Spun (Kings of Chaos 1)

“No. I just got done talking with Pres. He wants us to work on picking out a site for the store and our crew.”

She blinks. “This is happening fast.”

“Yeah, you need to pick your replacement. He wants you as the manager there, which means you’ll have to go to gemology school.”

“I think Carla can handle it. Everyone respects her, she’s good at problem-solving, and her numbers are never off.”

“Good, let everyone know tonight that you’ll be leaving in a week.”

“O-okay.” Her cheeks tint pink.

Automatically, my lips quirk

upward. Despite her hardened shell, there’s a softness inside that’s appealing. Suddenly, I’m standing in the middle of quicksand and I’m not sure I have an escape plan ready.

Chapter Three

Pounding on the door rouses me from my sleep. I quickly sit up, pressing on the blankets and sucking in air as I do so. The pounding comes again. My stomach tangles, like a nest of vines. Heavy footsteps come down the hallway and pause in front of my door.

“Nevy,” Wizard hisses.

“Yeah?”

“No matter what, stay in your room. You got your piece on you?”

I glance over to the nightstand that holds my .22. “Yeah.”

“Get it out and be ready.”

I toss the covers away, scramble from the bed, and tug on a pair of pajama pants. My heart is pounding in time with the fist threatening to bang down the door. My muscles tense and my fingers are clumsy as I open the nightstand and pull out the gun. I slow my breathing and press my ear against the door, straining to hear.

“Hulk? What the fuck man? You almost got your ass shot!”

The words fill me with relief and dread at the same time. I hear the lock being disengaged.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Wizard. You perverted old fuck. You wait until I turn my back and corner my daughter?”

The sound of flesh meeting flesh makes me cringe. A loud thump shakes the house. I jump.

“You need to calm the fuck down! You left her out there for over a year. Someone got the notion she was unprotected and I stepped up to do the job you weren’t. The story of your life. You got a lot of fucking nerve coming here to my house talking shit. Nevada is no longer your concern, she’s mine.”

Wizard’s animalistic growl does funny things to my stomach. I’d never been claimed like this. I like the feelings it gives me and that scares me.

“You had no fucking right,” my father continues to rant.

“I had every right.”

Wizard’s words wrap around me and chip away at the wall I’ve built up over the years.

“You didn’t even ask me,” my father whines.

He sounds like a petulant child. I roll my eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t have time to think of that when I was busy saving her ass from Fuse.”

My excitement plummets. This was all about the situation. It had nothing to do with me. Disappointment swipes the wind that had blown open my sails. Bowing my head, I take a deep breath. Once again, I’m an unwanted burden.

“You think I’m blind? You saw a nice young piece of ass you could exploit and you went for it. I want my pound of flesh.”