Wretched (Never After Series)(2)

She would have made a wonderful actress with how well she plays the part.

Sucking in a deep breath at the memories, I move to stand, but before I can even straighten my legs, Dorothy rises instead, pushing me back as she slips down the pews and into the aisle. She barely passes me a glance, but my eyes burn as I stare at her making her way up to the dais, that brown fucking ponytail fluttering, bright-red heels clacking on the wood floor.

My teeth clench so tightly my molars ache as I zone in on her feet.

Nessa’s shoes.

God, what a bitch.

Yeah… grief is a weird thing.

But so is anger.

And I’m angry.

I’m angry at Nessa for getting herself killed.

And I’m angry at Dorothy for killing her.





1





NICHOLAS





Seven Years Later





“What’s her name?”

I side-eye Seth, watching as he finger-brushes his dark beard.

“You know, it’s no wonder you get no pussy when you’ve got that shit on your face.”

He grins at me. “Women love this shit. And you’re deflecting.”

“What women?”

“All the ones your pretty ass leaves behind.” Winking, he stands up and grabs his jacket, the tan leather complementing his dark skin and dropping over the gun holstered on his hip. “You’re really not gonna tell me?”

Shrugging, I spin around in my desk chair, the small walls of my cubicle pressing in on me from either side. “I don’t remember.”

“Typical,” Seth scoffs.

Laughter bubbles from my chest. “She knew the deal. We fucked. I didn’t ask for her hand in marriage.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think anyone’s stupid enough to think they’re getting more than one night with you, dude.”

My chest pulls and I force a grin. He’s not wrong. Even if I wanted to, there’s no room for a relationship in this job. I have a hard enough time keeping my sister safe. Everyone else would be baggage I have no interest in.

“Don’t get mad at me for refusing to play into some made-up fairy-tale emotion.”

His brow rises. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Love.” I shrug. “It’s fake. Just a chemical reaction that people pretend is more.”

“Whatever you say, man.” Seth chuckles. “You wanna grab a bite?”

I stare down the long aisle of desks, accented by grungy blue carpet. “Nah, Cap wants to see me.”

Seth’s eyes follow my gaze until they hit the closed office door of our division supervisor, Agent Galen. “What for?”

“Probably babysitting duty again. God knows it’s been long enough since he’s put me on an actual case.”

The side of his mouth lifts. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have fucked his daughter.”

Groaning, I run my hands over my face. “That was one time, and I didn’t know it was his daughter.”

Seth laughs and I frown, tossing a random pen from my desk at his head. Honestly, rude of him to get joy from my misfortune.

The door to Cap’s office swings open and we both wheel around at the noise. Seth’s laughter dies off, his body straightening as he clears his throat. I glance at him and smirk.

Pussy.

He’s always been afraid of our boss, no matter how many times I’ve told him Cap is all bark and no bite.

“Woodsworth.”

Galen’s voice is gruff, and I wink at Seth as I stand up and make my way to his office, feeling the burn of Cap’s stare with every step. It’s no secret he hates me and wants me out of his division and subsequently out of his life. But regardless of his personal emotions, I live and breathe this job, and I’m the best at what I do.

Plopping down in the stiff gray chair opposite his desk, my eyes roam along the framed portraits of his wife and three daughters, my cock twitching when I spot Samantha grinning with her perfect olive skin and skinny arm slung around her younger sister’s shoulder.

I lied to Seth. I did know it was Cap’s daughter. I just didn’t give a fuck. Served him right for ripping me out of an active investigation and slapping me on desk duty.

Cap clears his throat as he walks by me, narrowing his eyes and snapping his hand out to flip the picture frame until it’s face down. The side of my lip pulls up, but I smother it, adopting an air of boredom instead.

He points his finger at me. “Don’t look at her, you little shit.”

Chuckling, I raise my hands in surrender. “My bad, Cap.”

He scowls. “I’m your supervisor, not a fucking captain. And your apology means shit.”

“Well, you’re the captain of my heart, and I’m not happy if you’re not happy.” I press a hand to my chest, grinning. “Come on. I said I was sorry. What more can I do?”

His dark eyes narrow. “You’ve already done more than enough.”

I sit back in my seat. “Nothing she didn’t ask for.”

A sharp slap rings through the room, Cap’s fingers tensing as they press into the top of his desk. “You’re fired.”

Shrugging, I place my hands on the arms of the chair and push myself up. “Alright.”