The 7: Wrath Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  BLURB

  DEDICATION

  PROLOGUE

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  THE SERIES

  OTHER WORKS FROM GWYN MCNAMEE

  GWYN MCNAMEE WRITING AS D.P. PAYNE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  The 7: Wrath

  © 2017 Gwyn McNamee

  Cover art by Jessica Hildreth Designs

  Edit by Kathleen Payne

  Formatting by Max Henry

  All rights reserved

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, or organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  When love is ripped away, wrath invades my soul, blinding my vision and feeding my bloodlust—it feels like coming home.

  DEDICATION

  To everyone who fights for what they love, even through the darkest of days.

  PROLOGUE

  The thing about having blood on my hands is, I don’t want to wash it off.

  Isn’t that what you’re supposed to want to do?

  Yet, standing here, over the shredded, unrecognizable body of Tarek, my hands dripping with his blood, there is no regret. No remorse. No nagging conscience screaming at me. Nothing but the overwhelming sense of relief floods my body.

  But it doesn’t last. It can’t.

  Yelling and the pop of gunshots break my reverie and remind me where I am and why.

  This isn’t over.

  Not by a longshot.

  ONE

  Three Weeks Earlier

  Jade’s cunt wrapped around my cock is the greatest feeling in the world. It’s better than any drug I’ve ever tried, any booze I’ve ever drunk, and any high I’ve ever experienced from killing for a living.

  I never thought I’d find solace in a woman.

  Women were things that served a purpose. Holes to fill and places to get on and get off. But then, I saw Jade…

  “Griffin!”

  My name on her lips sends me into overdrive. Thrust after relentless thrust, I pound into her, racing toward a climax I know will steal my breath and vanquish any lingering ghosts from my head. My fingers tighten in her auburn hair, and I jerk her head back and to the side so I can sink my teeth into her neck.

  The salty taste of her flesh is my undoing. I empty myself into her, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through my veins.

  “JADE!” My roar of her name echoes in the sparse room in a voice that doesn’t even sound like mine.

  I collapse on top of her and roll to my side, bringing her with me to press her back to my chest. My heart thuds against her warm, damp skin, and her heaving chest presses against my palms splayed across her breasts.

  Absolute. Total. Bliss.

  Something I never thought I’d find after everything I’ve done. You don’t torture, maim, defile, and tear people apart and then get the kind of love Jade has given me. At least, you shouldn’t.

  Her hand slides up and around the back of my neck. “You okay, Griff?”

  “Mmm…”

  It’s not much of a response, but it’s really all I can manage at the moment. Between the explosive orgasm and the sudden rush of memories, I’m physically and mentally spent.

  She pulls her arm back and turns to face me. The green eyes I’ve looked into for the last two years still hold the same reverence and love they did the first time we laid like this.

  Who the fuck knows why?

  Even at the beginning, she knew who I was, what I was, what I did. Yet, she gave herself over to me without question, without even the slightest hesitation.

  She is my angel, and I am her demon.

  Her fingers slip into my hair, and she scratches my scalp softly.

  A contented growl rumbles in my chest, and my eyes slip closed.

  “Mmm…keep doing that.”

  Warm, wet lips find mine. Her tongue probes until I open for her and return the kiss.

  My cock stirs between us, and I break away, putting some much needed distance between her luscious body and my overly eager one.

  “You need to stop if we’re going to make it to the party on time.”

  The coy bat of her eyelashes should warn me of her intentions, but when her hand wraps around my hard flesh, my body jerks, and my heart races like the first time she ever touched me.

  Her wicked tongue snakes out and across her lips. “We can be a few minutes late.”

  A few minutes? I should be insulted.

  “When have you ever known me to only last a few minutes, e dashur?”

  My love.

  I capture her grin with my mouth before pushing away and slipping from the bed. If I don’t put considerable distance between us, we won’t make the party, and I know how important it is to her.

  Jade gave up everything to be with me—money, power, authority, and most of all, her safety. She knew it would mean changing our names and disappearing, leaving all her family and friends and the life she always knew. It meant giving up the promise of being royalty in our world, and it meant always running, always looking over her shoulder. But she did it anyway…for me. Because she somehow managed to see beyond what I did, who I was, to my core, to where what I was doing was beginning to eat away at me like a fucking cancer.

  So the fact she has finally found some friends, people she can truly be herself—or at least her new self—with, means everything to her…and me. I’m not going to let my throbbing cock and her tempting pussy derail us from making the party.

  “You. Shower. Now. I’m going to let Bruiser out, then spray off, then we are out of here.”

