’s fucking bullshit and you know it.”

Omen rips off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves while he continues to pace. “This Kane fucker… is he the one in the video, Cherry? Don’t fucking lie. I swear to Christ I will lop off your fucking tongue.”

Dammit. I was hoping to break that part to them slowly. Fuck it. I’m deep in this shit now. “Yeah. I recognized the tattoo on his arm. I wanted a chance to confront him first before I told you. Maybe if I tell him to stop…”

Hawk grits his teeth so hard I think he might snap his own jaw. “I never understood what drew you to that fucker. I am going to kill him, Cherry. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three fucking times… you’re fucking dead.”

Shit. This was already bad. And I just made it worse. “No one’s gonna believe him, Hawk. He doesn’t have any proof that I murdered those boys. None. I’ve been playing along because it’s better to keep him from causing chaos.”

“You’re done with all that now. I let him take your virginity, then my freedom when I covered for you both with the crash, and now he’s hitting our warehouses and messing with our livelihood? Nah, no more.”

“You let him take my virginity?” I snicker. “Right. When you were too busy to pay attention to—”

He leaps off the couch and barrels toward me. “Correct. I also let him continue to breathe. So no…he doesn’t get to have your pussy and eat it too.”

I draw in a sharp breath when he yanks me to my feet by the back of my neck. “He doesn’t get to have any of you anymore,” he whispers in my ear.

I shiver as the tip of his nose brushes my cheek. “Baby girl… you’re sleeping in my room tonight. It’s down the hall, third door on the right. Go. Now. And don’t say another fucking word. I’ll be right there.”

There are not very many people that I take orders from. In fact, Hawk might be the only one who can hold me in place with just a look. The only man I’d gladly break myself open for. Even if it meant he was going to smash all of my most fragile parts into bloody pieces.

And I know better than to argue when he gets that tone in his voice. In that instant, I submit. He knows by the look in my eyes. The second he removes his hand from my neck, I strut past a bewildered Scarrow and an even angrier Omen.

I slide my hand across the wood paneling of the walls to anchor myself, jarred by the click of my own heels echoing down the hall. I take deep breaths as I walk. With each step closer that I get to Hawk’s room, my heart beats wilder. It’s been a decade since we slept under the same roof, let alone in the same bed.

The lies and secrets we once kept between us, between our sheets, ensured our souls would never be redeemed. Not even under the holy light of having a preacher for a daddy can save me. I’m tainted. Damaged fucking goods. But as long as I get to be next to Hawk, to breathe the same air as him… to stretch out beside him… then I don’t fucking care.

His room is as I imagined it. It’s dark with black curtains, black sheets, and lots of pillows. He has this twisted, cozy core vibe about him that I’ve always loved. Like a character out of a Dickens novel. He’s tortured, broody, clever, and seductive without even trying.

I step out of my stilettos before unzipping my jeans and shimmying out of them. Then I step back into the sexy red heels. If he’s going to order me around like he used to, then I’m going to make it impossible for him to look away. I’m going to do everything in my power to make him hate himself for making me stay here.

I stand in front of the full length mirror by the bed, admiring my own curves. I take a deep breath and slowly pull my flimsy lattice-edged tank top over my head. Once I’m down to nothing but my sparkly red thong and stilettos, I climb onto the bed and wedge a pillow under my hips before leaning back against the headboard.

I light up another cigarette when I hear footsteps down the hall getting closer. My heart is racing but so is my cunt. I missed this. The way he made me feel worthless and sacred at the same time. How he could look at me like I was the most precious thing on the planet while also being the thing he despised the most.

The door swings open and the outline of his silhouette in the frame makes my stomach drop into my ass. He lets out a sputtering breath when he sees me. “Get your shoes off my bed, Cherry.”

“Come make me,” I rasp on an exhale of smoke.

He closes the door behind him and locks it before he turns back around and leans up against it. “You’re a fucking menace,” he murmurs.

That familiar sensation returns to my legs, the yearning that makes them shake, knowing he won’t fucking touch me. And how it turns my desire into a fucking death sentence.

I put my cigarette out in the half-drunk beer bottle on the side table. “I’m the menace you created, brother.”

He winces. “Don’t call me that. You know what that does to me.”

I used to think it offended him, but over the years I saw that it stirred up something else. This sense of protectiveness and possessiveness over me. But in a way that sparked his own desperate desires. The way every space between us became an inferno, the tension thicker than smoke with all of its unspoken warnings like alarm bells ringing in our ears.

With trembling fingers, I slowly circle the base of my nipples. “Should I call you daddy then? You looked after me better than he did.”

Hawk unbuckles his belt. He slides it off and tosses it to the floor as he stalks toward the bed. “Careful… I’m at my fucking limit with you tonight, Cherry.”

I arch my back, happy I have his eyes on me, and gently pinch each nipple between my fingers. “Show me what happens when you break, Hawk. Let your guard down with me. Please. For once… please.”

He climbs onto the bed and grips my ankles. “Pinch them harder.” He yanks both my heels off and throws them behind him.

A whimper gurgles from my throat. The heat between us is deadly. I do as he says and relish the way his eyes flutter in approval. “I wish you could feel how hard they are for you.”

His eyes almost roll back into his head. He growls as I arch for him. I lift my hips. “Please touch me, Hawk.”

“You beg like a needy slut,” he rasps. “Harder.”

“I want you, Hawk. Please. I’ve always wanted you. Don’t do this to me again.” I’m about to cry and cum at the same time. Fuck him, and fuck me for getting sucked back into this again.

“You think I like this torture? My sweet Cherry… my baby girl.” He nestles himself in between my legs, forcing them wider apart.

I’m so wet, I feel like I’m gonna die if he doesn’t touch me. “Yeah, come closer. I dare you.”

“If I give you what you want… will you stop this shit with Kane? Will you please fucking stop sending him pictures and videos? He doesn’t deserve to see those parts of you.”

I freeze, livid. “So that’s what this is about? Getting back at Kane? If you don’t want me then just say it! Don’t keep making me think you feel the same way about me. Or is it that you just don’t want anyone else to have me? You don’t want me to ever be happy. All these years, Hawk… Fuck you. Get away from me.”

I try to scramble off the bed, but he’s too fast. He’s too fucking strong. He slams into me and pins my wrists to the bed. He wedges my legs apart with his own and presses himself against me. “Shhh, do you feel that, baby girl? Do you feel how hard it is? Don’t be stupid, Cherry. Don’t say stupid fucking things.” He grinds once against me. “I’ve always wanted you. Since that day when you held my hand over my momma’s casket… I’ve been yours and you’ve been mine.”

The weight of his body on me is a new sensation. To smell him and feel his breath on me… The tears stream down my cheeks before I can process what’s happening. But before he freaks out and tries to comfort me, I arch my back and rub my pussy against him, urging him to reciprocate.

His lip quivers. “Cherry…”

I lift my head and nuzzle his cheek with my nose. “If I’m yours, then touch me. Show me how bad you want me. Because right now I feel crazy. You make me feel like this every time I get close to you. Like I don’t deserve your touch. Please prove me wrong.” I place a soft kiss on his cheek. We both sigh at the contact.

He lets go of my wrists and shifts off of me slightly, still leaving one leg in between mine. He gazes down the length of me before tugging gently on my panties. “Can I take these off?”

I can die fucking happy now. I nod, afraid to make any sudden movements that might scare him off. “Yes,” I whisper.

He loops his thumbs into the sides of the lace and pulls them down slowly. As soon as they’re off, my legs start to shake uncontrollably. He palms my thigh, stroking it softly from the outside in, back and forth. “Is this okay?”

I bite my lip to stifle a whine. I might fall apart and never be whole again. “Yes. Everything you do is perfect. Do whatever you want. You own me.”

“Promise?” he asks as he slides his hand higher up my thigh.

I nod again. “Can I… touch you back?”

“Not yet. I want to try something first. Can you spread your legs open more?” His forehead is dripping with sweat, his face flushed. And I can feel his cock pulsing against the outside of my thigh.

I lift my left leg up and rest my heel against the mattress before spreading open again. He hooks his leg around my right one and pulls me open even wider. I keep my hands over my head so as not to spook him. “Like this?”

“Mmmhm. Remember how I taught you how to touch yourself? I showed you where that special spot was.” His fingertips dance along the crook of my thigh, that space between my leg and my pussy. Shivers take hold of my body and I can’t stop shaking. I’ve wanted him like this for so fucking long. I might actually have a heart attack.

“Yeah, you told me exactly what to do with my fingers… How to make myself feel good.” Memories of me lying on my back in his twin bed while he guided my masturbation flash in my head. But the only time he’d touch me was when he’d cover my mouth with his hand so that my daddy didn’t hear me cum.

“Will you guide me now?” His breath quickens as he softly drags his fingertips down the length of my slit.

I buck. Oh, dear god. A wave of tingles rolls through me and he’s barely done anything. “Oh, shit.” I’m soaked.

“Put your hand on mine and guide my fingers in,” he rasps in my ear.

A feral whimper unfurls from my throat. Fuck. “You’re going to be the death of me, Hawk.”

He presses two fingers at my entrance and waits. Shakily, I cover them with mine and push. “Ohhh, fuck. Hawk.”

He gasps. “You’re so wet.” We slide back and forth together, my fingers over his, thrusting deeper each time until I’ve got his so far in there’s nowhere else to go.

“I want to kiss you. Taste you. Touch you. Please. Can I, please, Hawk?” I beg. I don’t care how desperate I sound. I need this like I need air.

“Will it make you cum harder?” He grinds his fingers in a circle, taunting my G-spot like he’s snapping a rubberband.

“I’m cumming hard either way but I’ll say yes if it gets me what I want.” I’m so close. So fucking ready to explode but he knows me well. He’s watched me do this to myself a hundred times.

He stills his fingers when I’m at the edge and pulls back, antagonizing me, teasing me as this storm grows inside me. And he knows it will shatter every cell in my body once it releases.

He growls in my ear, then rubs his lips against my cheek. “My Cherry girl. You grab onto me and do whatever you want now. So long as you cum with my name on your tongue.”

Oh, fuck. That’s really all it took to send me over the edge. Just the gruff and ache and need in his voice giving me permission to take what I want finally. I thread my fingers through his hair and cry out as I pull his strands tight in my hand. I yank his face to mine and slip my tongue inside his mouth.

We both gasp then moan into each other. So many nights, so many almost kisses, all leading up to this moment. Tears stream down my cheeks as we explore each other’s mouths for the first time.

The night we got caught flashes in my mind. Our lips were inches apart when my daddy walked in. That was the moment our sin was born. And now we can finally claim it.

He shoves a third finger inside my pussy, strumming me like a guitar. We are wild, desperate, untethered to everything in this universe except each other.

He pulls back only so he can devour my neck. He leaves kisses down my throat, licking and sucking. “Fuck, you taste better than breathing.”

I wince as he nibbles, biting the flesh at the base of my throat. “Fuck… Hawk… Can I cum for you, please?”

My final act of submission, asking his permission. It burns away the final bonds of his restraint. “Fuck,” he breathes against my neck. “I want you to cum on me.”

In one swift move, he shoves the band of his sweatpants down and frees his cock. My stomach does a little somersault when I realize what he’s doing. This isn’t like before when we just watched each other masturbate.

He swallows hard as he holds his cock over my pussy. “Can I cum inside you?”

“Oh, god. Yes,” I whine as I practically drool all over him.

He wraps one hand around my throat and the other around his cock before he thrusts inside me. “You’re my fucking sin, baby girl,” he whispers.

I unleash a deep moan as the tip of his cock rubs where his fingers used to be, masterfully coaxing me into the crux of my self-deprecating pleasure. I dig my nails into his back, scratching his skin from his shoulders all the way down to the base of his spine. I grab on to his ass and pull him harder against me.

“And you’re mine… even if it means I have to burn in hell with you, Hawk. I’ll do it for this,” I declare as my orgasm claims me.

He drives in harder, and as I burst all over him, his cum shoots back in response. We scratch and tug at each other’s flesh as we chase it, riding every last drop of our climax. Until every one of our crevices is spilling with either cum, tears, or sweat.

Our arms and legs shake as we hold each other, his cock still throbbing inside me. He squeezes my throat and tilts my chin up to his. “He’s gonna know. Preacher… He’s gonna take one look at us and know.”

Hawk never could bring himself to call him daddy. He was almost a teenager when his momma married him. He was old enough to remember his real daddy. Father Eli was too formal. So he called him Preacher to be a smart ass. And it stuck.

I smooth my thumb over his brow. “I don’t care who knows. I never have. So long as I have you. That’s all I give a shit about.”

“Then you’re gonna do what I say from here on out now, Cherry. I know what’s best and I’m gonna take care of you like always.” He shifts his hips, digging them into mine, and his beautiful cock is hard again.

The joy I feel is like a high better than any drug I’ve ever smoked or snorted. “Okay. Whatever you say. Just please don’t stop.”

As he starts to gently thrust again, he kisses my forehead, then each of my cheeks. “You’re staying here until I kill him. You can fuck Scarrow. And Omen if he’ll let you. But you’re staying here and you’re not going anywhere without one of us.”

I want to argue but the feel of his cock swelling inside me as he blows my fucking back out is too good. If I had known fucking him would feel like this, I would have begged him harder before. I would’ve gotten down on my knees and prayed for his release.

So I keep my mouth shut for now, and let him make me cum so hard I can barely breathe or see straight.

“So you two never fucked before? Seriously?” The ride to the bar this morning has been quiet. Really fucking quiet for her. She’s too busy basking in post-coital glow to yammer on like usual.

She shakes her head, a lazy grin on her face. “We never even kissed until last night. He never let himself go there.”

Am I jealous? Slightly. I would’ve liked to have watched or been asked to join. “That’s wild. All those years living under the same roof, down the hall from each other… I would’ve fucked you every chance I got.”

She blushes but not in a demure way. Her cheeks and chest flush with carnal fucking lust. Like she’s Lilith in the flesh. “Well, now you can, Scar.”

I wedge my hand between her thighs, feeling this new sense of possessiveness over her. A feeling of ownership. “You pushed him too far with this Kane shit. He’s not all aglow like you are today, Cherry. Be easy with him later.”

Her grin fades and her eyes harden. She shoves my hand away. “You don’t know him like I do. You don’t know anything about us.”

“You’re right. I don’t. Sorry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” I grip the wheel and glare at the road ahead while she continues to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the ride.

Fuck. I can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for them, both growing up without their moms. Forced to live together when they were just strangers to each other. Then forbidden to follow their feelings because they were thrust into this weird family dynamic that didn’t really exist. And all under the roof of her daddy, the preacher, to really rub salt and holy water into the wound.

