Alpha

Book 3: Dark Water Series

by J.L. Drake

Genres: Military Romance; Romantic Suspense

Synopsis

Major Ty Beckett

The unthinkable has happened.
We will not stand by while one of our own is in the enemy’s grasp.

Ivy and I are part of the house now, and their family is our family. Together, we will fight to get her back.

This mission nearly brings Blackstone down. We missed our mark, and now it’s
Code Red.

Though our families are prepared for the unthinkable, we will not take this lying down.

Dr. Ivy Knight

Ty and I have a good connection, until he makes a decision that sends me into a tailspin.

Regardless of my personal struggles, I know one thing is true.
The house is in disarray, and it’s up to me to keep everyone on point.

But deep inside, I’m slowly unraveling. I need to find a way to get my life back.

Shadows has a mixture of light and laughter, but there’s a level of danger that comes with living here. I just hope I’m strong enough to endure.

 

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Release date: August 15, 2023

Print pages: 297

Sample

Chapter 1

Eric

“You’re never gonna make it,” she snarled from the back seat, and I stole a hasty glance at her pissy face in the rearview mirror. I needed to concentrate on the washed-out road in front of me and knew I didn’t have much time. Normally, I’d be thrilled the rain had returned to cool off this Godforsaken country, but the thought of who I had in the back had me in more of a sweat than I cared to think about. I needed to get behind the protected gates of my house. The wipers beat across the windshield, and I squinted at the quickly forming river ahead of me. My phone rang, and I stuck it between my shoulder and my chin as I quickly put the car in reverse.

“Stick to the opposite shoulder, gun it, and get the fuck out of there,” a voice screamed at me. One of Castillo’s men, I assumed. I tossed the phone on the passenger seat, lined up my wheels on the shoulder, and gunned it. Water started to seep around my boots as my passenger shrieked, and I could feel the pressure of her feet as she propped them up out of the water.

“You’re crazy!” she yelped.

She had no idea.

I shifted into four-wheel drive. A plume of water flew out behind me as I plowed along the edge of the steadily rising water. Finally, all four wheels were clear, but I never slowed down until I hit the city limits. I took the turns hard as I wove up the hill and finally took a deep breath as I drove through the wrought iron gates to my house.

I reached for my phone as my men approached the car, but I hopped out and held up a hand to stop them.

“I got her.” I opened the door. “How do you wanna do this?” I immediately saw fight flicker in her eyes as she took me in. “You’re highly outnumbered, so we can get you inside, cleaned up, and settled, or you can make a scene. Believe me, lady, you’ll be the one who’ll end up getting hurt. Your ass’ll be inside one way or another. It’s up to you how.” I watched her weigh the odds. If I’d learned anything over the years about the kind of woman Blackstone attracted, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. These women were a tough lot, and if I gave her an inch, I knew she’d take advantage of it. I had to set the ground rules now.

When she didn’t move, I reached for her hand. She’d been waiting for that and tried to headbutt me. I wasn’t stupid and was ready for her. She wouldn’t be the first woman who’d tried that one on me. What I didn’t expect was as she fell, she twisted hard and caught me with her shoulder. I stepped back quickly and let her fall to the ground hard. Her knees hit first and then her hands. She spat like a cat and screamed obscenities. I was impressed by her repertoire, but I was done with her, and I was pissed when I heard a snicker from one of my soldiers.

“Done yet?” She tried to kick out, but I carefully stepped out of the way. Her feet were still tied, so she could only do so much. Rain beat down on her as she looked up at me in fury and her hair hung in strings over her face. I’d had enough, so I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder and carried her kicking and screaming toward the house.

“Get your asses back inside,” I yelled at the men as I went by them.

Alejandro gave a quick, low whistle as I entered the house and I glanced at him. He moved his gaze to a few men I hadn’t met before. I wasn’t a newbie in this business and immediately understood what I was up against. They sat at a table pretending not to notice me. Smoke from their cigarettes swirled thick above them as they played a card

game.

I glared at them as I hauled the woman through the room and down the stairs. I dumped her on the bed in the cage and held her still with my foot. Leo, one of my men, had left the needle on the small table ready for me, and I grabbed it and gave it a flick.

