DANGEROUS LOVE (OTHER BOOKS BY SADIE WITH SAMPLE CHAPTERS)

THE RUTHLESS SERIES

DESCRIPTION:

THE RUTHLESS SERIES: COMPLETE SERIES

CONTAINS SEVEN SHORT NOVELS THAT FOLLOW THE BLOODLINE OF VIKING KINGS.

Available for purchase on:

Amazon k****e/Cost $5USD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087PJ18QG

Smashword/Cost $5USD

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1017739

BOOKS INCLUDED:

RUTHLESS

(BOOK ONE)

Five years after the brutal murder of her sister, the only family she had left, Ava decides to seek out her revenge against the men involved. Infiltrating the notorious gang, Ava moves among the Fiends trying to get close to the men responsible for her loss with murderous intent. Even if it kills her, she will put the men involved in the ground, starting with the man that gave the order… Danny. But when she jumps the gun and goes after Danny in the dead of night, her attempt on his life fails miserably, and Ava finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless man not known for compassion and forgiveness. The battle lines are drawn, and going toe to toe with the Devil himself, Ava’s future is uncertain.

LEGACIES

(BOOK TWO)

Some people are just born bad, and this is no truer for anyone more than the children born into the notorious biker gang, the Fiends. Raised in a world of corruption, Diesel embraces his bad boy heritage and follows in his father’s footsteps like any other child of the gang. While all the children grew up with a special bond, Diesel finds himself drawn to his best friend’s sister, Paris, a wicked little firecracker who is always getting him in trouble.

THE ENFORCER

(BOOK THREE)

Cassadee simply couldn’t get a break. A single mom, she is barely making ends meet. She struggles to make a life for her and her daughter. When yet another date runs out on her, she crosses paths with an unlikely white knight. Cole is everything a girl should avoid, but his bad-boy charm is hard to resist. But when she learns that he’s an enforcer for a dangerous outlaw biker gang she knows, she has to cut all ties, but doing so proves harder than expected. Soon she finds herself caught up in his world, and in loving Cole, Cassadee stands to lose everything.

BORN BAD

(BOOK FOUR)

Addison has a knack for getting into trouble; somehow, she’s always in the wrong place at the wrong time. When she finds herself rescued by a badass biker boy, she is excited by his world until an unfortunate incident with a rival gang drags Addison right into the middle of a gang war. Now the thrill-seeking suburban girl realizes her very life is in jeopardy. She’s in too deep, and her new badass boyfriend might not be able to protect her.

LIES AND LEATHER

(BOOK FIVE)

As the daughter of a notorious gang leader Crista is a coveted prize… or so she had thought until her long-term boyfriend dumps her. Distort and heartbroken, Crista seeks to drown her sorrows in booze, she doesn’t expect to meet a kindred spirit from out of town. Cautious and wary of strangers sporting the colours, Crista keeps the sexy southern boy at arm’s length until her father checks him out and gives him the all-clear. Welcomed into the fold, Jax sweeps Crista off her feet, but this good old boy is hiding more than he lets on.

THE BIKER’S CREED

(BOOK SIX)

Freddy grew up a part of the dangerous gang of sexist, racist bikers with less than socially expectable ideals that govern the gang. So, when Freddy falls for a Middle Eastern beauty, he’s forced to hide the affair. But when she wants more than stolen kisses, he’s faced with a hard choice… obey the rules or buck convention.

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

(BOOK SEVEN)

Rosalyn’s life is perfect. She has close friends, family, and freedom. She is wild and carefree, a member of a notorious biker gang that owned the city. Nothing can stop them until the Hellhounds, a rival gang from out of town, moves in with the intent to over through the Fiend empire. And when the ruthless, cutthroat head of the Hellhounds sets his amorous sights on Rosalyn, she finds herself dead in the middle of an all-out gang war. Torn between her loyalties to the Fiends and her heart, only she can ensure the outcome and change the balance of power.

SAMPLE CHAPTERS:

BOOK ONE “RUTHLESS”

Edmonton Alberta, 3 am…

The banging at the door was relentless. The screaming voices in the hall scared Ava. “In the closet,” Julia insisted, shoving her sister into the bedroom closet. Ever since their mother died two years ago, Julia was all Ava had. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure it would burst through her rib cage.