  Her eyes glitter with mischief, and she shifts up onto her knees. “Are you going t—”

  “No.” I hold up my hand and take another step back from the bed. “I’m not going to join you in the shower, because we would never fucking leave.” My finger directs her toward the bathroom. “Go get wet.”

  Her back stiffens and a seriousness overtakes her face. She raises her hand to her forehead and salutes me. “Yes, sir.”

  Saucy wench.

  I dive for her but she scrambles off the bed and slams the bathroom door before I can grab her.

  She’s getting faster, or I’m slowing in my age. That needs to be remedied. The chase is only fun if I can still catch her.

  My boxers somehow made their way across the room to dangle over the lampshade. A hazy memory of her tugging them off and tossing them over her shoulder last night surfaces
, and I can’t contain the grin.

  That woman is voracious, especially the last month or so. It’s like trying to keep a dog away from a bone. That’s why we haven’t managed to even get off the mattress all day.

  Once my still-hard cock is covered, I open the bedroom door and am immediately thrown backward by the force of Bruiser slamming into me.

  “Down boy!”

  His massive paws press against my chest, the nails scratching my bare skin. He tilts his head, almost as if considering whether to obey me or not.

  “Down.”

  With a resigned whimper, he drops onto all fours and then sits at my feet.

  Christ, this fucking dog. He doesn’t realize he’s a fucking Newfoundland and weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. In his mind, he’s still the tiny puppy we rescued from the side of the road as we were fleeing Philly. Why anyone would leave such a beautiful dog in a ditch is beyond me, but finding him seemed almost destined.

  The fear permeated Jade so deeply at that point, she couldn’t stop shaking. I only pulled over briefly to try to comfort her. That’s when I spotted him.

  As soon as that wet bundle of matted fur cuddled into her lap in the car, her quaking ceased. It was the first time I’d seen her eyes dry and her body still in almost eight hours.

  I pat him on the head. “Come on, boy. Let’s go.”

  We don’t have much time before we need to head out, and I am far too tempted to break down that door and join Jade in the shower right now to do something about my aching dick.

  TWO

  It should be a sin to look that good in a dress.

  I have to force myself to take my eyes off her and check out the rest of the room.

  Old habits die hard. If my eyes aren’t constantly scanning, surveilling the people around us and the exits, I’m jittery as hell. The heavy weight of my gun in the holster pressed against my side gives me a modicum of comfort, but I doubt any passage of time will ever eliminate the need to have it there at the ready.

  “Griffin!” The slap between my shoulder blades makes me cringe and grit my teeth. “How you doin’, man?”

  Forcing a smile, I turn and examine the man standing next to me. Bobby isn’t a bad guy. He just…tries too hard. He’s one of those nerdy computer dudes who has zero social skills, but his wife is Jade’s new best friend, so that makes me his, by default, I guess.

  Time to muster up some small talk.

  “I’m good, Bobby, and yourself?”

  He shrugs and takes a swig of his beer. “Can’t complain.”

  I wait for him to expand, but awkward silence fills the space between us instead. It’s kind of his M.O.

  Social interaction isn’t really my thing. My job never necessitated me holding pleasant conversations with people. It was more get in, kill, get out, or get in, torture and taunt, maybe kill, get out, and then a little protection duty and helping with security mixed in. I was paid to be silent, not chit-chat. But things are different now, and Bobby’s social ineptness makes me uneasy.

  So it’s time to bail.

  “I’m going to grab another beer. You need one?”

  He holds up his bottle and grins. “Nope, I’m good.”

  Thank God. I don’t need to come back.

  A huge island in the center of Bobby and Janine’s kitchen separates me from Jade. I wander around it, keeping an eye on her where she chats in the corner with a few of her new friends. She looks up, and her eyes meet mine. A mega-watt smile spreads across her face and she mouths, “I’m sorry.”

  She knows how painful these types of things are for me. Crowds of people put me on edge. Too many unknowns. But after three cities in the last two years, she’s finally found a group of women she really meshes with. And I can’t deny her the opportunity to just be normal again.

  I grab a beer from the fridge and pop the cap before taking a long swig. The cool, crisp, hoppy liquid slides down my throat and somewhat calms my nerves and quells my annoyance.

  A brunette seated across from Jade bursts out laughing at something.

  She must be new. I’d remember her if I had met her before. The hair, the golden eyes, the olive skin…she’s a dead-ringer for Adelina, and just about everyone else in my family.

  I’ll never see my sister again. I resigned myself to that when Jade and I decided to leave. Not that we had much choice. He didn’t leave us one. It was either that, or we would both be dead. If we were lucky.

  Tarek Morina doesn’t forgive betrayal. Nor does he believe in light retribution. It’s how he’s managed to establish the wide-reaching network that stretches across the Eastern states and all the way home to Albania.

