Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Blade.
My brother’s falling for Olivia Davis, and he doesn’t have a damn clue what he’s walking into. He sees a gentle woman with a smile that lights up the world, but I see the ghosts that follow her. The kind that never stops whispering. And I can’t warn him. It’s just impossible. Her story is not mine to tell. She trusted me once when no one else did, and I gave her my word to keep everything she told me silent. I would be her safe place—something she desperately needed then and now. After everything she’s survived, I’d die before I would break my promise to her.
I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling. The memory of her hits me like it always does—like a deadly punch I don’t see coming. There’s no way to dodge it. Christ, it has been years, and I can still feel the pleasure and pain like it’s happening for the first time.
I told Blade that I had met Olivia when she saved my life. That—at least—was the truth. We held each other for three days, while both of us recovered from the hits Eyeball and his crew delivered. In those three days, she told me about her connection to the Feral Kings, the pain she had endured because of them. Poured out words that were pulled from her soul, revealing scars I couldn’t see. I knew these were so deep they’d never leave her. Hell, it doesn’t take a genius to know she’s still struggling with them today—that’s why I wanted to warn Blade.
When she revealed that my worst enemy was actually her fucking brother, it hit me like a ton of bricks. If it weren’t so fucking twisted, I’d have laughed at the irony. Of all the places I could escape to, that bastard’s sister would have been the last choice—and yet those three days were the closest I’ve ever been to heaven in my life. After she poured her heart out to me, I told her about Mavis, and the helplessness I felt at not being able to save her. How I couldn’t seem to give up on her until I saw what she had reduced herself to at Eyeball’s club.
It was stolen time. Time in which she had a neighbor check in on her dad and together we hid away inside the small community center—which had been closed for months. We talked, she cooked small meals from the supplies she brought back with her but most of all, we just spent time together. It was the best three days of my entire fucking life, but by the third day, I knew I could ride my bike home. I needed to get back to the club and she needed to stay away from me—to be safe.
It's not what I wanted at all. I wanted to call in our allies and do away with Eyeball completely. I knew that it was a war I couldn’t win. We hadn’t been set up long enough to do that. I felt my brothers and I were building something that could be strong and special, but we weren’t there yet. I also couldn’t tell the club the real reason for the war would be to avenge a woman I barely knew—a woman whose brother led our enemy. I also couldn’t do what I truly wanted and that was claim Olivia as my old lady. I knew that was hopeless. The pain and scars she bore made bringing her into my world impossible. Olivia was like a butterfly. She had strength enough to fly the world spreading beauty, but was so incredibly delicate that the slightest of touches could be fatal.
So, I didn’t even try.
Adversely, if I told the men that the reason for our war was about Mavis—God, I don’t even want to know the pitying looks I’d receive or the bullshit lectures. No, my hands were tied. Olivia and I could never be.
We slept together—fully clothed—for three days. We hugged often, but that was it. It was all I could allow myself, because I knew if I gave into what I wanted—and what she seemed to want just as much—I’d be lost. I had to keep Olivia safe, so I walked away. Telling her that for her safety we should keep our distance. I could see the hurt in her eyes, but she nodded her agreement and that was it.
For two years, I held fast to that. I began seeing Ayita—never forgetting the woman who somehow stole my heart. A woman I could never have. I thought that was the end of it. Then, one day, I came across Olivia completely by accident. It was one of those random, nothing days that end up changing everything. Hangman’s sister had roped us into a community fundraiser for the kids over in the federal housing complex. There were food booths, yard sales, face painting, and game stations. The whole thing was about getting school supplies and winter coats for the children. I didn’t expect to stay long. Hell, I was still half-drunk from the night before. But then I saw her.