Injustice Read online

  Injustice

  A Kingpin Love Affair: Vol. 4

  J.L. BECK

  Copyright 2015 Josi Beck

  Injustice, by Josi Beck

  Cover design by Sprinkles on Top Studio LLC

  Cover Photo by Shutterstock

  Editing & Formatting by

  Rogena Mitchell Jones Manuscript Service

  Proofreading by AmiLynn Hadley

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means- except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews- without written permission of its publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  If you’re reading this book without buying it, then that is stealing and that isn’t okay. Please return this book to wherever you found it and buy your own copy.

  Copyright 2015 by Josi Beck

  All rights reserved.

  Contents

  Also by J.L. Beck

  Coming Soon

  Author Disclaimer

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Worth The Chase

  Acknowledgements

  About .L. Beck

  Also by J.L. Beck

  —Bittersweet Series—

  Bittersweet Revenge

  Bittersweet Love

  Bittersweet Hate

  Bittersweet Symphony

  Bittersweet Trust

  —Kingpin Series—

  Indebted

  Inevitable

  Invincible

  Injustice

  A Kingpin Series - The Complete Collection

  including BONUS Novella – Infringe

  —Project Series—

  Project: Killer

  Coming Soon

  Worth the Chase

  Dangerous Desires

  Bittersweet Reunion

  Tainted by Her

  Severed Ties

  Project: Rouge (Project Series #2)

  Author Disclaimer

  This book is intended for readers 18+ only. It’s a dark, erotic romance that contains copious amounts of violence, sex, murder, swearing, dubiousness, and other things that aren’t suitable for a younger audience.

  This book also contains graphic abuse, some that may trigger unwanted or hidden emotions. Please be advised that I DO NOT condone this type of behavior, and I DO NOT agree with emotional and/or physical abuse in any way, shape, or form.

  This is a work of fiction, and nothing contained in it is based off my life or someone else’s life. Please heed the warning when I say that this is dark. It’s not rainbows and ponies; it’s murder and darkness that blooms into love.

  Chapter One

  Isabella

  The floor was cold beneath my hands, a blindfold covered my eyes never allowing a sliver of light to break through. I missed the sun and all the things that it brought like warmth, the heat that would coat my skin. I could hear someone next to me sobbing quietly. I had been just like her mere weeks ago. Now I was nothing but a shell of myself, betrayed by my own family and sold into a sex ring.

  My hope was shattered, my thoughts of escaping this place disappearing the moment I realized I had nowhere else to go. This was my new home until I was bought, whether I liked it or not. I was beaten, battered and broken in every way, and the worse part was there was nothing I could do as I awaited my fate.

  I knew what would come of me—nothing. I would be used for everything I could be, and then when the time came, they would discard me like yesterday’s trash. I had been here months and had seen it happen time and time again. I had come to terms with the life I was being given.

  “Tony says we need to move them the fuck out of here. Someone is coming.” A man’s voice I knew all too well echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and flowing through my ears. I had no idea where we were, what was going on, or who it was that had me. I had been drugged, blindfolded, and forced to sit with my hands tied with rope behind my back when I was taken—or rather given away.

  “All right, man.” The other man sighed in frustration. “You take the left side of the room and I’ll take the right side.” A shudder worked its way through my body. I wasn’t ready to be touched. I never would be. Maybe they would consider me crazy and just kill me outright. In the end, that would be better than what they would make me into—some drugged up whore.

  “Let’s go, Princess.” One of the men growled in my ear just as there was a tug on my arm forcing me to stand. A scream threatened to break free of my lips as my muscles protested, and my body threatened to collapse to the floor. It was then my mind drifted. I was close to going into survival mode. Then again, wasn’t that what I had been doing all along? When was the last time I had eaten something? Drank water? I could feel myself crawling back into my shell. It only hurt if I allowed it to hurt.

  The hand on my arm tightened in warning. Pain was all I ever felt. “I said to fucking move.” Rancid breath encompassed me, my senses going on high alert as I felt him right next to my ear. Forcing my wobbly legs to move, I followed behind him as he tugged me along. I could hear others moving around and wondered how many of us there truly was. Sometimes I even wondered if the other girls thought like I did, felt exactly as I did. What were they going to do with us?

  “Now, you’re going to go through this door and be a good little girl. No kicking, punching, screaming, or trying to escape. Do you understand me?” The anger in his voice promised horrible things and I knew if I tried to get away I wouldn’t like what would happen to me. My teeth rattled as he pushed me, my foot catching on the door jam. With no hands to catch myself, I fell onto the cold dirt-covered ground. I could smell the earth beneath me and wondered what it would be like to become one with it. Fresh tears formed and slid down my face, yet I felt no emotion. Was there a way to shut it off? To make all the hurt go away?

