I pulled back the dressing on my leg and cringed. It wasn’t pretty. It was healing, but I kind of expected it to look better after a week.We stayed in the motel room the entire time, with only one trip out to a grocery and to switch out cars. Laying low in an entirely different fashion than before.And by switch out, I meant steal. It wasn’t one of the set-up, ready and waiting ones.During that time, he tried to get more information about Four while I learned the mechanics of guns, from safety to disassembling and cleaning. Not to mention the cabin fever that was beginning to consume me.“Does this look okay?” I held my leg out, and he stood up and walked over to examine it.His hand ran up the inside of my thigh as he took hold of my leg and turned it in the light. “It’s healing nicely. How does it feel?”“The pain is pretty much gone, just depends on how I move the skin.”He nodded. “Sounds about right. You should keep that off, let it get some air.”I moved to rest
I sat in a daze the next morning.No snarky remarks. Not even many words.There was blackness and a fracture and a huge ass identity crisis happening within me.The death Six and the Killing Corps dealt was real. It was rivers of blood and piles of bodies.And I was a part of it.I’d added a drop to the bucket that overflowed with red.Lacey was a different person from Paisley, and the lines between them were no longer blurred by obscurity. It was hard and absolute, and cracked, because I cracked. Because I saw for the first time what I had become. The difference between Lacey and Paisley.Lacey was a role I played, not the real me, but somehow I’d forgotten. Nothing of the last two months had been my life. The way I looked, the clothes I wore, the way I traveled, or the company I kept.I, Paisley, had killed people.They were people who were trying to kill me, so it was self-defense, but I couldn’t forget the high and the way I fucked Six after.“We’ve been here too
Stats:17 – number of times I’d been called some form of cattle or sheep or a cat8256 – times I tried to convince myself I was not developing feelings for my executioner8254 – times I succeeded in convincing myself I was not developing feelings for my executioner2 – times I failed at convincing myself I was not developing feelings for my executionerFuck meThings were beyond complicated. I was a rational human being, so logic dictated that you do not fall in love with a man who constantly reminded you he was going to kill you.The problem was, his dick was so good at helping me forget logic. He made me feel for him.The saying is you can’t help who you fall in love with, but really? Did it have to happen with a psychopathic killer?Though I didn’t think it was quite love, but…I’d never felt as alive as I did with him.Although I never thought I would develop any feelings other than loathing toward my captor, somewhere along the line, I had.Maybe I was
When the sun began to set, we got ready. Six double checked the two guns he was going to take and grabbed two full magazines while I armed my jeans with my lip balm.“Where are we meeting him?” I asked as I slipped on my flats.He held the door open as I walked through. The car was parked right in front of the room.Once out of the parking lot and on the road, he finally answered me. “Up the coastal highway, past Santa Barbara. There’s an abandoned restaurant.”“Why was it abandoned?” I wasn’t really expecting a response, just curious.In true Six fashion, he ignored me. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to the dark pavement.Once out of L.A. and past the Santa Barbara area, the traffic decreased and it became pitch black. The exception was the moon shining onto the great expanse of the ocean to our left, leaving a streak of light on the water.It was an amazing view, the beam extending for miles. There were a few lights from boats, but otherwise it was empty.After about
By the time we got back to the motel I was chilled to the bone. My teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, and I was dying to get out of my clothes.“I’m going to take a shower,” I said, my voice a bit raw, body sore and sluggish.He didn’t respond, but there was no need. Six wasn’t one for unnecessary conversation, and I knew there was a lot going on in his head.I stripped off my still damp clothes that were covered in salt and sand, and let them fall to the floor as I turned on the water. My skin felt ice cold to the touch.As I stepped in, the warm water felt like it was burning my cool skin. I let the warmth fall over me, roll across my skin, and tried to forget.To forget that Six was betrayed by two of his own, one being his own brother. To forget that we were probably still being hunted, and with a greater ferocity than before.The sound of the shower curtain rings sliding across the rod made me open my eyes. Six stared at me, completely naked, as he climbed in with me. H
I stared into the mirror above the dresser, at my less-than-like-me new haircut, to go with my so-not-me dye job. If my eyes weren’t their normal bright blue, I would seriously question the reflection as being me.But it was me, or rather Lacey.So much had gone on the last few months that my entire twenty-eight years leading up to now seemed like an entire lifetime ago.Paisley Anne Warren lived a lifetime ago.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the mirror, from the changes I’d endured that morphed me into Lacey Collins. But I could hear the life going on in the motel room. The TV spouting some news about something terrible, as they always seemed to do. There was the buzzing of the phone against the wood tabletop—an oddity since Jason’s death. The spray of the shower, and then the squeak of the knob as it turned off.Steam billowed out a minute later as the door opened, but Six didn’t come out. Instead, the next sound that filtered through my ears was another buzzing. My g