Julia shut the door just as the front door gave way. Seconds later, the bedroom filled with six men in torn jeans and leather jackets with Fiend patches on their backs. Julia put up her hands defensively and sunk to her knees. “Please, no,” she pleaded.

“You stupid b***h,” a burly lager man with dark hair and a tubby gut snarled. His hand came up, and he slapped Julia across the face so hard that he splattered her blood across the wall. Ava clamped her hand over her mouth, trying not to scream. “You think you can steal from us?”

“I didn’t, I swear,” Julia declared.

Another man grabbed Julia by the throat and lifted her. Julia’s fingers clawed at his hands as she gasped for breath. He slammed her hard against the wall, and she let out a grunt of pain. “Where’s the product?” he insisted.

A third man stepped forward. Ava had a hard time seeing him through the slats of the closet door. He was in the shadows, but from what she could see, he was young, about Julia’s age. His hair was shaggy and blond. Even though the darkness, she could see the pale blue of his eyes. They were cold and angry. “Julia,” His voice was surprisingly soft. “Don’t make them ask you twice,” he warned quietly.

The other guy tightened his grip around Julia’s throat. It was clear she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t make a sound. Julia stretched out her hand and pointed to the dresser by the bed. The blond walked over to the dresser, passing the closet. He stood right next to Ava, and she was afraid he could hear her pulse beating wildly.

He opened the dresser drawers, searching for something. In the second drawer, he found it. He removed a package wrapped in plastic and tinfoil. He made a tisking sound and walked back to Julia. “I’m disappointed with you, Julia. I thought I could trust you, and you stole from me.”

“Please… Danny…” Julia gasped her voice barely more than a whisper.

“You’ve left me no choice,” he said, shaking his head. “Deal with her,” he ordered and left the room, followed by three of his associates.

“No!” Julia tried to scream as one of the remaining men tore the string off the blinds and wrapped it around Julia’s neck from behind. He pulled tight, and Julia struggled for her life, clawing at the cord around her throat. She fought but couldn’t get him to release her. Soon the gasping stopped, and the life faded from Julia’s eyes. Ava wanted to cry, but she was too scared. They dropped Julia’s body on the floor of the bedroom and left the room.

Ava sat in the closet, shaking and crying silently while she waited for the men to leave. She dropped her head; she couldn’t look at the body. She stayed in that closet for hours before she got the nerve to crawl out and over to the phone on the dresser. She pulled it down and took the receiver back into the security of the closet. With trembling hands, Ava called the police.

***

Danny stood in the living room, waiting for the rest of his boys to join them. He was furious. Julia had scammed him. He had thought they had a thing, but she had been stealing from him. She had been taking product from his father’s trailer and selling it herself, cutting them out of the deal. Thievery could not be tolerated.

“Get it back,” his father had demanded earlier that evening while they stood in his living room. He put his hand on his son’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “She was your girlfriend. You deal with it. Don’t come back without my product.”

Danny hated this part, but someone had to do it. If they let people steal from them, they would be considered a joke. The Fiends were no joke. Things went deathly quiet, and a moment later, Oscar and Shawn joined them. “She won’t be doing that again,” Oscar chuckled. Danny didn’t like the way that sounded. He headed back to the bedroom and looked inside. Lying on the floor with a cord around her neck was Julia’s lifeless body.

The sight took his breath away. He cursed inwardly and went back into the living room where he shoved Oscar. “I said deal with her, not kill her.”

“Well, you need to be more specific,” Oscar shot back. “Look, it’s dealt with. Let’s go get a drink.”

Danny slugged Oscar sending his tubby associate back, falling into the coffee table and breaking it in two. “Don’t mouth back,” Danny warned. He stood over Oscar, his heavy riding boot stepping on his windpipe, keeping him down. Oscar’s hand closed around Danny’s ankle, trying to move his foot. Oscar gasped for every breath. “Don’t you ever mouth me off you piece of s**t. I don’t kill people if I don’t absolutely have to,” he stepped off and kicked Oscar in the ribs. The older man grunted painfully and rolled onto his side, doubling over. “That’s not what we are,” he snarled and kicked Oscar once more. “Get his fat ass up,” he ordered his other men and left the apartment. This would be the last time he worked with these men. He needed new subordinates.

