Dangerous Ties (Ties #1)

  Copyright © J.L. Beck 2016 All rights reserved.

  Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, or organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Dangerous Ties is intended for 18+ older, and for mature audiences only.

  Editing and Interior Design: Silla Webb

  Alpha Queens Book Obsession- Author Services

  Cover Design by Sprinkles on Top

  Stock Photography by Dollar Photo Club

  © JL Beck 2016

  Copyright

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  For Tonya; this book belongs to you. Like a rose beyond a wall, may you forever bloom.

  Rest in peace.

  ---

  A rose once grew where all could see,

  sheltered beside a garden wall,

  And as the days passed swiftly by,

  it spread its branches, straight and tall…

  One day, a beam of light shone through

  a crevice that had opened wide

  The rose bent gently toward its warmth

  then passed beyond to the other side

  Now, you who deeply feel its loss,

  be comforted – the rose blooms there-

  its beauty even greater now

  - A.L. Frink

  J.L. Beck is the bestselling author of numerous books including Indebted, Inevitable, Invincible, and The Bittersweet Series. She's best known for weaving a tale, that ends with your mouth hanging open, and your hands gripping the edge of your seat.

  She's a no holds bar author who enjoys spending time with her husband of eight years, three-year-old hellion, and soon to be newborn son Kolden, as well as Hatchi & Halo her two fur babies. She calls Wisconsin home, but loves to travel. In her free time you can catch her watching bad reality tv, cooking, reading books, or spending time outdoors.

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  FB: @J.L. Beck

  Twitter: @AuthorJLBeck

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  First off I need to thank my fans. I know it has been hard waiting months upon months for me to release a book. Pregnancy hasn’t been easy on me and makes writing let alone doing anything else almost impossible. Therefore, thank you for sticking by me through all of this. You’re the best fans ever.

  Secondly is my marketing team, my pimper’s, my two PA’s, along with the numerous bloggers that have helped me. Thank you for putting up with me and all the changes I have had to make. I’m surprised some of ya’ll haven’t attempted to ring my neck yet.

  Hubs. You mean a lot to me. Thanks for trying to deal with all my emotions.

  Bella. Your questions keep me sane.

  Kolden. Thanks for waiting long enough for me to finish this book.

  Psss.. please leave a review once finished

  I knew the moment I laid eyes on her I had to have her. My body hummed with energy, my muscles tightened with tension, and my cock grew thick with anticipation of hitting the bottom of her stroke after stroke.

  “Grayson,” Tuck’s deep voice said my name with inquisition. He must’ve seen that my attention was elsewhere, that something or rather someone had caught my eye long enough to distract me from him. I laughed a little to myself, Tuck was always making sure we stuck to any plan we came up with, so going off script right now had his attention fully on me.

  I ran a hand through my thick hair and then down my face. It had been months since my last adventure outside of anything that didn’t include knives, death, or blood being spilled across a concrete floor.

  “Tucker,” I said his name with the same tone, my eyes meeting his dark ones. His thick eyebrows shot up, and a smooth smirk spread across his arrogant face.

  Tuck was a handsome fucker with his dirty blonde hair and forrest green eyes, but there was more to him than his good looks. His body was built for the kill, his mind sharp as a nail, and his dominant nature always in full effect.

  Then there was me. Being a killer wasn’t by choice. When your parents’ owed money to someone and payment was late, something was taken in return. Something or someone. That someone was me. Boss took me and made me into exactly what he saw fit. A murderer is what I became. I dealt with the death and blood that loomed around me the only way I knew how.

  I relished in it. And if your name ended up on my list, you were good as dead. After all, I had a vengeance−a thirsty need for blood that couldn’t be quenched no matter how many times I slaughtered those that took from me. Then things changed. I changed.

  Sometimes you were just the pawn in the middle of a war bigger than you ever suspected.

  Secrets of the past were exposed, sides were taken, and it was then that I realized loyalty was not given freely but earned. Especially when it was your family at risk.

  A menacing growl escaped Tuck’s mouth, pulling me from my own fucked up thoughts. My eyes immediately met the cold stare in his. He knew I wasn’t fucking around tonight, no matter what the fuck he had to say about it. When I went back to the seedy hotel room I was currently occupying, I wasn’t going back alone.

  “She’s too pretty, too−” Tuck paused for a moment as I turned my attention back to her.

  “Too goody to shoes, if you know what I mean.” He leaned in close to me, the whiskey on his breath permeating the air. I was used to it by now, though. I understood the need to drink to cover up all the chaos you found yourself intertwined with each day.

  Taking a deep breath, I eyed her from my seat. Music blared and lights flashed around us while sweaty bodies rubbed against one another. Clubs really weren’t our thing, but when we finally found a moment to ourselves that didn’t revolve around the art of torture, we decided we’d come to the club a couple blocks over to unwind, find an easy target to do in the toilet, and get some fucking relief. But, of course, I would throw caution to the wind the moment I spotted someone out of my league.

