A Serial Novella
By
Alexia Purdy
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The Fall of Sky
(Part Four)
Copyright © February 2015 Alexia Purdy
All rights reserved
Published by
Lyrical Lit. Publishing
Cover Design by Alexia Purdy
Photography 123RF.com
www.alexiapurdybooks.com
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
Waiting for the encore before the sky falls...
The stunning conclusion to a rock ‘n roll saga that will leave you hanging on until the very last note...
Liv and Audrey Westing have the career of their dreams, but everything is crumbling apart around them. Nothing comes without a price: love tests their boundaries to the limits, being rock stars becomes soul draining in more ways than one, and mandatory obligations overwhelm when no one can escape them alive.
An unexpected twist of fate throws Liv and Audrey off their feet, and the sisters will have to figure out how to con their way out of the grip of Jonas, a powerful and lethal man who heads up an even more deadly Cartel and who will stop at nothing to own them both.
THIS IS A SERIAL NOVELLA SERIES! THIS IS PART FOUR OF FOUR.
Table of Contents
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
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter One
Liv
Heat rolled of his skin, along with a sleek build of sweat from our lovemaking. He was glorious to look at, and I made sure my fingers explored every centimeter of hot flesh I could touch whenever he was around. There was something edgy and fierce about Emilio Esperanza. Something I could never tire of. He was my muse—my heart—and he haunted every synapse of my brain without even trying.
It wasn’t hard to look at the one person who could be my downfall…my demise…and feel nothing but a passionate need.
“When can you come back?” I didn’t want to hear another reason why he had to go. It was always something. I wasn’t even certain Emilio would always come back anymore. Maybe I was just being hormonal, but the tears were welling up in my eyes as I stared at him.
Breathing in and out, I tried to calm my insecurities. I didn’t want to break down in front of him.
Fuck.
“I don’t know. Jonas is sending me back to Sonora. I have to get things settled there before I can come back.” His tiger tan colored eyes flashed at me, so full of things unsaid. They had me wondering just what he was hiding. I wasn’t a jealous girl, but I could tell when I was being lied to.
“What sort of things?” I toyed with the end of the blanket, now fraying.
Emilio frowned and visibly sighed. His tight expression told me he was frustrated with the constant twenty questions I threw his way, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed him here, with me, for now and always.
“Cartel business, Preciosa. There is no other kind.”
I nodded, wishing it was some other kind and that I could reach out and cut the tie that binds him to his family’s business. I let my eyes drift down to the guitar I’d just subconsciously grabbed when he’d let me go. Strumming quietly calmed me when I felt like screaming. He knew this meant I’d retreated into my tumultuous thoughts, afraid to let my emotions take me over like they’d done so many times before. It was my way of coping with things I couldn’t deal with. He knew what my strumming meant and turned away instead of stopping to listen to the melody emanating from my fingers.
It hurt when he looked away, more than I ever thought possible.
Yet, if he knew me so well, why did he have to leave? Didn’t he know the only cure for my insanity was him? Why did it feel like he was cutting me loose every time he walked through that door, forgotten the second he entered his “other” life?
“Look, I have to go now. I’ll call you the usual time next week? FaceTime or Skype?”
“I’ll have both on me,” I said, averting my gaze. If I looked at him now, I’d break down and turn into a sniveling mess. I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
“Alright. See you then, Liv.” He flattened his shirt and approached the door of the bedroom. He didn’t turn around, just went through it, shutting the door with a heartbreaking click. How well we knew this dance. Don’t say goodbye. Don’t kiss me goodbye. I couldn’t take it. We both knew this and didn’t even have to voice it anymore.
Just like that, he was gone. If only the tears would disappear with him.
*****
All I had to look forward to were his calls. This tiny event each week was the only thread I could catch of his essence, and I needed this hit like a vital drug.
“How’s Sonora?”
He moved to adjust on an old antique chair he’d chosen to sit at this session. All I could see behind him were wood shelves lined with food—cans, bags of rice, beans, bottled fruits and flour. It looked well stocked, but didn’t give me any clue to what was going on around him or the reason he had to stay there any longer.
“Business as usual.” He stared back at me, studying me through the pixels of the screen. If only I could reach out and caress his face through it.
I heard screaming from somewhere, but it was distant, like children squealing as they played off screen. I swallowed hard, my mouth dry as I peeked around the internet café, watching everyone to make sure I wasn’t being spied on. I knew the rules. Our secret had to stay that way, no matter how much I didn’t want it to, hence why I was at an internet café instead of chatting back at the hotel.
“When are you coming back?” The ever pressing question I failed to hold in.
He squirmed in his chair, appearing restless, tired with a tiny air of annoyance.
