Chapter 71

Alexis .It had been a week since that night when the name Julie slipped from Pierce’s lips in his sleep and clawed its way into my brain.And I hated that it still bothered me. I rolled up my sleeves as I flipped the eggs, the morning sunlight pouring in through the tall kitchen windows. Pierce always said he loved when I made breakfast, but he never actually ate much. Probably because he was always running out the door to handle things I wasn’t allowed to know about.As I glanced outside, a black crow caught my eyeIt perched on the old oak tree just beyond the driveway, its beady eyes locked directly on me. It didn’t move or blink. It just gawked. That's so creepy. I heard footsteps descending the stairs, I turned to see Pierce entering the kitchen, crisp and gorgeous in a white shirt and dark blue pants.He smirked when he saw me. "Morning, beautiful.” He greeted.I barely had

Chapter 72

Pierce.I didn’t think about it at the time. My mind was a mess after that day but now, I realize I ignored something very important.Zane tossed a folder onto the table from his briefcase. “Since things didn't make much sense that day, especially on the security detail. I ran background checks on Alexis’s two bodyguards and the agency they work for.” He said. I flipped it open. Before hiring them I got them from an agency with a good reputation. If only I dug deep The name at the top hit me like a punch to the ribs.Wayne mother fucking Bellows.Political financier, Motorcycle club leader and my mother’s lover. The senator isn't the only one who is vying to be my step dad. Mother loves being promiscuous. Wayne is a long-time snake with a personal security agency they worked for?” Zane tapped the file. “Proxy company. Wayne’s fingerprints all over it.”I closed my eyes, and threw the books

Chapter 73

Alexis.Blood fills my mouth. It's warm, metallic tasting and thick. How do vampires enjoy this? I spit it out, coughing as my head throbs like it’s been split open. My vision blurs, but I manage to lift it slowly until my eyes land on Marissa.“Wake up, you stupid slut,” she barks.It takes me a second to register the weight pulling at my arms. My wrists are bound. Rope digs into my skin. My legs won’t move as I’m tied to a chair.I scan the room, and my heart shatters. In the corner, Sierra is curled protectively around Luna, shielding and rocking her. They’re both shaking. Luna’s tiny face is hidden, and Sierra's frozen, just like she always gets when fear takes overBut even as she's trembling she’s got enough strength to keep my little sister’s eyes away from this nightmare.I hate seeing her like that. It should’ve been just me.“If it’s me you wanted, there was no need to bring them,” I say, spittin

Chapter 74

Pierce. We split the second we storm into the compound. Nero, Zane, and I take the east side. Juarez, Max, and Leo sweep the west. The place has massive rooms, halls, and more doors than I can count. But I don’t care. I’m not here to clear rooms but to kill. Anyone in my way breathing that doesn’t belong to us gets a bullet. I don’t aim to wound. I aim to end them, painfully slow. Nero kicks one door after another. Zane covering his back. My blood’s boiling, my vision is pulsing. Nero slams his foot into the last door harder than the others. It flies open. The sight inside freezes me to the fucking ground. Luna is standing on a chair, her tiny arms holding up Alexis’s limp body. Her head tilted, skin pale, face so swollen and bruised I barely recognize her. Sierra lies on the floor unconscious. Fuck No! “Help us…” Luna sobs, tears s

Chapter 75

Alexis.When I came to, everything was blurry.My nose and mouth is covered with an oxygen mask. The ambulance rocks beneath me, sirens wailing somewhere in the distance. A nun leans over me, gently buckling the straps across my aching body. Her touch is gentle but every nerve screams in protest.I blink hard, trying to clear my vision.Outside the open ambulance doors I see Pierce .He’s standing a few feet away, lifting something small and round almost like a soccer ball by its hair. There's Maxwell, wait a damn minute is that a samurai sword?! I squint my open eye, but can't make out much. My eye flutters, and the pull of exhaustion drags me back under.Nero’s face comes into focus as he leans over me.“Hey, you’re awake. How’re you holding up?”His voice is soft. “Like I got hit by a bus. Twice,” I rasp. My throat feels like sandpaper.I shift, pain jolting through every inch of me.

Chapter 76

Alexis.The funeral was too formal.Media cameras clicked everywhere, flashing like this was some goddamn red carpet. Strangers hovered around, whispering and sobbing. Some woman I didn’t recognize bawled harder than anyone.I didn’t care because I wasn’t here to mourn that b!tch. I was here to look fashionably happy she's dead. My black Alexander McQueen dress fit perfectly. It had a high neck and long sleeves. The Christian Louboutins clicked softly as I walked. Sierra went with a simple pencil skirt, fitting dark top and Ray-Bans that gave her that, don’t mess with me edge.Paparazzi lenses flicked toward us. They better get my angles right. Flashes came in one after the other, you'd think it's the MET with Sierra and I as the guests.Inside the chapel, people already settled. At the front, two caskets rested side by side. One black and the other brown, both closed. Photos of Marissa and Luciano framed them. T