I know how those men are. All self-righteous and indignant of right and wrong. When all he was doing was pushing them closer together. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit as Omen would say. But these folks out here don’t pray that way. They warn against impure thoughts while dangling lust like it’s a carrot on a string in a burrow full of hungry rabbits.

Thank fuck, I’m an atheist. I don’t have any guilt keeping me up at night. Not the religious kind anyway. All my sins are the fun kind.

I pull into the parking lot of Level Up and take the spot in front with Cherry’s name on it. She’s out of my truck, slamming the door shut before I’ve even killed the engine. Fuck, it’s going to be a long day.

I jog after her. “Hold up. I need to check inside and make sure that creep isn’t lurking in here.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Kane isn’t stupid enough to break into my bar. I grew up with him. He’s a pervert, and a bit rough in the bedroom, but he wouldn’t hurt me for real.”

I follow her inside, my blood boiling at the thought of some other dude touching her. I’ve been dreaming about Cherry Bradley for eight years. Ever since that night I saw her covered in the blood of her attackers.

My cock grew so big and hard for her, I haven’t been able to fully enjoy sex with anyone else since. I need to get inside her tight little pussy before I explode soon.

I motion for her to wait by the bar while I do a quick perimeter check. I check the upstairs apartment first, then the back storage room, and finally the tiny kitchen that barely fits her grill and fryer. How the fuck does she turn out so many burgers and fries in this tight little space?

She’s setting up the square-shaped bar when I return, moving and gliding around it like a lethal ballerina. The bar’s positioned in the middle of the arcade so it gives her a clear view of the entire space no matter what angle she’s looking out from. It’s pretty fucking genius.

I come up behind her and spin her around. She backs up into a row of bottles, cursing as I throw her off balance. “What the fuck, Scar?”

“You said Kane was rough in the bedroom. What did you mean by that?” I haven’t let that shit go for one second.

Her eyes dart to the floor. She tucks a strand of purple hair behind her ears and lets out a sigh. The entire act makes her look like a teenager. Like a scared little girl trapped inside the body of a stunning tattooed goddess. With a mouth like a siren and a truck driver’s all in one.

I reach out and tuck another stray hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger on her cheek. “You can tell me, sweetheart. Was it the kind of rough I know you crave… or the kind that you didn’t ask for?”

“Both? I don’t know.” She bites her lip and looks up at me. “He likes it when I get really fucked up first… pills, booze, all of the above. So a lot of it’s hazy.”

I stroke her goose-pimpled arms. “Sounds like a real piece of work. He ever leave marks? Or make you think you were done for?”

She nods. “Yeah that’s why I ended it last year. He went too far. It freaked me out. And let me tell you, it takes a lot to scare me. But there was something in his eyes… in the way he grabbed me.”

Every cell in my body is murderous. The ways I want to torture this fucker are unspeakable. I grit my teeth and clench my fists at my sides. “Give me your phone.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Why? You’re just going to make things worse if you taunt him.”

I don’t give a fuck. I burst out laughing. “Look at me darlin’. I’m the biggest motherfucker in this town. And believe me I’m quick too.” I tug her chin up so she has to crane her neck to look up at me. “Kane needs to know you’re not alone. Give me your fucking phone. Please.”

She yanks it from her back pocket and slams it against my chest. “He’s left me a ton of messages. They started about three am. He wants another video.”

I snicker. “Of course, he does. And soon he’s going to want a front row seat in your bedroom.” I unlock her phone and feel my nostrils flare as I skim through this weirdo’s messages. He’s obsessed with her. Which, I can’t blame him. But she doesn’t belong to him. She belongs to us.

The final text really gets me fired up.

This is your last warning, bitch. For every hour you make me wait, you’ll get a lashing on that whore mouth of yours. Then, when your lips are nice and swollen, I’m going to fuck your throat so raw you won’t even have a voice to beg me to stop with.

I’m shaking. If I grip the phone any harder I might crack it. I look at her and shake my head before typing a response to this prick.

Sorry. Overslept. I’ll make it up to you right now. Just wait a few more minutes. I promise it will be worth it.

“How much time do we have before you’re open for business,” I ask, my heart racing.

She’s finishing wiping off the bottles of premium liquor that run along the length of the bar. “About an hour or so. Why?”

“Good. Come upstairs with me. We’re going to send your loser stalker a new video.” A longing stirs low in my belly. An ache of anticipation.

Her eyelids flutter. “We? What do you mean exactly?”

I roll my thumb across her bottom lip. My cock throbs at the sight of her breath hitching. “You’re going to film me going down on you. Then we’re going to send it to him. He needs to know who you belong to, sweetheart.”

She swallows hard, her throat bobbing. “Are you insane? He’ll send all these pics and videos of me to my daddy.”

I slide my hands around her waist and pull her gently toward me. “No, he won’t. Because you’ve got just as much dirt on him. All these threats… I’ve already traced this number back to him too. He’s an idiot who has no clue what a fucking burner phone is. This one’s registered to his momma.”

Cherry’s eyes widen before she bursts out laughing. “Really? You gotta be kidding me.”

I smirk down at her, elated that I can finally make her smile and blush again. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s give him a real show.”

She bites her lower lip in that way that women do when they’re thinking naughty fucking things about you. “Okay but it’s gotta be the other way around. You need to film me going down on you. That shows him that I’m yours. That you’re in control.”

Fucking hell, I might marry this woman. I plant a kiss on her lips, soft and sensual. No tongue. I just want to nibble on her thick lips first. “I’m going to get aggressive. Dominate. But I will never hurt you. Understand?”

She nods. “I trust you.”

I hold her phone while she nestles between my thighs. “You sure about this?” Sucking a man’s cock is intimate and it can be seen as an act of submission.

She licks her lips before removing her shirt. “Yeah. If we’re going to do this, we might as well piss him off properly.”

Damn, she’s perfect. All these years, when I thought of payback, I never imagined how fucking satisfied it would be to see her down on her knees about to swallow my cock.

But it’s a fucking start.

“Ready? As soon as I press record, it’s on. I’m going to put my hands on your head. If it’s too much, just pinch the inside of my thigh and I’ll stop.” Is that excitement in her eyes? I swear this is turning her on just as much as it is me.

She licks her lips first, getting them nice and wet, before rolling the tip of her tongue across the underside of my shaft. I immediately lean back and let out a moan. She made that move just for me. My belly flips and a wave of heat rolls through me. Fuck, I could get lost in her…

“Mmm. You taste good.” She wraps her tattooed hand around the base of my cock, wriggling her delicate fingers into a firm grip.

“Deep breath, baby girl.” I lower her head to my cock with one hand and hit record with the other.

She lets out a loud dramatic moan as she slides her lips down my cock. Fuck that feels amazing. I pull her strands taut in my palm and shove her head down. “Good girl. Choke on daddy’s dick.”

It’s not going to take long for me to cum at this angle. I’m buried so deep inside her throat, I’m amazed she hasn’t tried to come up for air. She keeps moaning and whimpering as she twirls her tongue around my cock, sucking and gently scraping her teeth while I thrust.

“That’s good, baby. Fuck yeah. You looks so pretty like this.” I zoom in closer, making sure to get a clear shot of my thick cock sliding in and out of her swollen lips. Then I pan back again to make sure this fucker sees how big my forearm is. It’s almost as wide as her head.

She nestles in even closer, spreading my thighs apart so she can press her tits against them. A low humming erupts from her and I’m a fucking goner.

I let go of her hair and pinch her chin. “Let’s get that throat nice and wet now.” I thrust hard and am shocked again at how she takes it. Omen was right, this woman has no gag reflex. Now that’s something I can thank the Lord for.

She cups my balls, pushing me over the edge.

Fuck.

I almost drop the phone when a wave of spasms seize my cock. The blood rushes forward, making me clench and grind in deeper. I slide my hand down her neck and wrap it around the base of her throat. “Oh, yeah. Fucking drink. Mmm.” I’m obsessed with the way her throat bobs against my palm.

But I want to paint her lips white too. I yank her head back before she can drink me dry and finish on her face. Like a good fucking girl, she helps, gripping my cock steady and letting me spray my cum all over her mouth and chin.

“Oh fuck, Cherry.”

She licks her lips and smiles at the camera. “Thanks, daddy. I was so thirsty.”

I flip it around to show my face. “Lose my girl’s fucking number.” I glare hard into the lens before hitting stop on the record button.

Cherry rests her head on my thigh. “That was fun. I like the way you taste.”

I stroke her head. “I wasn’t too hard on you was I?”

She giggles. “You could’ve been rougher actually.”

My belly flips again. She was fucking made for me. “Noted for next time.” I wink at her.

As I watch her put her shirt back on and stagger into the kitchen to go make us coffee, another ache festers. This one pulls at my heart strings. I’m more into her than I thought. It’s her scent, her laugh, her work ethic… all of the things she does and says that keeps pulling me in deeper.

I can feel the sloppy grin taking over my face when she hands me a piping-hot dose of black coffee. I feel like a fucking lovesick puppy right now. “You taste good too. You know, from the other night… I hadn’t had a chance to tell you that yet.”

She blushes and this time it seems more innocent than carnal. “Thanks.”

“Alright, I’m going to hit send. You still good with that?” I ask.

She nods before taking a sip out of her steaming mug. “I’m going to be real fucking pissed if he makes good on his threats though, Scar.”

I smirk. She’s so fucking hot and adorable when she’s feisty. “If this backfires, you have permission to smack me around.”

This makes her giggle again. “That might turn me on actually.”

Fucking hell, I’m hard again. “You’re lucky I support small businesses. Otherwise, I’d say forget your customers and let me fuck you all day instead.”

Cherry licks her lips, a devious grin forming. And for a second I think she’s contemplating my offer. “Tempting, but I gotta pay the bills.”

“Mmm. And you look good doing it too.” I blow out a deep breath and will my erection down. “Fuck. I need to stop. I’m going to collect a raincheck on that later though.”

“No complaints here,” she purrs.

I text the video to Kane and then send a copy of it to myself as well, which makes her giggle for a third time. Looks like I’ve got Miss Cherry Bradley as giddy as a schoolgirl. And that’s no easy feat. Although, I can’t ignore the fact that she’s been in a better mood since Hawk finally fucked her.

I’m still a little salty about not being involved but I keep reminding myself that it’s been a long time coming for them. They needed it. And now, if we could just get Omen to stop hating her… Well, we all know he doesn’t actually hate her, but getting him to admit that might take a small miracle.

“I don’t understand why I can’t stay at my own apartment.” I hate not having my own things around me. There’s no reason why they can’t keep an eye on me there.

Hawk’s eye twitches. He’s been looking at me differently since the other night. The longing is deeper. The hunger, more feral. “Because after you and Scarrow decided to send your stalker a video of you giving him a blowjob, it’s not safe for you there. Kane doesn’t know our house.”

“You don’t know that,” I snap. I cross my arms and slump back against the couch. “He could be lurking outside right now.”

Omen grits his teeth, equally annoyed as I am that we have to occupy the same space. “This is pathetic. If she wants to die so fucking badly, just let her. I’m over the attitude.”

Scarrow shakes his head. “Look, the video was my idea. Sorry, it was a hot-headed decision. But Kane needs to understand who he’s messing with.”

Hawk kneels in front of me and rests his hands on my thighs. “We are better equipped to handle things here. Trust me. I don’t know your place the way I do mine. Please, just be good for me, Cherry. Do as I say for once.”

Something about the way he asks, assuming I can never say no to him, makes me wet. The ache in his voice hits deeper now that I know what his cock feels like inside me. It gives me goose pimples everywhere. I want to obey him, dammit.

“Fine. I’ll stay. But I need some more clothes and toiletries. This place looks like a stale bachelor pad.” I concede. I give in. Because that’s what I always do for Hawk. We’re like a broken record. He either saves me, covers for me, or fixes some wounded part of my soul, and then I get on my knees and do as he says.

He lets out a sigh of relief and stalks to the door. He grabs his leather jacket off the chair and motions to Scar. “We’ll grab a few more things for you later tonight. Just be good for Omen and we’ll see you in the morning.”

What the fuck? I bolt up from the couch. “Wait a second. That is not what I agreed to. You can’t leave me alone with the grim reaper again.”

Scarrow grabs my waist and pulls me to him. “Relax, baby girl. He’s all bark and no bite. Unlike you. So play nice and don’t leave any marks.” He winks before heading out the door.

I glare at Hawk. “When will you be back?”

“By the time you wake up tomorrow. Have a few drinks and get a good night’s sleep. Everything’s gonna be okay soon, Cherry. I promise.” He kisses my cheek and then ducks his head like the shy teenage boy he used to be.

I let out a loud groan when he slams the door behind him. “Fuck,” I mutter. I spin around to find Omen glaring back at me.

“You better chill, mama. I don’t like this either. Not one fucking bit.” He storms into the kitchen before I can retort with another snarky comeback.

I need a drink so I reluctantly follow after him. I can’t help but chuckle under my breath though when I hear him cursing to himself. It’s loud enough for me to hear, but all in Spanish so I can only make out every other word. Something about me being a spoiled brat who needs a muzzle and a leash.

I pour myself a double shot of tequila since it’s the only bottle I see on the counter. I don’t want to go rummaging around in their cabinets. The more comfortable I allow myself to feel here, the more I will normalize the situation. I’m not ready to admit my feelings for any of them just yet.

Omen shoots his drink then pours another one, all while glaring daggers at me. “Grim reaper. Fuck you, Cherry. You’re out here collecting way more souls than me.”

I grit my teeth and knock back two shots in a row, forcing myself to bite my tongue even though he enrages me just by breathing. “And oh how you won’t ever let me forget it.”

He rolls up his sleeves before bracing his hands on the table. It’s the only thing between us. The only object keeping him from grabbing onto me instead. I can’t help the flutter in my belly, the tingle between my thighs.

“Because your conscious is clean, mama. Ain’t that right?” He and I both down another shot of expensive tequila while locked in a glaring contest. But it’s hard not to let my eyes wander up the length of his perfectly sculpted forearms.

I blow out a deep breath. “Is that what you really think? That I’m somehow unscathed and unbothered by the fact that I murdered three people? Well, just because I don’t walk around moping about it like you do, doesn’t mean I sleep at night.”

He huffs and backs away from the table. “Could’ve fooled me. All you seem to care about is getting dicked-down by your own brother. You slept real good after that the other night.”

