Sizzle

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Note to Readers

  Bibliography

  Sizzle

  Holly S. Roberts

  Sizzle

  Holly S. Roberts

  Published by Four Carat Press

  Copyright 2016 Holly S. Roberts

  Printing History

  eBook edition 2016

  Paperback edition 2016

  Edited by Michelle Kowalski

  Cover by Fantasia Frog Designs

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be multiplied, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by whatever means. Electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the writer. This eBook is licensed for your use only.

  This is a work of fiction. ALL characters are derived from the author’s imagination.

  No person, brand, or corporation mentioned in this Book should be taken to have endorsed this Book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.

  Dedication

  To Carol Hall for all the incredible work you do on my behalf.

  You lift my spirits each day.

  Thank you.

  Chapter One

  Alex

  I SHAKE THE SWEAT from my face and try to dislodge the pictures coursing through my mind. I woke up this morning with them clicking one after the other. Hours later, I’m giving my penance full reign. With each strike of my fist, the next picture generates like an old slideshow.

  My mother peering at me in chastisement. Moon’s father shaking his head when I told him I would make my own way. Another strike of my fist and another grunt from my victim. Moon’s mother smiling at me in tenderness and then screaming as she was raped and murdered. My sister crying when I sent her away. Madison’s face when she put three bullets into a piece of scum and became one of us.

  My next jab is well-calculated and his ribs give way. I receive a scream this time, and it conjures the perfect image of my father’s head delivered in a box. Not just the image, though. Oh no—the smell, the flesh dripping from his skull, and the liquid evidence of what remained of the man who raised me. That image is the worst.

  This is why I kill. It’s also why I do it with my fists when Moon doesn’t stop me by granting mercy with a quick bullet. I’ve found that keeping a person alive while making them suffer is a talent. It’s one of the things I do best.

  Ramon Romero is all but dead. He only exists because I need information before I put him out of his misery. My leather-gloved hands and the lower half of my arms are covered in Ramon’s blood. He’s learning the hard way that you don’t fuck with Moon’s organization and especially not Moon’s wife. When you fuck with Moon, you get me.

  You don’t want me.

  Ramon expels a slight grunt after a particularly low strike to the gut. I have him bound and hanging by his arms from a metal chain connected to a rafter about sixteen feet above us. His legs gave out hours ago. The damage to his shoulder sockets is something he won’t need to worry about. With an oath, I pull my next punch and lift his head by the hair. His eyes are almost swollen shut.

  “Names?” I huff into his face and click past another image in my mind.

  This is my killing zone.

  Slobbery, bloody bubbles spill from between Ramon’s misshapen lips. “Please,” he manages to breathe.

  My voice is low and steady. “I’ve just begun, asshole. Who had you following Moon’s wife?” I need the information—sooner rather than later. Madison’s bodyguard, Jess, spotted the tail a week ago. I wasn’t a fan of hiring Jess, but that was between Madison and Moon. Jess isn’t my type. She shouldn’t be Madison’s either. I actually laugh at the thought, and the sinister sound echoes in the small room. Jess is a bona-fide, he-man dike. Cropped hair, bulging muscles, and nerves of steel. I should know; I’ve boxed and grappled with her. We managed not to kill each other and now share a mutual, wary respect. Her spotting the tail raised that respect a tad. After she notified Moon, it became my job to find Ramon. I just had no clue who Ramon was when I went into hunting mode. He was good and managed to evade me for six fucking days. The fact that Jess tagged him yesterday, before I could, rankles, but I’ll live. Jess is with Moon and Madison right now while I take care of the scum who poses a threat to Madison.

  Again my laughter echoes. Ramon must think I’m as crazy as my reputation makes me out to be. I continue laughing. Madison prefers I call her Mak. Since the wedding and the change from Madison Abigail Kinlock to Madison Abigail Moon, I call her Mam for her married initials or Madison or whatever annoys her most. She loves me, or so I tell her on a regular basis. Actually, I love her like a sister, which is why she met Moon in the first place. She resembles my sister in appearance. Only appearance and even that’s harder to see as time goes by. The two are emotionally nothing alike. I met Madison in a parking garage where she was taking pictures of a scumbag getting head in the back of his car. Mad was a private investigator hired by the scumbag’s wife. Within a few minutes of verbally sparring with her, I knew Moon would find her attractive and most of all intriguing. Turns out, Madison was made for him.

  Thoughts of Madison take me full circle to my sister, Theresa. I do my best to steer away from thoughts of her. I haven’t seen my sister in years, and I’ve never met my niece and nephew. Too dangerous. And that brings me back to Ramon.

  “He-ssss kill me,” slides from his lips like a snake.

  I move closer so his broken nose is inches from my face. “Listen you fuck. I’m going to kill you. It can be quick or take a few unpleasant days. One way or another, I’ll have a name and you’ll be dead.”

  He starts crying.

