Concede (The Diamond Empire Book 1) by Kathy Coopmans (bts book recommendations .TXT) 📕

Protect me, my ass. He wants me to become an informant. I’d rather roll the dice, draw a card and go directly to jail before I’d ever turn on my family.

As far as my brother Diesel goes, he’s in prison for possession and intent to distribute cocaine. A year ago, he was sentenced to three to five years. Someone set him up, and they paid people off to do so. Quite possibly, the same that killed my family. The Empire doesn’t mess with drugs any more than they do sex-trafficking. Even my brother Dray, the family’s Consigliere, couldn’t pull enough strings to get him off. He’s working on his parole hearing right now, and I pray with everything in me, Diesel gets out soon.

“I never said I grew up in hell. Don’t put words in my mouth. Don’t pretend you know me. Don’t try to get me to turn on my family when there’s nothing for me to tell. You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I’m a young sapling that when a strong gust of wind such as yourself comes along to uproot me, I’ll topple over.”

So many emotions bottle in my chest. All someone would have to do is shake me just a little, and I’d explode.

“To be honest, I find you quite interesting. It’s too bad we’re on the opposite sides of the law because if you were mine, I would lock you away until the murderers are behind bars. Tell me about that night in Houston. I’ll keep you safe, Victoria. You can start over anywhere in the world. Just give me what I need.”

I nearly choke over how delusional he is.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I think you do. I think you were told to keep your mouth shut. Perhaps threatened to kill you? Do they trust you? I can help you. Let me.”

What I think is, I need to get out of here while my sanity is still intact. My family would never force me to keep my mouth shut. They trust and know that I will.

I might disapprove they have their hands in illegal underground fighting, gun smuggling, thievery, and murder, but I’d rather rot in a hellhole than turn them in.

Some might not be blood, but they are my family. I love them all.

“I think you’re a scared woman. I can protect you, give you a new identity—a new life. No one will find you. Your family is not above the law. They are criminals. They’ve owned this city for too long. Don’t make me bring you down with them. You are not like them. They don’t deserve your loyalty. Hell, your family would be alive if it weren’t for someone having a vendetta against your empire. You know it’s true.”

His words still me, the blood draining right out of my face. Bile crawls up my throat, mixed with his death pressing hard against my chest.

I’m beginning not to care if he dies. I’ll regret thinking that, I’m sure. Right now, I just don’t give a damn.

My family and friends deserve everything from me. They’ve protected and taught me that love is absolute. It has no limits and not once has the thought they are to blame crossed my mind.

“Unless you’re going to arrest me, I’m leaving. Which, I know you’re not because whatever evidence you think you have is not enough to implicate me in anything. The next time you wish to talk to me, you go through my lawyer. I’ll leave his name at the front desk.” I hide my turmoil of emotions behind a stone-walled mask as I push to stand and head toward the door.

I jump a mile when he curses up a storm and a loud crash comes from behind me. Which, I assume, is his chair toppling over. I turn the handle only to pause when he slams a palm on the door at the side of my head and grips hold of my wrist to stop me with the other. He’s so close I can smell his desperate breath against my ear.

Unease slides across my flesh. My pulse races wild. Agent Wozniak is going to pay much worse for laying a finger on me. No man touches a woman belonging to The Diamond Empire without permission, especially when he’s squeezing hard enough, there will probably be a bruise.

“Step back, Agent. I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” The words scrape from my dry throat.

“Yeah, so am I. I won’t give up, Victoria. Think about what I said. I can make life so much easier for you. I promise.”

He releases his grip, moves back, and I pull open the door, nearly running down the hall to gather my things from the lady who took them when I entered. I thank her and dash toward the exit with my head down, shooting out the door and gasping for air, not even bothering to acknowledge Theo when he tries asking me how it went and if I’m okay.

I never wanted to be involved with the Empire’s illegal way of living, yet somehow never wanting to, and now being a part of a man’s death breaks a piece of the old me away.

The weird thing about that? I’m not even scared to lose that chunk, and that is what frightens the hell out of me.

CHAPTER TWO

Seth

Until Victoria, I only allowed a few females into my heart. One, at the time, I thought, was the woman for me. The other owns a part no one else will touch.

All have done their share of slaying me one way or another.

I gave up my whorish ways for the woman I thought was mine. Her name was Meghan. Sweet as a Georgia peach.

She up and disappeared with her family after her sister’s murder. It happened right in front of me, her, and a family friend, Rocco Altieri. The innocent victim was his fiancée, Sofia, and seeing that shit go down, fucked that man up ten times