I feel my cheeks heat, my blood boiling. I spring up from the table. “Look, I’m sorry you got stuck with me tonight, but you don’t have to be so fucking mean. He’s my stepbrother. You know this. And that’s not all I care about. I have a life. A business to run. And a—”

He snickers. “What you have is a stalker, a bar that barely breaks even every month, and an obsession with a man who spent most of his life pushing you away. Oh, and let’s not forget your preacher daddy who can barely look at you because he’s so ashamed of what a slut you’ve become.”

I’m murderous. Again. Fucking bastard. All rationale goes out the window when I pick up my shot glass and chuck it at him. He ducks and it shatters behind him, creating a mess of jagged glass on the terracotta tiles.

Every inch of me is shaking. “Fuck you, Omen. You need to shut your fucking mouth. Yeah, maybe I’m not making as much money as the three of you, but at least I’m earning an honest living. You want to stand there and judge me for what I did? Well, what about you? How many people have you killed for money? Or for power? I was fucking sexually assaulted, Omen. I killed them so they would never do it again to anyone else.” I’m fucking fuming. I fear my face is bright red now.

He looks away, suddenly not wanting to make eye contact. “Whatever. I got work to do. Just stay out of my fucking way tonight.”

He loosens his tie, slides it off, and throws it on the table before stalking back into the living room.

Oh, no you don’t. You don’t get to just insult me and then walk away.

I chase after him, stomping hard across the hardwood floors so he can hear my rage as well as feel it. “Maybe if you dicked someone down once in a while you wouldn’t be such a son of a bitch. Is that what your problem is, Omen? Did your mommy not love you enough? I think maybe that’s why you hate women so much.”

Omen backs me up against the wall until we’re nose to nose. “You’re a fucking brat.”

“And you’re an asshole.” I try to skirt around him but he’s got me boxed in.

He pins my wrists above my head. “You better watch what you say to me, baby girl. You got Scar and Hawk wrapped around your little finger… But I’d rather break mine before I let you sink your claws in.”

I hate him so much and yet I don’t. Fuck me. “Fine. Whatever. Let me go.”

“Only if you ask nicely. Say: please, let me go, sir.”

“Fuck you.” I try to get away again, but he’s not budging.

“Say it, Cherry. Please, let me go, sir,” he repeats. There’s a sadistic gleam in his eye. A twinkle of amusement as he humiliates me.

“No. I will not. You don’t deserve my respect.” If this man thinks I’m going to submit to him, he’s crazier than he looks right now.

Omen presses his thumbs hard into my wrists. “You know, just because you have a cunt, doesn’t mean you should act like one.”

I’m going to kill him. Well, when I get free. “Fuck you, Omen.” I gather a huge wad of saliva and spit in his face. It lands on his upper lip.

He licks it off then slams my wrists hard against the wall. He hovers his wet lips over mine, close enough that we can feel each other’s breath. “You’re nothing but a piece of white trash with no friends, no man, and no fucking self-respect. Shit, even your own daddy barely likes you. Your pussy is the only thing you’re good for. Well, according to your brother.”

The white-hot rage that flows through my veins surges. I spit again, this time landing a decent size glob on his cheek. “You don’t know shit. Fuck you and fuck your tiny fucking dick.”

His nostrils flare as he goes for my throat. He grips it tight. “Lick it off.”

Fucker shouldn’t have let me have a hand free. “Go to hell.” I slap him hard against the side of his head. He doesn’t move a fucking muscle. But my spit slides down his face. Fuck.

He grabs his pistol from behind his pants and jams it under my chin, forcing my head back against the wall. “Has anyone ever made you cum and cry at the same time? Hmm? Hit me again and I’ll show you what that’s like. I’ll make you fucking hate yourself.”

My stomach turns. Shit. I’ve gone too far. He’s unhinged. I think I’m gonna have a damn heart attack.

“What, no smart ass reply? Not as tough as you look, are ya? You think you’re such a badass but you’re nothing but a pathetic little slut with—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I scream in his face against my better judgement. “Did you forget you take orders from Hawk? You’re a glorified bodyguard. Clearly he trusts Scar more with the business. Looks like you’re the pathetic one now.”

His grip tightens around my throat and his pupils dilate, so black they bleed into his irises. “One of these days I swear to god, Cherry… Fuck.”

For a split second I think he’s going to kill me. To squeeze the life out of me until my eyes bulge and I suffocate to death. Or put a bullet in my head. But he lets me go with a huff and stomps off.

I should let him go. I should walk away too. But I can’t help myself. I’m fucking heated, and I don’t like him getting the last word.

Within seconds, I’m hot on his heels and cursing as I chase after him. I follow him all the way down the hall but stop before crossing the threshold into his bedroom.

He sets his gun down on the bedside table next to a diamond-encrusted watch. “If you take one more step inside this room, I’m not going to let you leave until I’ve punished you for disrespecting me.”

I need to walk away. But instead, I’m shaking with rage as I take another step forward and invade his private space. “You can wave that gun in my face all you want, but I don’t cry.”

He stalks over, reaches behind me and slams the door shut. And locks it. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

My heart races as I watch him retreat back toward the dresser. He picks up the gun and holds it casually. “Take off your clothes and get on the bed.”

There’s an odd energy between us—rage, hate, and something else… I don’t think he’ll shoot me, but I absolutely believe he will stick the end of that gun in my mouth. Or even between my legs…

“That’s not happening. Forget it.” I turn around and go for the door when I hear him snap the metal slide.

“Get on the bed, Cherry. Naked. Now.”

I turn around to find him pointing the gun at me now. “Hawk will kill you for this.”

He shrugs. “Nah. I think you put too much stock in your brother’s opinion of you. Scarrow and I’ve heard the horror stories, sweetheart. He don’t respect you either. And despite what you think, I don’t take orders from anyone.” He points the gun at me and then motions again toward the bed. “But you do. Don’t make me tell you again.”

Fuck. I take a deep breath and shuffle forward. I glare daggers at him as I slide my pants and shoes off. I want to wipe the fucking smirk off his face so bad. Let me get a hold of that gun and we’ll see how tough he is. I pull my shirt off and start to get on the bed.

He waves the gun in a figure eight pattern at me. “Bra and panties too, mama. I said naked, not scantily clad.”

I blow out another deep breath before unhooking my bra and tossing it to the floor. I slide my panties down and step out of them. “You’re a bastard.”

He licks his lips as he eyes me up and down. “In every sense of the word.” He pulls back the covers and motions for me to get in.

And so I do. Fuck. The sheets are cold, but that’s not why my teeth chatter. He makes me so fucking nervous I could throw up. “So this is how you get laid? By holding women at gunpoint?”

He laughs as he gets on top of me. He reaches above my head and pulls down a set of restraints. After he secures my wrists, he stands up and takes his clothes off. “Nah. I don’t fuck like that.” He slides in next to me but rolls over. “Sweet dreams, mama.”

Oh, fuck. This can’t be happening. He really is a fucking bastard. “What the fuck, Omen? You can’t just leave me like this all night.”

He sighs. “Shhh. Don’t make me gag you too, Cherry.”

“Oh, you’re such an asshole. What if I have to pee?” I feel the panic rising in my chest.

“I guess you’ll have to hold it.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “I hate you so much.”

He shifts his body weight and it shakes the whole mattress. His six-foot, two-hundred pound muscled frame barely fits next to me even in this king size bed. “The feelings mutual, sweetheart,” he drawls.

I lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling for what seems like hours. Thankfully he doesn’t snore. But I can tell he’s asleep by his heavy breathing. It’s amazing to me that he can pass out so easily with a loaded gun on his pillow and a naked woman tied up in his bed.

I have to remind myself this is how criminals live. It’s been so long since I’ve run around with people like him… Fuck. If I knew back then that this debt would follow me this far, I would have never called Hawk that night. I would’ve figured something else out.

Because now everything I’ve worked so hard for is in jeopardy. I could lose everything—my bar, my reputation, and even my life. I shudder as it all sinks in. But despite how freaked out I am to fall asleep, my lids are heavy. The stress and heightened state of spiked adrenaline has made me so exhausted.

I can’t fight it anymore. I close my eyes and let it all go black…

I don’t know how long I’m out but a noise startles me back awake. Or is it movement? I blink a few times to clear my eyes but it seems even darker in here. I feel a weight on my chest. Oh, fuck. “Omen? What are you doing?”

He’s on top of me, straddling my chest. “Shhh. You’re always so fucking loud.”

The panic rises in my chest again. “Get off me.”

He sighs. “Relax. I told you, I don’t fuck like that.”

I’m confused until I realize that he’s untying me. As soon I’m free, I leap out of bed and stagger toward the door. I realize when I’m halfway there that all my clothes are scattered around his room.

I hear a click and freeze mid-step.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he rasps.

“I-I thought you didn’t want me in here,” I stammer.

He groans and chucks a T-shirt at me. “It’s late. Put this on and get your ass back in bed.”

This is so fucking toxic. Fuck me. If I had known that I’d be playing this game with him, I wouldn’t have spit in his face. I wouldn’t have come in here in the first place.

Or would I? I’ve always been a magnet for drama.

As soon as I crawl back in, he leans over me. “Give me your wrists.”

I whimper, thinking he’s going to tie me up again, but he rubs them instead. “Quit being a brat.”

I’m confused and really not wanting to think about how soft his fingers are. How gentle he’s being is giving me whiplash. “Why do you hate me so much, Omen?”

“I just do. You piss me off. Now go to sleep.” He turns me on my side and pulls me into his body, spooning me like a boyfriend would.

“Yes, sir.” I don’t know why that comes out of my mouth but it does.

His breath hitches. “Careful, mama. You start being nice now, and I might just fuck you after all.”

The shape of her in the dark leaves me restless. The way her breath sputters, quickening after she tries to hold it every few seconds. As if she thinks the slightest movement will trigger me. I take deeper breaths to try and steady my own racing pulse.

With every ounce of the rage and depravity that holds my cells together, I fight the urge to touch her. She smells like trouble. The good fucking kind. All peonies and sweat and tequila mixed with slick arousal.

Even when the most vile things come out of her mouth, I still find her sexy. I dig my fingers into my palms to resist reaching in between her legs just to see how wet she is. But nothing is working. My cock is swollen and throbbing.

She wiggles her hips, burrowing them into my pillow-top mattress. Fucking hell. “Careful. You’re going to get yourself into real trouble, mama,” I whisper in her ear.

She lets out a sigh before rolling onto her back slightly toward me. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

This woman is playing with fire. Why can’t she just go to sleep? I’ve insulted her in every way I know how, and yet she still wants to dance the fucking tango with me. “It’s a warning. Don’t start something you’re too chicken shit to finish.”

She swallows hard and a display of goose pimples spreads across her arms. “I always finish.”

I’m so hard it fucking hurts. I palm my cock but resist the urge to rub one out. Although, that would be a wiser decision than the terrible one I’m about to make. “Oh, yeah? You’re clever, aren’t you? Sharp as a fucking knife… But you don’t seem so fucking smart right now, Cherry.”

Her chest heaves. “Why is that?”

“Because you know how dangerous I am, and yet you still try to provoke me.” I lower my face closer to hers and her breath hitches. “See, you’re shaking. Trembling… Am I making you nervous, mama?”

She shudders but doesn’t relent. “Whatever feeds your ego, Om. Believe what you want. I’m just trying to sleep.”

I gently squeeze her hip. “Liar. Ain’t no one getting any sleep tonight.”

She lets out a nervous laugh. “Oh, you think you know me so well. You think you can read me?”

I slide my hand lower and cup her ass cheek. “I know that you like it when I treat you like a slut.”

“And you like it when I spit on you,” she rasps.

A deep spasm rolls from my abdomen into my fucking balls. I pull up the hem of the T-shirt I put her in and caress the outside of her thigh. I breathe into the back of her head, inhaling the scent of her citrusy shampoo. “Yeah. Maybe I do. You wanna spit in my mouth? Hmm?” I chuckle and slide my hand down to the inside of her thigh. “I bet you’d let me spit in yours.”

She tries to stifle her whimper, but I still make out the tail end of it. “Maybe you should take your own advice. Don’t start something you can’t finish…”

“Yeah, who’s gonna stop me? I know it won’t be you.” I pull her thigh back against me, forcing her to turn over. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. Her lids lower, her lashes fluttering as she gazes up at me in the dark. There’s enough light coming from the windows to allow us to look each other in the eyes.

“I thought I disgusted you,” she rasps.

“It would be easier if you did.” I push the T-shirt up past her belly, exposing her pretty little pussy. “I want to. But then you strut around me with your perfect fucking tits and thick thighs…” I push the shirt up farther, all the way up to her neck. I let my gaze trail over her body, up and down, drinking in the sight of her. I take my time looking her over while she trembles. “And don’t get me started on these nipples. Fuck, mama.”

Her teeth chatter. “You’re not exactly hard on the eyes either.”

I smirk. “Oh, I know. I see the way you’ve been eye-fucking me for days. I see how fucking hungry you are when you look at me.” I kiss the corner of her mouth. Those thick fucking lips… mmm. “Take this off.”

Her breath hitches again as she quickly shimmies out of the T-shirt. She leaves her hands above her head. “Tie me up again.”

Fucking hell. I don’t hesitate. I slip her wrists through the loops of the straps and pull them tight. “You’re in so much fucking trouble now, mama.”

She arches her back and spreads her thighs apart. “Fuck…you’re killing me.”

“You like it when I call you that, don’t you?” I palm her pussy, relishing the way I can feel her pulse throbbing inside it.

She whimpers. “Yeah. Please… Omen. Fuck me.”

I slide my palm up the length of her body until I reach her throat. I give it a light squeeze. “You’re sexy as hell. You know that, right? A naughty little thing.” I can’t hold back much longer. I want to lose myself in her. I press my lips against hers and shudder when our tongues collide. Fuck, she tastes how she looks.

“Mmm.” I moan into her mouth, kissing her hard and deep. I can’t fucking help myself. I thrust my middle finger inside her pussy. She bucks hard just like the bulls I used to ride back in the day.

“Om. Oh. My. God,” she cries out. “I need your cock inside me. Please.”

You don’t gotta tell me twice. I mount her and slide inside. “Oh, you’re so damn tight. You trying to make me cum in five seconds?” I chuckle.

She wiggles her hips. “Cum as many times as you want. As long as you do it inside me.”

There’s that deep ache again, clawing its way through my belly and my fucking balls. “Fuck. You keep talking like that and I’m gonna make sure you don’t walk straight for at least a week.” I grunt and push in as deep as I can go. Once I’m nestled in good, I rock my hips against hers. I lift her legs up and force her to lock them behind my waist. Then we move in a rhythm so natural it feels like we’ve done this a hundred times before.