“I told you, I don’t know. I’ll let you know when it changes. Otherwise, I don’t know why you even bother to ask.” His accent grew stronger when he was down south, making him sound even more irritated than he appeared to be.
I tried to not let it upset me. I nervously reached up toward my ear and fiddled with the small earbud, like I was having a hard time deciphering what he was saying. I wasn’t. My nerves were shot, and I was as restless as he was.
“You been okay? You look worn out,” I asked, leaning forward to get a better look at him.
He did the same whilst scratching the back of his head. Some of his longer locks swept into his eyes before he resumed his previous positon and shoved them back like a nuisance.
“I’m fine. It’s the ranch work that needs to be d
one, keeping me fit here and exhausted. Can’t sit for a moment and slack off. The handlers are brutal here. I have to participate in the daily chores of the ranch if I’m to keep the respect of my men. Things aren’t just given here. One must earn the respect, and I’d be looked down upon if I just sat around all day. Much unlike what most Americans believe.”
My blood ignited, and the slow burn that ached for me to give him a taste of my thoughts about his opinions on certain things remained stilted. I couldn’t yell at him here, not in public, though I was seething at his subjective opinion on Americans. I barely got to speak to him let alone ruin our relationship over his broody attitude. It was all fatigue induced. That had to be it.
“We’re still working on recording the second album, but this break has been really nice for all of us. It rains here a lot, and it’s quite cold. I never thought I’d hate the rain, but sometimes, I just want to see the sun so it can warm my frozen fingers.” I paused, noting his deepened golden brown tan as he listened. “You probably see more than enough sun down there. No vitamin D shortage, right?” I laughed, but it came out hollow, stunted.
He gave me a short nod and a miniscule smile. I could hear voices again through the earphones, interrupting our solace.
“Emilio, te necesitamos. Vamonos!” A woman’s voice echoed into the microphone, and Emilio waved them off. He looked more than annoyed. He looked downright angry.
“Ya voy. Ya te dije!” he snapped at the woman and whatever group accompanied her. Falling footsteps hurried out of the room, leaving Emilio huffing like a primed bull.
“Look, Liv. I got to go. Things need to be tended to here on the ranch as well as some other places here. I’ll call you next week, same time.”
“Emilio—wait—I…” But he’d closed the laptop and the line went dead. The screen went dark, Emilio long gone, but I was still there, staring at the dark square pop up window on the laptop as a single tear dropped down my cheek.
It was such a short call. They’d been getting shorter every week. Every single time, I had managed to get to some sort of café where the internet was least likely to be monitored by Jonas to call Emilio via my laptop or smartphone. Every week, he had some sort of excuse to cut our conversation short.
He was slipping away, faster and faster than fine sand through my fingers. Still, I wanted to hold on even more. This fatal combination was not good for either of us, and I was afraid that one week, he wouldn’t answer my call at all.
What then? What happened if Emilio never came back?
“Time to go.”
Lonzo stood before me, observing my teary eyes before glancing at the darkened screen. He reached over, pulled out a napkin and handed it to me, then gently shut my laptop. Lifting it up, he propped it to his side. “Come on, Liv. Time to go back to the real world.”
I didn’t reply, but accepted his free hand to rise to my feet. I followed behind him, leaving the bustle of the café behind as we spilled out into the busy Los Angeles streets. He led me to his SUV, the windows darkened so much, no one could see any of its insides. Slipping into the passenger side, he handed over my laptop and swiftly shut the door behind him before heading around to the driver’s seat. He was still employed as security detail and was stuck with me most of the time since Audrey didn’t go out much but I did.
Lonzo knew what was going on. His best friend was Emilio, and if he knew anything else about Emilio’s absence, he wasn’t telling me shit.
It was nice to know I couldn’t count on him with matters of Emilio.
“Where to, Miss Westing?” He was all business, a cold exterior that made me wonder if there was anything underneath it. Most likely not. He was as blank as a white sheet of paper and hard as rock. Just as well. I didn’t need any more complications.
“The hotel is fine,” I mumbled weakly, still stuck in my own grief. Glancing over to him, I saw him give me a tiny nod before he started the car. When he looked away, it dawned on me how much I took him for granted. I never thanked him or asked him to take me anywhere politely. My manners had disappeared, and I didn’t like who I’d become the last few months.
I reached over and placed a hand on his arm. “And Lonzo?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for helping me.”
He flicked his eyes toward my hand, his dark brown eyes narrowing pensively, but he didn’t shake it off. Instead, he gave me another quick, curt nod before facing forward and maneuvering the SUV onto the road.
“You’re welcome, Miss Westing.”
