No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

because Marc and I had a romantic relationship, I was transferred to the e-commerce marketing department.

The kicker here is that the head of the department I was transferred to is his sister, so, she really loved it when I told her I was leaving my asshole of a husband.

Now, here I am. My thirtieth birthday is in a week and I’m a single mom, back living with her mother in the home she grew up in, sleeping in the bed she had when she was a child on top of it all.

Falling back on the hard as a rock mattress, I stare up at the poster of the Backstreet Boys hanging on my ceiling. God, how I wish I could go back to the days where I thought Brian Littrell would really be my husband. How amazing life would’ve been if that ended up happening.

Closing my eyes, I breathe in and out slowly, calming myself down. Since being here I’ve had small panic attacks, terrified I’m making a horrible decision, that I might be fucking up my daughter’s life. I could give a rat’s ass about my own, but she’s the most important thing in the world to me.

Was I warranted in taking her away from everything she’s ever known? Just because a man acted like a dog and did me dirty? Is that reason enough? I’m unsure if I’ll ever know. The only thing getting me through this is the fact I want to show Vivi that you don’t allow men to treat you like that. Not ever.

Out of nowhere the doorbell rings, causing me to practically piss myself. I sit up on the bed, put my hands on the mattress, and huff as I get to my feet. Walking down the stairs as leisurely as possible, I figure whoever it is can wait if they came over unannounced.

The doorbell goes off again, and now I’m getting irritated. Who comes over to someone’s house unannounced and rings the doorbell twice in that short of a time period? “I’m coming!” I holler from the bottom of the stairs.

Placing my hand on the door, I tug it open and the man I see before me is one I left behind a very long time ago. Twelve years ago, to be exact.

I knew him as Kaden, but word on the street is he goes by Kinetic these days.

Chapter Two

Kinetic

After getting back from a week-long run, the only thing I have on my mind right now is getting a beer, sitting with my brothers, probably shooting some pool with Bone, and finding one of the firecrotches to sink my dick into for the night. Once I do that I’ll pass out with my dog, Koda, on the end of the bed. A lot of clubs will refer to the ladies that live with ‘em as clubwhores, but we don’t like callin’ em that. Firecrotches seem to suit ‘em better.

Since Koda’s a grouch in his old age, he doesn’t let anyone sleep in the bed other than me. It’s why none of the firecrotches ever come in my room and try to snuggle up with me under the covers. He’ll tear into one of them. That’s his territory and he doesn’t share. Well, besides with me. Fuckin’ love that dog. Being a German shepherd at nearly ninety pounds he’s a brute and hogs the damn bed.

I’m not about to complain. Between him and my brothers they’re all I need. Koda stays here at the club when I’m out on a run, but normally he’s at my house. A house I still don’t know why I fuckin’ bought in the first place.

Probably because it reminds me of her.

Charlee.

The woman who fuckin’ crushed my heart and left me the day I left for basic. We’d had dreams of buying a house like the one I did. Two story Cape Cod style with four bedrooms and a wrap-around porch. Now it’s mine and Koda’s.

“Hey, Kinetic,” Feisty purrs into my ear as she wraps her arms around my neck. My body stiffens in reaction to her pressing her body against my back.

Without hurting her, I jerk Feisty around and away from my back. I don’t like to have anyone standing behind me. Not since the last mission I’d been on with three of my brothers. We’d been taken hostage. Hell, we’d been lucky to make it out of there alive. Doesn’t mean we didn’t leave unscathed. My back bears the marks of what was done to not just me, but Rajah and Horseman. The three of us carry the same scars. If it wasn’t for Falcon and the rest of our team the three of us wouldn’t have made it out of that hell hole.

“Feisty, you know you’re not allowed to touch me unless I tell you,” I scoff, releasing my grip on her hand.

“I know but you’ve been gone for a week. I’ve missed you and couldn’t wait to hug you,” she giggles. That’s one thing about Feisty, she doesn’t have a problem testing boundaries. Normally, I don’t have any problems with this; however, I’m not in the mood to put up with her shit.

“Get it through your head, woman, it’s a fuckin’ rule around here, don’t fuckin’ wrap yourself around me like that again,” I snap.

“Okay,” Feisty pouts as she slides into my lap as if she didn’t just piss me the hell off. Right now, I don’t want her anywhere near me after she pulled that shit. She knows the rules and if she doesn’t stop this bullshit, I’m gonna have a serious talk with Falcon and Hawk about it. I know she’s a favorite amongst my brothers, I just don’t give a fuck right now.

As I place my hands on her hips to remove her from my lap, Bowser sits in the chair across from me with a shit-eating grin.

“What the fuck’s got you smiling like the cat that ate the canary?” I ask, releasing Feisty and waving my hand,