She moans wildly, her voice loud enough to wake the whole fucking neighborhood. She clenches tight around my thick cock, pulsing against every veiny ridge.

“I’m gonna fuck you raw.” I plunge my tongue back in her mouth as I fuck the shit out of her. So hard that the headboard bangs against the wall. “You’re being such a good fucking slut for me,” I growl between kisses.

I pull out and flip her over onto her belly. There’s enough slack on her now crisscrossed restraints that I can anchor her hips up into doggy style. “Get on your fucking knees.” I slide back in. “Mmm. A perfect fucking fit.” I slap her ass cheeks as I drive in hard. She cries out as her pussy drenches my cock. “That’s it. Scream for me, baby girl.”

“I’m gonna cum. Omen. Fuck.” She claws at the sheets.

“Me too, baby. I’m so fucking close.” As soon as I feel the blood start to rush down my shaft, spasms unfurl like tiny sparks, flickering through me like electric shocks. I’m about to erupt. I reach around and rub her clit. “Cum with me,” I growl. “Right fucking now.”

She jerks back hard, forcing us both upright. She seats herself on me as I lean back on my heels. A quick glance down the length of her glistening body is the push I need to send me over. “That’s it, mama. I’m fucking cumming. Fuck.”

She throws her head back and onto my shoulder. I roll my thumb over her clit, coaxing her into an orgasm while I release a burst of thick hot cum inside her. “Uhhh fuck.” A gurgled cry unleashes from her throat.

I grab the back of her head and shove her forward. I force her all the way back down till her belly is pressed flat against the mattress. And I almost black out. “You’re so fucking good.” Thrust. “That’s it. Cum for me.”

She cries and moans like a wild animal in heat. “Harder, Omen. Fucking break me.”

Sweet fucking… the amount of sweat and cum dripping down our legs is ridiculous. I’ve never fucked a pussy harder. And the way she responds, the way she reacts to how I touch her and fuck her… this is the kind of chick you kill for. The one you bury bodies for.

I collapse onto her back, my legs shaking as my cum still oozes inside her. “You fucked around and found out, Cherry. You have no idea what you unleashed tonight. You got me wanting to bring you breakfast in bed and shit.”

She sighs, satisfied. “Don’t get too sappy on me, Om. You’re kind of fun when you’re angry.”

I press my lips between her shoulder blades, then leave a trail of kisses down her spine. When I finally sit up, I gather her hair, and wind it around my wrist before gently tugging her head back. “To think this all started because you thought spitting in my face was a good idea…” I lean over her. “Open your mouth.”

“Oh, fuck.” She whimpers but does as I say.

I gather a thick wad of saliva and release it slowly into her mouth, making sure she can feel it slink to the back of her tongue and down her throat. “Yeah, you love being my slut now. No one gets to do this to you but me. Understood?”

She nods, her mouth still open.

“Good. Now swallow for me, mama. Swallow daddy’s hot fucking spit.”

She moans and grinds her pussy against the mattress. I caress her throat so I can feel it bob as she swallows every drop. “That’s it, beautiful. Cum for me again. Cum with my spit in your belly.”

And she does. I fuck her from behind again. This time I paint her entire backside with my cum. I let it ooze between her ass cheeks. I dip my finger in it and smear it inside her puckered hole. Next time, my cock’s going deep inside there too. Fuck. This woman makes me want to do the nastiest, filthiest fucking things to her.

She craves every second of it. “Spit on my pussy.”

“Fucking hell, woman.” I slap her ass before I roll her back over.

“Spit on me, Omen.”

I roll my tongue up the length of her first, then unleash a wad so hard and fast it makes her flinch. “You have no idea the things I’m going to fucking do to you.”

Her cheeks flush and it quickly spreads down to her chest turning her skin a shade of red that matches her swollen nipples. “Just don’t ever be nice to me, Om. I don’t deserve it.”

I caress her thighs. I suddenly realize that she’s got more fucking issues than me, Scar, and Hawk put together. That nothing I’ve ever said to her could be meaner than the things she tells herself. “We’re gonna have to fix some shit, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I got you now.”

A tiny flicker of anger sparks in her eyes. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t feel sorry for me.”

I squeeze her chin until she winces. “I don’t. You’re still white fucking trash. You still piss me the fuck off. But you’re mine to treat like trash. My slut to be mean to. But you don’t get to be mean to yourself.”

She smirks up at me. “Are you falling in love with me, Omen?”

“Shhh. Shut the fuck up and get some sleep for real now, Cherry.” I untie her wrists and tuck her into my side. “Me and love… we don’t like each other. Just be my pretty little slut for now, okay?”

She nods against my chest. “Whatever you say, killer.”

I close my eyes but I can still see her face as I drift off to sleep.

I set a cup of coffee and a tub of tattoo ointment down on the table in front of her. “For your hangover and for your wrists.”

Still clad in my T-shirt, she tugs at the hem, clinging to it like a security blanket. “So why all the drama last night?”

I lift an eyebrow at her, puzzled. “For real? I’m the drama? Honey, you drank a fifth of tequila, slapped me, and spit in my face twice. I tied you up so you wouldn’t stab me to death in my sleep.”

She sighs, a knowing look in her eyes. “Fine, but you didn’t have to get me naked.”

I can’t fight the smirk that stretches the corners of my lips. “You’re right. I didn’t have to make you cum three times either. That part was just to piss you off.”

A sweep of rouge crawls up her neck. By the time it reaches her cheeks she’s biting her lip and fidgeting with the lid on the ointment tub. “So does that mean we have a truce?”

I fight back the urge to laugh only so she doesn’t think I’m laughing at her, and grab the tub out of her hands. I twist off the lid without any effort and set it back down. She reaches for it but I swipe it away. I dig out a chunk of the jelly-like substance and grab her wrist.

“Sweetheart, I had my cock inside you for most of the night…” I massage the ointment into her wrist. “I’d say we have a little more than a truce.”

“But you still don’t trust me. You’re still side-eyeing me.” She winces slightly when I rub her other wrist. I must have tied that one up tighter.

I sigh. “I don’t trust anyone. Ask Hawk and Scar. It’s nothing personal. Where I come from… you just always gotta keep your guard up.”

“That must get lonely. I don’t trust very many people either though. So I get it. But… um… maybe we can both work on that with each other.” She bites her lip again. This woman is feisty and sassy as hell most of the time, and yet I make her nervous. And it’s fucking adorable. I hate that I find that attractive, but I do. Knowing that I’m the man that she gets shy around really fucking turns me on.

I finish massaging her wrists but don’t let go of them. “Yeah, maybe.” Or we’ll fuck each other up for good and ruin everything.

“Cherry is going to lose her shit.” Scarrow and I stand in front of Level Up, assessing the damage. Broken glass litters the entire front row of the parking lot.

He rubs the top of his head. “Fuck. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have sent him that video of her going down on me.”

“We need to find this fucker. And then we need to kill him.” I know she has insurance and that everything will get fixed, I’ll fucking make sure of it, but this is still a shock to see. She’s going to be so upset… Fuck.

We got three of our guys inside already cleaning up and a couple more on the way. The sooner she’s back in business, the softer the blow.

Scarrow nods. “I called in Junior and Nuds for overnight security. But with the attacks on the warehouse and the trucks, we can’t really spare anyone else.”

“I think there’s two different things going on here. Kane fucked with the warehouse and he definitely did this. But other hits are coming from up north. The Lavender Heights crew has been trying to encroach upon our territory for years.” I’ve always kept my business neat and tidy. And never messed with anyone else’s. I’ve always felt there’s plenty to go around. But Canyon Reyes is a greedy son of a bitch. He’s always wanted our piece of the pie.

Scarrow flexes his jaw, the wheels in his head spinning. He’s got as much intelligence as he does strength which is intimidating and surprising to most people. If anyone can come up with a plan, it’s him. “If he wants a war, he’ll get one. We might be short staffed right now, but I’ll pull in guys from Morgan County if I have to. Those fuckers are hard to manage but deadly as fuck.”

“Good. As for Kane, we flush him out. I should’ve taken care of him a long time ago.” Cherry was young when she started running around with him. She did it to piss me off, but she also loved the attention he gave her.

Her daddy and I both knew Kane was bad news, but you couldn’t tell Cherry anything. She was impossible to control. If you tried, she’d just double down and do something even crazier. Stupider. Like when she took a bunch of pills, washed them down with a bottle of gin, and then let Kane convince her it was a good idea to steal my car.

I’m sure they both had a good fucking laugh too. Up until she wrapped them around a tree. She’s lucky to be alive. They both are. But Kane’s luck is about to run out.

Scarrow greets Junior and Nuds when they pull up and puts them into position. They’ll take turns doing twelve hour shifts with the other three who are inside cleaning.

He jogs back over, holding up his phone. “I just got a text from Om, they’re on their way. I filled him in so he can prepare her a little bit.”

I blow out a deep breath and head inside. It looks like Kane took a fucking crow bar to everything. I’ll be taking one to his kneecaps soon.

Most of her liquor inventory is in puddles of glass on the floor. Hopefully she’s got more stock in the back behind that thick steel door. It was the only one that wasn’t breached. Most likely due to the three padlocks she put on it.

The knots in my stomach tighten like screws when I see what he’s done to her vintage pinball machines. Fucking ruined, smashed in and toppled over. I can’t believe that one person did this. Except that I can when I remember watching my own camera footage of him vandalizing our trucks and throwing bricks through our windows.

“Fucking hell. This dude is unhinged.” Scarrow’s eyes widen as he takes it all in. “I’m sorry, bro. If I had known he was capable of this, I wouldn’t have provoked him.”

I kick a piece of glass out of my way as we walk toward the stairs. “It’s not your fault, Scar. I’ve known Kane his whole life and I didn’t even know he’s gotten this bad. The dude’s a fucking menace. He needs to be put down like a rabid fucking animal.”

Scarrow heads up the stairs in front of me, his gun raised. “He’d be stupid to still be lurking, but you never know.”

I know he’s not here, but I let Scarrow do his thing. He’s thorough and doesn’t take any chances. Plus, he’s beating himself up for the blowjob video. “I got your back, Scar. If he’s still here, he’s gonna wish he wasn’t.”

Cherry’s apartment door is hanging open by one hinge. “Fucking bastard.” I’m dizzy, sick to my fucking stomach. This is her sacred space. And he’s violated it. I lean against the doorway, too fucking disgusted to go any farther. All of her furniture is destroyed.

Scarrow does a quick check of all the rooms before putting his gun away. “All clear. You don’t wanna see what he did to her bedroom, by the way.”

I clench my fists. “Forget the warehouse. Put everyone on finding him. Now.”

Scarrow nods. He puts a hand on my back. “We’ll get her through this.”

As if he manifested the very devil herself, shouts ring out downstairs. I take a deep breath and count to ten. “Let’s get down there before she kills our crew for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

I brace myself as we head down. Omen’s hot on her heels as she stalks around the bar, yelling and cursing. My guys have stopped cleaning and are backing themselves toward the door. These are hardened criminals covered in bullet scars and prison tats, but right now they are terrified of her.

She rips a broom out from one of their hands. “Is this some kind of joke?” Her eyes are wild, blazing with fury. “Oh, looks like he missed a spot.” She swings the broom at the lone bottle of whiskey still sitting upright on the bar, smashing it to smithereens.

“Om,” I warn.

“I’m on it. Fuck.” Omen tackles her from behind and wrenches the broom out of her hands. “Simmer down, mama. I know you’re pissed, but this ain’t helping.”

“Pissed?” She screams. “You think I’m pissed? I’m fucking furious!” She turns toward me and hisses. “This is all your fault. Kane hates you. He’s so fucking jealous he can’t stand it. How haven’t you found him yet? I thought you were this big bad scary gangster.”

Scarrow sighs. “She’s just upset. I know she doesn’t really blame you.”

“You’re right,” I yell back, ignoring him. I charge toward her and wrestle her away from Omen. I grab her by the arm and pinch it hard. “I should’ve bent you over and fucked your tight little ass that first night you brought him home to meet daddy. I should’ve branded you like a fucking whore. At least then, Kane would’ve known better than to even look at you.”

She narrows her eyes and shoves me back. “You didn’t have the balls. You still fucking don’t.”

I grab her other arm and drag her over to the bar. Years of suppressing this ache has finally pushed me over the edge. And that smug look on her face, acting as if she’s so much better than me because she expresses every vile thought that enters her head. Fuck this. I’m no one’s pushover.

“You wanna see my balls, Cherry. Let me show them to you.” I flip her around and shove her over the bar stool. “Open your fucking legs.”

“Fuck you,” she spits. She tries to stand up but I shove her back down hard.

With one hand, I undo my belt and slide it out. I use it to tie her wrists to one of the barstool legs. “How’s that for balls? Hmm? Now spread your fucking thighs.”

Omen and Scarrow exchange a look but don’t say a fucking word. They know better. Omen starts to head over to the other three guys in our crew when I hold my hand up.

“No. They stay and watch. She wants to act like a whore then I’m going to treat her like one.” I hike her skirt up around her waist.

“How fucking dare you, Hawk. Let me go.” She turns her head to look back at me. As soon as we lock eyes I can see the fire in her gaze. And it makes me so fucking angry. And aroused.

I unstrap the knife from my ankle and press the flat of it against her outer thigh. “Is this what you always wanted, sis?” I drag the blade through the back of her panties and rip them open.

“I hate you,” she rasps.

Lies. Her legs are shaking, her thighs as wet as the booze-soaked floor I’m standing on. I free my cock and shove it inside her. “Tell me, Cherry. Did you wash Omen’s cum out this morning? Or am I rubbing my cock in it right now?”

She laughs, mocking me. “He fucked me all night, Hawk. More times than you’ve ever even gotten it up in your whole pathetic life.”

“Jesus,” Omen mutters.

I don’t look at him. That’s his fucking business. But her pussy is mine. I dig my nails into her ass cheeks and slam into her. “More than all your daddy’s friends did when you pranced around them like a little slut?”

She arches back. It’s subtle but I notice it. I feel it. Not to mention how fucking tight she’s clenched around me. “Yeah, I thought about them when I was fingering myself next to you in bed every night.”

This fucking brat. I pick up my pace, fucking her so hard that one of the legs on the barstool cracks. “You’re a bad fucking liar. You’re so fucking obsessed with me. I bet you think about me when you’re making videos for your stalker. Nothing matters to you in this world but my cock inside you. So here you go, Cherry. How’s it feel to show everyone how good I fuck you?”

Tears stream down her cheeks even as a low moan starts to unfurl from her chest. She’s so fucking wet, I’m sliding in and out without any resistance.