“No, no!” She started to panic, but I grabbed her arm and injected the drug under her skin. Within seconds, she went limp, and I sat beside her on the bed to catch my breath.

“Little wildcat,” Leo chuckled, “hope this cage holds up.”

“Take off her shoes,” I ordered as I ignored his comments about what she might look like underneath her clothes. “Socks too.” I cut the ropes and examined the raw marks on her wrists and ankles. I rubbed cream into the red areas, then, satisfied, I decided to give her a second shot that contained pain meds. I knew the journey wouldn’t have been easy, and the bruises on her arms and cheek told me she she’d put up a fight.

I didn’t know who grabbed these women from the streets, and I didn’t need to know, but it pissed me off when they were marked up. Time was money, and it took time to get them ready for sale. This particular woman concerned me more than usual, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be blamed if she was scarred up.

“What about her shirt?” He grinned at me.

“No.” I shook my head. When she woke, I didn’t want her to find herself undressed and think I was some kind of creep who did shit to her while she was drugged.

“Whatever. I’ll just watch the reruns.” He chuckled, and as I shot him a questioning look, he pointed at a camera in the corner of the room. I didn’t react but swept my eyes around the room. I could see a few cameras had been installed while I was away.

Fucking Castillo.

I stood, about to rip them out of the wall, but stopped myself. Who was to say there weren’t any more? Maybe this was a test, and if there were cameras, maybe there were mics around too.

Castillo: I need a proof of life.

Eric: I said no cameras.

Castillo: It’s merely a precaution.

Eric: Bullshit.

I thought for a moment then took out my switchblade and carved an oval on the wall then cut in my recently designed signature tag. I stepped back and snapped a quick photo of her with my mark in the background.

“Why’d you do that?"

 Leo came up behind me.

“Proof of life, amigo, and I feel like playin’ the game this time."

“The game?” He looked puzzled.

“Who made the biggest score, who made the loudest noise. You know, like in the media. This,” I snapped a few photos, making sure the light was perfect, “is for braggin’ rights. You never heard of a tag?” When he shook his head, I pointed to the oval with my initials inside. “It shows she’s held by me,” I rubbed my finger over the engraving, “Eric Noah’s possession. Braggin’ rights.”

“Kinda like a signature on artwork without sharing your name.”

“Precisely, and if she isn’t art in our world, I don’t know what is.” I laughed and sent the photo to Castillo and a few others then flipped on the TV to an American news channel.

“Impressive.” He grinned and went to slap me on the back but thought better of it and backed off.

I dragged over a plastic tub and set it next to her bed. I pulled out some clothes, a water bottle, and a pair of flip flops.

“A tracksuit?” He looked at the black pants and oversized hoodie with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you ever shut the fuck up?” I’d kept enough women here to know they were more comfortable in sweats. Something warm that didn’t show their womanly shape. It was too tempting for the men around them, and I didn’t need the hassle. My part of the operation was to keep them as clean and safe as possible until they were sold off to Chili, who could do whatever the hell he did with them.

“I’m just sayin’ maybe something silky would be better.” He reached out and fingered her shirt.

“Know your place,” I warned him and batted his hand away. I wasn’t sure I could trust him with a caged woman in the place. “You touch her, and I’ll break your fingers, individually, with a hammer.”

“Sure, sure, I hear you.” He put his hands in the air. “I’m just sayin’.”

“Well, don’t.” I pointed at the door, and he left with a quick glance back at her. My gut told me he shouldn’t be allowed down there at all, not even with someone else. I had a reputation to uphold, and I wasn’t about to let some punk kid ruin it for me.

The woman stirred just as I stepped out and locked the cage using a five-digit code.

I didn’t trust she couldn’t pick a lock, and at least she couldn’t see when I entered in the numbers. Only a few would know the code. One could never be too careful.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she shot straight up, then heaved over and gagged. I knew after the drugs she’d had, she might get sick. I could have warned her to take it slow, but I knew it would be pointless. Her feet hit the floor, and she tried to stand then fell forward on her hands and knees with a moan. She put a hand to her head and sat up.

“If you sit still and take small sips of water, it’ll help with the side effects,” I said calmly.

Her head whipped over to me, and her hair fell over one eye as she blinked her anger at me.