Julia might have been a thief, but she hadn’t deserved to die. There were some parts about being a Fiend he didn’t like, and this was one of them. Were he, not his father’s son, he may have never joined up; but at the end of the day, Danny was a Fiend, and he had to act like one.

Danny headed back to the compound. A large trailer park surrounded by a ten-foot chain-linked fence. It was strictly a Fiend zone. Not even the cops dared to venture inside the fence. Fiends and their families occupied every trailer. Their girlfriends and their children. Children like himself ten years ago. Danny and his sister had grown up inside the fence. Their father was Chapter President. He was a born leader, and he was training Danny to take his place one day. He had encouraged Danny and his sister Baillie to join up as soon as they were old enough. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but the occasional times like this, he second-guessed his choice to follow in his father’s footsteps, but there was no way out now. He was in it for life.

Danny walked into his father’s trailer and dropped the package on the table where his father was eating a turkey sandwich. “Get someone else to do your dirty work.”

His father looked up at him with no expression on his face. “Problems?”

“You told Oscar to kill her, didn’t you?” He didn’t answer. “Didn’t you?” Danny barked.

“I knew you couldn’t do it. Someone had to. We can’t let people think there are no consciences if they steal from us,” Tatum said. “If you’re going to take over one day, you got to develop a thicker skin son.”

“I don’t kill people if I don’t have to.”

“That’s your problem; you never think you have to,” his father pointed out. “You would rather spend all your time playing on that guitar of yours than do any real work. Well, it’s not all fun and games, Danny boy. You have to do the job,” Danny glared at his father. He had nothing left to say to him. He stormed out of the trailer heading for his own across the dirt road.

Once inside, he slammed the door, kicked the chair, and tossed the table over on its side. He was so furious. Julia’s death was on his head. He had brought her into this world, and she had lost her life because of it. Why had she been so stupid? Why did she have to steal from him? Danny dropped down on the couch and sighed. He was only twenty, and already he had a lifetime of regrets.

***

CHAPTER 1

Edmonton Alberta, 10 pm, five years later…

Ava stood by the bar with a whisky shooter in her hand. She had been scanning the place all night. She had spent every night of the last three months in this bar just watching. The Pit was not just a local biker bar, but a Fiend’s hang out. They made up more than half the establishment’s customer base.

She had been doing her best to worm her way into the gang since she turned eighteen a few months ago. She had spent the last five years in foster homes thinking about when she was old enough to be out on her own. She spent all that time thinking about the Fiends. About how she would avenge her sister’s death. She planned to infiltrate their gang. To get close to those involved and to exact her revenge. She would put a bullet in their heads herself.

Five years of hatred had calloused her heart. She didn’t care about right or wrong. She didn’t care about the law. She would gladly go to prison for the rest of her life if she achieved her goal. The men responsible for Julia’s death would beg on their knees for their own lives. They would beg for mercy but would receive none.

From her place, at the bar, Ava could see the men she had been watching for months. They were shooting pool, playing a round of doubles. Eight of them drinking and getting loud. The smiles on their faces made Ava choke on her own bile. She was consumed with the overwhelming desire to walk over and shoot every one of them. She very well might have if she had a gun, but guns were not easy to come by, so instead, she watched buying her time. She would play the game, and soon enough, the pieces would fall in to place. She waited five years; a few more months would be nothing.

Ava’s gaze drifted to the entrance. A group of women had just walked in. She knew each by name. These women were also Fiends. Leading the group was Baillie Prichard, the Chapter President’s baby girl. Ava had been spending a lot of the past two months getting close to Baillie. She was Ava’s way in.

Ava forced a smile as the ladies joined her at the bar. “I got good news,” Baillie said, ordering a round of drinks.

Excitement filled Ava. “Really?”

“Yep,” Baillie said, pushing her blond hair behind her ear. She was a very pretty young woman only a few years older than Ava. “Tonight’s the night,” she said, drawing a real smile from Ava. “No more shelters for you, you’re coming home with us tonight.”

