Bitter Truths Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2016 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-098-7

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  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.

  BITTER TRUTHS

  The Denton Family Legacy, 3

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2016

  Prologue

  Ruby Santos had to stay hidden. Her brother, Lionel, told her to listen to him, and if she didn’t listen, she’d end up dead. She stayed in the closet that had a section of the wall missing so she could hide within it. Ruby hated it. There were always spiders inside, and they crawled over her skin. It didn’t matter what age she was, she always hated it.

  She heard the front door slam open followed by a gunshot.

  Covering her mouth, she tried her hardest to stay silent even as shouting seemed to echo off the walls. When she couldn’t handle it anymore, she covered her ears.

  Then, as if by magic, everything went silent. Wiping away her tears, she strained to listen.

  There were several men.

  “Did you really have to do that?” one man asked.

  “Why not? They’re our enemies.”

  “No. We didn’t know that for certain, and you need to learn who is boss. They’re not enemies until they declare it.”

  “Please, the Dentons are the boss. Everyone knows it. This order makes no sense. The Santos were their allies.”

  “It’s not our job to question this. We do what we’re told.”

  Who were these men? Why were they talking about the Dentons? Nothing made any sense.

  “You sure that’s it? I thought they had a girl?”

  “No. This is all that’s left. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  The door was slammed closed, and after a few seconds passed, Ruby climbed out of the wall, batting away a large spider that was crawling in her hair. She jumped up and down, shaking.

  “Lionel?” she asked.

  Moving from the room, she paused when she saw a body on the floor. He was bleeding onto her mother’s hardwood floor. He wasn’t breathing. Covering her mouth, she forced herself to go past him, and enter her father’s office. She wished she had walked away. Her father was shot, and dead in his chair. Her mother was slumped in a ball with a pool of blood beneath her.

  Sobs erupted out of her chest as she caught sight of her brother. His hand was pressing over a wound that was being flooded by blood.

  “Lionel!” She rushed toward him, grabbing the blanket from the sofa in the same office as she did. Pressing the blanket to his wound, she stared down at her brother.

  “You should have stayed in the closet,” Lionel said.

  “Please, don’t die. Please.” She couldn’t stop the tears, even though she knew he hated her crying. Tears didn’t help anyone, and she was a Santos. She had to be strong.

  “Baby girl.” He stopped, coughing. “I’m dying.”

  “No, you don’t die. You can’t do this.”

  “Listen … to … me.”

  She pressed on the wound trying to stop him. He cried out.

  “You … have … to … go … Dentons …”

  “They did this. Didn’t they? The Dentons, they did this?” She looked down at her brother, Fear gripping her as she watched him grow paler.

  “Go … to … them … betrayer …”

  “I will, Lionel. I will. I’ll go to them, and I will kill them. I promise. I will kill them for hurting you, and our family.”

  “N-n…” He didn’t finish, and he was gone.

  “Lionel? Lionel? Wake up. You have to wake up.”

  She shook him, and screamed as she realized her brother, the only person in her family that she had loved more than anything, was gone. He was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.

  Denton.

  That was the name she would remember.

  She was going to avenge her brother’s death.

  Every last Denton was going to regret taking from her.

  Chapter One

  Ten years later

  “Who has the best cock in the world?” Oliver asked, ramming his dick inside the bitch’s ass. He loved his fucking job. What other job in the world, apart from porn, would allow him to bang the shit out of a woman’s body? Of course he had to bang her ass seeing as it was the tightest hole on her body.

  Staring at the door, he smiled, waiting for the asshole to come home. He was a little traitor. Randal Fucker as far as he was concerned had gone to the Coltons, their enemy, to feed them information. Oliver was a Denton. He was loyal to his family, and the bitch that was seated on his cock was also loyal to the Dentons so she was going to be allowed to live.

  Many years ago there had been a battle between the Coltons and the Dentons. They were two rival families, controlling independent cities. The history when it came to the Coltons was vague as fuck. As far as Oliver could tell, over a period of a year, the Coltons had betrayed them, and an all-out war had erupted. The Dentons had killed nearly every single adult Colton. The Coltons’ parents were gone, their empire smashed, and any associate was killed. Anything associated with the Coltons had been destroyed until only four children remained.

  Anyone who tried to take out the Dentons was taken care of.

  And now Randal was going to die.

  Pumping inside her tight ass, he smiled as he heard the car pulling into the driveway.

  “I want you to scream for me,” he said, wrapping his fingers around her throat, feeling her ass clutch his dick. “Dirty bitch, you love it, don’t you? You’re wasted as a wife. You should be working this ass and pussy for money.” He bit down on her ear, and when the front door slammed open, he released her.

  Like a good girl, she screamed.

  Seconds passed. He held the gun ready, and the door was thrown open.

  “Martha?” Randal asked, taking in the sight.

