Page 1 of The Slayer
Chapter One
Garnet County
October 2014
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at my house tonight?”
Alaine looked at Edward in the driver’s seat, trying to summon up the desire to maybe give him what he wanted. It wasn’t in her. It was never in her. They’d tried it a few times, and it had been a profound and massive failure.
“No, thank you.” She looked back at the law office, staring at the second story and wishing for a hot shower and bed. Living above where she worked did have its advantages. “But I appreciate dinner. It was nice. A real Italian place right over in Mercy. Who’d have thought? I wonder if Romeo and Tino have tried it.”
Edward’s light eyes were narrowed. His shoulders were stiff, and he ran a hand through his blond hair and looked ahead for a long moment before he responded. “Have you thought any more about my suggestion?”
Alaine decided to play it stupid. “What suggestion?”
“Your father gave his blessing,” Edward reminded her for the hundredth time. “He wants you to get married, Alaine.”
Alaine fought not to roll her eyes. “If I did what my father told me, I’d have been married a long time ago.”
“You’re almost twenty-five and—”
“That’s not too old,” she snapped at him. “I just got my law degree and—”
“Why do you need a law degree?” Edward laughed as if it were ridiculous. “What the heck are you going to do with it once you start having children?”
“Jules has children,” Alaine reminded him. “And she still uses hers.”
“Jules Wellings, the woman who married into the mafia and owns that heathen place on Curry Road. That’s your great plan? To copy her?”
“It’s not heathen.”
“Your father has never approved of your friendship with her. All the fighters coming in are ruining this town, and she’s the cause of it. I thought you were done being rebellious.”
Alaine closed her eyes tiredly. She heard this enough from her father. “I think the Cellar does lots of good things. They do charity work and help at-risk youth. It’s a nice organization.”
“The fighting organization isnice?”
“I have to go now, Edward.” Alaine reached for the door handle. “Thank you for dinner.”
He clutched at her arm before she could get out. “You listen to me. I have tried to be very understanding with you. I’ve been willing to ignore all this independence you keep clinging to—”
“I don’t like you anymore,” Alaine said rather than argue. “I’m sorry, but I think maybe we should break up. This isn’t fair to you. It’s not fair to me either.”
Alaine used his stunned disbelief to open the door. She picked up her purse off the floor, feeling better already. She was tired of trying to please her father. She was never any good at it anyway. She had tried with Edward, because he was handsome and slightly more progressive than the other men on her father’s approved list of suitors, but this just was not going to work out.
She decided to walk around the building, and she was to the back door before Edward caught up to her. He grabbed her arm again. “Look, I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she argued. “We’re just not well suited.”
He snorted, as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying, and then gestured to the back door. “So what? You’re going up there to spread your legs for that spic instead of me?”
Alaine gasped and turned around, smacking him before she could think better of it. She was so shocked she hardly put her thoughts together to tell him exactly what she thought about it.
It turned out she didn’t have to.
The back door jerked open, and then Chuito was standing there, barefoot and shirtless in just a pair of jeans, showing off all his tattoos without an ounce of shame. As reigning UFC Heavyweight world champion, Chuito had a body that was a work of art, cut, honed, and dangerous. All his muscles tightened as if he was ready for a fight. His dark eyes were narrowed, and the fury pulsed off him so strongly Alaine actually shivered from it.
“I suggest you leave.” Chuito’s voice was low with menace. “Before this spic loses his temper. Trust me,cabrón, you don’t want that.”