After over three hours of driving, a pharmacy stop an hour in, and a vehicle change, we checked into some obscure motel in the middle of nowhere. It was a welcomed sight. We were both tired, hungry, and injured.The moment we were in the door and Six latched it, I was dragging him into the bathroom, pharmacy bag in tow.I sat him down on the toilet and looked him over. His left eye was swollen shut and he was so covered in blood I couldn’t tell where it was coming from or if it was even his.“We need to get this off,” I said as I pulled at his shirt.He blew out a breath and took hold of the hem, his movements stiff. I pulled from the back, working his head through the hole and sliding the rest down his arms.With his shirt gone, I looked over his chest. There was some swelling and some bruises starting to blossom, indicating there might be some broken ribs. By the way Nine was hitting and kicking him, I wouldn’t doubt it. There were no pulled punches.I tried to turn off
4 months later…“Wow, Lacey, hungry?” Sue snickered above the small half wall that separated our cubes.I looked up but continued to chomp away on my pretzels, giving a small shrug to my coworker. “Seems to be an hourly thing lately.”She chuckled. “I remember those days.”It was true. In the last few weeks my hunger had kicked in to overdrive. I’d gained five pounds in the last two weeks alone. The second trimester seemed to be making up for the lack of food I was able to consume during the first. If it didn’t slow down, I was going to end up a whale by the time the baby arrived.The thought stopped me, the pretzels suddenly very unappealing. I tossed the bag onto my desk in disgust and frustration.Six didn’t know.I had no way to contact him and hadn’t seen or heard from him since he left.So, there I was, all alone in Florida. Pregnant. Scared out of my damn mind.My family thought I was dead, and it was better that way. Paisley Warren died the moment Six b
Welcome to the Cameo HotelI get what I want.When I walked through the door of the Cameo Hotel I didn’t expect such a beauty to be working the front desk.The effect she has on me is intense, and I make her life a living hell because of it.I love her spirit, her internal defiance when completing the most inane task I assign her. My two week stay has turned into unending, just to be near her.She’s under my every command if she wants to keep me happy.There’s one last thing I want.Her.Find out more hereCocksureA life altering lie, ten years, and one wild night later, the game has changed.NikoMy life is great. I love my job, have awesome friends, and a great family.Women love me, even if they know it’s just for a night.I always thought love at first sight was bullshit. Then she came storming into my life. She tore through my every
K.I. Lynn is the USA Today Bestselling Author from The Bend Anthology and the Amazon Bestsellers, Breach and Becoming Mrs Lockwood. She spent her life in the arts, everything from music to painting and ceramics, then to writing. Characters have always run around in her head, acting out their stories, but it wasn’t until later in life she would put them to pen. It would turn out to be the one thing she was really passionate about.Since she began posting stories online, she’s garnered acclaim for her diverse stories and hard hitting writing style. Two stories and characters are never the same, her brain moving through different ideas faster than she can write them down as it also plots its quest for world domination…or cheese. Whichever is easier to obtain… Usually it’s cheese.WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramGet my Newsletter
First and foremost… Thank you to everyone for taking a chance on this book and me. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love.Next up on the thank you train is to my poor, neglected husband. I have left him alone many a night, shut in my office when he got home, so I could work. He’ll never read this, but I love him.My assistant Kaylee who tirelessly worked on graphics and marketing. Stayed up late to talk things out and bounce ideas off each other. Who didn’t get too mad when I constantly teased her.To Dani for supporting Six and for her wicked dream. It made for a badass addition.Carol for allowing me to tease her for weeks on end and giving me great feedback.T for her excellent catches and thought inducing insight. Also, for helping me to make this piece of unbelievable fiction more believable.Vanessa, for understanding that I will never understand some things. And her cohort Manda, for helping me fix things I didn’t