Scarrow, Omen, and our crew don’t dare move or speak. They watch, mesmerized by the spectacle. “Tell me again that I don’t have the fucking balls, Cherry. Say it.”

She shrieks. “You’re an asshole. I fucking hate you.”

I thrust in deeper, the blood in my shaft starting to rush forward. Fuck, I’m gonna cum soon. I slap her ass. “Then apologize. Tell me you’re sorry. And you better fucking mean it.”

She laughs again despite her mascara-streaked tears. “Go to hell.”

I slap her ass harder this time. “I’m already in hell, Cherry!” Thrust. “I’m fucking the devil right now.”

Another low moan escapes her lips. With her bare pussy rubbing against the leather of the seat, and my cock wedged so far inside her cunt, she’s close. And I can’t wait to hear how loud she fucking screams.

“Say you’re fucking sorry,” I growl. I leave a visible handprint on her ass this time. The sound makes even Scarrow flinch. Omen grits his teeth, no doubt debating on whether or not he wants to step in and stop me. Part of him is also aroused watching even while he wrestles with his own need to possess her for himself.

She cries out. “Fuck. I’m sorry!”

The spasms in my balls start to build, tingling throughout every inch of me. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m your preacher now. I’m your fucking daddy. Tell me exactly why you’re sorry.” Thrust.

“Oh, fuck.” She rubs her pussy against the barstool. “I… I’m sorry I let you take the fall for me. That you went to prison for me. I’m sorry for making my daddy mad.” More tears spill from her eyes as she grinds hard against the stool. I rock into her slowly now, coaxing my orgasm out gently so as not to scare it away.

I pull her ass cheeks apart and finger her swollen hole, kneading my thumbs in and out. “What else?” I rasp.

She moans loudly this time and rolls her hips back. “I’m sorry I taunted you. That I flaunted what you couldn’t have in front of you. That I made you watch me give it to someone else.”

Mmm. Fuck. “Now apologize to everyone else here for acting like a fucking brat when all they were trying to do was help.”

Her throat gurgles as she chokes on a sob. “Please, Hawk. Haven’t you humiliated me enough?”

I slap her ass again. “You’re being rude, Cherry. And you’re embarrassing yourself. Say you’re sorry to my guys.”

“Fuck,” she breathes. She turns her head to the other side and lifts it slightly, her hair disheveled. She gazes over at the three of them as their backs press against the window. “I-I’m sorry. Thank you for your help with the mess.”

Thrust.

“Good girl. Now show everyone how hard I can make you cum.” I slap both her ass cheeks and then pinch them hard in my palms as my spasms finally erupt. Something about degrading her, humiliating her, has made me more fucking aroused then I’ve ever been in my life.

“Uhhh,” she moans.

Her pussy soaks my cock in seconds. I slam into her hard and fast, over and over again as I release my cum. “Mmm. Such a desperate fucking slut.” I can’t take my eyes off her entrance, watching my cock slide in and out of her, seeing the hot sticky mess that oozes out keeps my veiny shaft taut and slick.

I thrust a few more times because she feels so good I don’t want to pull out. But the show needs to be over now. My point’s been fucking made to everyone. But especially to her.

She hangs like a rag doll over the barstool, her legs shaking. “I’ll never be sorry for wanting you,” she murmurs.

I slip out from her pussy and wipe my cock with a clean bar rag before putting it back inside my pants. “No one touches her for one hour. That’s how long you were cleaning before she came in and berated you. Let her fucking wallow in her own cum.”

“Hawk, please. I’m sorry. Fuck. Please let me up,” she begs. This time with actual sincerity.

I kneel down by her face and grab the back of her head. “You ever embarrass me again in front of my crew, you’ll get a repeat of this. Now sit and repent, little sister. Scarrow will cut you free in an hour. Not a second before.” I glare up at him to reiterate my point.

Her arms shake. “Hawk… I’m not that girl anymore. I swear.”

An old memory flashes in my mind. From when we were teenagers. An image of her behind the shed, on her knees, in nothing but a bra and panties. I made her sit like that all night after I caught her snooping through my room. I threatened to tell her daddy if she didn’t repent.

She cried, but she fucking loved it. I came out to get her just before dawn so Preacher wouldn’t find out. Only to find her playing with herself. So I made her take off her panties and I watched. I wanted to touch her as bad as she wanted me to, but we were already playing with fucking fire.

“You think that went a little too far, bro?” Omen asks through clenched teeth once we’re out of earshot.

I lean back against the wall and watch how careful my guys move around. They continue to sweep and pick up glass while doing everything in their power to not look at Cherry’s bare ass.

“Do you think it did?” I snap.

He hesitates, starts to open his mouth, then thinks better of it. He glares back at me. “I said it before, so I’ll say it again. You two got some weird shit between you. Shit that’s not my business. But if that ever happens again, I will leave. It might not be my place to step in, but that don’t mean I gotta watch.”

“Gotcha. But I think she learned her lesson,” I grit back.

He glances upstairs. “I’m gonna go straighten up her apartment. You should take a walk and cool off.”

I’m too fucking heated still. I cross my arms over my chest. “Nah. I think I’ll sit and watch Cherry take the rest of her punishment.”

I’m exactly the person my daddy says I am. Sick, twisted, and so obsessed with Hawk that I’ll let him get away with anything. I’ll beg for it.

He claimed me like a piece of property. And I got off on it. I’m still getting off on it as I count down the last minutes on this sticky barstool. My cum oozes out and drips down my thighs while his crew buzzes around my bar as if this is perfectly normal.

They don’t dare look at me for fear Hawk will rip out their eyes. Their permission to watch me was fleeting and removed the second he left me alone with them.

Hanging over a barstool for an hour looks easier than it is. There’s a dull ache between my shoulders from craning my neck so all my blood doesn’t rush to my head. Everything aches actually. Especially my pussy. Lord have mercy on me but the brutal side of him turns me on so fucking much.

It reminds me of the games we used to play years ago. The way we’d both get off on my humiliation. One night I refused to eat the mushy green beans my daddy had miserably failed at. He said I couldn’t go to bed until I ate every single one on my plate. So I sat and pouted in the dark till about midnight.

I was so tired, all I wanted was my bed. I caved and started to finish the cold green beans. But Hawk wouldn’t let me. Not at the table. He said brats don’t deserve civility. He put my plate on the floor and told me to eat it like a dog. And if I refused, he would throw it in the trash and tell my daddy that I did it. And then I would for sure get the belt.

There was something about the way he looked at me when I got down on my knees that stirred an ache in my core. I wanted to please him. But right before I bent down, he told me to take my clothes off so that I wouldn’t get them dirty.

I ate every green bean off that plate with my tits hanging and my bare ass out. He towered over me, stroked his cock the whole time. And then I sat back on my heels so he could cum on my chest. Later, when I was finally back in my bed, I fingered myself so hard I almost cried from pleasure.

“Time’s up, sweetheart. You’ve been such a good girl.” Scar frees my wrists and lifts me up from the barstool.

I sway against him, slightly dizzy. “I need to clean up.”

He tugs my skirt back down. “Om and Hawk are upstairs waiting. Let’s get you a hot shower and some ointment for your ass.”

When I walk inside my apartment, the rage starts to billow back up. “He did… all this?”

Hawk nods. “Kane is going to pay with his life for this, Cherry. I promise… Are you okay?”

And he’s back to being that shy boy again. The one he’d revert back to after making me do unspeakable things. I’m a sucker for both versions of him.

I collapse into his arms and let the tears fall. He squeezes me tight to his chest. “Shhh, it’s all right. I got you.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you. You were right to punish me.” The lessons he teaches me are for my own good. They may seem extreme to most, but it’s the only way to get through to me sometimes.

I’ve been acting reckless, engaging with Kane and giving into his demands. I should’ve called Hawk and told him to begin with. I let this get out of hand and now Kane has wreaked havoc on both of our businesses.

He cups my face in his hands. “My sweet Cherry girl… No more tears. We’re gonna get you cleaned up and everything will be right again.”

I nod and let him and Scarrow guide me to my bedroom. Omen is in there waiting. He blows out a deep breath when he sees me. “You good, mama?”

This new protective vibe he’s giving me is surprising. I truly believed he hated me. “Yes. Much better now.”

The steam billowing out from the bathroom makes my belly do a little flip. I can’t wait to stand underneath the hot water and let it sooth all my muscles.

Hawk presses his forehead to mine as he rubs my shoulders. “Come on let’s get these clothes off.” I kick off my stilettos and then lift up my arms so he can pull my shirt off. Scarrow comes up from behind and unhooks my bra.

I stand there between them, breathless for a moment. Scarrow cups my breasts and gives them a light squeeze as Hawk pulls my skirt down. “After we get you clean, we’re going to treat that pretty skin of yours.”

I can only imagine what my ass looks like. He spanked me so fucking hard. But it made me cum. The pain was worth every spasm.

Omen stalks over. “Let me see.” He trades places with Scarrow. My breath hitches when he pulls my panties down to my ankles. He caresses my ass cheeks with soft gentle strokes. “It’s not that bad. You’ll live, mama.”

Hawk slides a finger down the slit of my pussy. “We’ve done this before. She likes being spanked,” he rasps.

Omen spins me around to face him. “Tell me about it.”

I swallow hard, nervous with all of them staring at me. “I… I have a humiliation kink. We both do.”

Omen’s jaw ticks and his gaze turns primal. “So, earlier, when you were begging him to stop… it was all part of the game?”

I nod. “Hawk and I have had a safe word since we were young. I never actually want him to stop.”

Scarrow runs a hand across my lower back. “Mmm. I am so turned on right now.”

Omen caresses my chest before gently wrapping his hand around my throat. “So what’s the magic word?”

I look down at the ground, my cheeks heating. “Um… well, because of our circumstances… um, it—”

“Preacher,” Hawk interjects, saving me from the not so attractive kind of humiliation.

Omen and Scarrow both chuckle.

I bite my lip. “Yeah, so whenever we thought we were about to get caught, we’d say, Preacher.”

“And then we decided that would be our safe word for other situations,” Hawk adds.

“Like what kinds of situations exactly?” Scarrow asks.

I feel the blush in my cheeks deepening. “The kind where he leaves me naked outside in the dirt all night until I make myself cum over and over again. Until I’m so swollen I can barely walk.”

Hawk threads his fingers through my hair. “She’s never used the safe word. Not once. Isn’t that right, Cherry?”

My belly flutters as the three of them surround me. I take a deep breath. It’s triggering my claustrophobia. I look around the room, searching for an exit. “I’m really hot. My breath… I can’t catch it.”

Omen tightens his grip on my throat. “Face your fears. We’re here to protect you and make you feel good, not smother you. Relax.”

Hawk lifts my hair and kisses the back of my neck. “Answer the question. Tell them how you’ve never once used the safe word.”

Panic rises in my chest but instead of making me dizzy, it sends a deep spasm to my clit. “It’s true. I’ve never needed to say it. Nothing you do will ever make me say it. I never want you to stop, Hawk.”

Scarrow plays with my pussy, delicately stroking just inside the crease of my opening. “We’re going to have to experiment with that.” He applies gentle pressure to my clit. “Test the limits.”

Hawk nods. “But first she needs to clean up. She needs rest.” He nudges me away and toward the bathroom. “Take a long hot shower, Cherry. You’ve earned it. We’ll be waiting out here.”

I zone out as they finish loading the truck, a little too relaxed from the massage Scar gave me earlier. After Omen applied ointment to my ass cheeks, Scarrow insisted on rubbing my aching joints. And I’m glad he did. I’ve been carrying around so much stress and unresolved trauma that it was starting to manifest as a new pain in my body every day.

“You sure you’re feeling up for this tonight?” Hawk asks.

I gasp, feigning shock. “Hawk Riley, are you suggesting that I skip the Crimson Valley County Fair for the first time since… never?”

He shrugs. Hawk never liked going. There’s too many people and way too much stimulation for his liking. Put him in a dark room with soft music and he’s the happiest man alive. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you skipped it this year, Cherry. Especially with all that’s going on.”

I gasp again, this time for real. “Oh, it most certainly would be. Can you imagine the devastation it would cause? All those God-fearing folks lining up for my famous pink wine slushies, risking their reputations and the ire of their beloved Father Eli, just for me to not show up?” I’m being dramatic, but I’m only half-joking. Since the first year I opened Level Up, I’ve always had a booth at the fair.

Hawk finally cracks a smirk. “You think way too highly of those pink drinks, Cherry. They aren’t all that. Trust me, I’ve tasted them. Those people line up to catch a glimpse of you flashing that sexy smile back at them.”

I cock my hip to the side and give him a playful shove. “Oh yeah? Mrs. Tilly comes for my sexy smile?”

He laughs harder now, his cheeks blushing. “I guarantee you she does.”

“Hawk, she’s nearly eighty-years old,” I shriek. I’m in absolute hysterics now.

“Age ain’t nothing but a number, baby,” he teases.

I love this side of him too. It’s the version of him I met when he and his momma first moved in. That beautiful light in his eyes went out after she passed, but it didn’t die with her. It’s just buried deep.

Omen stalks over carrying the last case of rosé we could find in the back storage. Luckily, I’ve been prepping for months for the fair and was smart enough to stockpile a large stash. I don’t sell much rosé on a nightly basis so there was no need to keep it out front. A blessing in disguise since Kane decided to destroy everything he could get his hands on.

I can’t even stomach it. I know it will all get fixed and my pinball machines will get replaced. But it won’t be the same. The ones I had were rare and vintage. I can track more down but it will cost me. And I don’t have that kind of capital.

“Hey don’t go to that dark place right now,” Hawk coaxes. “We’re gonna find him.”

Omen hisses. “That dude’s like a fucking racoon. Where the fuck does he go at night after he’s done messing with our shit?”

Hawk’s eyes narrow. “We’re flushing him out. There’s a meth camp out in the woods with lots of places to hide, but I know all the hiding spots.”

Scarrow trots up. “The bar’s locked up tight now. I got two guys at the front door, two upstairs, and three in separate cars scattered around this parking lot. No one is fucking breaking into Level Up ever again.”

I throw my arms around his neck. “Thanks, Scar. I’m so happy you’re here.” I step back and give Omen and Hawk each a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad all of you are here.”

Hawk nods. “Everything is as it should be, baby girl. Now let’s get you to the fairgrounds before all the little church ladies start a riot.”

I slide into the truck next to Scarrow while Omen and Hawk follow behind in Hawk’s muscle car. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, but my stomach is in knots. I didn’t have the guts to tell them that I unblocked Kane’s number from my phone.

After what he did last night, I had to give him a piece of my mind. I open my phone to reread the drunken angry messages I sent him at three in the morning.