Ava almost squealed. She was so excited. Tonight was the night they jumped her in. Tonight, she became a Fiend. It would get her inside and close to her targets. She couldn’t wait.

“Drink up,” Baillie suggested sliding another drink over to Ava. “You’re going to want to fortify before we go. It’s going to hurt,” she warned.

“It’ll be worth it,” Ava said, shooting back her glass in one shot. She had been drinking all night and was more than ready for what was coming. “Let’s do this.” She didn’t care how much it hurt; it could never match the pain she’d endured these past years alone going from one unloving home to the next. She was bitter and jaded.

“Well, it’s not happening until midnight, so have a little fun while you can,” Baillie suggested. Ava didn’t feel like having fun. She stood by the bar watching the others waste away the night drinking herself numb. At half-past eleven, they regrouped and left the bar. They weren’t the only ones either; every Fiend in the place packed up and left. Ava climbed on the back of a bike and held on as they drove in convoy out to the city limits.

They reached a fenced off trailer park, and Ava watched as they drove through the gate two by two. The whole trailer park seemed to be populated by the gang. They drove to the center of the park, where there was a field littered with metal trashcans blazing with fire illuminating the night. There were picnic tables, coolers, and kegs everywhere. It looked like there was to be a party.

They came to a stop with the others and jumped off the bike. “Welcome to your new home Ava,” Baillie said as they walked through the party.

“Is this all for me?” Ava asked, looking carefully at each face.

“Any reason to have a party,” Baillie chuckled. She grabbed Ava by the arm and tried to get her to follow her to the center of the field. There was a large group of men and women of various ages waiting. A middle-aged man with pale blonde hair stood up from the bench he was sitting on and kissed Baillie’s cheek.

“Hello, Baby.”

“Daddy, this is Ava,” Baillie introduced them.

“A pleasure,” Ava lied and shook the hand of the man that was running things.

“So, you’re the one we’re jumping in tonight. You ready for it?” Tatum asked.

She couldn’t be readier for anything. “Yes, Sir looking forward to it.”

“Well, then let’s get the festivities going,” he said, climbing up on the table so all could see him in attendance, and he yelled loud and clear, gaining everyone’s attention. “Tonight, we welcome a new member to our brotherhood. What does it mean to be a Fiend? It means power!” A cheer rose up. “It means fear!” Another cheer. “It means no one messes with us because when you’re a Fiend, you are never alone. When you’re a Fiend, you have an army at your back!” The crowd went nuts, raising their drinks in the air as they hooted and hollered. “When you’re a Fiend there isn’t anything you can’t have!” He then turned to Ava. “Are you ready to join us? To be our sister? To fight with us and raise a little Cain?”

“Oh yeah,” she had been waiting for this moment for so long. Ava prepared herself as a large group of women circled her.

Before she could breathe, the first one struck her, sending Ava reeling into the woman behind her. Suddenly she was restrained, and the next thing she knew, she was being pummeled from every angle. Ava was then tossed to the ground where she was punched, kicked, and stomped on by the mob of women. She could taste blood in her mouth and feel it dripping into her eyes. She held her side as she felt her ribs crack. The beating was vicious, and even though it only lasted five minutes, it felt like an eternity.

When the mob dispersed, Ava could barely breathe. Baillie offered Ava her hand and ignoring the pain Ava took it as Baillie helped her to her feet. Staggering before she caught her balance, Ava spit blood and tried to stand up under her power. Baillie handed her a cold beer and welcomed Ava to the Fiends. “You’re one of us now,” she smiled. “Come on, walk it off.”

Ava limped alongside Baillie, struggling to breathe. There was a sharp stabbing pain in her ribs with each breath she took. Reaching a table, she sat down her arms wrapped around her nursing her wounds. It had hurt far more than she had expected. “I think I need to lie down,” she breathed.

Baillie looked concerned. “Ok, come with me,” Baillie said, helping Ava back on her feet. With her arm wrapped around Baillie’s shoulders, the women slowly made their way to the trailers.

They limped up the steps to a dark green double-wide trailer. The drapes were drawn, and there were no lights on inside. They stumbled into the darkness. Baillie reached out, fumbling for the light switch while still supporting Ava’s weight. The lights turned on, and Ava looked around the small space.

