Page 13 of Ruthless Redemption

There wasn’t just organized vehicle movement filling up his mind. Blood and chaos resided there too. The club understood the violence inside him—to a degree. But some missions had been worse than others and there were things that could not be unseen or undone. Blood that could not be unspilled.

With every completed mission, he thought he couldn’t wait to get back on American soil. But every time he returned to his home base, the inevitable slide into restlessness came on too soon, leaving him itching for another assignment that would lead him halfway around the world to once again take down a target.

Izzy being taken had once again unleashed the beast, and rescuing her from the clutches of her fiancé had not been enough to quench his thirst for retribution.

Frustrated that he couldn’t get the shit out of his head, he flexed his wrist and jerked his boot to change gears and speed up. Certain memories were never forgotten, but they could get reduced to dust in his rearview mirror if he tried hard enough.

At least temporarily.

Chapter Six

Izzy

By the time we pulled into The Sinclair Hotel & Casino the next day, the sun was dropping in the sky as the afternoon burned into evening. I was dropped off at a private entrance deep in the parking garage and ushered to a spacious suite on the hotel’s sixth floor via what also looked like a private elevator. I wanted to ask why all the subterfuge, not to mention the expense this kind of exclusive service had to cost the club, but figured at this juncture I had to go with it. Whatever they had in mind for this operation I would find out soon enough.

As promised, there were two women waiting for me who immediately ushered me inside and got to work. Hours of primping later, my hair had been treated to an overdue cut and highlight and some of the resort’s premiere spa aestheticians came to my room and pampered every inch of me until I had been massaged, scrubbed and buffed until I glowed. A stylist had expertly applied heavy make-up had been expertly applied to my face and then offered a variety of semi-formal dresses for me to choose from.

I’d chosen a black one to match the somber reason we were all here, but I’d also gone for one with a back that dipped all the way to the top curve of my bottom with nothing more than a thin halter made of just enough fabric to somewhat cover my breasts and tiny straps that fastened around the back of my neck. Those extra details were for me and Houston.

I couldn’t wait to feel the sear of his skin sizzling down my spine when he pressed his hand to my back. Or see the molten heat build in his eyes when he saw my bare nipples poke at the thin fabric barely covering them.

Yes, a dress like this meant every man in the room would take notice. But that was by design and would make my revenge that much sweeter. Tonight Marco would regret what he had done. In every way.

While my father’s betrayal came with the most pain, what I had endured at the hands of my sick former fiancé would need to be dealt with first.

I would draw first blood the moment I stepped into that room. This dress assured that. What came after would unlock my future once and for all.

Now, standing in front of the mirror, I hardly believed that was me staring back. I didn’t recognize myself. Over the last few months my appearance had changed. Gone was the girl who cowered around my father and his endless demands. This woman I barely recognized. She stood tall and confident. More than I ever thought she could.

I’d lost a little weight, but the vigorous workouts I’d put my body through to kill so much of my empty time had paid off in a big way. You could see the strength in my arms and my legs, lean and sleek as I walked.

My hair was longer, the normally unruly curls almost stick straight, with the exception of the waves framing my face, in a sleek style that draped elegantly down my back. The diamonds at my throat and ears were substantially more sophisticated than anything I’d worn before. And the strappy heels added at least four inches to my modest height.

It was the look in my eyes, however, that held the biggest difference. While I hadn’t been innocent since the night of my mother’s death, there had still been hope. And where there was once that hope there was now a dark determination I wasn’t sure I could trust. Not because I had no hope though. I still caught glimpses of it every time I was around Houston.

We both definitely had our demons, but together there was more than just our pasts…

But I had a big mission ahead of me and this was my battle armor for the night. That knowledge meant my expression had filled in with every dark emotion now sitting on the surface waiting for its retribution.

That was a good word. A great one in fact.

Retribution.

Tonight I drew strength from it. It would keep me safe until all of this was over.

Then what?

That seemingly simple, but extremely complex question entered my mind before I could shut it out.

If tonight was the end of this part of my story, what would come next?

There was no other family to turn to. No home to go back to. No money to take me anywhere I wanted to go. I’d been tethered from one prison to another.

I shook my head. It wasn’t fair to keep using that against the MC. JD had come around—albeit on terms I didn’t exactly love. Still. I had a job. If and when this all ended, he’d already agreed to let me stay on as long as I wanted.

I wanted. At least until I could save money for my future.

Then there was Houston. I couldn’t deny the emotional connection I felt with him. And the chemistry.

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