Reckless Temptations (Tempted #4)(91)

It wasn’t enough.

I needed more.

I took my time, walking the rest of the pier, firing one gun then the other. Another two dropped to the ground.

Still, not enough.

I wanted Wu.

I wanted to decorate my hands with his blood.

I wouldn’t stop until I did, and I continued to pop any Dragon that stepped in my way, full of lead.

I heard my brothers shout out to me.

But I tuned them out.

I didn’t give a fuck.

Let them tell me I’m reckless.

Let them tell me I have no heart.

I don’t.

This motherfucker was the reason I won’t see my kid being born, or hold Lauren’s hand as she brings him into this world. This son of a bitch took my family from me with his threats.

I don’t make threats.

I make promises.

I promise to take that bastard’s blood.

I solemnly swear to make it my mission in life.

I reached the end of the dock as another Dragon neared and I pulled the trigger, emptying my clip into his head. One of his brothers came up behind me, shouting in Mandarin as he watched the blood of his brother pour from his eyes and drop to the floor. I turned around, fired a shot and clipped him in the shoulder. I went to finish the job, but I ran out of bullets. He screamed, spewing Chinese bullshit as I tucked my guns away and rolled up my sleeves. My dick got hard from the look of fear in his eyes and it was all I needed to finish him. I grabbed him by the neck, smiled at him as I leaned into him and spit in his face before I snapped his neck and dropped his head to the ground.

“Jesus Christ,” Bones hollered, pulling me to my feet. “C’mon, man, what the fuck are you doing?” He fumed, as he stared down at the slayed Dragon. I followed his eyes and looked at the man at my feet, feeling unsatisfied as I gasped for air. Bones looked at me, muttering something under his breath before he bent down and grabbed the guy’s feet, dragging his bloody ass to the end of the pier before he kicked him into the water.

He grabbed the back of my cut and pushed me forward.

“We gotta get the fuck out of here,” he ordered. “Now, Riggs.”

I stared at him blankly before glancing down at my hands, recalling how Blackie lifted his hands and spoke of the bloodshed his hands were responsible for.

My hands weren’t clean anymore.

But they weren’t nearly as dirty as I wanted them to be.

Not until I had Wu.

I was going to get that motherfucker.

Mark my words.





I was six months pregnant, more than a month had passed since I had seen Riggs. The first few weeks were rough, I went from having so much hope to having nothing at all. I felt like I was crawling out of a hole, desperate to get above ground. I’m still not there yet, and I may never be, but I’m moving forward.

I have no choice.

After I left the clubhouse Anthony took me to the apartment so I could pack my things before bringing me to his home. I feel bad for the hell I’ve put my brother and Adrianna through. It should’ve been a happy time for them, they should’ve been enjoying Adrianna’s pregnancy but instead they listened to me cry myself to sleep and put off painting their daughter’s nursery in fear it would upset me.

They tiptoed around me, but I’d catch things here and there, like when they were laying on the couch together and Anthony dropped his head into Adrianna’s lap so he could talk to the baby. Or the several times he placed his hands on her stomach when their little girl kicked.

Pea kicked a lot.

But there was no one to lay a hand on my belly other than me.

I was happy for my brother, really I was, but I didn’t like feeling envious so when my mother suggested I move in with her, I jumped at the chance. Of course, Anthony didn’t like the idea, he was my shadow these days and me living with our mom, made his job harder.

I got a job, working from home, billing and coding for a doctor. It wasn’t a great job but it would get me through until I had the baby. Then I really needed to figure out what I would do to support us.

I think of Riggs all the time. I hate myself for it but I can’t help it. I wonder if he regrets what he did or if he’s happy to be rid of the burden.

I’m dreading going to the doctor tomorrow, and not because I can’t wait to see how the baby is doing, but because Riggs won’t be there to hold my hand and whisper jokes in my ear. He won’t be there trying to put his own legs in the stirrups like he did the first time he came to a doctor’s appointment with me. He won’t be there trying to convince the doctor he has super sperm and that our baby will be a genius. He won’t be there to rob hospital gowns intending to play doctor when we get home.

He’s gone.

It’s like he’s dead.

And if I’m being honest, there are days when I tell myself he is.

Rest in Peace, Riggs.

You’ll forever be in my heart.





Chapter Thirty-One





I started staying at the apartment almost immediately after Lauren left, partially because of the feud with Bones, but mainly because I wanted to hold onto my brief time with Lauren and Pea. The first few days it took all the willpower I could muster up not to break every piece of furniture. The couch, the bed, hell, even the refrigerator reminded me of what I gave up.