Twice Bitten (New Moon Series Book 1) Read online

  Twice Bitten

  New Moon series Book one

  Belle Harper

  Copyright © 2020 by Belle Harper

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Mum and Dad

  Thank you for all your love and support. You mean the world to me, I love you both xx

  Contents

  1. Lexi

  2. Lexi

  3. Lexi

  4. Lexi

  5. Lexi

  6. Lexi

  7. Galen

  8. Lexi

  9. Rafferty

  10. Lexi

  11. Lexi

  12. Ranger

  13. Lexi

  14. Lexi

  15. Lexi

  16. Lexi

  17. Maverick

  18. Lexi

  19. Lexi

  20. Raff

  21. Lexi

  22. Lexi

  23. Ranger

  24. Lexi

  25. Lexi

  26. Galen

  27. Lexi

  28. Rafferty

  29. Lexi

  30. Ranger

  31. Lexi

  32. Lexi

  33. Rafferty

  34. Lexi

  35. Lexi

  36. Maverick

  37. Lexi

  38. Lexi

  39. Lexi

  40. Galen

  41. Lexi

  42. Lexi

  43. Lexi

  44. Ranger

  45. Lexi

  46. Lexi

  47. Rafferty

  48. Lexi

  49. Lexi

  50. Lexi

  51. Galen

  52. Lexi

  53. Lexi

  54. Lexi

  55. Maverick

  Also by Belle Harper

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Lexi

  I lifted my bag up over my shoulder, the fraying strap held together with only a few stitches, the other strap had been gone a long time. But this bag had lasted almost ten years, holding textbooks and clothes. All I needed was it to hold on another ten minutes as I made a run for it.

  I wasn’t stupid. I had been called to the school office. The new English teacher, Mr. Becker, had told me that someone was here to see me. He was one of those weird teachers, you know, that spoke like they knew the Queen of England but dressed like they came straight from Woodstock and just put on a blazer to blend in. But I ignored that as he had been very helpful. At least now I was starting to make a decent grade.

  But I knew better. No one should be here to see me—I have no family, no friends. The only person it could be was the cops or even worse, my case manager—how could she have found me. I had crossed two state lines to get as far away as I could from her and my last foster home.

  I looked to see if security still lingered around the front doors to the school, this wasn’t a great school and the security was lazy and uncaring. It was all clear as I suspected. But I had to run past the office to get outside the building. I held the strap tight to my chest and sprinted. I glanced into the office window as I flew past. I saw a uniformed officer standing next to a much shorter woman, who wore her blonde hair up in a bun. She turned toward me and as soon as her eyes met mine, I picked up speed. She wasn’t my case manager, but I knew she was one. Fuck that. I am not going back into the system.

  I held my hands out in front of me as I slammed into the huge door. With a shove, it slammed against the brick wall outside just as I heard a male shout my name. The cold air hit my face, but I kept running. It had been raining, just my luck.

  With my heart racing, I knew the only place I could go to was the club where I worked. Maybe I could start my shift if I got there early. Get some cash and make a run for it.

  Ugh, this cop seemed to have a superpower, and he didn’t stop chasing me. Fucking hell, this one didn’t eat donuts and took his job way too seriously. I turn eighteen in less than two months, fucker. Leave me alone.

  My throat was dry as my heart hammered in my chest. I was so close. If I went down that ally, I could double around and jump the fence and head to the club. I used the rest of my energy to push harder, my legs burned at every move I made to lose this guy. The sound of my feet slapping against the wet pavement flooded my ears as it bounced off the brick buildings around me.

  I saw the wire fence up ahead, my breathing ragged as I grabbed a hold of it and scrambled up, my wet shoes slipping on the wire. I was trying not to get my clothes caught as I jumped down, but it caught the pocket of my hoodie and I stumbled, trying to get away. I could see the cop, so I ripped the fabric away and ran through the backlot of an abandoned apartment complex that I sometimes stayed at. I could hear the rustle of metal as the cop started to climb the fence.

  I ran through the broken door and around to the left where there was a corridor. I knew there was a room just a few doors up that had a broken window I could jump out of. My feet crunched against broken glass as I slid into the room and grabbed the door frame to stop my wet shoes from sliding, but before I could grab it, I landed on my ass. Fuck. I could feel the glass in my arm. I quickly stood and reached down for my bag which was now on the floor. Shit the strap.

  I clutched my ruined bag under my arm and bolted to the window, pulling back the tattered brown velvet drapes. With one foot on the frame, I could hear the cop heading toward me. I didn’t hesitate, I jumped and landed on the graffiti-covered concrete below. Pain shot up my legs and through my body at the landing, but I wouldn’t let the pain stop me.

  I ran.

