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

heartbreaking goodbye to the girl I’d do anything for except the one thing she wants.

For me to stay.

Frustrated, along with feeling a ton of guilt, I rake a hand through my hair, wondering what Lexi I’m going to get when I turn around.

I’d much rather have the pissed-off version of my niece and not the crying one. Making her laugh, hearing it is one of the best feelings in the world. Seeing her cry is like a stab to the chest with a dull blade.

There’s no cure for this man’s heart shattering when it comes to Lexi Mae Mitchell’s crying. She’s a part of me as much as my brothers.

A guiding light. Perfect and living in a sheltered world of chaos and violence, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way.

The girl is nothing but a thief with her perfect little self coming along and stealing my heart the day she was born. Tiny bundle wrapped in pink. The kid now a bustling ball of energy. Growing way too fast for this uncle’s liking and talking a mile a minute, not stopping until she has to come up for air.

She has me wrapped tight around her finger, and she knows it too. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I stand for what feels like forever waiting to hear her voice after Logan descends the steps—not going to lie. Saying bye to her is painful. I’m going to miss hearing the squeal of my name, her jumping into my welcoming arms when I’d return from a trip. Doing all she can to scam money out of me for her collection jars, knowing I’m going to swear just to give her some cash. She hasn’t spoken to me in two days since I told her I was moving.

Lexi went to school, came home, grabbed a snack, and stomped straight to her room. Bypassing me and then turning her back whenever I tried to get her to talk.

Two long, excruciating days since I’ve heard the voice that always breaks through and brightens my darkest days.

My princess.

I love that girl, God, do I ever. I never want her to know about the evil living inside me. Never want her to get hurt. Every boy who dares to try, I’ll fuck him up.

For life.

I love my nephews just as much. I’ll never treat them differently, but this girl holds a special place in my heart. She always will.

Telling Lexi I was moving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. She’s too young to understand it’s time for me to move on and plant roots somewhere. Hopefully, she will soon grace me with a surprising phone call as she’s done so many times. It’s getting the hard part over, swallowing it down, getting used to a change, and I hate to be the one to make her sad. But I have to go.

“Uncle Seth, wait,” that voice shouts from behind. I can’t help the smile that parts my lips, along with a heavy sigh of relief. What clogs my throat is the tears I hear in her voice.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath when I turn to see her bottom lip trembling, unshed tears as she stands in front of Lane with sagging shoulders.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart.” I don’t hesitate to get to her. Flying down the stairs and meeting her halfway on the tarmac as I drop to my knees and she tumbles into my arms, her body shuddering when she buries her face in the crook of my neck and cries—big sobs coming from my girl.

Fucking hell. This is killing me.

Lexi holds tight as I lift her off the ground, clinging to me like a monkey. All arms and legs, and those tears are shredding at my chest.

“This might feel like goodbye, Lexi. It isn’t. That’s a promise, Princess. No matter where I am, you need me, I’ll drop whatever I’m doing to get to you.” My voice cracks with the promise. If anyone could bring me to tears, it’s this precious girl.

“No, you call me every day. Every single day, Uncle Seth. I don’t want you to go. Why can’t you stay? Please. Why can’t Victoria come back here? I miss her too. She’s one of my best friends. Family isn’t supposed to move far, far away from each other. We’re supposed to live close. You even have family tattooed on your arm. I’m family, and you’re my family. I love you, please.”

A piece of me dies right here—agony lancing through my body from her pleas. Lexi is splitting in two. Breaking, and I’m the cause of it. I have to go before she keeps on begging me to stay.

Glancing at Lane, I silently apologize for leaving him to deal with her hurting. He nods—the man a damn good father, sacrificing so much for our girl.

That’s who she is. Ours. A miracle we never saw coming.

“I love you too, Lexi, but I have to go.”

CHAPTER THREE

Victoria

It took a bit of time today to pull myself together. I sat in the bakery office, finishing the supply order I started this morning and drawing strength from my sorrow.

Today was the first time the law threatened me directly in my life, and even though a part of me doesn’t want Agent Wozniak to die, I know he has to. So, I kept telling myself he isn’t my blood nor my friend. There won’t be a hole in my heart when he’s gone.

He’s no one to me. Therefore, I won’t miss him. It doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad or that I can’t remind myself how cruel life is because it is, and there’s a pit in my stomach full of dread that it’s going to become so much worse.

I must have silently repeated thousands of times too that revenge is the way of our world. I know how it works. We live by our own set of rules. I might not be treated like a piece of property, but