Page 3 of Catch a King (Five Kings 1)

“I’ve dealt with worse, Marina.”

She looks interested. “Worse than the Channings, I doubt that.”

“The Channings?”

“Yeah, Axel’s nephews, Slade and Sawyer Channing, the assholes you met on your way in.”

“Axel’s nephews?”

“Yes, although he thinks of them more like sons. He never had any you see, children that is, well, none he’s admitting to.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. “You see, these guys put it about so much I’m guessing the neighborhood is littered with their DNA.”

“Does that bother you?” I stare at her in surprise because surely if she’s Axel’s old lady, he’s faithful to her.

“Not now. Fuck, if Axel ever dipped inside anyone else, I’d cut if off. No, before my time, the Channings had a rep for being inside more women than an obstetrician. When we got together that all stopped, his nephews though, well, one of them anyway, is doing his best to keep the legend alive.”

“Only one of then, what about the other, does he have an old lady?”

She laughs again. “Who, Sawyer, that man is the biggest woman hater around? He’s not into guys before you ask, no, he’s just not interested in any of the girls, which is a shame because they are all very much interested in him.”

“Why not?”

She stops and I watch her shut down a little. “Listen, keep away from them, honey, for your own protection. Slade’s dangerous and not the loving kind. He’s broken more women than I can remember and has no conscience. His brother on the other hand, he’s even more dangerous. Nobody gets inside that man’s head and lives to tell the tale. They are both dangerous in their own ways and best left alone. There’s plenty of other eye candy inside that won’t rip your soul and toss it between them until you break. I’m serious honey, leave the Channings alone, or they’ll ruin you.”

“As if I’m interested in them? You don’t have to worry about me keeping my distance from the Channing brothers, Marina, just make sure they know to keep their distance from me.”

I try not to let her worried expression tell me this isn’t finished anytime soon. I know how these men work, I know how they think, and I’ve just painted a huge fucking target on my back that they will be keen to hit. That thought makes me shiver because I know I’m not dealing with men of honor here and once again, I miss my home more than ever. The Twisted Reapers are the roughest diamonds, crude, sexy as hell but radiant with honor. It’s what makes them invincible and I would trade every dragon inside those walls for one kiss from a Reaper and I will not let my family down.

Chapter 3

Millie

Marina takes me to Axel’s office and as we walk, I stare around with interest. Marina was right, this place could sure use a glow up because their home management skills are seriously off. Thinking about my own home and how amazing it is thanks to Bonnie and her passion for interior design, I pray that I get the information quickly, so I can get the hell out of here.

We reach a door at the end of a long corridor and Marina doesn’t even knock and just heads straight in.

“Axel, honey, new girls here.”

I step inside and see a large man covered in tattoos watching me from his seat behind the desk. He looks to be in his fifties and has graying hair with a rough beard. A bandana is wrapped around his head and his huge forearms lean on the desk, drawing my attention to the colorful ink detailing a fire-breathing dragon. He wears the president’s patch on his vest, and the bottle of whiskey before him on the desk is wrapped inside a large hand with rings on every finger.

“Come in and take a seat.” His voice is gruff like he’s smoked a thousand cigarettes and I feel slightly intimidated under his watchful eye.

Marina heads around the desk and perches on the edge, looking at me with curiosity. She rests her arm on his shoulders and it highlights the fact he is so large to her small and slender frame. Marina looks to be around twenty years his junior, but I don’t miss the passion in their eyes as they look at one another. Just the fact he rests his other hand on her bare thigh reveals an ownership and a deep sense of passion in their relationship and they fascinate me.

He looks at me with interest and growls. “Good of you to come, darlin’, hopefully you’ll last longer than a week.”

Marina laughs. “The other girl lasted four days. She was hit on by so many of the guys she couldn’t take any more. Last we saw, she ran out of here dragging her case behind her, muttering curses and clutching her ripped clothes to her body as she escaped a living nightmare.”

Axel shakes his head. “Not this time, darlin’, I’ve warned the guys off. Millie’s here to do a job and I’m not having another bartender run out of town.”

“Are you sure they listened?”

“What do you mean?” He looks at Marina in surprise and she grins.

“Maybe you forgot to tell your nephews, they were all over her in the yard.”

Axel shouts angrily. “Fucking cock-sucking assholes. Tell them I want a word. NOW!”

His roar makes me jump and Marina slips off the desk and smirks. “Happy to.”

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