  I saw the neon sign up ahead, flashing Open! Live Nude Girls. The girls would hide me at The Landing Strip. I barrelled past Mr. Big, the club security, and straight out the back where I saw Charlotte and Destiny. I pulled up to stop and looked over at Charlotte’s startled face. She had on a short, pleated tartan skirt and tight white shirt. Her bra was bright pink with jewels that sparkled, and her tits were practically falling out of the top. The perfect outfit for getting generous tips.

  “Wow, girl, you just flew in here. What’s happened?” Destiny wrapped her arm around my shoulder. She was the mother hen of the club and really looked after the girls here.

  I dropped my bag to the floor and flopped back onto the worn black leather two-seater and tried to catch my breath. A bottle of water was thrust under my nose. My hands shook from the adrenaline as I took it and almost inhaled that water. My throat felt dry, but the cool water made me feel less shaky. I shook my head when Destiny prodded again as to why I ran in here. I wasn’t going to tell her the truth.

  “I . . . I thought someone was chasing me.” That seemed logical enough. I worked at a seedy strip club, and there were always creepy stalkers who lingered around. I watched as that ticked over in her mind and she gave me a slow nod.

  “Your bag is broken.” She pointed to the now strapless bag and I rolled up my sleeve to see the damage the glass did. “And you’re bleeding. I will get the first aid kit.”

  Charlotte just watched me with a scowl on her face. Her makeup was thick and her fake dark lashes made her blue eyes pop. She wasn’t the nicest person to be around, but she put on a good show. I ignored her as I screwed the lid back on the empty water bottle. I laid my head back, drew in a deep breath, and held it before I exhaled. I did that three times before Destiny was back with a small first aid kit.

  “Oh, we don’t have much in here.
” I looked down and noticed it was mostly stocked with tampons. I raised my arm up to see how bad it was and noticed that the blood was still trickling out. Crap, that was a pretty deep gash.

  “I will go clean it up in the bathroom. Thanks.” I grabbed the first aid kit and locked myself in the small bathroom. There was a shower, sink, and toilet in here. It was always clean. That was one of the things I loved about working here—not only could I work all night and not have to worry where I was sleeping, but I could shower and wash up and be ready for school the next morning. Well, I guess that was now all going to change.

  I ran my arm under the water and took another look. It would heal fast, nothing too bad. I found a small bandage and wrapped it around—it would soak up the blood and hopefully, it would be better by the time I went on stage in a few hours.

  I assessed the damage to my hoodie. It wasn’t too bad. They have a sewing kit here, so I can patch it up at least. I changed out of the hoodie and tee and put on a black fitted tank top. My jeans didn’t look so bad—glad I wore black; you can’t see all the stains or blood. They probably saved my ass from the glass on that floor.

  I quickly touched up my makeup, giving myself the smoky eye look when a loud bang shook the door. Fuck, Charlotte, give me a minute. I quickly finished as the banging started again. I unlocked the door and it flew into me. I didn’t get a chance to think as a thick hand wrapped around my wrist.

  I looked down the fingers that held tightly, the hand was one that had seen some real work. This guy works with his hands—short, clean fingernails and a nice golden tan. I followed the arm up until I saw the dark blue of a shirt. My heart sank as I glanced across and saw badge and name. Keene.

  “I’m sorry, girl, but this officer thinks you work here. I told him we had never seen you before.” I looked past the cop’s shoulder, avoiding his face as I pinned Gerry, my now ex-boss, on the spot. He told me this would happen if I was caught here, that he would deny knowing me. He gave me a small smile before he turned away. He just threw me to the wolves, but I couldn’t blame him.

  How did this cop figure out I was here? I was sure he wasn’t following me when I came inside.

  “Come on, Alexis.” The cop pulled me toward the door, and I felt the pull in my wound. I moved to grab my bag and hoodie and held it tightly to my side. I let him walk me out of the building without putting up a fight. I didn’t say anything to anyone as I passed by. Gerry had been good to me for the last few months, and I didn’t want to get him in trouble.

  As we got outside, I saw a car waiting for me. Maybe if I acted like this was no big deal and that I was coming without any trouble he would let go of my arm. I took a quick glance to the cop. Dang, he was hot for an older guy. And a cop.

  His other hand reached out just above the bandage and held even tighter, like he knew I was going to run. Well, that would be a good guess since I just led him on a pretty good chase. Once we got to the car, the woman with the blonde hair stepped out from the front passenger seat and gave me a kind smile. I rolled my eyes and looked away. Three fucking months. I was doing so well on my own.

  “Alexis Turner, you’re a hard girl to catch. You gave Keene a good work out. But now it’s time to come with me to my office. You’re in a bit of trouble, young woman.” She opened the rear door and Keene pushed me into the car and slammed the door shut. I reached for the handle and pulled. I could see the smile on his face. Child lock. Fucker. I moved to the opposite door and tried.

  A deep voice had me sitting back into the seat. “Don’t even try it. Keene is right outside.” I glared daggers at the man’s head. His dark hair was cut short and he wore a uniform. Ugh, great, another cop.