  I cracked my knuckles, my body was wired up, but it wasn’t because of the things going on around me. Nah, it had everything to do with the piece of hot ass across the room. I smiled, knowing that I was going in for the kill and there was no way of escaping me.

  “The good ones always fall the hardest for the bad boys.” I shot him a smirk, downing the rest of my jack and coke. I wasn’t really ready to get up and converse with anyone, I was more ready to slam balls deep into someone and listen to the sound of our skin smacking against one another’s. I guess conversation was a good place to start, though, shoving your dick in just any hole that was open could leave you with more than one problem.

  “Good luck, Gray.” Tuck laughed, giving up on his attempt to keep me at bay. Instead, I watche
d him push from our table and walk over to a corner booth, a wide smile forming on his lips as he came to a standstill in front of a woman with bleach blonde hair and tits just as fake as everything else on her. They exchanged words and then he was sliding in beside her and pulling her from her cushioned seat into his lap. The woman threw her head back laughing loudly as she wrapped an arm around Tuck’s neck. I chuckled lightly to myself, he always went for the loud ones. The attention whores. The ones who begged for you to fuck them harder, but then cried later on when you gave them everything they asked for.

  Getting up from the booth, my boots felt heavy against the sleek flooring. I didn’t fit in here, if anything I stuck out like a sore fucking thumb. I was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt I planned on getting covered in blood later, and my lucky leather jacket. I didn’t use any cologne, nor did I style my hair like so many other jackoffs in this place did. Who fucking needed that shit anyway?

  “Hey…” A sultry voice mumbled off to my right. I rolled my eyes as I caught glimpse of her makeup covered face and kept walking, not even giving her the attention that she desperately craved. I was desperate for some action, that was true, but I also knew what I liked and what I didn’t. I wasn’t about to entertain the first woman who threw herself at me. Even the world’s most deadly killers had standards.

  My eyes quickly circled the room, from the floor to the top of the stairs and then back down again. The place was packed and smelt of sweat, sex, and alcohol. I could feel eyes on me, and immediately I honed in on whom it was that was staring me down from across the room.

  She had long, dark hair that was pulled back in a pull-my-hair-fuck-me kind of way. The dress that encased her hot little body was dark, her eyes a midnight blue that reminded me of the ocean. Staring into them, I could feel a wave of uneasiness wash over me. She was going to be trouble with a motherfucking capital T. Without further hesitation, I made my way over to her reminding myself that I was here to get some good sex, drink a few cold ones, and kill some fuckers that deserved it when the time arose. That was all.

  I pushed through the masses of bodies, making my way to the front of the club where the bar and the mystery woman were located. My cock jutted to the beat of the music as my blood pounded in my ears. I was a lion on my first hunt, the prey within sight. All I had to do was sink my teeth into her.

  I turned my attention to the bar, hoping to order another drink when I felt someone watching me.

  “Hey there, killer…” I turned just in time, taking notice of just how beautiful she was. Her skin was as white as the snow on a winter morning, making the blue of her eyes pop out that much more. Her hair was dark like I had first noticed, but had dark flecks of red in it, too. She was lean, but slightly shapely in the hips, perfect for gripping and slamming into.

  I watched her eyes zero in on my mouth as my tongue flicked out onto my bottom lip. I could see the lustful-haze fill them. She didn’t have to say a word, not even speak her name. I knew she wanted me, simply by the way she rubbed her legs together, and by the way she looked at me as if I was a glass of water on the hottest day in July.

  “Tell me your name, then I’ll buy you a drink and we can be on our way.” I bent down whispering into her ear. I could feel her pulse jump, thrumming loudly in her throat, as if it was beating loudly in my ears. Her eyes grew big with apprehension, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to do such a thing.

  “Ellie Goodwin.” This time when she spoke it was much softer, much more quiet in comparison to the girl who had just addressed me a moment ago.

  “Well, Ellie, what do you want to drink?” I smiled, not wanting to frighten her away. At least not yet. I would save that for when I was done having my way with her.

  She pursed her lips and tilted her head at me as if she was making an internal decision. I knew these things. I could read people like the back of my hand. When a lie was forming in their mind, I was already pulling the trigger on my gun.

  “Straight whiskey please.” As she spoke, I could feel the courage coming back into her words. It caused a smile to form upon my face. One that I just couldn’t hide. I told the order to the bartender and watched him make our drinks right before us.

  “I saw you watching me. Did you know staring is rude?” I questioned, allowing the previous smile to linger against my lips.

  “You stared first, I was just following suit.” Ellie bit at her bottom lip, lifting her glass to take a drink. I loved the smartass mockery that came from her mouth, it made me want to do very bad fucking things to her body.