Kane, this needs to fucking stop. You’re ruining my life. What the fuck?

I shouldn’t have contacted him.

You get what you deserve, bitch. I would’ve smacked you around too if you’d been home and not whoring yourself out to those animals. You’re momma would be so ashamed of you, Cherry pie.

“You all right, sweetheart?” Scarrow asks over the loud bass coming from the speakers.

I nod and force a smile. “I’m perfect.”

Being oblivious and way too into this song, he winks and goes back to twiddling his thumbs against the steering wheel.

I swallow hard and glance back at my phone.

It’s over between us. I need you to accept that. Or this isn’t going to end well.

Is that a threat, Cherry? Because two can play at that game.

No, Kane. Look, I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through. Please just tell me how to fix this.

Meet me later tonight at the fair, behind the Gravitron. After you close up your booth. You let me take one more look at you and I’ll leave you alone forever. I’ll even delete everything I have. You owe me one last time.

I bite my lip to keep it from quivering. Is he telling the truth? Or is this just another one of his twisted games? I can’t risk not knowing if there’s a chance he could be ready to call a truce.

I’ll be there. But I need your word that this it. Promise me you’ll stay away from Level Up and Hawk’s warehouses. And I want to watch you delete all the pics and videos I sent you.

You give me one last little peek at what I used to have, and I promise you, my sweet Cherry pie, that you’ll never hear from me again. Oh, and come alone. I’ll be watching everything. If I see one of your little cocksuckers anywhere near the Gravitron, the deal’s off.

Now I have to figure out how I’m going to sneak away. Hawk, Scar, and Om haven’t left my side since this all started. At least one of them has always been guarding me. Especially after what Kane did to my bar last night, there’s no fucking way they’re gonna let me out of their sight.

But I need them to. Because this could be my only chance at getting Kane to back off. It’s in his best interest too as well. Eventually, they are going to catch him and kill him. And he has to know that. Hawk moved finding Kane to the top of his list of priorities.

I’m guessing Kane’s gonna skip town before they find him and he just wants one more fucking dig at me before he does. When you spiral this long with someone, it’s hard to break the cycle.

I’m soaked through in this heat. Summers in Crimson Valley are not for the weak. I got spoiled spending every night in my air-conditioned bar. Out here, even after the sun goes down, it’s sweltering.

The good news is I’m almost sold out of all my wine slushies and I’m down to just a couple cases of Lavender Heights ale. These funds will help go toward the damage. Insurance will cover most of it except for the pinball machines. With them being so old, they weren’t eligible to be insured.

But I can’t think about that right now. In just a few minutes, I have to find a way to sneak off and meet Kane behind the Gravitron. The guys have been watching me in shifts, swapping out to go handle their own affairs. Kane’s antics have caused chaos everywhere, but at least they know now that the mayhem wasn’t coming from inside their operation.

Hawk seems more concerned about a growing threat coming from Lavender Heights. Some kingpin called Canyon Reyes has been doing deals a little too close to the Crimson Valley county line.

I sent my old bestie, Roxy, a text asking if she could have her rich boyfriend do some digging on the guy. Punk Wilder used to be a famous skater, so he runs in different circles than we do.

Turns out, Canyon Reyes showed up in Lavender Heights just a few years ago and quickly swooped in on the territory. He’s got old family money and more than a few screws loose, so it didn’t take much for him to secure his hold on the city.

This new information has Hawk distracted and doling out new tasks for Scarrow and Omen. But it still feels impossible to get away.

“Hey, Cherry. Let me get a Lavender Heights ale and one of those pink girlie drinks for the missus.” Hal slaps a twenty dollar bill onto my booth. “And keep the change, darlin’.”

“You got it, Hal. Thanks for coming out and supporting Level Up.” I hand him his drinks and throw in a basket of fries. “On the house.”

“That’s mighty kind of ya. Tell your daddy we’ll see him at church on Sunday.”

“Will do.” I nod as they amble off. Dorothy’s face lights up when he hands her the rosé slushie and my famous extra-gooey cheese fries.

“How you holding up, mama?” Omen towers over me, tall, dark, and sexy as fuck in his all black suit. He dips his head, tilting it the side, and I get a whiff of amber musk, licorice, and leather.

“I’m just about ready to pack up and head home. Not too much to load though. I sold out of everything but one case of ale.” The day turned into night without me noticing. One minute the sun was shining, and now the sky is full of twinkling stars.

When I was a kid, my daddy used to let me go to the fair every weekend. It got me out of his hair, and there ain’t much else to do in this town anyway. In the fall, we have pumpkin patches and haunted corn mazes. And in the summer, we have this.

“All right. Scarrow and Hawk are running an errand. But he left me the truck. I’ll pull it around so we can load up and get the fuck out of here.” He fishes the keys out of his pocket and looks around, scanning the area. “You stay put until I get back.”

I nod but don’t give him a verbal response. I hum instead as I pretend to look busy cleaning up the booth. I bite the inside of my cheek to try and steady my racing pulse. Fuck, he’s gonna be so pissed. Why couldn’t it have been Scarrow here with me at the end tonight? He’d be less pissed at me I think.

Once Omen disappears down the center of the fairgrounds, between the colorful awnings of the game booths, I make a mad dash out of Restaurant Row. My heart is pounding as I half-walk, half-jog past the Ferris wheel, Tilt-a-whirl, and Zipper rides. The smells of popcorn, caramel apples, and cotton candy make me long for another era. A time when I wasn’t a murderer. When I wasn’t being blackmailed for it and forced to send filthy pictures of myself to a deranged stalker.

As I near the Gravitron, I realize why Kane picked it. It’s at the edge of the fair, near the fence. The ride is basically a giant metal spaceship that spins so fast it pins the riders to its walls. Which means it’s too dangerous to hang out close to it, and the people stumbling off of it are too dizzy to notice anyone anyway.

I duck behind the rope and slink around back to see Kane leaning up against the chain-link fence. “Hey, Cherry pie.”

His smug smirk makes my skin crawl. “Don’t call me that, Kane. I’m not a piece of dessert.”

He snickers and pushes off the fence with his foot. “You tasted pretty sweet to me. But why don’t I make sure for old time’s sake.”

I shake my head as I zip up my hoodie. “I don’t think so. The deal is you get to see me one last time and then you leave me alone forever.”

Kane’s brown eyes darken. “You know what I want, Cherinne. Let me see that sweet pussy again. Let me watch you play with her one last time.”

I swallow the bile down in my throat. The panic starts to slink into my veins as I remember the last time we were face to face when he nearly choked me to death. “That’s not what I agreed to,” I grit out.

He charges forward and seizes both of my arms before flinging me back against the fence. “You do what I tell you to do,” he growls in my face.

My pulse quickens. “Hawk’s gonna kill you. Scarrow and Omen too. They are looking for you right now. You need to get the fuck out of Crimson Valley.”

He loops his fingers through the links in the fence, boxing me in. He’s gotten bigger since last year. Like all he’s been doing is working out every day. “Maybe I’ll take you with me. Would you like that? You and me on the road together. Where I can tap that fucking ass of yours anytime I want.”

“I’m never going anywhere with you, Kane. We’re done. Now move so I can go finish packing up my booth.”

He smirks but moves to the side. “Sure.”

My breath hitches as I wiggle away from him and head back toward the rides. I’m halfway to the Gravitron when he yanks me back by my hair. “What the fuck!” I cry out. But my voice gets lost behind the screams coming from the nearby Zipper.

“On second thought…” He drags me backward and flings me into the fence again. His eyes are glazed, his pupils dilated. “Maybe I’ll fuck you right here.”

“Kane stop. I’ll fucking kill you myself. I swear to God.” I glance past him, searching for anyone that I can signal, but we’re too far away. There’s too many flashing lights and loud noises. No one is looking back here. I’m so fucked.

“Shhh, let’s have fun like we used to.” He grabs my arm and pins it to the fence. I claw at his hands while he loops a zip tie through one of the links and then around my wrist. He pulls it so tight, it cuts off my circulation.

Oh shit. No. Fuck. “Kane, please. We had a deal.”

His eyes are cold and devoid of any feeling. “Shhh,” he repeats as he zip ties my other wrist. “There. That’s better. Now we can have some fun.”

My teeth chatter as he glares down at me. “You sick fucking bastard. I should’ve known your word doesn’t mean shit. You’re just a pathetic fucking loser who can’t get laid the normal way.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Cherry.” He grabs my throat and squeezes. “How many times did you beg me to fuck you? You’ve been crawling onto my cock since we were in high school. Ain’t no one made you do it either.”

“So that makes it okay for you to do this to me now?” I’m so fucking angry I could cry but I won’t give him the satisfaction.

He unzips my hoodie before sliding his palms over my belly. “Yeah because you owe me.”

Chills slink up my back despite the sultry heat. “For what? I’ve done everything you’ve asked these past months.”

He pulls up the hem of my shirt to feel my skin, his lips quivering. “I was your alibi, remember? You don’t think that was a coincidence, do you?”

What the fuck is this psycho actually rambling on about?

“I followed you, Cherry. I watched you do it. And then I hid in the woods when I saw your piece of shit brother and his friends show up.”

I shake my head. “No, impossible. No one knew I was going up there.”

Kane lifts my shirt higher, exposing my rib cage. “I got good at following you, Cherry pie. You’re so obsessed with yourself, you never notice anyone around you. I was close behind you in the woods after. I watched how you tripped and almost twisted your ankle.”

Shit. I remember stumbling and getting my foot caught in a thicket. “So what? You let me suck your dick so you can hold it against me for eight years?”

He jabs his thumbs into my ribs. “I let you suck my dick because that’s what whores do. And I’m charitable. But you never showed me one ounce of gratitude.”

I wince and suck in a deep breath. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m grateful that you kept my secret. Please, Kane. Let me go.”

He pushes my shirt up to my neck and cups my breasts over my bra. “I’ll never let you go, Cherinne. I’m going to use you over and over again. The way you used me. I’m going to keep you tied up just like this too. In my cellar. I’ve been getting it ready for you.”

I snicker in his face. “That’s never going to happen. Never. I swear to Christ, Kane. If you don’t untie me right now—”

He grabs my pussy hard and squeezes. “Or what? What the fuck are you gonna do? We are fated, baby. The only way you’re getting rid of me is when I’m dead. And that’s not gonna be for a long fucking time.”

“I’m gonna respectfully disagree,” Omen growls.

I gasp.

The Zipper drops its cages.

The single pop is lost in a cacophony of screams and cranking metal.

Kane’s eyes widen before they dim. A trickle of blood oozes down his temple.

“Oh, fuck,” I whisper.

He tips over and slams into the ground hard, his head bursting like a water balloon.

Omen glares at me. “I brought the truck around, but you were gone.”

My stomach twists, grumbling. I lurch forward and dry heave a few times before spewing bile all over the ground. Some of it splatters on my shoes.

He sighs as he stalks over. “This is why Scarrow installed that tracker on your phone.” He cuts my wrists free with a machete then hands me a handkerchief. “Hawk fucking knew you would do some stupid shit like this.”

“He was going to take me… and hurt me…” I buckle over and let out another steady stream of puke.

Omen holds my hair back. “That was never gonna happen. It’s okay, mama. I got you. You’re safe now.”

“Why am I like this?” I scream before bursting into tears.

Omen gathers me into his arms. “You’re fine, sweetheart. Nothing’s wrong with you. But I need you to lean back against the fence for me while I clean this up.”

I nod. “Fuck, what are we going to do? Someone could see us.” I finally remember that we are out in the open. It might be desolate, but there’s still an entire fair going on behind us.

“Don’t worry about that.” He stalks over to the fence and grabs a hold of it at the bottom. It only takes him a few yanks and he’s got it up and separated from the dirt. “Hold this up for me. I’m gonna roll him under to the other side, okay?”

I nod and do as he says, all while keeping a trained eye on the path behind the Gravitron. “I’m sorry, Om. Fuck. Please don’t be mad at me.”

He doesn’t look at me as he moves Kane’s body effortlessly as if he weighs nothing, rolling him over the dirt-covered ground until he’s all the way on the other side of the fence.

I’m dizzy, and my head aches. I cling to the cold metal as he makes a few phone calls, one that sounds like it’s to Hawk. Within fifteen minutes, an unmarked van pulls up. Three hooded guys I’ve never seen before get out and load Kane’s body into the back.

Omen has a word with them before turning to me. “Now we’re going to walk back to your booth like normal, finish packing up, and load everything into Scarrow’s truck. Okay? Can you walk normal for me?”

I nod and take a deep breath. “Yeah. I’ve done this before, remember?”

He nods. “Let’s go, mama.”

A double shot of whiskey and a hot shower are the only reasons why I’m not hyperventilating into a paper bag. Every time I close my eyes, even for a second, I see Kane’s malicious sneer and then his dark eyes widening in surprise right before the lights go out in his head. But what makes my stomach turn the most is the memory of his blood and brain matter oozing into the dirt.

I shiver and down my drink. “Fuck,” I whisper.

The three of them eye me like I’m a live grenade with the pin halfway out. Despite Kane obviously being dead and no longer a threat, they still insisted on bringing me to their house. Maybe they feel more in control here. All I want is my own bed but after what Kane did to my apartment, I feel violated. Maybe Hawk’s right to bring me here instead.

While Omen does his usual pacing behind the couch, Scarrow perches on the end of it. Hawk has now crossed the room to use the coffee table as a seat. He leans forward and smooths a strand of wet hair behind my ear.

“It’s over. No one is coming for you ever again. Okay?” he murmurs. He always knows how to comfort me. Ever since we were kids. Once I had a nightmare and woke up screaming. He came flying into my room with a bat thinking someone was hurting me. Once he realized what was really happening, he crawled into my bed and spoke in this exact tone, soothing me back to sleep.

I nod and force a smile. “Thank you for taking care of me like you always do. I don’t know what I’d do without any of you.”

Scarrow sighs. “Now if we could somehow get you to follow orders… you almost gave me a heart attack, sweetheart. He could’ve really hurt you.”

Omen clicks his tongue, perturbed. “She’s fine. I was there before it got bad. Cherry is a grown woman, and she can do whatever she wants. If she gets hurt… well, then she gets fucking hurt.”

My stomach flips. So he does care about me. “I’m sorry I scared you too, Om. Scarrow’s right. I shouldn’t have unblocked Kane. And I definitely shouldn’t have agreed to meet him alone.”

“Well, at least he’s dead now. So, thank God for small favors, right?” Hawk takes my hands in his, interlocking his fingers gently with mine. “You are a grown woman who can take care of herself. But you’re also our woman. Which means you check in, you don’t disappear, and you don’t engage with creeps who want to hurt you. You get me?”

