The Unfortunates (Unfortunate #1) (35 page)

I smirk at Vince and his dark, espresso eyes zero in on me, but they have no effect. My organs are dancing over the small victory.
Screw you. Asshole.

“She has to be locked up until the blood tests come back.”

“My room will do just fine,” Kade states, folding his arms. His statement wasn’t a question, but a command. But I don’t want that. He said he
can’t
love me and that means Fortunate or Unfortunate, he won’t let himself feel love. Besides, how can I let myself be with someone who didn’t want me when I had nothing?

“No,” Albert rebuts. “She needs to be locked up in the cells. No chance for escape.”

I slump into myself as the party appears to be breaking up. One by one, they filter from the room and soon the only three remaining are Kade, Kathryn, and John. I’m still in shock, and thankfully, none of them try to touch me. I’m not sure I can stomach it… because of her selfishness I was forced to live this life. I lived every day of my life without love, without parents. I grew up believing my only responsibility in life was to keep Fortunates happy. I didn’t have play time. I didn’t get breakfast, lunch,
and
dinner. I was only allowed to shower once a week. It was hell and it was all for nothing.

“The blood test will take a few days, but when you come out… we’ll be here waiting for you.”

I nod, unable to formulate my thoughts and feelings into words. After a few small eternities, they head for the door.

“Did I have a name?” I ask finally, and she stops in her tracks.

I don’t look at her.

“Anna
,” she tells me. “For the brief few minutes I held you, I called you Anna.”

∞ Kade ∞

“Anna’s a pretty name,” he muttered, crouching to her level.

“But it’s not
the name I grew up with,” she replied, her pretty violet eyes locking with his.

She was mad and confused and sad, but Kade didn’t feel the same. He thought he was going to
lose her—he almost did—but now, now she was alive and better than ever. Once this is over, she’s free. Actually free. He knew there was something different about her from the moment he saw her, from the moment she fought him. He knew she was wired differently, that she was too curious, too controlling, and too sarcastic to be an Unfortunate. This was fate. That he truly believed. When Portia told him she saw Nine running across the field, his heart swelled into his ribcage and cracked in two. He’d never felt so betrayed in his entire life and the look on her face when he caught her, the look of total defeat… it wasn’t something he ever wanted to see again. He was going to heal her and it had nothing to do with the fact she could possibly be a Fortunate. Fortunate or Unfortunate, Nine wasn’t going to die. He was going to save her, protect her and respect her. It took him a long time to come around to the fact that she meant everything to him. He was seconds away from murdering his brother and everyone else in the room. For
Her.

Nine wanted Kade to love her and he did—holy shit he did—but he
didn’t admit it because he knew nothing good would come of it. Her death would be the only thing to ever transpire from the love Kade gave her. He knew he loved her. He felt it in the way his stomach fluttered whenever she was around and the way his heart ached when she wasn’t. Kade thought it was all connected to the way she made him feel when they were intimate, and in the beginning it was, but somewhere along the line she wrapped herself around his heart, attaching herself to all of his organs while she was at it. To cut her out would mean death. It would kill him. You can’t survive without your heart…

…
and that was exactly what Nine had become to him.

Continue Kade and Nine’s story

in the next
instalment...

The Fortunates

*SNEEK PEEK*

Chapter One

Jackson

I remember the first time I met her.

Her dark, red hair twirls across her shoulders and over the tops of her breasts—breasts that are almost pouring out of her tight, black dress. Have you ever met a girl so poisonous even a glance in your direction renders you powerless? Her black, glassy eyes catch mine and the damp beer bottle almost slips from my fingers. I tighten my grip. Her look, her presence, is enough to tangle you in her undoubtedly intricate web without so much as a touch from her sharp, venomous fangs. She’s gorgeous and dark, dangerous and beautiful, enticing you without a single word. Like a black widow spider, she’s ready to make something magical happen and she will… right before she devours you completely, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind. That woman, the one watching me from the other side of the club, is Amelia Petrovic, the love of my life. The devil under the guise of an angel. The woman who ruined my life.

I lower my beer and set it on the glass table top. Suddenly, beer is the last thing I want to drink. From where she’s standing, she can’t tell that I’m underage. Then again, the security guard at the door couldn’t, either. I peer down the length of the bar at Seth, my best friend. Three women surround him like birds to a piece of bread. His features are a lot more boyish than mine—prettier, even, but women fall for it every time. I turn my sights back to the redhead, but she’s gone and a feeling of despair settles in my stomach.

“Amelia,” a woman says in my ear. Her voice is husky and smooth all at once like bourbon.

I turn my head and there she is, the redhead, Amelia, up close and personal. Immediately, my stare falls to her lips. They’re plump and red, swollen as if she’s just been kissed, and they stand out against her white, porcelain skin. She leans even closer to me and suddenly, I’m fucking speechless. Her smell, cinnamon, engulfs me and I clear my throat. “Jackson.”

“Jackson,” she repeats, testing my name out on the tip of her tongue. “I like it.”

I take a nervous sip of my beer and clench the neck to stop my hand from trembling.
Fuck.
I’ve never been so shaken up by a woman before. Not like this. She giggles and flicks her thick red hair. “Aren’t you a little young to be in a club, Jackson?”

I shake my head and force false confidence into my voice. “No, ma’am. I’m twenty-one.”