  I have no sympathy. There were many things he could have said when I picked him up that would have changed this course. Wanting to be part of Moon’s organization is one of them. I’ve run into several overzealous Moon fans who think their small piece of criminal activity is better suited for the big time. Think again, fuckheads. Ramon would have received a beating for following Madison and wouldn’t be part of anything concerning Moon. Or he could have been a PI, which is what Madison was before she attached herself to Moon. Again, most likely he’d have received a beating. But the asshole ran. He also attacked me with a knife when I cornered him. He has talent with a blade and that shows he’s a very dangerous asshole. I have a slice in my arm for not killing him immediately, and I’m sure he doesn’t appreciate my sacrifice in the fucking least.

  I release his hair and his head falls forward like he’s already dead. The next blow breaks another rib and he passes out. My fists are sore. I enjoy this pain. The pain and the flashe
s of painful memories are how I’m wired. I walk over to my large black bag and remove what I need. With all his broken ribs I’m most likely dealing with a punctured lung. There’s one way to find out. From a small kit, I remove a ten inch rubber tube and disposable scalpel.

  I make an incision beneath his arm and slide the tube past the busted ribs so it’s securely inside his chest cavity. Air immediately escapes the tube and Ramon’s chest expands. Dr. Santos explained the procedure to me a few years ago. He wasn’t thrilled, but he understands the world I live in. The man who died too quickly because I didn’t have this knowledge was problematic.

  Ramon needs a break, so I head to the utility shower that has a large tiled floor. I’m in a sectioned off portion of one of our downtown warehouses and it’s hotter than hell inside. Phoenix in July is no place for the weak. The warehouse is cooled by water evaporation, which means instead of one hundred and fifteen degrees it’s in the nineties. Maybe we should invest in ceiling fans.

  I’m shirtless and Ramon’s blood is splattered across my chest. I remove my bloody gloves, shuck my jeans, and turn on the lukewarm summer water that Phoenix is known for. Stepping under the spray gives me some relief from the heat and also my itchy skin caused by the blood drying.

  Moon and I had this room built for the purpose of taking care of serious problems. After Madison witnessed an unfortunate scene through a warehouse window that included my fists plowing into our target and Moon putting a bullet through the guy’s head, we changed things up a bit. Now this area of the warehouse is soundproof and there are no windows. We also added the shower and immediately to the right of the inside door there’s an incinerator. It makes the damn place even hotter. I don’t want to think about the permit required to install the incinerator. Moon paid a lot of money to get it fast-tracked.

  I look at my bare feet and observe the pink water sliding down the drain. Using a bar of soap, I wash my face and cropped hair. The bandage on my arm is wet and the burning ache from the knife slice only pisses me off more.

  After a quick and thorough soaping to the rest of me, I shut off the water and grab a towel from a stack on a table a few feet away. I take small scissors from my bag and cut the soggy tape and bandage from my arm. The wound is a clean slice about two inches long. I re-apply gauze and tape and forget about it for now. When this is done, I’ll clean it again and use instant glue to seal it. I lift a clean pair of jeans from my bag and pull them on. I’m barefoot and will remain this way until the job is finished. I swill a large bottle of water and prepare myself for the next round.

  It takes four more hours. The break to Ramon’s neck is swift after I have the information I need. It doesn’t surprise me that Danita, Moon’s aunt, is the one causing trouble for Moon. He should have killed her or had me do it when she betrayed us. You turn on family, you die. It’s a simple philosophy and the code I live by. That’s why I’m Moon’s enforcer. We live in a world of our own making. It’s violent and my duty is to keep the violence as far from our doorstep as possible.

  I begin to methodically clean the mess left over from Ramon’s interrogation. Moon has good men working for him. One of them, Rack, is guarding the front part of the warehouse. I take no chances that what happens in this room will be discovered and use the bleach we keep on hand to destroy blood evidence. I wrap Ramon’s body into the plastic I had under him and tape him up. The plastic helps to hide the odor of shit and urine—basically the smell of death. Using a ten to one water and bleach solution, I spray and wipe down the outside of the plastic and all traces of blood in the room. I then use a power sprayer so everything goes down the center floor drain. The body will be taking a short ride in the back of the Caddy that’s waiting inside the front section of the warehouse with Rack.

  I shower again, put on a fresh suit and add black dress shoes after placing everything else into the incinerator. I text Blevins and Juan telling them to return to the warehouse. They disappeared earlier at my order without blinking. Their job is to monitor our property in this section of town. When it comes to handing out justice, the fewer witnesses the better. I unlock the door that leads into the larger section of the building and give a nod to Rack. He walks over with the shirtsleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up and helps me move the body into the trunk. His shirt is plastered to his skin because he’s sweating so much, and I know we’re both ready for the cool interior of the Caddy.

  “You get what you need?” he asks after slamming the trunk.

  “Yea, it isn’t good. Danita,” is all I need to say and he understands. “Be sure the team is alert,” I add.

  “Always, boss.”

