Kiss of Death (Blood Brothers Book 1) Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2017 Annie Harland Creek

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-269-1

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Katelyn Uplinger

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to my mother who always believed I would become a published author. I miss you, Mum.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  To my husband of 38 years. You are my inspiration, the love of my life, and my biggest supporter. Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to keep trying. Thank you to my family who I adore. You gave me courage and understood when dinner was late because I lost track of time. Big kisses to my daughter Pamela who edited most of my drafts, set up my Facebook page and designed my website. More kisses to my daughter Brooke who helped me brainstorm and allowed us to use her face in my branding. Thanks to Annie Seaton for editing one of the first drafts, and a big thanks to Kerry, Efthalia and Lee Piper for your ongoing support and advice as my beta readers. I will be eternally grateful to Stacey and Evernight for having faith in me and my first book. A special thanks to my editor, Katelyn Uplinger for the helpful comments and advice and to Jay Aheer for the fantastic cover.

  Thank you, dear reader for giving a newbie the chance to share her stories.

  I hope you enjoy Kiss of Death as much as I loved writing it.

  KISS OF DEATH

  Blood Brothers, 1

  Annie Harland Creek

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Anna Derwent kept her eyes low as she scooped up the last of the floral tributes, ignoring the wave of nausea exacerbated by the heady fragrance of the oriental lilies. She drew in a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and kept her eyes trained straight ahead as she hurried towards the exit of the gymnasium where the wake had been held. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she hurried to avoid the last of the mourners who had come to pay their respects. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hall and paused.

  The door to her father’s office was closed and she hesitated before crossing the dark hallway and turning the handle. The familiar smell of leather and liniment suddenly became suffocating and as the door closed behind her, she closed her eyes to steady herself as the room began to spin. Gripping the oak desk for support, she re-opened them and distanced herself from the pain that had attached itself to the room. Although, thankfully, she did not experience the actual sensation of pain, her hand instinctively flew to her chest. She gulped down a wave of nausea as her knees buckled beneath her. Before her eyelids fluttered closed, a shadow filled her vision and she sank to the floor with a soft moan.

  “Anna!”

  Firm hands caught her before she hit the floor and lifted her gently. The owner of the unfamiliar voice placed her on the leather chesterfield that had been in the corner for as long as she could remember. She opened her eyes as the strange voice permeated the fog.

  “I’ll get you some water.”

  The room swam around her and she frowned; everything had changed since she had last visited Dad. Only the couch she was lying on was familiar. It was as though Jake Derwent had never existed.

  “I’m fine.” She said to the man hovering over her. Her fingers gripped the cold leather. She tried to push herself up but the weight of his hand on her shoulders prevented her from moving. His touch was firm, but gentle and her already palpitating heart skipped a beat when she looked up into his eyes.

  “Who are you and why are you in my father’s office?”

  “I’m Derrick Corel,” he answered in a voice oozing raw sensuality.

  She gazed into the face of the stranger and her breath hitched. His tailored suit accentuated his muscular form and the stitches strained against the bulge of his biceps. But she had met plenty of buff men in her day and it was not his muscles that forced a gasp to her lips, it was his eyes. The bluest eyes she had ever seen. Unbelievably blue eyes that held her gaze and robbed her of rational thought. She absently ran her fingers through her shoulder-length copper curls as she admired his perfectly coifed hair.

  “Have we met Mr. Corel?” She asked with a shiver, suddenly aware of his icy hands on her shoulders. She doubted whether she would have forgotten meeting such a striking looking man as Derek Corel. Even with his square jaw set in a concerned grimace, his movie star features shone through and his eyes … a woman could get lost in those eyes. “Where you at the funeral?”

  “No, we haven’t met, Anna. I was … unavoidably detained so I was unable to attend your father’s funeral. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Jake will be sorely missed in both the fitness community and the town. He was a great man.”

  He lifted his cold hands from her bare shoulders and stood gazing down at her with his penetrating eyes.

  “Yes he will.” She swung her legs down off the couch and rose, strangely missing the skin to skin contact of the handsome stranger. She moved towards the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I’ll like to be alone.”

  Derrick picked up the flowers that Anna had dropped by the entrance and passed them to her.

  “Of course. Please allow me to walk you to your car.”

  Anna held her palm to her throbbing forehead and closed her eyes. “You misunderstand me. I was asking you to leave.”

  “Oh, then that makes it rather awkward,” Derrick answered, his eyes intent on hers. “You see, Anna. This is my office.”