All I heard was the ‘you’re our woman’ part. Butterflies swim in my belly. “Yes. I promise. I won’t do anything like that again.”

He smirks as he kisses the tops of my hands. “You like being ours, don’t you?”

I nod and blow out a shaky breath. “Yeah. And I need all three of you next to me in bed tonight.”

Scarrow grips the arm of the couch. “You think you can handle it?” The ache in his voice winds me up, sending tingles up my thighs.

I glance between them, eager and needy for their hands and mouths on me. “Of course, I can. You wouldn’t claim me if I couldn’t.” My gaze lingers on Omen as I still have so much to figure out about him. “Is that true for you, too, Om? Am I yours?”

Omen loosens his tie before sliding it off, his eyes hooded as he gazes hungrily at me. He stalks toward me, shaking his head. “You piss me off, mama. Every fucking day with your smart-ass mouth and complete lack of spatial awareness.”

My stomach drops into my ass. Fucking hell.

He pulls me to my feet before backing me into the nearest wall. “But you’re more mine than anything and anyone in this hellscape.” Goose pimples spread across my skin as he presses his body against mine. “For fuck’s sake, I’m like putty in your fucking hands.”

“Then take me to bed,” I rasp. I turn to Scarrow and Hawk. “I want this more than anything.”

Omen grabs my hips from behind and whispers in my ear, “I’m the one with the king size bed. So take off your clothes, and get your sexy ass to my room. We’ll be right behind you.”

“Is this okay?” I ask Hawk. I will never do anything without his approval. It’s always been us from the beginning. If he’s not ready for this, then I won’t do it.

He pulls me to his chest. My heart flutters when he press his lips to my temple, his warm breath tickling my skin. “The only people I care about are in this room. We’re a family. Of course, it’s okay.”

I shimmy out of my tank top and drawstring pajama pants, pulling my panties down with them. There’s a crackling of energy in the air. The kind you can almost cut with a knife. And after this long fucking traumatic night, the only thing I want is to be passed out between these three unhinged criminals after they fuck me raw. My hot as fuck, sexy, unpredictable psychos.

“You look so pretty like this,” I praise. My sweet Cherry is naked and on her knees, patiently waiting for the three of us in Omen’s bedroom.

Omen and Scarrow remove their clothes and go to her. Sandwiched between them, she purrs like a kitten as they kiss and stroke her. My cock swells in an instant, reaching full fucking mast before my pants are even off.

Her eyelids flutter as she gazes over at me. She reaches her hand out. “Come here, Hawk. I want you too.”

I take off my shirt first, then my shoes and pants before taking a seat in Omen’s brown leather recliner. “I want to watch for a little while first.”

Scarrow moans in her ear as he fingers her wet pussy. “You like it when your brother watches. You like putting on a show for him, don’t you?” The ache in his voice is so thick, I wonder how long he’ll last before he cums.

She whimpers between them as Omen pinches her nipples and sucks on her neck. “Yeah,” she whines. “Fuck, that feels good. Uhhh.”

My breath quivers as I slide my boxers down and palm my cock. She looks so fucking hot swaying back and forth as they take turns sliding their thick fingers in and out of her swollen cunt. Her chest and nipples are bright red, glistening with sweat. I squeeze my balls and feel the blood rush forward. Fuck.

“Hawk, please,” she begs. “I need you.”

Mmm. I’m going to fucking burst the second I slide inside her. Which is what she fucking wants. That’s the only time she has complete control of me. Usually it’s the other way around. “You’re my fucking toy, Cherry. My favorite fucking toy to play with. Mine to share.”

Omen pushes her back against the bed, laying her down flat. “Arms up.” As soon as she lifts them over her head, he slides her wrists into the restraints that hang from the bedposts. “You might be his toy, but you’re my fucking slut.”

“Oh, fuck,” she unfurls on a moan.

Scarrow leaves a trail of kisses down her belly. “I believe you owe me a snack, sweetheart. It’s only fair since I let you drink from my cock.”

She spreads her leg wide, the flush deepening across her skin. “Fair’s fair,” she murmurs.

I stroke faster, harder, squeezing my shaft until I can barely take the tension. “Yeah, show us how much you like the taste of her sweet pussy, Scar. Treat yourself like it’s your fucking birthday.”

He grunts, his face flushing as he peels her pussy lips back and wiggles his tongue inside her cunt. He puckers his lips around her clit and sucks. She arches her back, flinging her hips up, and lets out a deafening moan.

“Scar,” she cries out, her body convulsing.

I pinch the tip of my cock, coaxing the precum out. “That’s my boy. You better eat.”

Omen huffs as he shuffles higher up on the bed. “She’s gonna fucking eat too.” He slaps his cock against her lips. “Stick your tongue out.”

“Oh, fuck.” She moans again as he slides his thick cock across her tongue.

“Don’t close your lips around it yet. Just keep holding your tongue out for me like that. Yeah. Good girl,” he coos.

There’s something feral and fucking nasty about the way he rubs his dick on her, edging it down her throat, and then pulling back without letting her suck or even wrap her lips around him. It’s fucking hot as hell and a move I’ll file away for myself to try later.

Scarrow moans into her pussy as he slops up her juices. “Mmm, she’s cumming,” he murmurs as he dives back in.

Omen grips the headboard with his free hand while sliding his cock up and down her tongue with the other. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum just like this.”

I’m so fucking close.

I spring up from the chair and climb onto the bed. I trace the muscles in Scarrow’s back with delicate strokes, letting him know I’m here. He comes up for air, his mouth shiny and wet. “She’s ready for you, brother.”

I nod and kneel between her thighs. “My sweet baby girl. You’re finally where you’re supposed to be.”

Her gaze flits to mine. Even as she sucks Omen’s cock, her eyes always find mine. Scarrow plays with her nipples as I slide inside her and watch those pretty pupils dilate for me. Like a conditioned response, she unravels and stretches around my cock.

Thrust.

Years and years of molding her into this ferocious, God fearing woman who aches to please me. And all I’ve ever wanted was to take care of her and keep her safe from the monsters of this world.

She arches for me, her moans muffled while Omen still fucks her mouth. But our gazes are locked, feral and dark. Every ounce of pain and heartbreak channels between us in this one fucking moment.

Thrust.

God she feels like redemption. So fucking good. Better than anyone else. I’ve only ever been with sex workers before. I never wanted to fuck anyone else but Cherry. Yet for so long, I just couldn’t. I refused. But I’m still a man. So I paid for it. It took away the intimacy and made it purely transactional.

“I love you so fucking much, my baby. My sweet Cherry girl.”

Thrust.

“Fuck. Oh. Shit.” Omen slams his hand against the headboard and lets out a deep moan.

I watch as she lurches, her neck bobbing as his cum shoots down her throat. Her eyelids flutter as she struggles to breathe through her nose while she swallows every drop.

I lift her legs up and grind in deeper. “That’s my little thirsty slut,” I rasp.

Scarrow grabs her chin as soon as Omen pulls out. “My turn, sweetheart. Let me help you wet your whistle again.”

“Oh, fuck. Hawk… You feel so good.”

“I’m right here, baby. Take a deep breath and relax. Let Scarrow feed you.” I pull out and rub the tip of my cock up and down her slit, edging myself. I drop it down a little farther, pressing it lightly against her puckered anus. I want to slide inside that hole so fucking bad.

She clenches at the contact. “Hawk, what are you doing? You know that’s my one rule.”

I chuckle. “Shhh. Rules are meant to be broken eventually. Relax, Cherry. I’m only teasing you tonight. But you will let me inside that tight little hole soon.”

She lets out a whimper and unclenches, knowing she’s off the hook for now. I love how fucking responsive she is to me. And I know that once she loosens up, she’ll enjoy it just as much as she does in her cunt.

“Open wide for me, sweetheart,” Scarrow orders while Omen goes back to sucking on her nipples, savoring his post-cum glow.

Scarrow’s a bit more impatient than Omen. He doesn’t waste any time shoving the entire length of himself in her mouth. She wraps her lips around his veiny shaft and moans.

I’m done playing around and need to cum as much as I am tempted to edge myself all night. It was another game we liked to play. There was something so fucking arousing about denying myself release. The pain of it was orgasmic in itself.

But we have company tonight, and I don’t want to be rude.

I slide back inside her pussy just as Scarrow cums hard in her mouth. Our eyes lock again as she swallows his thick white cream.

“You’re gonna cum a third time for me now, Cherry. On my command. Okay, baby?”

She lazily lifts her head, her eyelids hooded, and nods. “Yes, daddy.”

Mmm. Well, that fucking does it. I slam into her and yank her hips up off the mattress. “Fuck.”

She screams and grinds back against me, rubbing her clit against my abdomen. “Oh, fuck. I love you too, Hawk. I’ve always loved you.”

“Now. Cum for me, baby…” I can’t hold back anymore. It bursts like a white-hot flame inside me, shooting out in thick ropes. I pinch my eyes closed so tight, I see stars behind my lids.

But the sensation of her cum coating my dick after telling me she loves me is better than any other type of sustenance a man could need. Better than food and water and air.

I used to think I needed to redeem her. That I had to make sure her soul was saved. But now, all I want is for our souls to be together. So if she’s damned to hell, then we both are. I’ll make sure of it.

Nothing and no one will ever take this woman away from me.

I release every last drop inside her.

Since she’s already in Omen’s bed, I leave her there to sleep. Before I shut the door behind Scarrow and I, we watch as he tucks her into his chiseled frame and rolls them both over into a cocoon of blankets.

“I need a shower.”

“Same.”

We step into the massive stone shower that takes up half my bathroom, each under our own showerhead. As the hot water runs down my back, I watch Scarrow soap up his body.

He eyes me as well. “Tell me more about the humiliation rituals.”

I lift my cock and massage soap into my balls as I lean against the cool tiles. “What do you want to know?”

He leans back as well, mirroring my movements. “Why do you do them?”

I see his cock swell. Interesting. “It’s a shame kink. Cherry misbehaves, sometimes on purpose, and I punish her for it in a degrading way. We both get off on it.”

His throat bobs. “I think I might like that.”

I nod. “You like being shamed or you want to be the one doing the shaming?”

He bites his lip and cups his balls. “I don’t know. Maybe both.”

I lather more of the musky soap onto my chest and abdomen. “We’ll play around and find out then. This is a safe space for that, Scar. You know that. We’ll figure out all of your kinks and desires now that Cherry has come home.”

He smiles and lets out a sigh of relief. “You missed a spot,” he teases as he gazes at my cock.

Another kink. Okay, I’ll indulge him a little.

My smirk deepens as I stroke my cock. “You okay with me making myself cum?”

“Yeah, do what you gotta do,” he rasps.

I chuckle. His gaze remains trained on my cock as I stroke it harder and faster, coaxing my orgasm out quickly. I slam back into the tiles as the spasms roll through me. I grunt as I paint the shower floor with it. It pools at my feet just before the water rinses it away.

Scarrow turns, giving me his back. I see him jerk a few times under the heavy stream of his showerhead. He braces the wall, his back heaving. Once he stills, I stalk over and stand behind him.

I gently place my hand on his lower back. “Next time, you’re going to let me watch,” I whisper.

He nods but doesn’t look at me.

I let my hand linger for a second longer before sliding out of the shower and leaving him in his own shame glow. He doesn’t even realize that this was his first humiliation ritual…

“It’s good to see us back to business as usual,” Scarrow quips.

I nod as I look down into the warehouse from my office window. “We can’t let another Kane type of situation happen ever again. On all fronts. You feel me?”

He crosses his arms over his chest. Next to me, Scarrow towers. He’s a beast and a teddy bear all in one. “Yup. I installed more cameras, better fucking ones, and I picked up some more guys from Morgan County. Real rough motherfuckers who shoot first and ask questions never. Cherry has bouncers and a security detail now.”

My jaw ticks. “And they know that she’s ours? That I’ll break every bone in their bodies if one of them so much as leers at her a little too long?”

Scarrow claps me on the back. He digs in, squeezing my shoulder. “I already gutted one from our old school crew. Made them all watch too. He cried like a chump.”

“Fucker. How dare he fucking violate our girl.”

“He didn’t. I just made an example of him. He’d been pissing me off for a while. Might have been skimming off the top. Maybe. Anyhow, I needed to remind everyone and inform the new ones who the fuck we are,” Scarrow huffs.

I feel my cheeks beaming with pride. That’s my fucking boy. “You did good, Scar. Now we can get back to making fucking money.”

“Hey. Everything’s good downstairs.” Omen saunters in, a vision in an all-black custom suit fitted with platinum cuff links and matching tie clip. “You need anything before I head out? I told Cherry I’d meet the delivery guys at Level Up. She’s at our place getting ready for Father Eli’s Sunday dinner.”

I shake my head. “Nah. We’ll be right behind you. Preacher will flay me if we’re late.”

These past few weeks have been trying. Tracking down vintage pinball machines that fit Cherry’s exact tastes haven’t been easy. But I never give up on making her completely happy. I found every fucking machine she wanted and even a couple more that I thought would add value to her business.

And now that she knows I’m her landlord, that she doesn’t have to pay rent unless she wants to keep adding to the trust I set up for her, her stress level has dropped hard. She’s even starting to glow again. No more looking over her shoulder for Kane or anyone for that matter. I protect my Cherry like I do my money. And I’ll kill anyone who fucks with either.

“Where are we at with Canyon Reyes?” Scarrow asks.

A pain shoots up the back of my neck. This fucking topic makes my stomach twist too. “He wants Push.”

Omen arches an eyebrow. “Our club in Lavender Heights? I hope you turned his ass down. We clean a lot of money through there.”

I shake my head. “I can’t. It gives us a temporary truce. And we don’t have the muscle yet to go to war with him. It’s a good price and it will give us some extra capital to expand.”

Scarrow opens his laptop and within seconds, his fingertips are flying across the keyboard. “It’s fine. We can funnel more through the laundromat in Morgan County. I’ll snap up another small property in Lavender Heights, closer to the border and more discreet.”

“Good. Try to find something that Canyon won’t want like a car wash or something.” The tension between my shoulders escalates.

“Why does he want Push so bad?” Omen barks. “It’s a small club with a shit ton of overhead and risk with that private room downstairs.”

We had a hard enough time as it was securing the liquor license with my felony background. Scarrow had to scrub out a dummy corporation to bypass the injunction on me.

With the laws and requirements for strip clubs, we said fuck it and just built a private room downstairs with another bar and only a few poles. VIP only. Discreet and illegal as fuck. That’s where the real money filters in, and then we clean it upstairs.

