JACE ‘JR’ ASHER/ TRIGGERTHE BOYFRIEND OR IN THIS CASE FIANCÉ was a piece of shit who’d glanced at his phone the whole time the princess tried to make small talk.You’d think me knowing she had a fiancé and actually watching said fiancé kiss her sloppily would tone down whatever shit going on in my body about Lucia Amato but it didn’t.On the contrary, it fueled this want in me that had turned primal when I saw her in that skimpy bikini by the pool.Fucking gorgeous, wet, curvy and holding a paint brush while she was so lost in her world unaware that I was watching her, drinking in her features and wondering how a woman like her existed and how I hadn’t fucked her yet and gotten this over with.But that’s the thing, she was a princess to everyone including me.I didn’t give two shits about Nicolas Amato having my head on a silver platter if I as so much as touched his daughter’s ass. Naah that shit didn’t scare me. I was going to touch her, yes enjoy the fuck out of wiping every memo

JACE ‘JR’ ASHER/ TRIGGER‘AND ON HIS RIGHT, WE HAVE MICHAEL MARKOVICH’Marius, the occasional driver of Nicolas Amato pointed blandly at the punk seated at the lanai, sharing a cigar with the boss.The Armani suit clad guy turned twenty-four last year getting his trust fund after his father’s death and while he was new in the game, Michael Markovich was pretty well known.A business man on the outside and a shady arms dealer on the inside. AND LIKE Nicolas Amato, the Feds had nothing on him but rumors and the regular witnesses that disappeared before they could take a stand in court.“On the left is Callum Pallis”Also known as ‘the Italian don’ and his story was the same as all the bastards seated there plotting some dangerous shit all for power and more money.Born into a family who ate crime for breakfast.Born into the mafia and ran the family business.Same shit as Michael Markovich.“They show up whenever?” I asked playing dumb.The whole reason Marius was telling me all this wa

JACE ‘JR’ ASHER/ TRIGGER“I’M SORRY”She hiccupped.I really didn’t give a fuck she’d cried her way here or that she’d soaked my handkerchief with tears and snort I almost felt sorry I didn’t have another one to hand it to her.“It’s okay”There was no shame in mourning, no shame of expressing how you actually felt and normally this type of pain didn’t end.If she could have seen her father’s body sprawled across the living room like some dog left to rot, damn it, she would have been crying harder than she was now.The pain of losing someone didn’t just evaporate from your system in a day. It would take years, eternity even to process that you were alone.And in this case, Lucia Amato was alone. Her father was gone and I’m pretty sure Michael Markovich made it his mission to eliminate the fiancé too.“W—Where are we going after this?”Her glossy dark eyes searched mine and I was tongue tied for a minute.I wasn’t supposed to fucking save her, the mission was over but I had paved my wa

JACE ‘JR’ ASHER/ TRIGGER‘I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE COMING AND WHO’S THIS?’Misha’s outstretched hands that were ready for a hug darted from me to the woman behind me.At her late fifties, she barely looked like she’d aged let alone had passed the ‘I’m forty years old’ mark. With hazel nut eyes, auburn hair that was somewhere near Cassie’s and a few grey hairs in between, she was still a sight for sore eyes and as nosy as any mother was when you brought a woman home.Lucia came forward tugging the seams of her sweater, pushing back a couple of stray dark locks from her face before she stretched out her hand to a curious Misha.“I’m Lucia Amato, Jace’s friend. Your son has told me a lot about you and quite honestly it’s finally nice to meet the woman who raised this man”Misha’s brow lifted even higher, hand on her left hip, a sauce covered ladle in her hand, she glanced at me then back at Lucia.“You can tell me the truth honey. Did he do something to you? Did he pay you to show up here

CASSANDRA BATESELEMENTALLY, ROYALLY, FUCKING SCREWED.And that was because I didn’t have any other words to describe the situation, I was in.Wait, wait there was another word. I HAD HIT ROCK BOTTOM.I might have acted brave enough to reject Ice’s help but two days sleeping in my ex-roommate’s walk-in closet advised me that I should have done otherwise.But did I want to risk that?Did I want to risk owing Kade anything let alone running paths with him after he had avoided me in weeks?No, I did not need such toxic relationships in my life at the moment.I did not need Kade and I absolutely didn’t need violence dictating what my life should have been.I came back from my whirlwind romance with a vigilante poor as fuck.My apartment had been merrily given to another couple with a labradoodle.My job, well Nicolas Amato was dead, everything he owned had been confiscated by the cops so bye fucking bye to my job.I was back to square one, back to factory settings and pushing my whole sle