Deceiver : Prisoners of Purgatory #2, page 1
DECEIVER
Prisoners of Purgatory
Also by Bella Jewel
Jokers' Wrath MC
Bestie
Prisoners of Purgatory
Deceiver (Coming Soon)
Rumblin' Knights
Knights Rising
Knights Fury
Knights Lady
Knights Burden
Standalone
Amore - Boxed Set
Wild Child
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION | To all my biker babes, | The ones with me from the start, | This one is for you. | Thank you xx
~*DECEIVER*~
DECEIVER | Copyright © 2023 Bella Jewel
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
DECEIVER – WARNING | Deceiver contains scenes that some readers might find uncomfortable, such as the talk of human trafficking, miscarriage and violence. It contains scenes rated for adults over the age of 18. | Reader discretion is advised.
PROLOGUE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
THE END
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION
To all my biker babes,
The ones with me from the start,
This one is for you.
Thank you xx
~*DECEIVER*~
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
DECEIVER
Copyright © 2023 Bella Jewel
DECEIVER is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
As always, my heartfelt thanks to every single blogger, reader and author that has supported my journey. From reading my books, to sharing them, to raving about them, to being there for me. Thank you. My career would be nothing without any of you.
A massive thanks to the team at Valentine PR for taking me on, especially to Kim and Nina for helping me with all my book releases and cover reveals. I am looking forward to working with you all on this book and future books, and I’m incredibly grateful for the hard work you all do.
A massive thanks to Ben Ellis from Tall Story Designs for this gorgeous cover. You’re the easiest, most efficient person I’ve ever worked with. You make my covers gorgeous every single time. I couldn’t do it without you.
To my favorite editor Wendi from Ready, set, edit, for always coming through for me on my edits, whenever I need them. You’re amazing and I’m so thankful to you. You’re super easy to work with and so nice. I’m glad to team up with you for these things.
And of course, to my admin, MJ, for ALWAYS keeping my page running beautifully. I couldn’t do it without you, girly. I love your teasers and your passion; thank you for taking the time out of your life to help this poor girl keep everything running.
And, last but certainly not least, to my loyal readers. To each and every one of you that picks up my books and give me a chance. To the reviews you write, good or bad. To the time you take to make me a better person. You make this real for me; never stop giving such love and passion. You make our journey so amazing.
DECEIVER – WARNING
Deceiver contains scenes that some readers might find uncomfortable, such as the talk of human trafficking, miscarriage and violence. It contains scenes rated for adults over the age of 18.
Reader discretion is advised.
PROLOGUE
Dear Nightmare,
I f*cked up.
It wasn’t meant to be this way. I wasn’t meant to hurt you.
I wanted the world to know the truth.
I wanted them to see who you really are.
I never thought it would end like this.
I wish you would hear me out.
I wish you would let me speak.
I’ve made a mistake. There is no coming back from that.
My life is in danger.
Your life is in danger.
The club is in danger.
I’ve done this to all of us, yet I can’t turn back the clock.
I can only fight to keep you safe.
Even if I must make a deal with the devil.
I’ll do it. For you, I’ll do anything.
I hope you can forgive me.
Because, Night, I’ve fallen in love with you.
You’ve captured my soul.
Then you ripped it out.
There is only one way back.
I must end this.
For both of us.
Love,
Bonnie x
1
Sitting on the side of the road, I watch brokenly as cars whiz by me, not one stopping for the pathetic girl with her knees to her chest, covered in dust with tears streaking down her face. They’re probably afraid to stop, afraid I might be having some sort of break and will put them in danger. They’re probably right. In this moment, as I sit numbly, I’m not entirely sure what it is I’m capable of. Crazy is an understatement for the way I’m feeling right now in this very moment.
I’ve screamed until my voice disappeared, dragged my nails through the dirt until they bled. I feel as though I’m losing it, like nobody will hear me out, like nobody cares. Mostly, hearing his brittle voice when he told me to leave broke something in me. He won’t hear my side of the story, he won’t even look at me. He’s filled with the kind of hatred that is irreversible, and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t even know if I can fix it, and that thought hurts the most.
“You can’t sit here all day.”
Fury’s gruff voice comes from behind me, but I don’t turn. My eyes stay trained on the road, on the browning trees that need a good rain, on the red car that has gone past twice now.
“Bonnie.”
“I didn’t release that story,” I croak. “He won’t listen. He won’t hear me. I didn’t do it.”
“Did you write it?”
I close my eyes, a lone tear running down my cheek. “Yes,” I whisper.