  “Anyone ever tell you that following someone else’s lead almost always leads you down a dangerous road?” I leaned into her body, feeling her warmth surround me and her smell invade my senses.

  Her eyes twinkled in the shitty club lighting, it was as if she wanted to be in danger, as if she craved it. A moment of silence lingered between us. I watched curiously as she downed the rest of her drink and then she leaned into my body, her breasts pushing against my chest.

  “The dangerous road is always the less traveled road, and let’s just say I’m looking for something with no traffic jams.” She smiled, all her white teeth showing.

  Looking at her, I knew she had no idea what she was talking about. She was exactly what Tuck had called her, a good girl. She probably had a mommy and daddy who paid for all of her shit. Friends and family who would miss her if she ever went missing.

  “What you’re getting tonight is going to be as close to the dangerous side of life as you can get.” I flashed my teeth at her, a warning tone in my voice. Ellie’s blue eyes grew darker and bigger as if she was imagining just what it was I had meant. Just as she sat her glass down, I grabbed her hand, pulling her from the stool she was sitting on.

  “Where are we going?” she asked from behind me, her nervous tone reaching my ear as I weaved us through the crowd towards the exit door. I didn’t have to give her an answer. I didn’t have to say anything. The moment she accepted my drink was the moment she had given herself to me for one night. I didn’t need to explain things to her, but for her, because she seemed so perfect, so wrong for me I would.

  “I’m going to take you back to my hotel. Fuck you. Then leave you there while the lingering feeling of my cock being inside of you wears off. After that you can run along and tell all your friends what it was like to have sex with one of the most dangerous men in New York.” I growled pushing through the back door. I didn’t even bother to look over my shoulder and see the shocked look stuck on her face

  My stomach twisted in knots as his sweaty palm rested against mine. The cold wind against my skin was a relief as we barreled through the back door of the club. Darkness surrounded us, all exceptt for the small light post at the end of the alleyway which did nothing but cast a small shadow around us. I knew coming here was a mistake, I never stepped outside my comfort zone. It could lead to being caught, and I promised myself that would never happen. I wouldn’t become a victim again.

  My chest heaved, but I still felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t living, just working and coming home. I was playing it safe. I was a suffocating mess at the end of every single day.

  “There’s no turning back, Ellie. No saying no…” I shook my head, trying to figure out if this was a dream or not. Had I actually gotten myself into this mess? Had I attempted to be strong and courageous for the first time in my life, even more so to a man that I didn’t even know the name of.

  “What did you say your name was again?” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, but I couldn’t hide the tone in my voice. He stopped mid-step, his boots crunching against the rocks beneath his feet. He swiveled around, forcing our bodies to clash against one another. Every single place his skin touched mine, fire sparked. It was as if he was gasoline, and I was the match needed to start the fire.

  “I didn't… but it's Grayson.” The way his name slid off his tongue caused my head to spin, every word that fell from his lips was thick and heavy with lust as he stared in
to my eyes. He was so much more up close than I had expected. Tall, dark, and dangerous in the best way. His eyes bled into my soul, reading my every thought. A sharp chin that was covered with a full dark beard, one you couldn't help but want to grab and pull.

  Knowing that these thoughts would get me nowhere, I shook my head. As much as I felt a pull towards him, I could see warning signs all around him cautioning me away. Why? I didn’t know, especially now when he seemed calm, cool, and collective. As if telling me he was one of New York's most dangerous men was nothing but a reason to try and push me away.

  “Gray…” His name wasn’t even spoken from my lips fully, and I was being picked up and slammed against the brick wall behind me. The harshness of the bricks against my skin as my shirt rode up, the slight pain that radiated through my head from the impact made me question my decision to talk to this man. Yet, I was unable to focus on anything but him the second his firm lips came down upon my own.

  A breath heaved in my chest, stilling everything around me for one moment. Grayson kissed me like he was on a mission, like a man starved of love and affection his entire life. My hands instinctively fell to his shoulders, my nails digging into the leather of his jacket. His smell fell over me, consuming me. It was one of darkness and rain. As if he was a thunderstorm barreling down the Nebraska grasslands.

  “Mmmm…” he mumbled against my lips as he bit at them tenderly, begging for me to give him more. Slowly, I did so, our tongues becoming one as we mingled together. Every inch of my body was pressed against his, my breast flushed against his chest, thighs tightly clenched around his waist, and my fingers sinking deeply into the crooks of his shoulder blades. My body temperature was rising, my pussy dripping with a need I had never felt before. It had been months since I last had sex, and given the situation I was in there was a very good reason as to why. I mean it was hard to find someone when you were supposed to be in hiding. Even harder when almost every man you found yourself attracted to, knew who your father was. But none of that mattered to me now; now I just wanted Grayson to rip my clothes off right here and take me. Nothing else mattered in this moment but the way he made me feel as his hands roamed over my body.