  “You klutzy bitch!” he whispered harshly, ripping me from the ground and pulling me back up to my feet, my legs still wobbly.

  As soon as I could, I marched forward not wanting to draw more attention to myself. In the pit of my stomach my nerves unraveled. The desire to know where it was I was going and who I would be with was almost too much. As I stumbled further, the darkness covering my eyes still shielding me from my surroundings, I felt as if I were floating through time. Simply waiting for my moment to come.

  “Over here, Princess.” I tried to follow the sound of the voice but felt as if I were drifting further from it. Nervousness filled my veins. Anything could happen and I wouldn’t know until the very last second.

  “Two men coming in from the right stairwell.” Another hushed voice muttered. The sound of guns being cocked filled the air. I felt like I was
going to be sick, someone could die and that someone could be me. The other voices I could hear clearly before were now being drowned out by my own thoughts. Was this some sick twisted game they used as a scare tactic? Was someone else going to come and take me? Had this been the plan all along?

  “Get over here, Princess.” I could hear the aggravated anger in his voice as he ordered me to find him. I stood there frozen in time as I heard a door being kicked in. Where had the man who pushed me through the door gone? Why wasn’t he leading me to where I was supposed to go?

  “You cannot let them find her, Xavier.” Another man spoke. I floundered around the room, backing up as much as I could in hopes I would bump into a wall—anything to give me some type of direction. Hushed voices surrounded me, and as I tried to pick up on what they were saying, I felt myself moving a million miles a minute as I continued to scurry around.

  “Princess, get over here, or I’ll be forced to put a bullet in your head.” I stopped immediately, my steps wavering as I swiveled around in the darkness trying to figure out where they wanted me to go. The gag that had been placed in my mouth when they first tied my hands behind my back kept me from responding to their vulgar words. Saliva pooled in my mouth as I tried to swallow around the intrusion. Did I really want to scream out and tell them where I was?

  The barrel of a gun was being loaded.

  Sweat covered my body in a mist of sheen.

  I was going to die.

  “She’s valuable goods, X.” A muffled voice that sounded as if it were a million miles away met my ears.

  “I got this, man. Boss will just have to deal with it.” I had heard the bullet before I felt it. Pain seared through my body as a burning sensation radiated through my arm.

  “You missed, fucker.” A voice sounded in my mind, but nothing mattered but the pain. My body fell to the floor limply, my chest filled with oxygen, but I felt as if I was unable to release it. This was it. This was my time. I had wanted this all along. Blood dripped down my arm, falling to the cold ground with a thud. I was aware of everything that was taking place around me, but at the same time, I felt as if I were a spectator watching it all go down instead of the chess piece in the middle. My body ached and a pressure formed deep inside my head.

  This is the end, isn’t it?

  “FBI. Come out with your hands up.” FBI? I wanted to scream out, to tell them I was here, but I couldn’t. Between the pain in my arm and the gag in my mouth, I couldn’t form words if my life depended on it—which, at this very moment, it did.

  Heavy boot covered feet crossed the floor, growing closer and closer toward me. I was on the verge of passing out, the smell of iron filling my nostrils. Inside, I was screaming… begging and pleading for someone to save me, but on the outside, I was as meek as a mouse.

  “It’s okay…” I heard someone whisper in my ear causing me to jump instantly. “It’s okay. I’m here to save you.” Save me? Was this real or was I dreaming this all up? I felt hands wrap around my head, they were large but gentle and offered something that I hadn’t felt in years-comfort.

  In an instant, the bag that kept me in darkness for months was being ripped away. The gag that contained every ounce of hate, anger and every admission I ever wanted to say was released from my mouth. Bright lights flooded my eyes. Black spots appeared everywhere as they tried to adjust. Instantly, my body felt shielded, protected, and warm.

  I was being rescued. Someone was saving me from a life that had slowly taken everything from me. For the first time in months, I took a deep breath and didn’t feel an ache in my chest. I didn’t feel scared.

  I was safe. I was being taken somewhere. I would be okay. I had to be.

  Right?

  Chapter Two

  Jared

  Present

  I wasn’t sure what bothered me more at this moment—the fact that my phone was ringing off the hook or that I had brought another chick home last night. Fuck. Regret filled every pore of my body. Every time I said I wouldn’t do it, I did. There was no point in trying not to. I had already admitted to being a useless piece of shit who used women repeatedly as a way to cope with the person I had become. It was the easiest way to deal with the pain.

  Hesitantly, I gazed down at my phone on the nightstand. Shit! A red explanation point showed back at me, under it showed eight missed calls. Six from Zerro and two from my sister, Bree. This couldn’t be good. I ran a hand through my dark hair in frustration. I didn’t want to do this whole family reunion thing again. I loved them, but I couldn’t handle looking at their happily ever afters while I had nothing. It always felt like their happiness was suffocating me, drowning me without them even realizing it.

