Ewan
I want to run after her and beg her to forgive me. Her words were painfully heartbreaking. To hear her so plainly tell me of her lonely existence is eye-opening. I had an idea that things were difficult for her, but I never considered how difficult.
I will admit that I dreaded walking into her shop, but I also felt a sense of excitement. I want her. However, after hearing her candid request, I have to reason that she’s better off without me. I don’t know if I’m ready to fall in love again or if what I’m feeling is a residual of what I felt for Tamsyn.
“You seem quiet, Ewin. Is something wrong?” Bella asks as she settles her fork down on the table and takes a drink of her wi
Taryn I bite my lower lip as we make our way to my neighborhood. Ewan is on his phone, talking to someone. He sounds so commanding and gruff that it makes my heart flutter. I’m still reeling from the fact that he carries a weapon. After a minute, he rolls his shoulders and disconnects the call. “We should call the police.” He states angrily. “There’s no point. They won’t show up until the heat has died down. They don’t care. This isn’t the first time this has happened.” I respond angrily. Ewan’s jaw ti
Ewan It doesn’t take me long to get to the building’s empty rooftop. I’m guessing that the intruders haven’t come to the rooftop because the door is padlocked. Luckily for me, I’m an expert at picking locks. It takes me seconds to unlock the door. The entrance is silent, but I can hear the sounds of bodies rushing around downstairs. As careful as I can be, I walk down the stairs and stop when a figure passes by. The intruder is wearing the colors of the local gang and holding a gun. Before he can spot me, I flatten myself against the wall and wait to see if there are more men. Once I realize that he’s alone, I sneak up behind him and grab him in a headlock. He struggles within my hold, his body flailing as he tries to catch his breath. But it’s a futile effort, and he quic
Taryn Cleo and I lie in my twin bed, our eyes wide open and our bodies filled with tension as we wait for morning to arrive. For years, we’ve been dealing with similar circumstances. However, it never gets easier. It’s a scary situation that has become a way of life for us. It has become such a routine that they can run protocols for this situation in their sleep. Even though Willa lives across the hall, she knew to come here for lockdown. Even Cleo has found herself experiencing this kind of terror with us before. Cleo and I have been friends for years. She’s actually the friend who introduced me to exotic dancing. After seeing me struggling to care for my father, she recommended me to the club’s manager. Cleo h
Ewan I hate leaving Taryn and the others like this after such a difficult night, but I have an assignment I need to complete. I didn’t leave them completely unprotected, though. Earlier, I called Logan and asked him to station one of the men outside Taryn’s building. Phoenix did the same thing for Cleo. I’m hopeful that now that we’ve taken the gang initiates in custody, the rest of the gang will be a bit warier of terrorizing the neighborhood. I’ve also asked Logan to give me any information he can find on the gang. I plan on paying a few of their top-level men a visit in case they attempt to retaliate. For now, I’m going to focus on the psychotic hotel mogul, Gorrin Morrison. I was able to ta
Taryn “Alright, I’m going to work, Willa. You know where to call me if you need me. The keys to the van are on the kitchen counter.” Willa nods her head as she tucks a blanket around my dad’s legs. Willa’s daughter, Ingrid, invited dad and Willa to stay the weekend with her. Her two daughters are out of town for their graduation trip, and her son stays at his best friend’s house. Which means that she has room for both dad and Willa at the place. They have stayed over at Ingrid’s house in the past. They love it. It’s like taking a mini-vacation. I think this time, Ingrid asked them to stay the night for her own peace of mind. From what Willa told me, Ingrid was shaken to hear about l
Ewan Waking up next to Taryn’s bare, pliant body is a new experience. I’m not a saint, but I’ve always kept my sexual encounters brief and separate from my life. However, Taryn is more than an encounter. I care for her. She’s the first woman with whom I have felt a deep connection. I don’t even think I felt this way about her sister, Tamsyn. It’s a precarious situation because I don’t want her to think that I’m using her. I no longer have feelings for Tamsyn. Especially after realizing what kind of monster she became. No, I want Taryn, and now that I have her, I intend to enjoy her. I turn over in my bed and face Taryn’s resting form. She’s lying on her side with her han
Taryn “What do you think?” Logan asks as soon as he sees me take a bite of soup stuffed with dumplings. “Wow, it’s good,” I reply with a pleasurable sigh. Logan smirks in reply. “Better than that weird English food my brother cooks?” Ewan gives him an offended scowl. “You git! I’m an amazing cook.” Logan scoffs. “You said you’d make pudding. Do you really want me to explain what pudding is?” Bella an
Ewan One month. That’s how long Taryn and I have been together. Even though we’ve only been a couple for a month, I can already see a future with her. When we’re not working, we spend most of our nights cooking dinner, watching the Telly, and making love. Most mornings, we run on the beach with Logan and Bella, then we shower, and I take her back home. Due to her father’s recurring seizures, she tries to be home as much as she can, which means we have to take advantage of our time. Willa has been a great help, and so has the nurse that I hired to help around the house. Nights without her are difficult. I’ve become so accustomed to holding her in my arms that I can’t sleep. For a while now, I&rs
Ewan I watch as my beautiful bride walks down the aisle. Her long crimson hair swirls wildly around her, and her simple mermaid dress flutters in the wind. Ava walks beside her, her blue dress a beautiful contrast with her scarlet tresses. It has been a year since we became engaged and officially adopted Ava. At first, it was odd to hear her call me dad, but I quickly adjusted. I never thought I’d want children, but I found myself enjoying it since becoming Ava’s dad. We’ve become very close since she moved in with us. Thankfully, she has not dated anyone yet. She told me that it’s because boys are immature, and I didn’t argue.