“Pussy. He’s obsessed with some woman who works for us. But she won’t give him the time of day.” I snicker.

Scarrow peers up from his laptop, his eyes wide. “So he bought the whole club? Jesus, he’s Canyon fucking Reyes. He could just… take her.”

I chuckle. “It’s Juniper Lyons.”

Omen snorts. “Yeah. No one’s taking that spoiled brat anywhere.”

Scarrow’s mouth gapes open. “Roxy’s friend? That girl runs her mouth too damn much. He’s likely to put her in a fucking body bag just to shut her ass up.”

I shrug. “Well, until then, he gets the club and we get a truce. He also agreed to back off of the bordering towns of Crimson Valley. Said he’d go north instead.”

Omen nods. “That’s good for now. But we need to keep a close eye on it.”

As Scarrow and I finish up at the warehouse, I start to feel more hopeful about the future. Our finances are healthy, the crew is behaving, and Kane is in the ground where he belongs. And Cherry… Fuck. My baby. She’s so perfect. So fucking eager to get on her knees for me still. Even after all these years. But now I get to touch her back.

And not God nor Preacher can do a damn thing about it.

This house always makes me uneasy. It’s a constant reminder of who we were, the sins we committed, and the shame we still carry. And him. My daddy, the preacher man. The only man I’ve ever known who could love a god who took two women from him. And despite the love he had for them, it seemed to run out when it got to me.

I knock on the door, my heart in my throat. He raised me, gave me food and shelter, but the only time I ever got his attention was when I broke his rules. So I made sure to often. A belt to the ass is better than nothing at all. I’m sure a therapist would keel over at that, but it’s my truth. And I don’t regret how I came to be.

“Cherinne. On time for once.” My daddy eyes me up and down, judging my outfit like the good Lord would want. I can’t even keep the sarcasm out of the words I don’t speak.

In my tight jeans, fitted tank top, and stilettos, I lean in and give him a peck on the cheek. “Nice to see you too, daddy. You need any help in the kitchen?”

He snorts and makes room for me to pass through the door. “Cherinne, you couldn’t find the kitchen if I gave you a map.” He takes my denim jacket out of my sweaty palms and hooks it onto the coat rack.

I bite my lip, fighting the urge to bark back. “Who do you think makes all the burgers and cheese fries down at Level Up, daddy?”

He stalks ahead of me, shaking his head. “Working a grill and a fryer is not the same as making a home-cooked meal for your family. It’s no wonder you still ain’t found a husband.”

I blow out a deep breath. Here we go. I can’t help myself. “Maybe I’ll find a nice wife then,” I call out.

He glares up from behind the refrigerator door as he shoves a bottle of rosé in my hand. “Don’t sass me, girl. You’re about as much of a lesbian as I am an atheist. I don’t know why you test me. You’ve always been a glutton for punishment.”

I chuckle as I twist off the cap and pour myself a large glass of rosé. “I must repent my sins, daddy.”

He groans. “Now what’s this about you staying with Hawk and them? You know that’s bordering on indecent. What will people say, Cherinne?”

I sigh and take a big swig of wine. “It’s just temporary while my place is getting renovated. After the vandalism… I just don’t feel comfortable there right now.” I don’t tell him it was Kane.

He narrows his eyes at me. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t go to the Sherrif. Those heathens are still out there. They could come back.”

I flit past him so I can peer out the sliding door. Hawk and I lock eyes through the glass. He looks up from flipping burgers while Scarrow and Omen laugh and guzzle beer. “I told the Sherrif, daddy. There’s nothing they can do. We installed more cameras and Hawk was nice enough to loan me some of his security. I’ll be fine.” How else can I assure him? I can’t exactly tell him that Omen put a bullet in Kane’s head.

He grumbles. “Well, I still think you should consider selling the place. It ain’t respectable.”

I whip around to face him. “Nothing I do is ever respectable to you. I’m sorry I didn’t go to college or get married or become a damn nun. But I’m doing the best I can. I’m following my dreams. And you know what? At least I didn’t end up dead with a needle in my arm like Momma.”

He steps forward, towering over me. “You watch your tone, young lady. Rebeccah Bradley was a fine woman who was led astray. Now, you were a lot to deal with and I had the congregation. She did the best she could too.”

I snicker. “Oh, so it’s my fault she became a drug addict? I didn’t ask you two to have me.”

“Cherinne, you are walking a thin line right now. You might be grown, but you’re still my kid. And I won’t hesitate to whoop your ungrateful ass if you don’t watch your mouth.” His nostrils flare, his face beet red.

I’m shaking as I set the wine glass down on the table. I clench my fists at my side, about to go psycho on his ass when the sliding door flings open behind me.

“You’re here. Good. Come outside and help me with the boys. I need you to distract them so I don’t burn the meat.” Hawk sizes us both up. While he’s always respected my daddy, he’s stood between us before.

“You’re a good man, son. Maybe you can teach this one a thing or two,” Father Eli snaps. “Lord knows she ain’t never learned anything from me.”

Hawk nods and tugs me back. “I already have. Isn’t that right, Cherry? Now excuse yourself properly and come help me.”

I want to scream at both of them, but I remind myself that I’m not a child anymore. That I don’t have to put up with any of this. I can leave. But I don’t. I’m here because the preacher is the only family I got. And I’m all he’s got. So we’re stuck together in our toxic little unit.

I force a smile and unclench my fists. I pick my wine back up from the table. “May I be excused, daddy?” For a second I don’t know which one of them I’m asking.

He grumbles again and nods. “Make sure you come set the table before the food’s ready, you hear?”

“Of course, daddy.” I give him another peck on the cheek before heading outside.

Hawk stalks out behind me holding the bottle of rosé. “You’re welcome. Now drink up so I can top you off.”

I down the whole glass. “Fill me up, please. Thank you.”

“Don’t let him rile you up, mama. You’re a queen,” Omen whispers in my ear.

My belly flutters. “My daddy or Hawk?”

“Both.” He chuckles. “Don’t give up control so easily. Make him earn it.”

I smirk and feel a blush on my cheeks. To think the first time I met this man he wanted to throttle me. Well, he still does, but in a hot way. “Oh, yeah? You gonna let me take control, Om?”

“Only if I get to make you cum first.” He winks and clinks his beer bottle to my glass.

I smile so wide it hurts my cheeks. “Deal.”

Scarrow barrels over and throws an arm around my shoulders. “What are you two whispering about?” he teases.

All the tension leaves my body as soon as I lean against him. “I was just telling him how big his—”

“Careful, Cherry,” Hawk warns as he points the grill tongs at me. “Preacher is watching from the kitchen window, believe that. And he can read body language like a military interrogator.”

Scarrow snort-laughs. “I think I truly understand the meaning behind God fearing now. Because that old man may just be a holy instrument, but he is one tough motherfucker I don’t want to piss off.” He quickly lurches away from me as if whatever sins I have are contagious.

I laugh out loud. “The three of you are in rare form today. Who would’ve thought that the scariest criminals in Crimson Valley would be deathly afraid of the town preacher.”

Hawk smirks. “We’re just being respectable that’s all.”

“You heard that part?” I fidget with the stem of my glass as my shame rears its ugly head at me.

He looks at me with so much love and tenderness I could cry. The same way he did the day of my momma’s funeral. “Cherinne Rose Bradley, you are the most respectable woman I know.”

My belly flutters and my cheeks heat again. “Well, that ain’t saying much, Hawk, You don’t know too many women,” I tease.

He laughs as he shakes his head. “And you got nothing to be ashamed of. I got you. We all do. You can let that onery old man do what he does to keep the peace. But just know that his word is not final.”

“We love you just the way you are, mama,” Omen adds.

Scarrow flashes me a sloppy grin. “See, we got money, freedom, each other, and we’re about to grub down on the second-best burgers in Crimson Valley. Yours being the best, of course. What more do we need?”

I can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Which is something I haven’t felt often in my life. But these boys have pulled me out of the fucking hellscape. They cleaned up my mess again. But this time the only thing they want in return is me. And all I want is them. So it works out.

I beam back at them. “I better go in and set the table before my daddy threatens me with the belt again.”

Omen’s eyes darken. He places a protective hand on my back. “Not in this lifetime, mama. Come on. I’ll walk you in.”

My stomach knots as I let him pull me into the house. “Om, wait. Don’t do anything stupid.”

My daddy tenses when he sees Om’s hand interlocked in mine. “She giving you trouble, son?”

“Not at all… Respectfully, I’m no one’s son. Not anymore.” Om bows his head slightly to lessen the offense, but the insult has been flung.

My daddy glares at me in response. “The table’s not gonna set itself, Cherinne.”

“Yes, sir.” As I pull away from Omen, he snaps me back.

“Make sure to set yourself up next to me tonight, mama.” He plants a kiss on my cheek.

My daddy’s face turns beat red. He clears his throat and looks away.

I fear that my cheeks look as crimson as his. Holy fuck. “Um. Yeah, I will do that.”

Omen’s hardened gaze flits to my daddy. His jaw ticks. “Good girl.” He smiles, but as he passes, he growls under his breath, “If a belt’s near her ass, it’s gonna be mine.”

Oh shit. I freeze, afraid to even breathe as I wait for an outburst. If I could hear him from over here, then I know my daddy heard him too. Fuck. “Sir, I… um—”

“Cherry, quit your yapping and grab the plates please. I can see Hawk pulling the burgers off the grill.”

“Yes, daddy.” I scurry into the kitchen, my heart racing. Oh my god. I can’t believe that just happened.

Omen Santiago just put Father Eli in his place.

It takes everything I have to keep my hysterical laughter from bubbling out. My daddy’s jaw was on the floor with mine, but he held his tongue.

I quickly set the table, avoiding eye contact. I can feel the scrutiny pulsing off of him even if he’s keeping it to himself. Something tells me that he’s filing this moment away for later. But I won’t let that damper my joy right now.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone leave my daddy speechless like that before,” I whisper in Omen’s ear as he takes the chair beside me.

“I told you I got you. No one’s laying a hand on you. Not even him. Especially not fucking him,” Omen growls under his breath. But loud enough for me to hear.

The smirks on Hawk’s and Scarrow’s faces let me know that Omen filled them in on his little display of dominance earlier. The elation I feel, however temporary, is the best fucking gift anyone could give me.

I’ve never been a damsel in distress. Fuck, this whole mess started because I stabbed three boys to death. I’ve stolen cars, money, fought to survive in this backwoods town.

Crimson Valley folks are tough as nails. Harder than steel. We grow up fast and most die young. But we live for the moment and love like it’s our last day. The ones closest to us bear the brunt of our sins but always keep our secrets.

My daddy ain’t never gonna get used to me owning a bar. And he’s certainly going to keep side-eyeing me every Sunday until he’s down in the ground next to my momma.

But that’s okay. Because I don’t need his approval or his acceptance anymore. I have my guys. I have my Hawk. It was the one thing that my daddy could never take away from me. As hard as he tried, he could never keep us from wanting each other. Deep down he knows that. And that’s his shame to carry. Not mine. Not anymore.

We finish supper, and I help clean up after he makes us all promise to be back next Sunday. Omen barely gives him another look as he struts out the door while Scarrow hugs the man like they’re best friends.

Hawk gives him his usual nod. “Let me know if anything needs fixing around here. I’ll send some guys over.”

“You know I will, son. Take care of your sister for me.” His dark tone does not go unnoticed by any of us.

Hawk puts his hand on my back. “I always do, daddy. Always have.”

Fucking hell.

Father Eli’s lip quivers as he stumbles back slightly. He recovers quickly though. “Don’t forget your jacket, Cherinne. There’s a storm brewing.”

I smile and grab it off the coat rack before letting Hawk guide me out to the cars, his hand still firmly gripping me. “Bet he wasn’t expecting that one. I know I wasn’t,” I murmur.

Hawk shrugs. “He’ll get over it.”

I look up to see the thick dark clouds swirling above our heads. The air is warm and damp and picking up speed. All the perfect components of a summer storm. Those were our favorite. Hawk and I would climb up on the roof and taunt the lightning. Nearly gave my daddy a heart attack every year.

Omen hops into Scarrow’s truck while Hawk takes my keys and opens the passenger door for me. “I’ll drive your car tonight.”

And I’m happy to let him. To give up control. With Hawk, I submit. Always. It’s what makes me happy. “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. The view’s better from our roof anyway.” He flashes me a knowing grin.

I gasp, my heart fluttering. “You aren’t scared of the storm?”

“My sweet, Cherry girl… you should know this by now. I am the storm.”

I squeeze his hand as he throws it in drive and peels out.

And I’m forever his beacon, guiding him home.

Thank you for reading SMOKE!

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Thank you so much for reading SMOKE! I hope you enjoyed being back in Crimson Valley. I am excited to bring you many more stories in this salacious and sinister world! This book was cathartic for me. I got to deal with a lot of my own issues with organized religion and explore some new kinks for my characters. And as I was writing this, I couldn’t figure out who I was in love with more: Hawk, Scarrow, or Omen! They are some of the tastiest snacks I’ve ever written LOL. Good thing it’s a why choose so I don’t have to. ;)

Thank you to my PA, Darcy Bennett! As always, your friendship and support means everything to me. Thank you for being the best PA an author could ever ask for!

Thank you to 3Crows Author Services for this beautiful cover! I gave you a couple ideas of what I wanted and you nailed it on the first pass. I’m in awe of your work and can’t wait to work with you again!

Thank you to Stacey of Champagne Book Design for formatting SMOKE! As always, your work is impeccable!

Thank you to my VIXENS!!! Whether you’re on my Street Team, ARC Team, or hang out in the group to support me and my books, I am so lucky and happy and grateful and blessed to have you all on this journey with me. Thank you STREET TEAM for your support, your enthusiasm, and your loyalty. It means so much. Thank you ARC TEAM for your excitement to read every book I release. Thank all of you for just being a really awesome group of humans. I love you so much!

And I especially want to thank you all for having my back and supporting me through some of the personal tragedies I’ve experienced this year. I am forever grateful to each and every one of you.

I gotta send a big shout out to my besties, of course: A.L. Maruga, Cassie Fairbanks, Candi Scott, and Renee. Love you ladies so much!

And last but never least, thank you to my family for all your love and support. To my Mom, Dad, and my sister Jen. I would not be able to do any of this without you. I love you all so much.

Until next time, lovelies.

M

XOXO

M Violet is a dark romance author with a flair for the dramatic. She likes whiskey, rainy nights, and writing by the fire. When she’s not creating scorching hot villains for you to fall in love with, you can find her eating chocolate and binge watching her favorite shows.

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