Beyond Addiction (37 page)

But their leader had a cranky, forbidding image to maintain, so Zan fought to keep his expression neutral. "Just think about the money."

"Damn straight." Dallas grinned at Zan. "And maybe I'll think about watching Jasper spank this little brat's backside once for every time she's rude to me."

Noelle made a much,
much
ruder gesture.

Zan covered his face. "Hey, now. My virgin eyes."

"Sorry," Noelle said, almost managing to sound contrite. "I have to go talk to Mia. I'll be extra rude to you later, Dallas."

"I'm sure you will," he drawled, giving in to a chuckle as the back door slammed behind her. "I can't decide if Lex is a wonderful or terrible influence on that girl."

"Can't be both?" Zan pulled out a stool and sank onto it. "I heard there was trouble at the merchants' meeting."

Dallas's humor faded. "Yeah. That punk who took over Walt's shop has been waving his dick around, trying to get it twisted off."

"How much of a pain in the ass is he gonna be?"

"Christ only knows, but probably a bigger one now that he's managed to talk one of Stone's girls into fucking him."

Matthew Stone had ruled Sector Four before Dallas ousted him, and having one of the man's daughters by Wallace's side would mean respectability among some of the old-timers. Not everyone was happy with the law and order the O'Kane reign had brought to the sector, but no one had dared to speak against him--yet. But if Wallace could rally enough support around him...

He wouldn't just speak out, he'd fight. He'd lose, no question about that, but crushing the rebellion could do Dallas more harm than the rebellion itself. It could make him look like a tyrant.

"It's a bad situation," Zan mused.

"It sure could be." Dallas tapped his finger on the bar. "Seems like Tatiana could shut some of it down. You've always kept a pretty close eye on her. You got any pull there?"

"No." His answer came too forcefully, and he shook his head with a sigh. "You know how it is. Too much attention can seem like a demand, so I keep my distance."

"You may not be able to forever." Dallas's brow furrowed. "Not that I'm saying you should make like Wallace and hit that. But if this shit escalates, she'll have to have to pick a side. I really hope it's ours."

All Tatiana wanted was to run her shop. "Then we need to stop it from escalating."

"Can we?" Dallas grimaced and waved his hand. "Scratch that. The real question is, can
you
? I know your shoulder's still giving you grief, but we're spread awful fucking thin, man. Crazy shit is brewing, and I feel like I'm juggling knives."

"I can talk to Tatiana," Zan offered. "Chances are good she doesn't like having her sister involved with Wallace, either."

"Who the fuck would?" Dallas slapped the bar and straightened. "In a perfect world, I'd give you another week off your feet to mend up. But we need you."

"I've got this." He was an O'Kane. It was his responsibility to take care of things, to handle whatever needed to be done--even if it involved Tatiana. "I won't let you down again."

"Zan." His leader's expression was serious as he reached out to grip his arm. "You never have."

He had to say it, because Dallas O'Kane wasn't the sort of man to kick you when you were down. Zan nodded again and slid off the stool. "I'll head over early so I can be back before nightfall."

"Good. And, Zan? Watch your back."

Kit Rocha is the pseudonym for co-writing team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas and stories as
Moira Rogers
, they branched out into gritty, sexy dystopian romance. The
Beyond
series has appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and was honored with a 2013 RT Reviewer’s Choice award. Get updates about their new books by
subscribing to their announcement list
, or visit their website at
kitrocha.com

The list of people we need to thank grows with every book, because keeping up with a series is tough. We owe eternal thanks to our editor, Sasha Knight, our eagle-eyed proofer, Sharon Muha, and to Lillie Applegarth, official Keeper of the O'Kane Bible. We owe bunches to our early readers, especially Tracy and Jay, who always keep the peace at the Broken Circle while we're finishing a book or starting a book or crying over how we just broke a book. Speaking of crying, a million thanks to the people who hug, pet, slap and kick us through and out of our panic attacks--The Loop That Shall Not Be Named and the Awesome Indies especially.

Last, but never least, our readers. Whether you're a regular at the Broken Circle or on your first trip to Sector Four, thank you for buying, reading, sharing and celebrating. O'Kane for life!

Beyond Addiction

Copyright © 2014 by Kit Rocha

This novella is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.