Even in the seedy lighting, I see her dark eyes flare. “You don’t have to lie to me. I can keep a secret.” My entire body stills as she reaches out and drags a long, red fingernail down my arm. “You’re bad, Jackson, and I like bad.”

I arch a brow. “You do?”

“Oh, yes.” She steps even closer until her firm body presses against mine. “Show me how bad you can be.”

I frown. How do I ‘be bad’? I glance down. I don’t have any tattoos. I don’t smoke or do drugs. I drink occasionally and the only fighting I do is in George’s MMA class after school. What she wants, I can’t give her… because that’s not me. Seth is the one who likes to fight no matter where he is. He’s probably planned out all of his tattoos too, but the thought of pointing Amelia in Seth’s direction irks me.

“How?” I ask despite my reservation.

Amelia scans the club and points out a tall man in the corner of the club chatting up a girl. “You see him?”

I nod.

“He looked at me. Go teach him a lesson.”

I look at Amelia. She can’t be serious? Looking isn’t a crime and it’s not like she isn’t sexy because she is—easily the sexiest woman in this entire club. “You’re out of your mind.” I tell her. “I’m not going to hurt him because he looked at you.”

Her eyes, black in this light, flick over my face. She surveys me for a few long seconds before she shrugs her shoulders and smirks the darkest smirk I’ve ever seen. “Grow some balls, Jackson. Do it and I’ll show you things you’ll
never
forget.”

Holy fuck.
Punch an innocent man and have my world rocked, or get out of this messed up situation as quick as I can? As much as I’d like to see the things she can show me… I can’t bring myself to hurt someone who doesn’t deserve it. “Nope, I’m not doing it.”

“We’ll see.” She hooks her finger around the collar of my black polo and tugs me into her. I don’t have time to register what’s happening as her mouth crashes with mine and she slips her tongue between my lips. Over and over, she rubs her tongue against mine, intoxicating me completely. Then, as my hands find her hips, she pulls away from me and storms off. I watch, dazed, as she crosses the bar and approaches the tall guy she wanted me to ‘teach a lesson to
.’ There’s a sexy sway in her hips as she stands, talking to him and strangely, I don’t like it. I have no control over her and I have no connection to her, but I’m jealous just watching the two.

I jump as a heavy hand slaps down on my shoulder. “Jacks, ready to go?” Seth shouts in my ear. I glance at him and the pretty brunette he has tucked under his arm.

“A few more minutes,” I tell him, turning back to watch Amelia.

Her hands trail up his tattooed arm into his spiky, black hair. I ignore the jealous pang in the pit of my stomach. I barely know the girl… Then, she pulls him down and presses her lips to his. I surge forward, marching towards them like she’s mine. She isn’t, but she wants me to prove myself to her. I should run. Amelia is clearly crazy, but there’s something about her that hits all of my buttons. I hear Seth call out for me, but I don’t turn around. My blood hums, pushing adrenaline around my body. It all happens so fast… I pull Amelia away and swing at the tall asshole. My fist connects with the side of his head and he hunches over, clenching his face. Pain radiates through my hand and up my arm, but I’m too high on the moment to really notice it. I’m barely able to get my bearings on the situation before I’m grabbed from behind and my feet are yanked off the floor.

“There’s no fighting in here!” the man holding me booms as he squeezes me tighter in his grip. I don’t bother fighting him. Getting my ass kicked by a guard and being banned from my favorite Seattle club isn’t something I want to do tonight. Sure enough, I’m dumped right outside the door and shoved down the sidewalk.

“Get off me, asshole,” Seth growls as the security guard tosses him out the door, too.

The cool Saturday night air blows against my burning skin and I lean against the brick, flexing my fist and cradling my wrist. I was so wound up I didn’t even think to hit him properly.

“What the fuck, Jackson?” Seth snaps, running his fingers through his dark, hair. “You hit a guy? What for?”

I glance at him. He’s just pissed I ruined his chance to score tonight. How he isn’t a teenage parent by now is beyond me. “Because I wanted to.”

I almost shudder at the truth in my statement.

“Well done,” Amelia purrs.

Seth steps aside and Amelia inches closer. I don’t appreciate the
once-over she gives Seth, but I’m not about to punch him, too. The wild strands of her red hair are illuminated by the street lights and I know, in this moment, that she isn’t going to be good for me. Regardless, my skin prickles, begging her to come closer.

“Do you have a phone?” she asks, extending her long nailed hand.

Without a word, I pull it from my back pocket and slap it into her palm. I watch her dark features as she taps quickly over the screen, inserting her details. Then, she leans in. I hear Seth swear under his breath and turn around.

“I’m going to love sinking my claws in you,” she whispers, kissing my cheek. Amelia hands my phone back and I glance down at her name and number. When I look up, I see her back as she disappears back into the club…

…and that was the first time I got twisted in Amelia’s shit, too young, horny, and stupid to see how psychotic she really was.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, my family is first to thank. Without their support and sacrifices, I’d never find the time to write.

Thank you to Limitless Publishing and all of their helpers and supporters—from cover design right down to the editing. I appreciate it all and a big thank you to Mikayla, Kawehi Reviews and Toni (my editor) for giving me confidence. I wrote The Unfortunates in the first trimester of my pregnancy and I was tired and exhausted all of the time. As a result, I was worried the story would be lacking, but your kind words/reviews sent those fears to the back of my mind. Thank you.

Ultimately, thank you to my readers. None of this would be possible without you guys. I love you all.