Shattered: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Have you read them all?

  Shattered

  Book Two in The Blackthorn Brothers Series

  By Cali MacKay

  Copyright © 2016 by Cali MacKay

  Published by Daeron Publishing

  Http://calimackay.com

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher or author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The story contained within is the work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. This story contains explicit sexual scenes and adult language and is only for readers over the age of 18.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2017, edition 1.0

  ISBN: 978-1-940041-49-0

  I wasn’t after revenge—I was after what was rightfully mine.

  Flicking my phone on, I checked the time again as I waited in my car, across from the nightclub parking lot. Skylar’s schedule wasn’t always predictable, though for the most part, she usually left work around the same time. I had parked just down the road a bit, close enough to spot Skylar heading to her car, but far enough away that the club’s cameras wouldn’t catch me as I waited, hidden further by the shadows and time of night.

  My patience was starting to wear thin, and I was half tempted to just barge into the club’s offices and haul Skylar out of there, even if I had to toss her over my shoulder, kicking and screaming. I never should have let her walk away from me. That was my biggest mistake, and one I couldn’t live with any longer. She’d once been my whole world, my best friend, my lover…and then in a blink of an eye, everything between us had changed—and I didn’t fucking understand it. But tonight, I’d fix everything—I’d make her see that she was mine, and we were meant to be together.

  There was no way I was going to let that asshole boyfriend of hers get in my way. How the fuck she even ended up with him was beyond me. Ray Mitchell was nothing but a lowlife criminal who liked the taste of power and control, and had no problem hurting people to get what he wanted—and that included hurting Skylar every time he was disappointed or needed to prove a point. And I’d be damned if I was going to let him touch her again.

  I hadn’t realized how bad things were for her until she showed up at my father’s funeral, doing her best to cover up the marks Ray had left on her body—and I just didn’t fucking get it. She was smarter than this, though I hadn’t a clue as to why she was staying with that fucking bastard—and I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around and let Ray hurt her again.

  I’d tried talking to her, tried to convince her to leave him, tried to make her see sense. But she just kept pushing me away. And now? She wouldn’t even return my calls.

  Yet it was clear she was scared, and that just wasn’t fucking acceptable. So if she thought I’d stand idly by and let that asshole torment and hurt her, she could guess again.

  There she was…and as usual, she was alone. Despite it already being dark out and this being a club, no one was walking her to her car to make sure she got there safely—though admittedly, there were security cameras around the place.

  Leaving my car, I jogged over to her, though the moment she spotted me she started shaking her head no. “What the hell are you doing here? Ray’s going to kill you if he sees you. You need to go, Finn. Right now.”

  “Only if you come with me, Sky—because I’m not fucking leaving you here. The guy treats you like shit. He fucking abuses you. And yet you still fucking stay with him and put up with his bullshit.” I couldn’t help but reach out and touch her, grabbing her hand in mine, desperate to make her see sense. The moment I touched her, a spark passed between us, the chemistry between us always undeniable. And it was one more reason why I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she’d walked away from what we had. “Just come home with me…I don’t know why you left, but I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

  From the moment I laid eyes on her when we were just thirteen years old, I knew there could be no one else for me. And though we didn’t date until we were in college, she’d always been my best friend, the only woman I’d ever loved—and then just like that, she’d walked away from me, leaving me crushed and feeling lost.

  “Not everything is about you, Finn. And I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that you need to leave me alone. We broke up—and that means it’s over. You need to get on with your life. You can’t keep coming around and calling me, trying to get me to come back to you. Because it’s not fucking happening.”

  Just like every time before, her words didn’t match the emotions in her eyes, nor the fact that she couldn’t quite push me away. She could have easily pulled her hand out of mine, and yet she didn’t. She just held onto it tight as if it were her only lifeline and she was drowning in a stormy sea.

  And then there was the fear in her eyes, stark and vivid.

  “Sky…I still love you. I always will. That will never change.” There was no point in denying it, since it was nothing but the truth. I needed her to know I meant every word…needed her to know that she had options, and I would do anything to make sure she was safe. “For fuck’s sake, Sky… Please…I’m begging you to come with me.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” She finally pulled her hand away from me, taking a step back toward her car, her eyes fierce as she glared at me with a shake of her head. “Just go home, Finn. I’ve already told you, I want nothing to do with you. Whatever we had is over, so get on with your life and stop bothering me.”

  Her words were like knives to my heart, though I refused to believe that she didn’t still love me. I knew that my brothers would probably think I was being delusional, but I knew it was the truth.

  Things had been perfect between us until I was forced to take a month to deal with some family stuff in Ireland. But by the time I got back, things were different between us. She broke things off between us, without even giving me a half-decent excuse. She just said that she didn’t want to be in a relationship anymore, and it was over.