“Or maybe you don’t drug me at all.” She lowered her head and tried to fight it.

“Okay, look.” I eased onto the table and felt a weariness come over me. This part of the process exhausted me. “Let’s look at this from my point of view. You’re here in a cage, and I’m here outside the cage. Clearly, I’ve done this before. I’m very good at it, by the way. I know what I’m talking about. So, if you just sit back and drink some water, maybe you’ll see I’m just trying to make this easier on you.”

“Screw you.” She puffed and managed to stand for a moment then allowed herself to sink to the bed.

“Fine.” I sighed deeply. “Clean clothes are there, water is there, and there’s food on the table.” I pointed. “If you’re done trying to prove to me how tough you are, I’ll leave you be. In the meantime,” I stood, “smile for the cameras.”

I waved over my head and as I walked out. I eyed the cameras to see how they were being used.

“Wait.” She called me back. I almost kept going but thought about it and turned around, then as I walked toward the cage, I nudged a paintbrush forward a bit on the floor with the toe of my boot. “Can I get some sugar?”

“Sugar?” I pretended to entertain her odd request so I could take a moment to move the bucket that stood against the wall a bit closer to the cage. “Why would you want sugar?”

“I have low sugars, and I faint easily.” I could see the lie but used it to my advantage as I pretended to think about it. I scuffed a mark in the dust with my heel.

“I’ll see what I have.” She nodded, and I headed back toward the stairs.

Pedro, one of Castillo’s higher-ranked soldiers, watched me as I came toward him. He put his cards down on the table. I grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back, and with the other hand I snatched the cigarette from his mouth and put in out on the side of his neck. He bucked straight up, but I used my weight to slam him back in the chair.

“Have some fucking respect in someone’s home,” I hissed and tossed him backward in his chair. He toppled onto his back then leapt to his feet where he was met with my gun in his face. “You’re here to watch over this place, so fucking do it!”

I pulled out my phone and called Castillo.

“How’s she settling in?” Castillo mused from wherever he was.

“If you insist on your dogs being here, they stay outside,” I seethed inches from Pedro’s face. “This is my house, and you hire me to do my job, now I have to have your pets and your cameras invading my space?” I shouted and knew I hovered the line of disrespect, but I didn’t care. “We had a deal, and you broke it.”

He went quiet, and I half expected him to walk through my front door with guns blazing.

“Eric,” his tone changed to a quieter one, “the cameras are for us.”

“I don’t seem to have a link to the feed.”

“I’m sending it now.” A moment later, my phone vibrated, and I saw a link had been shared with me. “I know things are different with this one, but you must understand, Eric, one can never be too careful. She is, after all, a Blackstone bitch.”

“Yeah, thanks for the heads up on that one, by the way.” While I talked, I motioned with my gun to Alejandro, and he stepped forward and began to herd Pedro and his buddies outside. I gave him a nod as I moved to my office. “The bitch told me on our drive here.”

“Interesting.” He seemed amused. “Was she feisty?”

“A bit.” I knew I’d better feed him the truth on that. I still wasn’t sure what he could see and hear. I also knew he liked his women a bit wild, and I didn’t want to stimulate his imagination. I used my fingerprint to open my Mac and clicked on the link. It brought me to the basement cameras.

“Hang on. I have a call coming through,” he rasped, and I rolled my eyes as I was placed on hold. While I waited, I grabbed a pencil and sketched

out the basement room in my notebook. Then I quickly made notes of all the blind spots the cameras couldn’t see. Only half the bucket could be seen, the paintbrush was in full view, but the line next to the cage where my chair was tucked in the far back corner was completely hidden. Whoever installed the cameras didn’t put much thought into where they were pointed. I turned up the volume, and it crackled a bit then cleared, and I could only hear some white noise. All of that told me it wasn’t hardwired. The fact that it was more than likely wi-fi connected worked in my favor. The phone in my ear went live as Castillo clicked back on.

“I have some guests arriving soon. I have to go.”

“Wait, what’s her name? Which Blackstone member is her husband? How can I sell her with no information?”

“You’re not selling her.” He chuckled. “We’ll pump her for information then dispose of the bitch.”