  My nightstand started to vibrate again, and I pushed the red key sending it to voicemail. I knew I would have to answer it sooner or later. They didn’t give up easily and knew how to play the game. There was no saying no to either of them. I was learning their moves though. I knew if they got to ten calls, they would stop. Either that or they would come over here. That’s how it always worked. They wanted to save me from the personal path of destruction I was on when they knew there was no saving someone as lost as me.

  “Time to go,” I mumbled to the blonde-haired woman lying in bed next to me. She was gorgeous, I would give her that, and her body was tight in all the right places, but none of it mattered. She wasn’t what I wanted, rather a temporary fix that allowed me to ignore my inner demons. What was her name anyway? Joanna, Jessica, Jenn?

  She murmured a complaint, but I ignored it. If she wasn’t out of here in ten minutes, then I would remove her myself. I had no reason to get up and move around right now, and truthfully, I didn’t want to, but if it meant getting her out of here faster, then so be it. This alone only lead me back to my original thought: What the fuck was I doing?

  Pushing her soft body off me, I got up and grabbed the pair of pants that had been ripped from my body the night before and thrown onto the floor in a haze. I pulled them on without a second thought. I knew better than to head out into the kitchen without clothes on. I had done that one too many times now. I knew what was coming and I would be prepared.

  “You know, I expected a lot fucking more from you.” I shifted around, a small smile pulling at my lips. I would love to say that I was surprised by his reaction, but I wasn’t. This wasn’t the first time he had come over because I wasn’t answering the phone. To me, there wasn’t an important enough reason in the world for me to be answering phone calls. I wanted peace and I wanted quiet, not to be hounded by my family. I didn’t need to know what good they saw in me when all that mattered was what I saw in the mirror every day.

  “Expecting something from someone is never a good thing, especially from someone like me who will only leave you disappointed. The only thing I can offer up is failure. Is that what you’re seeking?” I retort as I situated my cup under the Keurig.

  I could feel the tension between the two of us growing, “The whole pity party thing is getting super old. It’s even worse when you know you have a family that loves and cares about you unconditionally, and yet you continue to live your life this way. And for what reason?”

  Didn’t he know I asked myself that same question every day? Eventually, I got to a point where I had to accept the person I was and the shit God had granted me in life. I owned it as my own. This wasn’t a fucking pity party.

  “I have no logical answer for you.” I smirked, pretending like I didn’t give a shit. It had been three years since everything went down. I had been glad, grateful even, for Bree becoming a member of this family, but I knew it would leave a gaping hole in my chest. Bottom line—my dad had found the one thing that made his heart whole again and I still hadn’t.

  Zerro’s laughter filled the room. “You usually have an answer for everything, so I’ll just pretend I never heard you say that.” I turned around and leaned against the counter waiting for my coffee to brew. My eyes caught on Zerro. It had been a couple months since I had last seen h
im. He was almost always gone—off on missions left and right, bullshit here and there. We never knew where he was or what his jobs entailed and it had aged him. He looked older, more mature. His beard had grown out and his build was more muscular. He could probably kick my ass in flag football now. Did I care? Fuck no. I’d still give him a run for his money.

  I gripped the edge of the counter, forcing myself to stay put, to not pour my heart out to my best friend. Men didn’t do that. We kept that shit bottled up real tight, plus heart to hearts weren’t my thing.

  “Pretend all you want, Zerro. We both know I’m the best at it.” There was no hiding the hurt from showing. I could see the flash of recognition in his eyes. There was something about him that was different but still the same. Regardless, he still saw me as the person I used to be. The one I so desperately wanted to be again. He saw everything but mostly the pain, every little glimpse I allowed to escape.

  “Cut the shit, Jared. We all know something is up with you. The family needs you now more than ever.” He paused and I could practically see his chest filling with happiness. “Bree, is having another baby.” His eyes flickered with joy. I knew how much he loved her and my niece. Hell, I loved them, too. I just didn’t have that—but I wanted it, and that, more than anything else hurt the most.

  “I know everyone does. I’ll make a better effort.” I lied. I wouldn’t. There was no way I was going to force myself into that situation. I watched the glee in his eyes turn to anger. He knew me better than I knew myself.

  “No, you won’t. You said that last time and the time before that, and for the last three years. No one knows what’s going on with you.” He tried to sound sincere, but there was no way I was going to have this conversation with him right now.

  “Save the mushy shit for someone who cares,” I growled as I turned to get some creamer from the fridge and the sugar from the cabinet. Once I had them both, I poured them in and began stirring.