Page 4 of The Merciless King

I pull her against my chest, cursing. “Fuck, Buttercup.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” She cries softly.

Goddamn it.

I don’t want to either, but I know I have to live my life and let Amy grow into the woman she’s going to be. She’s going to be beautiful. Hell, she’s already too beautiful. I’m not letting any of my horny friends near her.

Not now and not in ten years.

She’ll survive this. I know she will.

Amy has dreams. She wants to be an interior decorator. I’ve heard her talking with my mom, helping her with colors and decisions when they were redecorating our holiday home here in the Hamptons.

She’s never told me directly, but I saw her browser open when she was looking up courses. I really hope she follows those dreams because she’s fucking smart and creative.

The rest is up to her.

Like all of us, it’s the choices we make every single day that actualize our dreams into reality.

I had to work my ass off to become a Marine—thirteen hard long weeks at bootcamp—and I need to keep working hard to remain one.

And stay alive.

I’ve protected Amy for ten years and I love her like she’s my little sister. It might be me leaving the nest, so to speak, but it’s up to her to fly.

“Promise me you’ll keep your grades up. Don’t talk to boys and follow your dreams, Buttercup.” I say, pulling her off my chest and taking her chin.

She nods and smiles.

“Can’t promise I won’t talk to boys, though.”

“Two out of three, I guess.” I roll my eyes, share a smile with her, then head back to the steaks.

I hear her soft giggle behind me.

She’s going to be okay...at least that’s what I thought.

Turns out I was completely fucking wrong.

CHATER ONE

––––––––

BRAXTON

“I’m sorry. Did we put out a fucking ad in the wanted section?” Decker asks, staring from face to face.

My eyes slide over to Conner, who looks like he was expecting the response.

In fact, I know he was.

The day I approached him, we discussed this. Well, after he interrogated me and asked me how the fuck I found out what they were doing.

They being the Dark Kings.

That was a much longer conversation.

Bottom line, it was a guess of sorts. I mean, he’s married to Mia Barrett—nee Mancini, the mafia princess—and owns the most successful private security company in the United States.

---