  So he didn’t get away, Oliver shot two bullets in each leg. “I want you to stay there while I finish this.” Grabbing her hips, he rode her harder than before, groaning as he filled the condom. The orgasm rushed through him, making him tingle. “Ah, I love a good fuck.” Pulling out of her, he threw the condom on the floor, and pulled his pants up. Giving her ass a little slap, he winked at her.

  “That was good for me, too, baby.”

  Randal was trying to crawl away, and that was simply not going to be good for him. Oliver wanted some answers, and of course now that his thirst for fucking had been sated, it was time for his thirst for blood was as well.

  Blood streaked across the white carpet, and he stood, watching the man.

  “Leave me alone. Please.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Why are you begging now? I heard you were bragging how stupid we all are. The Dentons being stupid, and that we shouldn’t have trusted you.” He knelt down, watching as Randal started crying. It was really sad to see a grown man cry. Oliver found tears overrated.

  “Please, I beg you. I didn’t have a choice?”

  “Well, as you can see, I didn’t have a choice but to fuck your wife’s ass. I’d say with how loose she is, she’s been using every man that has come through this house.”

  “You bet I have. He’s not exactly packing,” she said, grabbing a robe. “You will clean up his mess, r
ight?”

  “You got it, babe. Here, take your money.” He handed her a hundred grand, and turned his attention toward his prey. “You’ve been a very naughty boy.”

  “They told me to do it. The Coltons. They cornered me, and I didn’t have a choice.”

  Oliver tutted. “You had a choice. Everyone has a choice, and you decided to be disloyal. We don’t like when people turn their backs on us, so why don’t we start by you telling me when Colton approached you, and which one?”

  Seconds passed, and finally Randal caved.

  “It’s Gabriel, the oldest son. He’s rising up, looking to take over the city. He’s the same age as Jacob.”

  Oliver listened as Randal spilled every single little detail. It was a shame really. He loved being able to torture their enemies, and this guy was making everything too easy for him. Pulling his knife from out of his boot, he stabbed the traitor in the throat.

  “Well that was boring.”

  Standing up, he put a call through to the cleaning crew, and made his way toward the bathroom. Staring at his reflection, he checked to make sure he hadn’t messed up his shirt. This was the one his mother had bought him, and he liked his mother’s style. Washing his hands, he whistled as the blood ran down the sink.

  He was drying his hands as his cell phone started buzzing.

  “Hello, Daddy,” he said.

  “Oliver, grow up.”

  “That’s not very nice. I’m very grown up.” He can imagine his father rolling his eyes. Maddox Denton was a tough son of a bitch, not that his grandma was a bitch. No, the elder Mrs. Denton was a fierce woman.

  “What’s the news?”

  “Randal was blackmailed. Gabriel Colton.”

  “The son?”

  “Yep. He’s started an uprising, and he’s after our men. We’ve got to keep on top, and kill off any rats.”

  “Some rats are working our side, Oliver.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Don’t agree. A rat is a rat. They’re no use. If they will fuck you over once, they’ll fuck you over all the time.”

  Maddox sighed. “Just get back here before you get in trouble.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “What do you think could possibly be the matter, Oliver?”

  “That’s what I’m curious about. Seeing as you’re a grandfather to a couple of kids, three to be precise, and Lou is due her second. Oh, and Landon is coming back. Is that it? You don’t want the youngest son back? He’s a bit of an asshole.”

  “Oliver! This has nothing to do with family, or with everything that is happening. This has to do with the fact that there’s an uprising of the Coltons, and they’re giving us a headache.”

  “Yeah, why didn’t Granddad and yourself kill every motherfucker off? It doesn’t seem his or your style.”

  “No matter what, killing kids is not part of who we are. Besides, we killed everyone else associated with the Coltons. They were never coming back. There’s a reason I took over. Your grandfather was sick, Oliver. Just stop asking questions. Just get back here. I’m not in the mood to have a son go missing.”

  “Love you, too, Dad.” Oliver hung up the phone and looked at the mess he’d made. “Such a waste. You should have fought me a little more.” Oh well, there was always places to find blood in the city, especially being a Denton.

  ****

  Ruby Santos walked around the casino, aware of the guards, the cameras, and everything that could alert the Dentons to her presence. Not that she expected them to know that she was stalking them, or particularly one. He’d wandered into the casino an hour ago, used the elevator to take him up several floors, and came down ten minutes ago. He appeared to be in a pissed off mood.

  Oliver Denton.

  Yes, she knew all about her targets. Ever since she was twelve years old, and her brother was torn from her because of these bastards, she’d been doing her homework. She knew what each of the Denton men looked like, sounded like, and had observed them. Oliver seemed to be the most laid back of all of them. He wasn’t. Sure, he fucked other men’s wives, and made them watch, but there was something far more sinister about the third brother. He was also the only one who didn’t seem to know when he was being stalked.