  I spent the next several months trying to convince her to come back to me, but she kept pushing me away, and in the end… I suppose I was just t
oo hurt and devastated to keep going back for more heartache. Except that I couldn’t get on with my life… Not when I couldn’t have her in it…in my arms…in my bed…

  And especially not when it meant leaving her in the hands of that abusive fuck.

  “How the fuck am I supposed to just leave you here, when I know that asshole boyfriend of yours is hurting you? Even if you don’t come back to me, you need to leave him.” Not that there was a chance in hell that I wouldn’t be making her mine again. I’d been stupid enough to let her push me away once, and that wasn’t going to fucking happen again.

  Yet before I could say anything more on the subject, Ray was storming toward us with another three of his men, no doubt bouncers from the club—and that likely meant I was fucked. I could have easily taken on Ray, and maybe one of his goons, but four on one weren’t odds I particularly cared for. Not that I’d be going anywhere without Skylar.

  She grabbed my arm and pleaded with me, panic in her face. “Just go, Finn. If I ever meant anything to you, then you need to just leave and forget about me… Forget I ever existed. I’m begging you…”

  “I love you, Sky… For fuck’s sake, just come with me.” But then Ray and his men were on me, as I did my best to fight them off. I managed to land one blow after another, but there were too many of them…

  Skylar’s screams shattered the night as she begged and pleaded with Ray to let me go and not hurt me, though her words were falling on deaf ears as Ray and his goons overpowered me, their fists connecting with my flesh and bone, pain piercing my body even as I tried to fight back.

  I was beat to the ground, my body hurting all over as Skylar wept over me, doing her best to protect me as she pleaded with Ray to let me go. Shouts and screams echoed around me, and then Skylar was gone, my body refusing to cooperate as I was forced to watch as she got hauled away, looking like a little rag doll in Ray’s grip.

  Desperate to go after her, I tried to get up but was met with a kick to the ribs. “If we see you here again, you’ll be leaving in a body bag.”

  “Fuck you.”

  I fought to get free of Ray’s grip as tears streamed down my face, and I cursed him to every hell imaginable. I needed to get back to Finn…needed to make sure he was okay…to make sure they hadn’t killed him. Yet my struggles were pointless against Ray’s strength and anger, especially when fueled by his jealousy.

  He dragged me back to his office and forced me into his chair, caging me in as he leaned on the arms on either side of me, and I tried to bite back my fear. “Do you want to tell me why the fuck he was here, Skylar?”

  “He’s here because he’s my friend and he’s worried about me.” I knew that telling him the truth would only anger him further, and he’d be much happier if I was begging and pleading with him for forgiveness—though forgiveness for what, I didn’t have a fucking clue. “And you need to fucking call off your guys, because I swear, if they put him in the hospital, not only will I never speak to you again, but you’ll have to deal with the wrath of his five brothers—and trust me, you do not want to piss off the Blackthorns.”

  “Fuck the Blackthorns. You’re just lucky I’m not putting him in a grave, sunshine. ’Cause if you think I’m scared of him and his brothers, you can guess again.” Ray’s jaw tightened and his blue eyes narrowed with anger as he took me in, leaving me with no doubt as to how this would eventually play out. Even if he let me off the hook for now, he’d wait until I’d let down my guard, and then he’d make me pay for the fact that Finn had the audacity to show up at his club and touch me. “Why the fuck was he even here? Are you fucking him, Skylar? Is that what you were doing after the funeral? Letting him fuck you before his father’s body was even cold?”

  “You’re a sick fucking bastard, Ray. How the hell could you think that of me?” I spit out the words, hating him, even though I knew I should have just kept my anger in check and kept my mouth shut.

  The backhand across my face had my neck snapping to the side, the pain so intense my eyes watered. And then, in a move so quick I didn’t have a chance to react, his fingers closed around my throat and he squeezed, sending white dots flickering across my field of vision, as I tried to suck in one breath after another. “Tell me again that I’m a sick bastard, and your boyfriend won’t be the only one ending up in the hospital.”

  But just as I started to black out, Ray loosened his grip as I gasped for air and he sank to his knees before me, leaning his head against my chest as he held onto me gently, like he was a changed man—until his next bout of anger. “Why do you make me do these things to you, Skylar? Don’t I give you everything you need? A nice house, a good job… Don’t I buy you nice things?”

  Except that I didn’t want any of those things—I just wanted to be rid of him. And yet that simply wasn’t an option.

