Page 104 of Boneyard HEA

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Read onward for an excerpt from To Be Red: TBR

Everyone died on that yacht, except for me.

I was trapped in that evil house, assaulted, chained to a wall, and filmed, and although I’m finally rescued, I am betrayed.

The fraternity declares me too dangerous to release. I’m gifted to Rafael, my ex-bodyguard and man with the most sinful eyes. Running from him awakens bad options, for he brings in Lazlo to join him in taming me, bedding me.

Hold my throat, pin me against a wall, make me drop to my knees... I discover Lazlo’s mouth is good for more than talking.

When they’re tasked with finding whoever arranged the slaughter on that yacht, I join the investigation. Can I finally make someone pay for what happened to me?

Those killers we’re tracking are also watching us…

Surviving this will take luck, two wildly controlling men, and for me to resurrect my courage.

Chapter One

Georgia

The air bag has puffed high and blotted out the sunlight. I press it down, batting at it, blinking away something leaking into my eyes. The scream of the engine dies to a low whine then ceases. The car stops rocking and banging about, leaving only a few creaks. Beyond the cracks in the glass, the shattered windscreen, the twists and dents in the hood, a grassy field lies blanketed by mist. A bird flits by, zipping from right to left.

Nothing moves out there, though the sounds of the crash seem to be bouncing about in my head. A wisp of smoke curls up from somewhere on the car.

Alden reaches in and starts helping me untangle myself. “Come on. You need to get out.”

I grunt and try to shift. Because of fire, I suppose.

After shrugging off the seat belt and smacking some more at the stupid, deflating air bag to get it to behave, I worm through the passenger door then into the open, walk a few steps and collapse. Alden is talking, asking if I’m okay, I think. He has his hand on my shoulder, but I can barely hear him past the ringing. I wave him off. He gives me a last eyeroll and a shrug, then returns to where Rafael squats near a corpse, patting him down. He pulls a wallet from a pocket, then a phone.

When Alden does the same at the next body—squats and examines him—he retrieves a gun. He aims it low and crooked as if about to shoot the ground, or the man. I feel like I should say something but…he wouldn’t?

“Hey!” Rafael is a moment late for there’s the sharp sound of a gunshot. The corpse jumps.

Alden shrugs, grins. “The fucker killed my car.”

“Give me that.” He takes the gun away from my dumbass ex-lover.

A distant noise from the direction of the road draws their attention.

I sit with my head in my hands, staring at them through my splayed fingers, as they go back through the hedge. On the way here, I watched the route. I know where I am. I know where I can go to hide. I just need some fucking luck, for once, please.

Time to get up.

Once I’m upright, I survey the muted chaos. My squeaky panting is a reminder of how close I came to being badly hurt. Hand on heart, I take some long deep breaths.

Smoke rises from the hissing engine bay and the punctured tires of the Porsche. I swipe tangled hair off my forehead and wetness cools fingers.

Blood. Blood trails down them from my fingertips. I open my hand to find my palm is red. It’s only blood.

Everyone has some.

Guess I whacked my head on something when we crashed.

I’m lucky. I could be dead. The bodies of the men Rafael shot add macabre wisps of steam to the mist. I tug my jacket closer, then meticulously do up one button with shaky fingers. It’s cold enough for blood to turn to mist.

The living men? They’re on the other side of the hedgerow the car ploughed into when we slid off the road. One voice sounds annoyed.