Sooo … This might be cheating as Six was written in 2016 and doing this is new to me, but here goes.If you’re reading this you’ve finished my sociopath. You made it to the end alive!! If you love him, that’s okay, it’s not a bad thing. Many others love him as well. You’re in good company.When I set out to write Six it was to push myself. I wanted dark and gritty and an anti-hero who didn’t soften. Well, Paisley didn’t exactly go along with that whole dark hostage vibe, now did she? Honestly, she had me cracking up. Her snark and sarcasm in the literal face of death had me in tears sometimes.I have to admit, no offense to my other titles (“I love you all!” she says, knowing they’re not real, but she’s getting dirty looks from the characters in her mind) but this was my favorite book to write. Make no mistake, it was hard. It had rough patches, but Lacey and Six were a challenge and so different and interesting. I didn’t hold back. I let it take ever
4 months later…“Wow, Lacey, hungry?” Sue snickered above the small half wall that separated our cubes.I looked up but continued to chomp away on my pretzels, giving a small shrug to my coworker. “Seems to be an hourly thing lately.”She chuckled. “I remember those days.”It was true. In the last few weeks my hunger had kicked in to overdrive. I’d gained five pounds in the last two weeks alone. The second trimester seemed to be making up for the lack of food I was able to consume during the first. If it didn’t slow down, I was going to end up a whale by the time the baby arrived.The thought stopped me, the pretzels suddenly very unappealing. I tossed the bag onto my desk in disgust and frustration.Six didn’t know.I had no way to contact him and hadn’t seen or heard from him since he left.So, there I was, all alone in Florida. Pregnant. Scared out of my damn mind.My family thought I was dead, and it was better that way. Paisley Warren died the moment Six b
After over three hours of driving, a pharmacy stop an hour in, and a vehicle change, we checked into some obscure motel in the middle of nowhere. It was a welcomed sight. We were both tired, hungry, and injured.The moment we were in the door and Six latched it, I was dragging him into the bathroom, pharmacy bag in tow.I sat him down on the toilet and looked him over. His left eye was swollen shut and he was so covered in blood I couldn’t tell where it was coming from or if it was even his.“We need to get this off,” I said as I pulled at his shirt.He blew out a breath and took hold of the hem, his movements stiff. I pulled from the back, working his head through the hole and sliding the rest down his arms.With his shirt gone, I looked over his chest. There was some swelling and some bruises starting to blossom, indicating there might be some broken ribs. By the way Nine was hitting and kicking him, I wouldn’t doubt it. There were no pulled punches.I tried to turn off
I stared into the mirror above the dresser, at my less-than-like-me new haircut, to go with my so-not-me dye job. If my eyes weren’t their normal bright blue, I would seriously question the reflection as being me.But it was me, or rather Lacey.So much had gone on the last few months that my entire twenty-eight years leading up to now seemed like an entire lifetime ago.Paisley Anne Warren lived a lifetime ago.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the mirror, from the changes I’d endured that morphed me into Lacey Collins. But I could hear the life going on in the motel room. The TV spouting some news about something terrible, as they always seemed to do. There was the buzzing of the phone against the wood tabletop—an oddity since Jason’s death. The spray of the shower, and then the squeak of the knob as it turned off.Steam billowed out a minute later as the door opened, but Six didn’t come out. Instead, the next sound that filtered through my ears was another buzzing. My g
By the time we got back to the motel I was chilled to the bone. My teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, and I was dying to get out of my clothes.“I’m going to take a shower,” I said, my voice a bit raw, body sore and sluggish.He didn’t respond, but there was no need. Six wasn’t one for unnecessary conversation, and I knew there was a lot going on in his head.I stripped off my still damp clothes that were covered in salt and sand, and let them fall to the floor as I turned on the water. My skin felt ice cold to the touch.As I stepped in, the warm water felt like it was burning my cool skin. I let the warmth fall over me, roll across my skin, and tried to forget.To forget that Six was betrayed by two of his own, one being his own brother. To forget that we were probably still being hunted, and with a greater ferocity than before.The sound of the shower curtain rings sliding across the rod made me open my eyes. Six stared at me, completely naked, as he climbed in with me. H
When the sun began to set, we got ready. Six double checked the two guns he was going to take and grabbed two full magazines while I armed my jeans with my lip balm.“Where are we meeting him?” I asked as I slipped on my flats.He held the door open as I walked through. The car was parked right in front of the room.Once out of the parking lot and on the road, he finally answered me. “Up the coastal highway, past Santa Barbara. There’s an abandoned restaurant.”“Why was it abandoned?” I wasn’t really expecting a response, just curious.In true Six fashion, he ignored me. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to the dark pavement.Once out of L.A. and past the Santa Barbara area, the traffic decreased and it became pitch black. The exception was the moon shining onto the great expanse of the ocean to our left, leaving a streak of light on the water.It was an amazing view, the beam extending for miles. There were a few lights from boats, but otherwise it was empty.After about