She flashed me a sad smile that caused her dimples to deepen. Blonde and blue-eyed, she was every bit Deuce, and yet I could also see so much of me in her. In her eyes that were just a bit too big, and in her lips, thicker and wider than most. And in the generous curves of her body.
These were all traits I’d once thought I’d inherited from Ginny. I’d only just learned the truth—that I looked more like my mother than I did anyone else. What a difference a day can make. The turned-over earth beneath my feet was proof enough of that.
“I meant to show you this.” I pulled the faded photograph from my coat pocket and handed it to Ivy.
“This is my mother. Your… grandmother.” The foreign words tumbled awkwardly from me.
“Wow,” Ivy breathed, her eyes widening. “Is that you she’s holding—the baby?”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded sadly.
My daughter’s gaze darted between the picture and me, and another smile split her lips. “Oh my God, Mom, you look so much like her.”
My damned eyes filled again.
“And Grandpa was super hot…” Ivy’s nose suddenly wrinkled. “And I can’t believe I just said my grandpa was hot.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me. “He was, wasn’t he?” Wrapping my arm around Ivy’s waist, I laughed through my tears.
Deuce appeared on the other side of me. He ran a hand down the center of my back. “You ready to ride, darlin’?”
Instead of flying home, Deuce and I had decided to ride back to Montana on my father’s ’69 chopper. Preacher had loved that bike more than any other and had kept it in pristine condition all these years. And I knew nothing would make him happier than knowing I was keeping his girl on the road.
But I wasn’t ready to leave just yet. To turn away from Preacher’s grave, to leave this cemetery… it felt so final. I wasn’t ready to let go yet. I needed another moment with him.
Who was I kidding? I needed more than a moment. I needed to see his crooked grin once more. I needed to hear his smoke-roughened voice call me “baby girl” just one last time.
“I need a few more minutes,” I told Deuce. “Where’s Damon?” My eyes roamed the remaining people, searching for my son.
“Last I saw he was runnin’ around pickin’ out graves for everyone.”
While Ivy choked on her laughter, my brow shot up. “Seriously?”
Deuce shrugged. “Your son, babe.”
“Our son,” I snapped. “I didn’t make him by myself.”
Deuce’s hand disappeared from my back and appeared on my ass. Lightly smacking me, he said, “I’m only takin’ credit for the not-crazy ones.”
He moved to Ivy and tugged on her arm. “Give your mom a few more minutes with her old man.”
Ivy slid her hand into Deuce’s and grinned up at him. “That means you’re only taking credit for me, right Daddy? Because I’m definitely not as crazy as Danny… right, Daddy?”
“You’re all fuckin’ crazy,” he muttered. “Every last one of you.”
Smiling, I watched them for a moment before turning back to my father. My smile falling away, I found myself dropping to my knees in the dirt. Placing my hand on the tombstone, I tried to think of something to say. Anything at all. But words eluded me.
What was there to say?
I miss you?
I love you?
Both of those sentiments went without saying. I would love him and miss him until my very last breath.
“Daddy,” I whispered as my eyes filled again and more tears fell. “I hope you… I hope… I wish…”
I never finished my thought. Preacher’s story had ended, and no amount of hoping or wishing would change that.
“Goodbye Daddy,” I finally said.
Standing, I squeezed my eyes shut and pictured him as I would always see him, as the strong, powerful man from my youth—tall and lean, his long brown hair pulled back, his warm, handsome smile, and his striking brown eyes full of pride and love.
Goodbye, baby girl…
Sneak Peek
Undying
(Undeniable #6)
Prologue
“I don’t just have a family. I have an empire.”
— Ivy Olivia West
A creation of chaos and lust, I was born into a world so foul, I made it my mission to find the beauty hidden within, to reveal the sun behind the clouds, the rainbows after the storms, the life that still exists even in death.
One part my mother, I had an infectious smile and a heart so big, there was room enough for everyone, no matter their sins. One part my father, I had a filthy mouth and a temper that could crumble mountains beneath the onslaught of my rage. And one part myself, I was spontaneous, determined, and wicked smart. I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted out of life.
Until I met him… and everything I thought I knew was stripped to the bone by the blade of his knife, ground to dust beneath the heel of his boot, forever lost inside his darkness.
My mother used to tell me that life wasn’t always pretty. Not all stories have happy endings, and that sometimes, life could be downright cruel.
But then she’d remind me that no matter the crime, no matter the cost, everything happens for a reason. And if I took the time to figure out the why instead of dwelling on the what, it would make all the difference in the world.
I didn’t know if I believed her anymore.
There are some things that just can’t be explained, let alone forgiven.
There are some stories that are just… ugly.
Chapter 1
Zachary “ZZ” Jeffries slipped the padlock onto the door of the last shipping container and slammed it shut with a loud click. After adding a metal shipping seal, he turned to leave, facing the remaining men on the docks. He gave them a nod to signify that everything was ready and they could start loading, and then he walked off.
As he headed in the opposite direction, the muffled whimpers and cries from inside the container became louder. A heady, adrenaline-inducing emotion powered through him, making his heart race. Unable to stop himself, he curled his fingers, balling them into clenched fists.
He knew what those women were experiencing, locked up in that dirty, dark container, their futures unknown. He knew all too well that raw emotion as your heart pounded and you could barely breathe because your own fear was fucking suffocating you. He’d been running from… well, from everyone for a long time now, so yeah, fear was his fucking middle name.
It was also what had kept him alive this long.
He’d turned the fear into rage. Fought his way to the top of the lowest of the low, and took his place on a throne made of garbage and rot.
He didn’t give a fuck if his empire was built on the blood and bones of innocent men and women, didn’t care that more people would have to die so he could continue his reign, continue surviving. This was his life now, this was what they had made him, the monster they’d forced him to become.
“Boss man.”
ZZ cut his eyes to his right as Tommy, one of his men, fell into step beside him as he crossed the docks. “What?” he snarled as he came to an abrupt stop.
Tommy swallowed hard, and ZZ fought the urge to laugh. They were all afraid of him. Even a mean old son of a bitch like Tommy was scared shitless that at any second, ZZ’s temper would turn on him. Once that happened, no one was safe. Not a single fucking person.
“Big guy wants numbers,” Tommy said quietly.