  I silently cursed Ray for holding my brother’s safety over my head. I knew my brother hadn’t realized who he was getting mixed up with when he took a job working for Ray. And the truth was, Ray had had me in his sights long before that, even though I’d refused to give him the time of day.

  So he set Matt up, making sure he’d get in a world of trouble.

  With the cops now in possession of Ray’s stash of illegal weapons—weapons Matt hadn’t even been aware he’d been transporting—he was not only facing jail time, but Ray was using the loss of his weapons as leverage, holding it over his head so Ray could manipulate me into being with him. It was me in exchange for Matt’s safety, and if I tried to walk away, Ray had made it abundantly clear that Matt would suffer the consequences.

  Matt had tried his best to talk me out of giving in to Ray’s demands, but I couldn’t let anything happen to my brother when he was the only family I had left.

  So, for now, I’d bide my time, and do what I could to keep my brother safe and get him the hell out of this mess, even if it meant hurting the only man I’d ever loved. I just had to put my plan into action—and as Ray’s accountant for the club and his other businesses, I was in the perfect position to give the FBI the information they wanted. I’d hand over whatever evidence I could find, and they’d not only lock Ray up, but they’d eliminate any jail time for Matt.

  Now, all I needed to do is deal with whatever hell Ray decided to inflict on me—and make sure Finn and Matt didn’t get themselves killed in the meantime.

  Ray looked up at me, his blond hair mussed and his blue eyes searching my face, looking both sorrowful and a bit crazed. “You know I can’t fucking live without you, Skylar… Just tell me you love me…tell me that you won’t leave. I swear, I don’t mean to hurt you, but you just make me so crazy, and the thought of another man touching you…I’ll fucking kill him.”

  Of that, I had no doubt. Which was why I just needed to play along for now, before his temper got the better of him and he killed Finn. I ran my hand through his thick blond hair, trying to reassure him. “It’s just me and you, Ray. You know I don’t want anyone else… Just me and you.”

  Pulling me close, he kissed me, his tongue bullying mine as I fought to keep my body from stiffening under his touch in revolt, knowing that if he picked up on it, it’d send him into an ugly spiral. And so I kissed him back, knowing that my lies were the only thing keeping me, Matt, and Finn alive.

  His kiss deepened as his hands slipped up my thighs, pushing my skirt up as he pressed on my legs with his strong hands, opening me up to him as I silently cursed him to every hell imaginable.

  Once again, I forced myself not to stiffen at his touch, doing my best to rein in my emotions, but it was nearly impossible not to shove him away when he stroked his thumb against my clit, the lace fabric of my panties doing little to offer me any protection. And then he was cupping my ass and pulling to the edge of my seat, before pulling my panties off.

  “Ray…someone could walk in.” I tried to pull him back up to me, hoping he’d settle for a kiss instead, but he didn’t budge, and I knew there’d be no stopping him until he’d had his way.

  “
I locked the door, princess. Don’t you worry…no one’s going to bother us.”

  I was still so fucking sore after the fight last night. But none of it compared to the fucking hole in my heart. And though I wanted to be left alone, my brother, Locke, had insisted on coming over, since I’d blown him off to see Skylar—and ended up panicking half my family, since it wasn’t like me not to show up when I said I would.

  “You look like shit. Ash wasn’t kidding when he said you’d taken a beating.” Locke took a sip of his beer, leaning back against the cushions of the sofa as he took me in, no doubt trying to figure out just how bad my injuries were. “How the fuck did anyone get the jump on you? That doesn’t ever fucking happen.”

  “There were four of them total, and I was still trying to get Skylar to leave with me.” Not only did she not leave, but she was also refusing to answer any of my calls or texts, other than a single reply to tell me she was fine, and that I needed to leave her alone—which wasn’t going to happen. I just needed to figure out a different plan.

  “I know you don’t want to hear it, but—” Locke held up a hand to stop me when I started to tell him not to fucking say it then. “Maybe you’re better off just letting her go. With everything that’s going on, the last thing we need is to have you end up getting beat to a pulp over a girl. I get that you have feelings for her—and we all like Skylar—but she’s a big girl and if she wants to be with this guy instead of you, then maybe you should respect that.”

  I growled at him, wanting to put my fist through a wall. “That fucking asshole is beating on her, Locke. How the fuck am I supposed to walk away from her when she’s not safe?”

  And when I still loved her.

  “Fuck, man… I’m sorry…I didn’t realize she was in that sort of trouble.” He let out a weary sigh with a shake of his head. “So, what are you going to do, if she won’t leave?”

  I ran a hand over my chin, thick with stubble since I hadn’t bothered to shave in days. “I have no fucking clue, short of kidnapping her or putting a bullet in Ray’s skull.”