Free Lethal Temptations (Tempted #5) by Janine Infante Bosco

followed him before he even uttered his answer.
    “To get Reina and Lacey,” he replied.
    “You go get Reina, I’ll get Lacey,” I countered, falling into step beside him.
    He raised an eyebrow, questioning me and I forced out a sigh in response.
    “We going to sit here and argue about this or we going to get the women in your life to safety? Because I tell you brother, something happens to either of them on your watch, you ain’t going to be able to deal with that. Trust me, that shit will be the death of you,” I said.
    And fuck, I wasn’t going to sit back and let anything happen to Lace.
    I slipped my arms into my cut, checked to see if my gun was loaded before shoving it into the back of my jeans. My eyes met Jack’s, and I swallowed roughly.
    “I got your girl,” I assured him.
    I got my Lace.
    I didn’t wait for him to agree or disagree. I would get her to safety, and no one would stand in my way.
    Not Jimmy Gold.
    Not even Jack Parrish.
    “Thank you,” he said as we straddled our bikes, revved our engines, and kicked our bikes into gear.
    No thanks necessary.
    I might not be able to save her from myself but I damn well could go on protecting her like I always did.
    Like she was my Lace.
     

Chapter Six
     

     
    “Lacey! Blackie is here,” my mother called as I finished applying my lipstick, giving myself a final once over in the mirror. My eyes were heavily lined with black liner and I had three coats of mascara on, making my dark eyes look bigger and almost black.
    Very dramatic for a fifteen-year-old.
    Just the look I was going for.
    I stared back at the image reflected in the mirror, a smug smile formed across my mouth. Fifteen, my ass. With all this make-up I could easily pass for twenty, hell, I’d take eighteen, barely legal but still of age.
“Lacey!”
“I’m coming!”
    I rolled my eyes, smacked my lips together before shrugging on the vintage leather jacket. My dad was serving time for a weapons charge. I didn’t get to visit all that often, this would be my first visit. If it was up to my mom I wouldn’t see him until he was released but where there is a will, there’s a way.  I found the jacket in the attic on a hunt to find our old family photo albums. It was hers, from a million years ago, well, not really a million, more like fifteen. It was one of the few things left from a time when Connie and Jack were a couple when my mother was Property of Parrish.
    It worked for my mom.
    She snatched the president.
    I ran my fingers over the leather, turning around in the mirror to check how I looked, noting it fit like a glove, like it was made for me.
    Like mother, like daughter.
    Here’s to hoping the jacket had the same effect for me and aided in nabbing the vice president of the Satan’s Knights…Dominic “Blackie” Petra.
    I’ve had a crush on Blackie since I was just a child. At ten years old I both fell in love for the first time and had my heart broken all by Blackie. He smiled at me and I knew love at first sight existed. Then he married his high school sweetheart and broke my heart.
    I like to think I got over Blackie and grew up since then. I mean after all I’m fifteen years old now. I wasn’t some kid with a crush and Blackie wasn’t the same person I fell in love with at ten years old. He’s sad all the time. He never smiles anymore. Not that I blame him. Blackie’s wife Christine, overdosed and died. I’m not supposed to know that, but I overheard my mom and dad talking about it. He blames himself for her death and it’s the reason he doesn’t smile anymore.
    Not for me or for anyone.
    He used to have a killer smile. It was his smile that hooked me. Boys my age didn’t smile the way Blackie did. He smiled confidently at me while boys my age smiled nervously, like they had no idea what to do around a girl.
    Blackie knew.
    I ran down the stairs and nearly collided with my mom. So much for trying to slip out of the house without her noticing the ‘new’