Title: Angels Fall
Series: Original Sin #2
Authors: JA Huss & Johnathan McClain
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Blurb
Sometimes angels fall.
Maddie doesn’t really owe drug lord, Carlos
Castillo, money. So she hadn’t taken his threats seriously. Until now. He wants
it, whether she owes it or not. And if she doesn’t have it in six weeks he’s
gonna take her as payment instead.
Tyler would save the world if he could. That’s
a fight that lasts forever. And if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s
fighting. So if Maddie thinks she’s gonna deal with an insane drug lord on her
own, she’s crazier than he is.
She’s got a debt she can’t pay. He’s got more
money than he needs.
She’s not gonna fall for his charm. He’s gonna
make sure that happens.
They’re destined to be together. Even if
Maddie doesn’t know it yet.
Sometimes your soul mate isn’t who you’d
choose, it’s who you need.
Good thing you don’t get to choose.
MADDIE
“Who the
fuck invited you?” I snarl at Tyler. “And how the hell did you even find out
where I live?”
“I stopped
by Pete’s. Met Pete. Sweet guy, by the way. I would’ve imagined a strip club
owner as being kinda—”
“Pete told
you where I live?” Jesus. Thanks, Pete. Fuck.
“No, no,
not exactly.” Tyler’s standing way too close to me now. The girls are
pretending not to be able to hear him, but it’s clear they’re eavesdropping. I
hope they’re better at fucking guys for money than they are at spying.
Tyler leans
in closer still, and I really, really wish he would not do that. Because I hate
him and don’t want him anywhere near me. Or maybe because I can feel the heat
of his body and he kinda smells delicious. Which just pisses me off more
because I hate him.
He lowers
his voice and continues explaining how he found me. “Don’t be mad at Pete. He
didn’t want to tell me where you live. Seems like a really ethical guy.”
“Except he did tell you where I live.”
“Well,
yeah, but it cost me five grand.” My eyes go wide. “I mean, he’s ethical for,
y’know, a guy who runs a strip joint.”
Nope. This is not going down like this. “Get.
Out.” I’m pointing at the door now.
“No!” Diane
whines. “No, no, no. We’re just getting to know him, Maddie! Oh, my God. This
guy. Where the hell have you been hiding him all these months?”
“Where have
I been hiding him?” I see red as I go to him, hands out, and slam them
into his chest. The force of my push makes him step back… half a step. Maybe.
“I wasn’t hiding him anywhere, you traitors! This asshole ducked out on me
years ago. And when I needed him, when I was begging him to—” I shake my head to clear my mind. “And then he
shows back up and thinks everything’s gonna be fine just because we fucked a couple of times when I didn’t know it
was him!”
There’s a
beat before Annie says, “You fucked him?” with, like, way more excitement in
her voice than she should.
“Not the
point!” I shout as I slam my hands into his chest again.
But this
time, he grabs my wrist and stops me, saying, “Can we please talk?”
I struggle
in his grip, but he holds tight. I clench my teeth and spit, “Let go of
me.”
He does.
Immediately. Both hands up as if in surrender.
I decide to
change my strategy. Because clearly Tyler Morgan is being Tyler Morgan.
He attracts people to him like a siren song calling sailors to the rocks. He
knows how to play up the act he perfected long ago. Seemingly genuine,
charismatic, and fascinating as he leads the rest of us to our destruction.
So I pull
the friend card out and whirl around to face Annie, Diane, and Caroline. Taking
a deep breath, I say, “He’s not what you think,” in the calmest tone I can
muster. My voice is shaky. My hands are trembling with anger. But I hold it
together. “He ruined me,” I say. “He broke me into tiny pieces, dropped me to
the ground, and walked all over me.”
Annie just
stares at me, confused.
“What do
you mean?” Diane asks.
“He left
me, Diane. After Scotty died. He left me alone. He never came back. He never
even showed up for his funeral. I begged him,” I say, starting to cry. “I
begged him and he told me to stop. He just went on with his life like nothing
happened. Like my brother didn’t just die the most horrific death possible.
Like what we all meant to each other was meaningless. So I hope one of those
stories he told you about our childhood included that little fact. And
then…” I continue, drawing in a deep breath, willing the strength it takes to
get this last part in so I can twist that knife in his chest the way he did
mine. “And then he went off and made millions of dollars. Been living it up in
a goddamned penthouse, no cares at all. No worries at all. While I’ve been back
here…”
But I lose
it there. I can’t say the words selling myself.
Because I’ll die right now if I have to say that. I’ll die.
There’s a filled beat while everyone stares at
Tyler, who never breaks eye contact with me. And I really wish he would.
Because his eyes are sad and hurt-looking and no fucking way will I fall for
that shit. No. Fucking. Way.
Caroline
mutters, “He’s a millionaire?”
Jesus
Christ.
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