  That network is why we’ve been steadily making our way west. There’s no way we can leave the country without using our passports, and that would be like putting a flashing red target on our backs. And all my resources for getting a fake one would rat me out to Tarek in a heartbeat. Fake licenses were easy enough to locate on my own, but the forger was sketchy and I didn’t trust the crap he was offering for other documents. The best bet was to change our names, lie low, and disappear into suburban life far away from anyone who could ever recognize us. And it’s worked for the last two years. I just hope we can stay here permanently.

  Rockford made me antsy. Too many people and too close to Chicago and people who know us. Minneapolis gave me the creeps, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. But Denver…it’s felt like home almost from the beginning. The friendly, laid-back vibe has lulled us into a sense of security. I don’t want to be the one to break that for Jade by being paranoid.

  So, I’ll tough out the party long enough to appease her, then drag her home and fuck her all night.

  If not before…

  The way she’s eye-fucking me from across the room has my cock swelling painfully against my zipper. I reach down and adjust it, and those emerald orbs follow the movement, zoning in on my erection. Her tongue darts out and swipes over her bottom lip.

  Fuck me.

  I need to get the hell out of here.

  She returns her attention to her friends while I drain my third beer. When her eyes meet mine again, it’s clear we’re on the same page. She mouths “outside” to me, then excuses herself and disappears down the hallway toward the front door.

  Thank God…because Bobby is making his way toward me again, and I can’t suffer through that without using my piece.

  And that would definitely draw some unwanted attention our way. We’ve managed to fly under the radar this long, I’ll just need to keep my temper at bay for a bit.

  Meeting Jade outside will help.

  THREE

  I know exactly where to find her. Last time we were here, we discovered a small copse of trees toward the back of the property that create almost an archway of sorts and joked it was a great place to fuck without anyone ever seeing us.

  That’s where she's going to head as soon as she leaves the house. I’m confident of that.

  But instead of chasing after her like the horny dog I am, I give her a couple of minutes so it’s a little less conspicuous.

  When I step out into the cool night air, I slowly scan the street, pretending to be enjoying the peaceful evening instead of just buying a little time.

  All is quiet. The neighbors are a good mile away on either side, and it’s a pretty low traffic area. After ensuring no one followed her or me out, I make my way around the house and along the edge of the property toward where I know Jade is waiting.

  She practically launches herself at me the moment I set foot into the small clearing. Her legs wrap around my waist and squeeze like a vise.

  “Jesus Christ, what took you so long?” Her warm breath floats through the cool air and over my lips.

  I laugh and squeeze her ass. “Sorry, babe. I didn't want to be completely obvious.”

  There aren’t any windows facing this area, and it’s far enough back no one can see us. Still, I don’t need my bare ass or my woman’s pussy on display for anyone.
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  “Griff, stop worrying so much.”

  Her chastisement gives me pause. “Jade, you know I can't not worry.”

  The playful mood sobers for a moment before she reaches between us and grabs my hard cock, reminding me of the purpose of our little escape out to the wilderness.

  “We better make this quick.” Her whispered words feather across my lips.

  I chuckle against the warm, wet heat of her mouth. “I feel like we had this conversation today already. I don't do quick, babe.”

  Her deft fingers slide the zipper down my jeans. “Try.”

  I walk her back into a large oak and groan when she frees my cock from its tight confines. “Jesus, baby…” is all I managed to get out before her mouth descends on mine, stealing my breath and any other words I had.

  The skirt of her dress is already hiked up around her waist, giving me easy access to slide my hand between her legs and pull her panties to the side, exposing her to me completely. The head of my cock presses against her scalding core.

  She wriggles against me, urging me forward. I wait for a moment, taking in the wild look in her eyes and the way they blaze even in the dim light..

  Christ, she really is the most fucking beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  I slide in slowly, watching her eyes roll further and further back with every inch of cock I give her. The walls of her pussy clamp down around me, and I grit my teeth.

  Holy shit. No matter how many times I’ve been inside of her, it still feels new every single fucking time. Being with her is well worth any risk we may have had to take. I pull my hips back and plunge into her again, hard enough to slam her back against the tree. She cries out, and I slant my mouth over hers, catching her moans and gasps just in case anyone else is outside.

  Dusk has already come and gone, and in the barely there light, I can just make out the glint of satisfaction and lust in her eyes when she opens them again and meets mine.

  “Yes…harder!”

  Like I could ever deny Jade anything…

  I slam into her…harder…faster…over and over, the bark of the tree no doubt abrading the exposed skin between her shoulder blades, but fuck if she cares. Neither do I. I'm inside of her, and that's the only place I ever want to be.