Taryn Things have changed so much in the past year. As I watch Ava and Ewan splash around the beach, I smile. After she attempted to kill us, Tamsyn was convicted to thirty years for attempted murder. Ava cried for days. It was hard to watch, but Ewan and I did everything we could to console her. We even put her in counseling. After months of therapy, she understood that Tamsyn was disturbed and had nothing to do with her mother’s psychotic behavior. I mean, even I knew that Tamsyn was messed up way before then. Once Stuart was buried and everything was settled for Tamsyn’s hearing, we asked Ava if she’d move in with us. At first, she couldn’t believe that we’d take her in after everything her mother
Ewan The first shot lands near my foot, only managing to make me angrier. Logan, Phoenix and I, rush into the house and aim as men try to surround us. A grunt escapes my lips as one of the men kicks out and hits me in the kidney. Turning sideways, I grip his foot and twist it. The sound of snapping bone makes satisfaction course through me. Crying out in pain, the man falls to one knee, which allows me to shoot him in the head. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as my brother and Phoenix take down their opponents. However, I don’t give it another thought because I know they can take care of themselves. As another man approaches, I remove my knife and stab it into his thigh. This man is impressively muscled, with the body of a linebacker and the face of a pit bull. He barely feels my knife slice through his
Taryn As Stuart enters the room, I stiffen my spine. His face is a mask of delight as he comes closer. His eyes slither back and forth between us as if he’s savoring our fear. “Hello, Ava.” He mutters slyly. Keeping her behind me, I tighten my hand around her arm in warning. “Don’t talk to her,” I warn. Stuart’s eyes snap back to mine, his smile slipping from his lips. “And what are you going to do about it?” I don’t answer as I tighten my hand around the broken shard of glass. Ava sobs silently behind
Ewan I gaze down at my phone’s screen as the call cuts off. Taryn sounded despondent, and to hear her tell me that they’re going to kill her and Ava, makes my gut clench. I’m still astounded when I recall how callously Tamsyn planned to kill her own daughter. The woman is a bloody monster. “Well?” Logan’s voice cuts into my reverie. “She and Ava are still alive. She said that she’s in a mansion near the Valley. From Tamsyn’s trajectory, I gauge that we’re not far from where they are kept. I’m glad you called Bullet and told him to tail her while we follow a street over. I don’t want her becoming suspicious.”&nb
Taryn My arm aches beneath the man’s painful hold. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, I hid the phone in the seam of my jeans, put my gag back on, and slipped my hand back inside my restraints. My fingers throb, and my face itches from rubbing it against the rug, but it was worth it because I was able to warn Ewan. Breathing heavily, I listen to the men’s footsteps until they reach the trunk of the car. It’s still dark outside, and my eyes have to adjust. A shadow eclipses the vehicle’s interior, followed by large arms. I flinch away and try to squirm further into the trunk, but the men easily grip my legs and torso to lift me out. Muffled curses fall from my lips as I’m carried inside a home. I don’t recognize the I, which means that I am not at Stuart’s house.
Ewan The atmosphere is tense at best as Logan, Phoenix, and I search my father’s grounds. Even though I wish to rush in and shoot him between the eyes, I know that I have to be careful. If he took Ava, it must be because of his quarrel with Logan and me. My hope is that he hasn’t hurt Ava in any way. I couldn’t bear it if he hurt someone as innocent as Ava to get back at Logan and me. “All of the lights are off.” Logan comments. I glance at him from the vehicle’s dim interior. The only thing I can make out is the glow in his eyes and the steady sound of our breathing. I turn my gaze back to the house and inspect the grounds. It’s quiet and still.
Taryn “He really loves you,” Tamsyn mumbles sharply. “Ava tells me that he looks at you like you’re the most important thing in his life. And I can see that you feel the same way.” I turn to my sister and cross my arms protectively in front of my chest. She sounds bitter, which puts me on edge. I don’t want to be here. I’m just too angry at her for abandoning dad, and for not going to his funeral. “Yes, he does love me, and I love him, too,” I reply evenly. This is not a conversation that I want to have with Tamsyn, considering that she used to be Ewan’s girlfriend. But I have to make i
Ewan I shoot up from my bed as the shrill sound of my cell phone ringing resonates throughout the room. Taryn shifts beside me and open’s her heavy eyes with an annoyed growl. “What’s wrong?” She mumbles sleepily. It seems that our nights are prime for us receiving phone calls. Unfortunately, no one ever calls with good news. Fuck! Reaching for the nightstand, I look at the phone’s screen and frown. “It’s Tamsyn,” I mumble gruffly. At my words, Taryn slides up the headboard. “Why the hell is she calling you at this time of the night?”&nb