  Anna’s eyes flew open and she took a step away from the door as she stared up at him. Her mouth opened but words didn’t come. She turned around and stumbled back to the desk. She shook her head as she surveyed the room. There was nothing in this room that was remotely familiar, nothing—apart from the old leather couch—that reminded her of her father, nothing but the emptiness of his passing. She turned to face him, leaning heavily on the desk in an effort to support her weight as he approached. With each step he took closer to her, the pain in her head increased. By the time he had reached her, her thoughts were swirling in confusion and excruciating pain.

  “I’m sorry, Anna. I thought Jake’s attorney contacted you this morning to explain the situation.”

  Anna slowly shook her head and the pain intensified. “I let the call go to voicemail. I thought he was calling about a will and I had enough on my mind with the funeral.”

  “Understandable.” Derrick nodded. “And you’ve had a long drive getting here so you must be exhausted. I’ll give you some space to rest for a while.” He walked to the door and opened it. “This conversation can wait.”

  A rush of adrenaline propelled her towards the open door. Pushing herself between Derrick and the door, she slammed it shut and thrust her hands to her hips. “You can’t just drop a bombshell on me like that and then walk away. We’ll discuss this now.”

  “Are you sure you are up to it? You did just have a fainting spell.” He pointed out with a hint of concern in his voice.

  Heat burned her cheeks. “I am not in the habit of fainting, Mr. Corel. As you said, it has been a long day and the shock of seeing this office…” She took a deep breath and forced the sob from her throat.

  “You don’t like the office?”

 
“Of course I like the office, it’s beautiful but … don’t change the subject, I want to know what claim you have on my father’s business. When did this become your office?”

  He cupped her elbow and motioned for them to return to the couch with his other hand. Anna pulled away and strode ahead of him. She flopped onto the couch and crossed her arms as he sat beside her. Darkness crept over the room and she shuddered. A familiar feeling of dread wormed its way into her consciousness. Not a good sign.

  “Were you aware that your father was having financial difficulties?” His words cut straight to the point.

  Anna bit her bottom lip and nodded.

  Of course she was aware. She was the reason for them.

  “I was in the market for a Dojo and this business had a lot of potential, so, I offered to buy into it. We signed a partnership agreement and became co-owners, sixty-forty.”

  “So, you own forty percent of dad’s business now?”

  “No, Anna. I own sixty.”

  Anna squared her shoulders and frowned. “And I’m expected to just take your word for that?”

  “No. Of course not.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and handed her a business card. “The papers are filed with this office. You should give them a call.”

  She snatched the card from his hand. “You bet I will.” Staring down at the small white card she pondered out loud. “So, where does that leave me?”

  Anna cringed. Her words sounded too desperate; too flustered. This place had been her sanctuary; her father had been her anchor. Now they were both gone and she was alone.

  Derrick sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “This would have been less painful for you if the lawyer had spoken with you first. I really think we should—”

  “I asked you a question. Where does this leave me?”

  “It is entirely up to you. Either you sell me your share of the business—”

  “Not gunna happen. Next option.”

  “Or we work together.”

  Interlocking her fingers to still her shaking hands, Anna sighed. How could this ever work? He oozed self-assurance while her confidence had hit rock bottom. There were too many memories in this town, bad memories, but what choice did she have? She had quit her other job as they had refused to give her time off for the funeral. She was trapped.

  “I don’t play well with others,” she said slowly. “I am a very private person and I don’t like sharing. How would this work?”

  Derrick smiled. Dimples creased his cheeks as he told her, “There is a way we could make this work.”

  Anna furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

  “My classes are at night and I run another company so I’m not here in the day. You can have the office from six a.m. and I’ll take over at six p.m. Does that suit you?”

  “Don’t you want to ask me if I am qualified to run a gym? You know nothing about me.”

  “I know enough, Anna. Your father spoke of you often and he told me that you are a certified gym instructor with a diploma in business management. I think you’ll fit in fine.”

  He offered his hand which she reluctantly shook. The chill sent another shiver down her arms and she controlled her voice. “I guess I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning then.”

  “No, you won’t.” He reminded her with a look that prickled the hairs on the back of her neck as he turned and walked away.

  Chapter Two

  The doors to the elevator opened and once again, Anna came face to face with Derrick Corel. She hadn’t expected to see him at the solicitor’s office as he had already signed off on his part of the agreement. The lawyer had explained all the legal details and given her the death certificate and deeds to the house along with a personal letter from her father. She was anxious to return home to read it and the appearance of her new partner meant an annoying delay.

  “Hello, Anna.”

  “Mr. Corel.”

  He frowned and his eyebrows knit. “Look, if we are going to work together, don’t you think you could call me Derrick?”

  “Fine … Derrick. What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I thought you might need a lift home. I expect this has not been an easy morning for you.”