“Then it don’t matter if you released it or not. You lied to him. You let yourself into his life and, I’ll tell you, you’re the first person he let in in return. All along, you were doin’ it for a story.”
I turn, staring up at him.
He’s sheltering the blistering sun with his big body, and as his eyes rake over me, they’re devoid of emotion. He’s closing off, too. Of course he is, Western is his family and me? I’m nothing.
“It wasn’t just for the story...”
“So you would have approached him and pushed your way into his life if you weren’t writin’ that story?”
I look away, shame rising in my chest.
I know how it looks, I do.
I can’t even deny it, really.
There is nothing I can do but accept that I fucked up.
“I never meant to hurt him, regardless of what you think. He matters to me, Fury. He ... I ...”
“If he mattered, Bonnie, you would have told him the truth.”
“I was trying to help him,” I say, staring down at my bloody fingers. “I wanted the world to know that he isn’t a monster.”
“He didn’t ask you to fix his world, but he did trust you to become part of it, and you fucked it up. There is no comin’ back from that. You need to get up now and leave. Pains me to say this to you, but this club means more to me than how I feel about you bein’ here. Go home, Bonnie, and accept that whatever you think you had here is no longer.”
His words hurt. God, they send a searing pain shooting straight through my chest. It’s as if a hot knife has been plunged inside me and someone is twisting the handle. Nothing could have prepared me for just how much Western and his club would come to mean to me, and now not only is he cutting me off, but they are too. I have no one outside of Leo. I’m unprotected and unsafe.
It's all my doing, too.
“Bill is going to come after me,” I whisper. “So are the crooked cops. I’m not safe, Fury.”
“You should have thought about that before you dug into a fuckin’ story that wasn’t yours to tell.”
I glance at him again, another tear escaping. “So you think he should spend the rest of his life just living behind a lie? Letting the world think he’s a monster?”
“That was his call, not yours.”
Shaking my head, I face the road again.
“Go home, Bonnie, or I’ll be forced to have you removed.”
Desperation is digging its claws into my chest as I push to my feet, turning to face the man that I had come to trust and appreciate. Now he’s looking at me as if I’m the enemy.
“Please, Fury,” I beg, my voice barely a whimper. “I’m not safe. Don’t make me go out there alone.”
“I’m sure you’ve got family, friends, or someone you can go stay with. It’s time for you to go, Bonnie.”
I shake my head, stepping closer. “I’m begging you. Please.”
“Leave,” he grinds out, and even though his voice is firm, I can see the hesitation in his eyes. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to do this but he knows he has to.
“I just ... I’m scared.”
His jaw tenses. “I can’t help you. I’m askin’ you to leave, Bonnie. Go. Now.”
“Fury,” I try again, stepping closer.
“Fuck,” he barks. “Bonnie. Go home. Leave.”
His words are harsher now, laced with frustration and desperation. The same kind I’m feeling. Hot tears continue to roll down my cheeks—it doesn’t matter what I do, there is no stopping them. Shaking my head from side to side, I try to come up with anything I possibly can to get him to understand, to help me, to not make me leave.
“I love him,” I croak. “Fury, please, I love him.”
“If you loved him, you would have told him who you were before it got to this point. You don’t love someone if you can so easily fuckin’ break them. You have three seconds to go, Bonnie, or I’m callin’ Blue out to send you on your way, and I can assure you, he isn’t as nice as me.”
A loud, broken sob escapes my throat as I turn, the fight slowly creeping out of my body. I walk to the side of the road, look left, and begin slowly trudging down the asphalt, crying until my body heaves and, little by little, the clubhouse fades into the distance. Step by step, I move, until a car finally slows and the window rolls down. It’s Leo. I don’t know how, I don’t even know when, but somehow ... he found me.
“Jesus, Bon,” his voice comes out rough as his eyes rake over me, “get in the car.”
I don’t argue, because I’m afraid if I do I’ll crumble, and I won’t be able to come back from that. Numbly, I get into the car and close the door. Dust coats his seats, and I know I’m a complete mess, but I don’t bother to say anything. I hang my head and hiccup. Leo reaches over, squeezing my shoulder as he drives, his voice gentle when he finally speaks.
“Why didn’t you tell me things had gotten this bad? Who the hell laid their hands on you?”
I look to him, and I know he’ll have questions about why my face looks the way it does. I can’t even begin to tell him the story about Hazel and me, that’s the least of my problems. My true issue lies with the fact that I’m in danger, I have lost someone I care about, and I don’t know what to do about any of it.
“It’s a long story,” I whisper. “Did you see the article?”