  Standing next to the machines, she kept a good distance, watching, waiting. For the past ten years her life had been dedicated to this moment, to finally getting her revenge. She took a deep breath, happier with the feel of the blade against her waist and the gun in her purse.

  The weapons were only there for emergencies. The truth was, Ruby was far deadlier without them. Ten years she’d been training, going from one foster home to another. She knew how to say all the right things, and do everything everyone wanted. In return, she spent every available second being trained in the gyms where she lived. They said she had a natural talent for beating the shit out of things.

  She’d gotten into many fights, had a lot of broken bones.

  Right now, she wanted to wipe the smug smile off the asshole’s face.

  Patience.

  You’ll get your revenge.

  She kept him in her sight, playing the slot machines, slowly.

  It wasn’t long before Oliver was joined by his brother, Jacob. The two seemed to be having a heated discussion.

  Maddox, Jacob, Abel, Oliver, Gideon, Damian, Landon, and Stuart were all on her list. She knew about the women as well, but she wasn’t too far gone to think that she could end a woman’s life. Tamsin, she couldn’t do. She was just a baby.

  But no, she had to do it. These men didn’t care about who they hurt. At the moment she was focusing on just the men. The men responsible for hurting her brother, for taking her family away. They were going to die at her hand. Then she could think about dealing with the women.

  She watched as the two brothers spoke, sharing cross words, or at least it looked that way with the frowning that was going on, and the serious hand gestures.

  Sipping at her drink, she smirked, loving the way they were struggling.

  Finally, Jacob stormed away, and Oliver threw down the dice that he held before he did the same as Jacob. Keeping a few steps behind him, she followed him out of the casino. She was a little surprised by how easy he was making this for her. Shouldn’t the Dentons be like superheroes when it came to their protection?

  Clearing the casino, he moved toward the alley, and she removed her shoes, ignoring the bite of the warm tarmac under her foot.

  He lit up his cigarette and was typing down on his cell phone.

  “Do you really think I don’t know when I’m being hunted?” he asked.

  She looked behind her and found no one else. “Then you’re the fool for leaving the casino.”

  “Wow, a woman? Are you one of the cunts I’ve fucked?”

  This fucker was offensive, and horrible.

  “And women fall for that?” she asked.

  He laughed, typed on his cell phone, and turned. The smile on his face died when he stared at her, and his gaze ran up and down her body. She didn’t like that weird ass look on his face. Was it interest? Lust?

  No, this guy was sick. He was part of a twisted, horrible family.

  “Oliver Denton,” he said, and there was something wrong with his voice. It wasn’t threatening, or even scary. He held out his hand as if to shake hers. She glared at his offending hand.

  “I know who you are.”

  She dropped her purse onto the ground, hearing the thunk of the gun as it hit the pavement. There was no time to think. She shoved his hand away, aimed her leg high, and slammed it against his chest. He was taken by surprise and fell back.

  Not giving him chance to regain his balance, she slammed her first against his nose but he dodged it, standing tall, capturing her arm.

  “Well, that’s not very fucking nice.”

  He caught her arm under his, giving it a little tug that had her crying out. She was used to pain, and had spent quite a bit of money getting men to hurt her. The only way to train was to have m
en willing to hurt her.

  “I fucking hate you.”

  “Well, princess, I don’t have a fucking clue who you are, and I think this kind of behavior is naughty.”

  She stamped on his foot, and cursed when she realized that he was wearing steel toe caps. There was no way she was going to hurt him with boots like that. Adrenaline was driving her, and she just wanted to hit out at him.

  Glaring at him, she tried to aim for his leg, and he wouldn’t release her.

  “This is pathetic.” He shoved her away. “Just stop.”

  “No. I’m not stopping.” She rushed him, and once again, he caught her as if she meant nothing to him. He sighed.

  “You really think as a Denton I don’t know how to deal with you?”

  “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

  “At this rate, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

  Throwing out her hand, she tried to catch him off guard, and no matter what she did, he dodged it.

  The more she was thwarted, the angrier she got.

  Finally, he tugged her to him and wrapped his arms around her neck. She panicked, and went completely against all of her training.

  Dark spots rushed over her vision, and she couldn’t get any air.

  She had failed, and there was no coming back from it.

  “You’re such a beautiful woman when you’re not ruining it with all of your crap,” he said.

  It was the last thing she remembered before everything went dark.

  Chapter Two

  Oliver held the now unconscious woman in his arms, and glared toward the entrance of the alley where his brothers finally appeared. Gideon, Jacob, and Abel.

  “Took your fucking time,” he said.

  “What? The text you sent was like a bad joke,” Gideon said.

  “Bad joke? ‘Being stalked toward the alleyway, come and see’.”

  “Yeah, I mean, who’d be crazy enough to stalk a Denton?” Jacob asked.