Forced Series Box Set (Forced 1-5)

Reynolds used one hand to loosen the rope around the black bag over her head. “Let’s see that pretty face before either I or these fine gentleman put a bullet in your head. I can’t wait to send your father the photos.”

He pulled the bag off and gasped. “Where’s Charlotte? Who the fuck are y—”

Charlotte – or who I thought was Charlotte – easily wrested the gun from Mr. Reynold’s hands and popped him in between the eyes. Bullets whizzed past. Felicia had started firing. Too bad she’d already lost this job. Reynolds was dead.

I ducked, but Charlotte didn’t. She shot her arm straight out and plugged the pencil-neck in the face neck without even looking at him. She dashed toward the far side of the hanger and plastered herself against the landing gear of a small engine airplane.

Felicia had taken cover behind our car. Charlotte checked the magazine like a fucking pro before shoving it back home. Then she shot me a look. No, not a look, a fucking wink, before running back out into the middle of the hangar and laying down covering fire to keep Felicia at bay.

“Are you seeing this shit? Am I hallucinating?” Liam asked.

“I honestly don’t know.”

More gunshots and then a blur as Charlotte ran and rolled before coming to a stop and double tapping Felicia who’d made the mistake of popping up from behind the car. Two in the heart, one in the head. The bitch just fell straight back, her gun clattering to the concrete.

Charlotte turned back toward us and strode over. Gun casually at her side. Chin up. Eyes bright. Like she was a completely different person. And I guess she was. And all I could think about was tasting her again.

She jerked her muzzle up and fired before I had the chance to put her down. She’d dropped us both. Perfect knee shots. Bitch just took us down as we watched, and we didn’t do a fucking thing to stop her.

What did we think? That she wouldn’t want us dead right along with everyone else in the hangar? Stupid fuckers, thinking with our dicks.

Now on the ground, I aimed at her, as did Liam.

She kept her gun trained on me. “If either of you shoot me, Jax here is going right along with me to hell. So, you may want to rethink it.”

“Who the fuck—what the—Charlotte?” It was all I could get out. The pain in my leg was almost overshadowing my confusion at this point.

“Liam. The keys, please. Toss them over.” She spread her legs a little and kept her gun pointed right at me. A perfect shooting and fucking stance. Who was she?

Liam dug the keys from his pocket and arced them to her. She caught them easily.

“Thanks, darling.” She reached down and hefted the bag up on her shoulder far more easily than her victim had done earlier. “I hate to wound you like this, especially since I’ve already hurt you pretty bad before.” She spoke to Liam.

“What?” He moved his hand slowly toward his boot, going for his knife.

“No, no. That won’t do. Don’t try it. Unless you want to work alone from now on.” She gave me a glance. She had me dead to rights. She knew it. So did Liam. He froze.

She took a few steps back toward the car.

“Wait,” I said. “Just tell us who you are at least.”

Some things would eat away at a man if he didn’t know them. Like the identity of the woman he’d thought he’d royally fucked, but as it had turned out, she was the one with the big swinging dick.

“I’m a merc, like you guys. I saw the hit go out on little Miss Charlotte Perkins. I called up her daddy and gave him a chance to make a counter-offer. Mr. Perkins was more than happy to pay me double the contract to take Reynolds out. So, Charlotte is relaxing somewhere along the French Riviera at the moment, and I’m here taking your money and Mr. Perkins’, too. All I had to do was play princess. I knew you – not you exactly, but a professional – would snag me and take me right to my target. Thanks for that, by the way. The sex was just a bonus.” She licked her lips. “I go by Phoenix.”

Oh, shit.

“You! You’re the one who did this to my fucking face?” Liam yelled.

“I said I was sorry about that, didn’t I? Oh, maybe I didn’t.” She gave a too sweet smile. I wanted to kiss it off her lips and fuck her until she cried. Liam could only manage a grunt. “That importer in Miami was one of my first jobs. I got carried away. Tried to make my mark. Make the Phoenix a feared, badass motherfucker.”

Liam actually nodded. “It worked.”