There was no division between the living area and the kitchenette. There were two couches that didn’t match and looked even older than she was. The walls were wood pressboard panelling. It was God awful, but it was still better than going back to the YWCA.

Baillie helped Ava down the narrow hall to one of the three bedrooms. Reaching her hand out, she pushed open the closet door. Inside were two steel bunk beds with just enough space to walk between them. “It’s not much, but it’s home now,” Baillie said, helping Ava onto one of the lower bunks. “It will do until you hook up with someone who has his trailer.”

Ava had done her research when it came to the Fiends. The trailer must have been a halfway house for the ladies with ten to twelve women in one trailer. A place to lay their head until they found their place in some man’s bed. It was a lowly way to live, being second-class citizens, but it was the way the Fiends worked. It would do for now. Ava didn’t plan on staying here all that long. Once she achieved her goals, she would disappear in the night.

“Just take a load off, and I’ll come back to check on you in the morning,” Baillie promised as she left the room. Ava rolled onto her side, facing the wall. The bed was old but still more comfortable than the cots at the shelter. She closed her eyes and did her best to get some sleep.

***

Edmonton, at 9 am…

Danny stood over the memorial garden. A place where the dead were laid to rest. Those who were cremated were buried beneath the soil. Strangely all that death resulted in such beauty. Even at this early time of year. On the wall of the church that tended the garden was all the names of the deceased mounted on small plaques. In his hands, twelve deep crimson roses.

Danny placed the roses on the oak bench in the middle of the garden like he always did. He then walked around the side of the church and went inside. The church was empty at that time of day. Danny walked down the middle aisle and took a seat in one of the wooden pews upfront. It was the same seat he sat in every time he came.

He didn’t do anything. He just sat there staring at the tall cross mounted on the wall. His eyes locked with the mournful eyes of the statue of Christ. He could feel them judging him. Here within these walls, he was a demon among angels, but here while others found salvation, Danny felt a sense of hopelessness.

As usual, he sat there for the better part of the day lost in his memories. The sun was getting low as the shadows from the stain glass windows inched across the hall. Danny watched as the old priest came up the aisle and sat down beside him as he always did around that time.

They sat together for a few minutes before the old man spoke. “It’s been five years that you’ve been sitting here, son. Every year on the same day,” he said, both men looking straight ahead. “Don’t you think it is time you tell me why?” As usual, Danny said nothing. Every year the old man asked, and every year Danny kept it to himself. The old priest looked over at him. “Confession is good for the soul, son.”

“Confession cannot save my soul, Father.”

“Whatever you have done, God will forgive you if you repent.”

Danny looked at the old man. His hair was grey and had thinned at the top over the years. His bifocals slid down his long hooked nose. His features were withered, his eyes were gentle, and his smile was kind, but Danny found no solace in confessing to this man. Danny had no doubt this man believed what he said, but his soul could not be saved. He had done wicked things. He had stood by while others sinned against their fellow man. Though he’d never committed the act himself, there was still blood on his hands, and no matter how much he washed the blood was always there and would be until he died, and when he met his maker, he knew where he was going.

Danny rose to his feet. “See you next year, Father.” Leaving the priest alone in the pew, Danny left the church and stepped out into the setting sun. His Harley was the only vehicle in the parking lot. Mounting his bike, Danny revved up the engine. He loved how it purred. Outside of his guitar, it was his most prized possession. There was just something about a bike that made a man feel like a man. The wind in his hair and the power between his legs. There was nothing in this world that could ever make him give up his Harley. He’d ride it into Hell on a trail of flames, but for now, he’d settle for the blacktop. Pulling out of the parking lot, Danny headed for home, leaving this place behind for another year.

***

CHAPTER 2

Ava rolled over in her bunk. It was dark in the room. She must have slept all day. It had helped, she was a little sore still, but the blinding pain had passed. She crawled out of bed and headed for the door. She poked her head outside and looked both ways down the hall. There were lights on in the living room and voices. Ava wandered down the hall, coming to stand in the entrance of the living room where there were several women, some of which she supposed was her new roommates.

The group went quiet as they noticed her. “Well, it’s about time,” a pretty brunette laughed as she popped the top of the beer in her hand. “I was starting to think we killed you,” she said, taking a sip.