  I threw myself into the chair behind the desk, expressing my hatred for being here. I clutched my bag tight in my lap and played with the hole in my hoodie.

  “If you need us for anything, Shelly, just let us know.” The petite woman in front of me shook her head. She looked so delicate, like a flower. But from her conversation in the car, she was no daisy . . . this chick had thorns.

  “I will be fine, Keene. Thank you both for your help.” And with that, he closed the door and I was alone in the office with who I assumed was Shelly, my new case manager. Or a case manager who would send me back to my old one. Fuck, I didn’t care, I was out of here as soon as I could leave. She moved some files around and looked up, smiling at me.

  “Where are you from? What are you?” she asked. I just shrugged. I didn’t really know how to answer that question, but I wasn’t going to tell her shit. She had all the information she needed on me. She could tell me where I was from and what I am.

  “Okay, well, why did you leave you last foster home? They miss you.” That had my body tensing as my eyes flashed up to hers. Yeah right, they miss the paycheck. I gritted my teeth and didn’t speak. There was no point. I would be sent back to them and then I would run again. This was just a small bump in the road. Well, an annoying huge bump. I will have to go somewhere else; I only have a few months left of school, and I really started to like Seattle.

  “Okay, not one for questions? That’s fine. I will just fill in these forms to send you back. You’re lucky nothing happened to you. I don’t know what you are, but I will figure it out.” I sent her a puzzled look. Yeah right, she knew what I was. I was a runaway teen stripper trying to make enough money to feed and clothe herself to get through school. But I won’t be forever. One day, I will be free of all of this.

  “You can send me back, I don’t give a fuck. I will just leave again.”

  She moved toward me fast, and I sucked in a breath at the movement. “You will not run; you will stay there,” she said in a strange voice. Her eyes stayed pinned on me, and I swear they looked darker than before.

  I laughed and her brows furrowed. “Yeah right, stay there. Fuck that.”

  It looked like I had ruffed her feathers at little. I wanted to smile but I didn’t want her to see I was pleased with this. She watched me for a while as she leaned back in her chair. There was an uncomfortable silence until she pinned me with her eyes again. Yes, I wasn’t crazy, her eyes were a dark shade of blue now. Could it be the lights?

  “Give me your bag,” she said in that strange voice again. I gripped it tighter to my chest. No way was I giving her my bag. She tilted her head to the side and flicked her pen a few times on the folders in front of her.

  “I promise you I’m here to help. I think you could really use some help right now. You are a smart girl; you didn’t just run. You enrolled yourself into high school. Your grades are really good. Mr. Becker was concerned for you when he called me, and I think he was right to be.”

  Mr. Becker . . . my English teacher called her about me. What a fucking asshole. I thought he was trying to help me. He asked to meet my parents once and I told him they both worked all the time. It was an excuse that had worked in the past. Hell, it worked when I enrolled myself six months ago. Only to have Mr. Becker be the one to call child services on me. God, I wanted to hit him so bad right now.

  “I can see you are not happy with him. But I promise, he was only looking out for you. I have a special home upstate. I think you will fit right in there. They are a nice couple, and I was going there tonight to drop someone else off. And if it’s not a right fit for you, you can call me and we can work something out.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned my body away. I would run first chance I got. I have only been with one nice foster family, and they wanted to adopt me. But then the father was killed in a car accident after he drove me to school one morning. His wife blamed me because if I wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have been on the road . . .. After that, I was moved into another home. That was how I knew not to trust anyone. They both said they wanted me. I called her mom, and she got rid of me like I was trash. I was grieving too, and I needed her. They were my first real family. I will never let myself be in that situation again.

  The only person I can count on is myself.

  I was moved into the
waiting room outside Shelly’s office. I could see Keene was still there. Maybe Keene and Shelly had something going on. Maybe they were married? Makes sense, she was gorgeous and he was, too.

  I heard a commotion and looked up. I saw the cop who drove me here holding onto someone. They were putting up a fight. I smiled to myself. So I was not the only one who hated this shit. But when I looked up again, I was met by the most amazing blue eyes, like sunshine on a crystal blue lake. How can that even be a color? His hair was so blond it was almost silver. It was slicked back but some had fallen loose, giving him a sexy messy look.

  His hands were behind him and I could hear the commotion from around the corner and Keene was gone.

  “Sit here, kid, and don’t fucking move.” The cop pushed him into the chair opposite mine. There was more yelling as a big, older man, with hair the same blond hair as the hot guy in front of me had come barrelling through the cops and into the hallway.

  “You can’t take him, you blood-sucking bitch. Just try me! We will fucking kill you. He is ours, not yours.” I could see the guy across from me slightly flinch. I turned my head to see Shelly exit her office. She had such a casual air about this whole situation, like there wasn’t some overgrown man screaming at her tiny five-foot frame.