  Anna reached to lift the sunglasses down from the top of her head and lowered them back over her eyes. Of course the morning hadn’t been easy, especially since she had broken down in tears in front of the solicitor. Her eyes were still stinging so they were likely to also be puffy and bloodshot. Just great.

  “Thank you, but I’m quite capable of getting home.”

  The elevator ride down to the carpark was painfully silent except for the irritating piped music and Anna hurried out when they reached their floor, anxious to be alone with her letter, and pleased to leave the confined space of the elevator. There was something about Derrick that made her uncomfortable. A dark shadow seemed to surround him. Her throat felt dry and swallowing became difficult. Invisible fingers tightened around her neck as though the oxygen was being sucked from her lungs. Got to get home.

  “Goodbye, Mr. … I mean Derrick,” she called over her shoulder as she hurried through the darkened carpark and into the comforting rays of the morning sun, leaving him standing beside the elevator. Surprisingly despite him making her uncomfortable, distancing herself from Derrick left her feeling empty and somehow… lost. For a moment she stood by the boom gates, contemplating returning to the elevator to apologize for her rude behavior but as she turned, the boom gates lifted and a black Porsche with heavily tinted windows drove slowly past. She expected the driver’s window to lower but the car left the car park and sped up the street without stopping.

  Anna watched the away, pondering the sinking feeling in her stomach, then turned and bumped into a tall, well-dressed—and unfortunately—very familiar figure.

  “Anna?”

  She took a deep breath as she attempted to step around him. “Hello, Patrick.”

  He grabbed her arm and she spun around defiantly, pulling away from his grasp as she glared up into his face.

  “Is that all you can say? Hello?” He reached towards her with his arms extended for an embrace. She pushed him away.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Anna’s pulse raced. Heat flooded her cheeks and ran down her neck. “Was I being rude? It must be my small-town mentality because I’m not sure of the correct etiquette for addressing one’s former fiancé. Someone who leaves her standing at the altar reading a note to inform her that she isn’t quite up to his standards. Perhaps you could suggest a more appropriate response?”

  “I guess I deserved that.”

  “You think?”

  “We were young, Anna. I know that’s a pretty lame excuse but I realized that I wanted more out of life than to be saddled with one woman for the rest of my life.”

  Anna gazed into the face of the man she’d once loved. True, there was a hint of sincerity in his expression despite his insensitive remark. His eyes were bright with excitement and his smile spread from ear to ear. He looked genuinely pleased to see her. Wrinkles creased his forehead and the corners of his green eyes. He looked older. It had been seven years since she had seen him. The eve of their ill-fated wedding.

  “Saddled? I’m not a horse, Patrick. And if memory serves, you were the one who proposed.” She turned abruptly to leave, needing to put distance between them.

  “Wait. Please, Anna.”

  He reached out and touched her hand and Anna sank her teeth into her quivering bottom lip before rage could consume her. How dare he?

  “I have to go.”

  This time she didn’t give him the chance to stop her. Too much pain for one day. Salty tears burned behind her eyes as she left him in her wake. None of this was fair. There was no way she would allow herself to break down in front of Patrick Miller. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of crushing her twice. Sure, he hadn’t witnessed her heartbreak after reading how he left on their honeymoon with some bimbo he picke
d up in a bar the night of his buck’s party.

  He hadn’t been around to observe the looks of pity she received for weeks after the cancelled wedding and he certainly wasn’t there with an offer to help compensate her dad for money wasted on a reception that didn’t take place. If it wasn’t for Patrick Miller, she wouldn’t have moved away from her dad for seven years. Seven years she would never get back. She picked up the pace of her steps until she had run all the way home. Her heart pumped heavily against her chest wall and her breathing was labored as she opened the front door. Once inside, she slumped onto the couch and took a large swallow from a bottle of water that she had left on the table, although, she considered opening the cask of wine in the fridge.

  The sound of the landline ringing startled her. She had forgotten that her dad refused to use the mobile phone that she had given him. He complained that carrying a phone was a yuppie habit. Instinctively she reached for the phone but then decided to let the answering machine take the message.

  Beep: “Anna. Are you there? Please pick up. Oh, whatever. We really need to talk. I know you’re still upset with me and with good reason but I have a business proposal for you. If we could just—”

  Anna snatched up the receiver and answered curtly. “What do you want, Patrick?”

  “Oh, you are there … good. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight. We could—”

  “You said something about a business proposal.”

  “Yes. I’d prefer to discuss it over dinner.”

  “I’d prefer not to discuss it at all but if we must, we’ll do it now, over the phone.”

  “Oh, come on, Anna. You have to eat. Let me buy you a really nice dinner at Stefano’s.”

  “If you think one dinner in an expensive restaurant will make up for what you did to me, you’ve—”