“It has happened,” the woman on the couch said. She was older than Ava with her red hair cut short.

“How are you feeling?” Baillie asked from her seat near the window. She knew Baillie was not a resident of the trailer, so she must have just stopped in to visit.

“I’ll live,” Ava said proudly. She had weathered the storm, and now she could reap the rewards.

“Here,” the brunette tossed Ava a beer. “Welcome to the family, sweetie. I’m Clarisse Ottwell,” she introduced herself then she pointed to the redhead. “And that’s Willow Sev,” she then pointed to a short blonde seated on the floor playing with three toddlers. “That’s Janice Quartz and her boys Axel and Diesel. Of course, you know Baillie, and that’s her rugrat, Cole,” she said, crossing the room and dropping into the empty spot beside Willow.

“So, what are we doing tonight?” Ava asked, walking over to the love seat Baillie was on. She took her seat next to Baillie and opened her drink.

“Afraid this is it,” Baillie confessed.

“Isn’t there a party or something?” Ava asked.

“Not tonight. Everyone is just chilling,” Baillie smirked. “Why you so eager to get out there?”

Ava offered a wicked smile. “Was looking forward to getting into mischief. Thought I’d meet some of the guys.”

Willow laughed. “You just got here, and already she wants to move up,” it wasn’t that. She was itching to set her plans into motion.

“Don’t worry, sugar, a pretty little thing like you won’t be here for long. You’re going to have offers in no time,” Clarisse promised.

“Winston’s been looking for a mama?” Janice pointed out.

Willow tossed a throw pillow at her friend. “Don’t be stupid; she doesn’t want Winston. The man is twice her age. Plus, he’s a total pervert.”

“Well, if we’re excluding perverts, we’re limiting the list of potential partners. They’re all perverts,” Baillie teased. “But Willow’s right, you wouldn’t like Winston. There is always Sal.”

“I don’t know,” Clarisse said cringing. “Sal’s kind of rough for a newbie. She’s got to cut her teeth on someone a little less physical,” Ava scowled, she couldn’t imagine what sort of man Sal was, but he didn’t sound friendly. “Oh, I know Hue’s pretty tame.”

“Yeah, but he’s a bit of a w***e, she might catch something,” Janice pointed out. “What about Oscar?” All three women looked at her like she had lost her mind. “Naw, you’re right, Oscar’s kind of mean.”

“There is always James,” Willow suggested.

Baillie scoffed, “You don’t want James; he’s a creep,” she said, looking at Ava.

Ava looked out the window at those that were hanging out on lawn chairs, getting drunk and laughing. “Who’s that?” Ava asked, pointing at a man lounging on a chair with both feet propped up on a cooler. His hair was as black as night with enough length that he had to tie it back.

The ladies came to the window and looked outside at the men cooling their heels. “That’s Jerry,” Willow informed her, “he’s cute, ain't he?”

He wasn’t bad. “He’s mine,” Baillie said promptly. “I don’t share.”

“And that one?” Ava asked, pointing to the man next to him with the short ebony hair. He was pretty cute too.

“That’s Hue,” Clarisse answered.

The sound of an approaching engine got her attention. A Harley pulled up outside. The rider cut the engine and swung his leg, getting off the bike. He turned around, and Ava couldn’t breathe. She’d seen those eyes before, those bright steel blue eyes that could cut through the darkness like lanterns. His hair was a deep golden shade. It was long but tied in a man bun. He was tall and broad, built like a brick house. His face was flawless with high cheekbones and long eyelashes that could make any woman envious. His lips were full but set in a grim line. His nose was straight, and his jaw was chiselled but shadowed. He hadn’t shaved that day, nor was she sure he had the day prior either. He had a wild look in his eyes.

He was dressed in a pair of boot cut stonewashed jeans with a tear on the left thigh and one on his right knee. The legs of his jeans were pulled down over a pair of weathered, dirty riding boots. He had on a concert T-shirt beneath an old leather jacket which he left unzipped. He was captivating.

Ava watched as he paused to talk to the men out front. He bumped fists with one guy and kicked Jerry’s feet off the cooler so he could retrieve himself a beer. Then he headed into the trailer across the street. “Who is that?” Ava asked, never taking her eyes off him.