“Everyone saw the article. Why did you let that happen? I was certain you had changed your mind.”
I glance out the window. “I didn’t let it happen. Someone released it, but I don’t know who that someone is.”
“What?” Leo growls. “What do you mean? Are you in trouble, Bonnie?”
“More than you could possibly know,” I murmur.
He slams on the brakes, the car skidding to the side of the road. Then, firm fingers curl around my chin and jerk my face until I’m looking at him. “You better start talking, right now! Your secrets are getting too much, and I can see you’re in trouble. Tell me, or I won’t let you out of this car.”
I swallow the painful lump in my throat, and I tell him. I tell him everything that he doesn’t already know. Then, I sit silently and watch his face scrunch in anger as he processes what has just come out of my mouth. Eyes narrowing, his voice comes out in a low hiss. “Bill Whart threatened you?”
“In a roundabout way, yes.”
“Now you think you’re in danger because of that article?”
“I don’t think, I know.”
“You have to do something. Go to the police ...”
I snort, cutting him off. “The police are just as much in on it. I can’t trust anyone. That club, Western, they were all I had to help me with this.”
“I knew this would be dangerous,” he snaps. “I knew it. You should have never taken this story on.”
“Not now, Leo,” I say, hanging my head. “I feel like my world is closing down around me, and, right now, I just need you to be my friend. Can you give me a lecture tomorrow?”
He exhales. “You’re coming to my house if it’s not safe. We will work it out from there.”
I rest my cheek against the window as he pulls back out onto the road.
I don’t care where we go.
I just want this pain to go away.
SINKING INTO THE HOT water, I close my eyes and exhale. Leo brought me back to his house and proceeded to run a bath for me, instructing that I get in while he makes something to eat. I do as he orders; I’m filthy and I just need to be alone for one minute. My brain has gone from working overtime to emptiness, utter emptiness. As the water coats my aching body, I reach for my phone and a sick feeling swirls in my stomach as I dial Western’s number. The moment I do, it automatically cuts me off. A pained sob rips out of my mouth at the realization that he has blocked me. He has taken away any chance at contact.
He's done.
He never wants to see me again.
The pain I’m feeling cannot be described.
I toss my phone to the ground and slide down into the water, letting it burn as it rolls over my face. I don’t care if it hurts; I want it to hurt, I want all the pain in the world to take away from my aching heart. I stay under that water until my lungs burn and all the screams have been ripped from my throat, only then do I surface, salty tears mixing with the bath water. I don’t know how people make it through this, this empty desperation of knowing you can’t have someone you’ve grown to love.
It's horrible.
The kind of feeling I would never wish upon anyone.
“Hey—” Leo cracks the door open, but doesn’t look in “—you okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice hoarse.
“I’ve got your painkillers here, do you want some? They might help you sleep.”
I’ll take anything right now.
“Yeah, just put them by the bed. I’ll come and get them.”
“Okay.”
He closes the door, and I finish up in the bath before climbing out and wrapping a towel around myself. I walk out into the long hall and down toward the spare room. Leo has a nice house, and he works hard for his money. He’s always had expensive things, and he’s always enjoyed living the high life. This bachelor pad is everything a young man could want. It’s modern and sleek, fitted out with the best of everything, and he can do whatever he wants while he’s living in it.
The room that I’ve stayed in a few times over the years is nice. It’s nicer than my room back home, hell, it’s nicer than most hotel rooms. The bed is big, soft, and has the best comforters and pillows. There are large windows that open out and overlook the town, and it has its own air conditioning, television, and even a little sofa. A plush rug lines the floor, covering the already impeccable carpet.
I move to the bed and lift the clothes Leo has left out for me. One of his oversized tees, and a clean pack of brand-new underwear. I don’t even want to know why he has new packets of underwear, and I’m not going to ask. I take a pair out, giving them a once over to make sure they are indeed new, before dropping my towel and pulling them on. Then I take his shirt, comforting and familiar, and pull it over my head.
After that, I swallow the painkillers he put beside the bed with the new bottle of fancy water that I can’t even pronounce, before pulling back the covers and sliding in. I roll to my side, closing my eyes, staring at the hint of sunlight coming through the curtains. I don’t know what time it is, and, frankly, I don’t care. All I want right now is for sleep to take me so that I don’t have to face another minute of this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The door creaks, and footsteps can be heard as Leo crosses the room and then flicks the covers back, climbing in behind me. His big arm wraps around my body, and he pulls me close. The moment he does, I feel my lip tremble with more unwanted emotions. I bite down on it, trying desperately to stop the tears that are threatening to come forward once more.