Chapter 2

 

Ivy

The sound of people talking brought me back. I was in a heap on the floor of my office. I desperately tried to clear the fog that held me captive.

Was he gone?

I strained to listen, too scared to move. Silence. My teeth started to chatter as pain made its way through my consciousness. I felt it build as I lay there.

“Oww.” I started to cry but instantly went quiet when I heard a noise. I was simply too terrified to move as I stayed where I had been left, by him.

“You know what I’m capable of, Dr. Knight.” His threat came back to me in one horrific flash, and I blinked as the memory of it all overwhelmed me. I remembered how I watched him as he went through my purse then held up my ID. I knew it had my home address on it. “You open your mouth, and I’ll kill you.” I’d never forget the look on his face.

Stop.

I forced my eyes open to take in the room. I saw my chair, the one my mother had so proudly given me when I moved into this office. It now lay on its side with two broken legs. My lovely glass office table was shattered, and the desk looked like a tornado had hit it straight on.

With all my might, I sat upright. My head pounded, and I gently touched it. My fingers felt around a large, tender goose egg, and when I looked at my hand, it was covered in blood.

I brushed the wet hair from my eyes and carefully toed off my heel. I tried not to make any noise as I used the wall to help me stand. I forced through the vertigo and eyed the closed door to my personal bathroom. Slowly, with shaky knees, I moved across the room, took a deep breath, and pulled the door open. It was heavy and creaked on its hinges, and I felt my heart beat my rib cage with the force of a baseball bat.

As soon as I saw it was empty, I lunged across the room for my phone. My fingers were slick with blood as I madly tried to swipe the screen open. Finally, I took a second to wipe them clean on my shirt, and with a desperate swipe, I was awarded an open screen.

One, two, three…finally, on the fourth ring, he picked up.

“Ivy?”

“Uncle,” I tried to make sense, “I, I don’t know what happened, but he was here, and—”

“Who was there?” His voice turned serious. “Where are you?”

“I’m at my office. Reid, please…” Suddenly, my office door opened, and his murderous eyes found me. “Noo!” I screamed.

I jolted awake and sucked in a lungful of air as I took in my surroundings.

“Welcome back.” Mark studied me from the front seat. “Sounds like you were somewhere dark?”

“No,” I sat up straight and ran a hand through my hair to catch my breath, “I’m good.” I must have slipped off to sleep. I pulled my laptop up off the floor and tucked my paperwork back into my bag. I glanced at the time and saw Ty should have landed by now. He’d taken the redeye to New York, and I was concerned that he’d barely said anything to me before he left.

I unconsciously reached up and touched my head where the goose egg once resided. That night had been one of the scariest of my life, and until things were resolved, I knew I’d continue to be in this tailspin of flashbacks 

“I used to have nightmares.” My hand dropped away as Mark eased forward from the stoplight. “Every time I closed my eyes, there was my mother dead on our couch.” He cleared his throat. “You want to know what I did to make them go away?”

“Let me guess. You saw a doctor?” I tried to curb my annoyance that he’d seen me at such a weak moment.

“Nope, I faced it.” He looked at me in the mirror. “I know you’re dealing with something. That’s obvious. We’ve all seen Frank talking to you privately. But I also know it’s none of my business.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to hide from it,” I muttered. “It’s just taking a long time for something to happen—at least for my part in it to happen.” That was partly true.

“Oh, it’s court related.” He scrunched his face and nodded as he hit the nail on the head. “Savi’s been there.”

“So I’ve heard.” I hated that I sounded rude, but I was not happy on this topic. Always having to be cryptic, the secret was growing old. I was trained to get people to open up and talk about their problems, and here I was having to dance around my own issues. I hated that I had to suppress it all. I felt like a hypocrite. It was totally unfair.

“Did Savi tell you what I did to help her get through that pissed off feeling you have right now?”

“No.” I sighed heavily and caught his grin in the mirror.

Mark chuckled but held up a hand to end the conversation as he pulled into a parking space near the bus stop. We both could see Olivia happily chatting with her friends and their parents as they gathered in the parking lot. She was leaving for Girl Scout camp. I hopped out of the truck when I spotted the Logans as they watched from the edge of the group. I was glad they’d called us so we could catch Olivia before she left. ...