Clarisse grinned wickedly. “Good taste. That wild stud is Danny.”

“My brother,” Baillie added. “You don’t want to go there,” Baillie assured her.

“Danny is the fastest guy in town,” Willow said, sitting back down. “He’s like a Tornado, dark and untamed; he whips in and out of a girl’s life, leaving nothing but wreckage in his wake.”

“He’s not exactly the faithful kind,” Baillie said.

She didn’t care; she didn’t want to marry him. No, her intentions were darker than that. “Maybe I should go over and introduce myself,” Ava said, coming to her feet.

All four women cringed at the same time. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Janice said.

“Why not?” Ava didn’t understand what they know that she didn’t?

“It’s April third,” Willow informed her.

“So?”

“So that’s like the worse time you could pick. He doesn’t like to be bothered on April third,” Clarisse said.

Ava sat down once more. “Why not?”

Baillie sighed. “Every year on this very day, Danny gets a little cranky and reclusive. He gets into a really bad mood. He goes into town and buys flowers. It’s always the same, deep crimson roses, which he leaves on some bench in a garden. Then he sits for hours in this church just south of the University. He stays until the sun goes down. Then he comes home and locks himself away in his trailer alone for the rest of the night getting drunk off his gore.”

“And if anyone interrupts him, he gets seriously pissy,” Clarisse added. “I wouldn’t go over there until tomorrow. You may not like the greeting you receive.”

Ava couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Every year, except for this one, Ava had visited her sister’s final resting place. She always saw the roses. She had always wondered where they came from. She’d never thought someone outside herself had been there to visit Julia. And her killer of all the people in the world. She hadn’t expected that. She was starting to feel a little guilty about having not gone to see Julia this year, but she had other plans. She was sure Julia would understand.

She had to know. “Why does he do this?”

“No one knows,” Willow confessed. “He doesn’t tell anyone.”

“And no one asks,” Baillie added. “And I think it best if it stays that way,” Ava had a feeling Baillie knew more about her brother’s mood than she let on.

“So, he’s got no girlfriend?” She asked leadingly.

“Hasn’t for years,” Willow informed her.

“He had a girlfriend about five years ago but not since,” Clarisse said.

“Why what happened?” Ava asked, wondering how much they knew.

Clarisse looked thoughtful. “You know I don’t know. She was around for a few weeks, and then she left, and we never saw her again.”

“Danny’s never been the same since then,” Baillie pointed out. “She broke him. He doesn’t trust anyone anymore.”

“Does he have a preference in women?” Ava asked, wanting to know more about her target, trying to find a way in.

“Same as any guy around here,” Janice said, shrugging her shoulders. “Wild.”

“Crazy,” Clarisse added.

“Fast,” Willow said with a smile.

“Bad,” Baillie said, taking a sip of her drink. “He’s got a weak spot for bad girls.”

“And whisky,” Janice snickered.

“And cigarettes,” Willow laughed.

“And music,” Baillie added. “Ask him anything you like. He knows everything about rock and roll.”

“But all that will have to wait until he sobers up tomorrow,” Clarisse said. “There will be no getting through to him tonight. By midnight he’ll be dead to the world. Not even a bomb would wake him,” interesting, it would be easy to sneak up on him if he was going to be that out of it. Maybe she wouldn’t have to get close to him to get close to him. Ava looked at the clock on the wall above the TV. She would wait until the park went quiet before she made her move.

***

Danny sat on the couch in the dark. His coffee table littered with cans. A beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He was lost in thought, lost in bad memories and regret. Wishing he could go back in time and change things, but he couldn’t, what he could do was dedicate one day a year to the woman that died because of him. Giving her memory the respect it deserved.

He couldn’t handle it anymore. He’d been drinking for hours, and he still felt utterly rotten. Danny downed the rest of his beer and tossed the empty can on the floor. He then took one more drag from his cigarette and butt it out in the ashtray on the coffee table. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as usual, but he decided to go to bed. He wanted this day to be over and done with.

Danny stood up and headed for the bedroom. Reaching his room, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. Stripping down to his shorts, Danny crawled into bed and turned in for the night. Tomorrow would be a better day. It always was.