I let go of him and turned to stare out the window as the rain began to pour down. The sky had been holding it in as thick, grey clouds above our heads for days, and it chose on and off to eventually dump its buckets of cold, icy rain down onto the streets of the city. I didn’t mind at this moment. It matched my glum mood.
As we pulled up to the hotel, the bellhop headed over to cover me with an umbrella. I loved being catered to like this and threw him a tiny smile. His white teeth flashed as he grinned back. Before I stepped away, I turned back to grab my laptop.
“Another thing, Miss Westing?” Lonzo leaned to the side, digging his dark, cold eyes into me.
“Yes, Lonzo?” My fingers curled around the computer as I waited.
“You need to get away from them. Both of them. Do what you have to, but neither of them are who you think they are. Don’t drag this on. It will only get worse.”
I swallowed down the dry knot forming in my throat as I threw back a shaky nod, scooping up my laptop. I stared into the impenetrable wall of his eyes, finding no sympathy. Stepping away, I let the bellhop shut the door behind me before swinging around and marching up the steps into the hotel.
Lonzo’s scathing words of warning stung in the back of my mind more than anything. They twisted and turned in my head as I swept past families and an odd couple or two crowded at the front desk waiting to check in, some with clothes soaked to their britches. No one gave me a second’s notice. Their eyes looked right through me as I passed them by—an afterthought, no more than a stranger rushing by.
Jumping into an empty elevator, I held my breath until the doors slid closed and I could finally let the tears burning holes in my eye sockets pour out and spill a river down my flushed cheeks.
I was so fucked and I knew it. I’d been screwed for a long time coming.
Chapter Two
Audrey
I pulled my jeans on, feeling out of sorts. An unrelenting headache taunted me for three days, and it was really killing my mood. But that wasn’t the worst part. No, of course there had to be more to it. Life couldn’t be simple, ever. I was late. Again.
Running the brush through my long, bronzy brown strands, I stared at my reflection without make up. My skin was pale. I’d been sick on and off from a severe stomach flu or something for a week now. I had my suspicions about pregnancy, but after the last miscarriage, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. It’d broken me emotionally, and I didn’t want to go through it again. The disappointment, the depression it caused to know I’d lost the baby was the worst thing I’d gone through in my life. I prayed I wouldn’t have to go through the same heartache again.
But I had other worries to include alongside the old ones. I didn’t know who the father was.
Shit.
Letting out a slow breath, I glared at myself. How stupid could I be? I’d been with both Saul and Random around the time it would’ve happened…if I had the dates right. Never had I been so careless, and I was left with a hollow pit in my stomach that made me want to puke as the panic wafted in and out.
“What’s the plan today?” Saul’s voice drifted in from the restroom. It was deep and resonating, like listening to a sweet baritone singing.
“Oh, you know, going to get my annual doctor’s checkup.” I feigned a smile as Saul leaned on the doorway to the bathroom, grinning at me. His faded blue eyes appeared to watch me, even though I knew he couldn’t see the distress on my face. His slender yet muscular body was h
alf dressed, showing off his wide chest that I could never stop admiring. He had soft covering of light hair I loved running my fingers through. There was nothing but a gentile love and adoration pouring from him, and it only made me feel more like the traitor that I was.
“Want me to go with you?” He scratched his light brown hair which he’d let grow longer since we’d been on tour. I liked it this way, scruffy and wild, though it often fell into his eyes and was a bit unruly. It gave his pristine appearance some gruff, a most desirable trait. Plus, he thought it would be good for the “rock ‘n roll” image.
“No, it’s okay. Stay here. I don’t think the OB/GYN office would be fun for you.”
“Audrey.” He reached out and grasped onto my waist, pulling me gently into his embrace. I faced away from him, letting him snuggle my neck with warm kisses. Letting out a blissful sigh, I let it relax me as much as it could. “I’d go anywhere with you. You know that.”
His tongue did sensual things to me—deep, captivating things which only he could accomplish.
“Thank you, but…it’s kind of a girl thing.” I turned and cupped his face, feeling the rough sandpaper stubble on his otherwise smooth face. “Really, I’ll be alright.”
His pensive eyes made me gulp down my fear, glad he couldn’t see the worry plastered across my face. I hoped my voice didn’t shake enough for him to catch on to me. There was a certain benefit to his blindness, even though there was little I could hide from his heightened senses.
“Alright. If you need anything, just call. I’m heading to the gym in the upper floors. Lonzo is going to spot me.”
I smiled. “That’s great. Have fun, Hon.”
He gave my booty a slight tap with his hand, grinning wickedly as I swatted him away. I heard him leave a few minutes later, quietly locking the door behind him.