  He gets in the driver’s seat and I take passenger. When Rack calls me “boss” I usually smile. He’s ex-Special Forces and may be the one man in the organization besides Moon who could give me a run for my money. We’re about the same size. Whereas my training is more scrappy hood, his is everything lethal the military and firsthand experience could teach him. I’m glad he’s on our side.

  As we roll out of the warehouse, I press Moon’s number on my cell.

  “Yea,” Moon answers.

  “Danita and Victor Corbin.” Victor’s territory is California and he rarely causes us problems. Now, that’s changed.

  “Fuck,” Moon says and then stays quiet for a moment. I listen to him breathe and give him time. The words are firm when he finally offers the go-ahead. “Call Manuel and have him take care of the situation with Danita. I’ll handle Corbin.” Manuel has been in Antigua since Danita was relocated there. He’s more than capable and he’s another good man to have on our side. We knew Danita wouldn’t just walk away and live a quiet life. It’s been a waiting game and Manuel is our ace in the hole.

  The fingers of my left hand thrum the armrest. “I can take care of Danita personally, and it may take more than just you to handle Corbin. No disrespect, jefe.”

  Moon grunts into the phone. He isn’t happy about any of this. His voice loses a bit of its anger. “I know you can take care of Danita and thank you. The solution involving my aunt won’t go over well with Madison and I want you out of it. After a phone call to Corbin, I’ll know our next step. I want you holding tight until then.”

  I give him the response he expects. “I can do that.”

  I envy Moon’s relationship with his wife. He won’t lie to Madison when she questions him about Ramon. I don’t see myself ever having someone to share this part of my life with. And Moon’s right. Madison doesn’t like Danita, but she’s also the reason Danita is still alive. This won’t make her happy. He’s also right on the Corbin front. My way is guns blazing. Moon is more of a businessman. That doesn’t mean we won’t resort to weapons. I know that and Moon knows that. Let’s just hope Corbin does too.

  I change the subject. “Where are you now?”

  “Outside Madison’s office. Colby is driving me home. Jess and Two-dogs are glued to Madison.” Colby became Moon’s driver when Moon took over New Mexico and much of the day-to-day business dealings in Phoenix fell on my shoulders. Colby’s good and I trust him to keep Moon safe. Moon brought up finding a bodyguard for me and I almost took his head off. Rack sticks fairly close, though, which is how I escaped the bodyguard bullet and further arguing with Moon.

  I snap out of my thoughts and give Moon my calendar for the next few hours. “I need to take care of this package and then, if you don’t mind, I’m arranging a visit with a lady from Madison’s office.”

  Moon combines his laugh with a short cough. He knows sex is my antidote for the fucked up shit I do. He also knows this makes Madison uncomfortable, even though she runs the escort end of our operation now. She was Danita’s replacement. Madison has a file covering my particular tastes. All the better to line up the proper service, of course. She becomes flustered whenever I make an appointment, and the thought makes me smile and shake off some of the oppressive weight on my shoulders. Funny that the fire only burned hotter in bitch Danita’s eyes when she scheduled me with someone.
Or maybe not so funny. Danita has a mean streak a mile wide. I never felt she protected the ladies under her care as well as she should. Madison more than takes up the slack now. I have no doubt she would bludgeon me in my sleep if I ever hurt one of her girls. Danita played favorites and enjoyed the petty jealousies and the bullshit that comes with escort divas. Madison is the opposite and pulls her hair out when the ladies have their inevitable spats. Moon and I hear the fallout when things are not running smoothly at the service.

  I finish laying out my plans to Moon. “I’ll have Rack drop me at the Lincoln and then I’ll send him to Madison. He can drive her home if that works for you. I’d like double coverage on her until this is settled.”

  Moon’s voice turns all business. “Sounds good. Clear up your business before ten and we’ll meet with everyone at the house then. Watch your back.”

  “Got it,” I tell him and end the call. Most likely he’ll send someone to shadow me until I’m home. Moon and I play the tough guy routine and we both know neither of us is invincible. Though we aren’t related by blood, Moon is my brother. We take care of family even when one of us fights it.

  It’s a little after two now and Moon’s giving me extra time to burn off some steam. I can make the meeting at ten with no problem. We drop the body at a new building site and I smile as I remember Madison and her fixation on me and Moon using cement foundations to hide bodies. It wasn’t exactly true, but in a pinch a deep hole suits the purpose. Disposing of a dead body isn’t as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be. Right now, I don’t have time for a long trip into the desert, and that’s best done at night in any case. Ramon is getting a semi-proper burial, and it’s much more than the shitbag deserves. He was hired to kidnap Madison. I will say this for Danita—the bitch holds a grudge.

  I help Rack lift Ramon’s body from the trunk. Rack operates the backhoe I had delivered yesterday after running down Ramon. I keep my eyes peeled in case someone enters the abandoned construction site. It takes thirty minutes and we’re out. After the car is moving again, I call Madison’s office.