Devil's Charm

Evernight
Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2014 Sam
Crescent

 
ISBN: 978-1-77130-752-9

Cover
Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor:
Karyn
White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING:
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is
illegal.
 
No part of this book may be
used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a
work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

Writing
is such a pleasure for me and I love bringing characters together. Without
Evernight
Publishing, Devil's Charm wouldn't have a home
and as always I'm thankful to them for taking my biker books.

Also, my
readers, you all make writing such a joy. I hope you all love Devil like I do.

DEVIL’S
CHARM

Chaos Bleeds, 1

Sam Crescent

Copyright © 2014

Prologue

“What the hell are you
doing, Kayla? You can’t leave him here,” Lexie Howard said, glancing down at
the baby who couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old.

“You’re my sister, and we
both know you’ll handle
this a
hell of a lot better
than I would.” Kayla handed over a bag filled with all kinds of crap a newborn
needed. “I’ve got everything here. His food, clothes, diapers.
Oh,
and here is some money to tide you over.”

Taking the envelope from her
older sister Lexie looked inside to see well over ten thousand dollars.

“Fuck, Kayla. What the hell
have you been doing?” Lexie stared at the baby then at her sister. Kayla was a
beautiful woman, slender with long, silky blonde hair. She’d admired her older
sister for as long as she could remember. They were half-sisters as they didn’t
share the same dad.

“Nothing.
It’s what I’m due.”

Lexie watched as her sister
started to head out of the door.

“Wait, you can’t just leave
me like this with a baby and no fucking clue when you’re going to get back.”

“His name is Simon. You’ll
be better for him. I can’t look after a baby.” Kayla raised her arm showing the
track marks of her addiction.

“You said you were getting
clean. You can’t do this to me. I’m only just surviving myself. There’s no work
for me to take care of a baby.”

“I’ve given you all of his
paperwork. I’m really sorry, but I can’t be around. If someone comes calling
for me and asking questions promise me you won’t say anything. It’s better for
you and Simon not to say anything.”

Following Kayla out of the
apartment Lexie felt her whole world crashing around her. At twenty-one years
old she couldn’t believe she had a little baby in her life.

“This is wrong. I shouldn’t
take him at all.”

“Then I’ll be back for him
soon. You’ve just got to keep him by your side and love him. I know you can do
that. We’re different like that,” Kayla said, tears glinting in her eyes. “I
can’t love him, Lex. You’re the only one I’ve got who’ll give him a good home.”

Before she could say
anything more, Kayla climbed into a beat up car with a guy who looked way too
pale to be driving.
Shit.
Lexie charged
toward the car only to meet dust. Staring up and down the beat up street, Lexie
realized she was alone. She was all alone with a baby who should be with his mother.

“What are you staring at?”
she asked the old lady who hadn’t moved on from their scene.

She lived in a rundown neighborhood
that had long since been forgotten by any government funding. Heading upstairs,
she heard Simon screaming. Lexie ran to her apartment, slammed the door closed,
and went to the little carrier where her new charge lay. His face was screwed
up, and the cries were deafening.

Her next door neighbor
slammed their fist against the wall demanding they shut the fuck up. How had
her life changed so fucking quickly? One moment she’d been getting ready for
work; in the next, she had a baby to look after.

Lifting Simon out of the
carrier she held him close and was shocked when he grew silent staring up at
her. His eyes were a beautiful blue color, shocking in their appearance and so
startling they made her melt instantly.

“Hello, little guy. I’m your
Auntie Lexie.” Stroking a finger down his cheek, she fell instantly in love.
She’d always loved children and babies, recalling all the times she’d babysat
for the kids in the surrounding area when she’d been younger. “It looks like
I’m going to be taking care of you. I promise to be nice at all times.”

Fuck, she didn’t know the
first thing about looking after a baby. Blowing hair out of her eyes, she carried
him over to the kitchen where her second-hand fridge stood. Opening it up she
saw the few items of cheap food she owned. Going back to his bags, she started
going through everything with one hand.

The moment she tried to put
Simon down he screamed. For the next couple of days she’d grow accustomed to
what to do. There was nothing else she could do.

Lexie put his things away
making a note of the formula he used along with the diapers and creams. When
she was finished, she carried him to the nearest store to have a look at what
everything was going to cost.

 
By the time she left the store the tears were
threatening to fill her eyes. There was no way she could afford to have a baby.
The other problem she faced was in the last few hours she had come to love
Simon. It was the strangest feeling in the world. She didn’t know this child in
any way, yet all of her mothering instincts were coming through begging for her
to take care of him. Pushing hair out of her eyes, she stared down into his
sleeping face.

“There has got to be
something I can do.”

The following day she headed
out to work, but arriving at the diner with a baby in tow got her fired. Lexie
would never forget the look on the woman’s face when she walked in with Simon
on her hip. She was fired on the spot.

Great, one day with a kid
and she’d been fired.

After applying for three
jobs with Simon close to her, Lexie knew there was no hope of her getting work.

Going to the end of the
street she was caught by the sign for “help wanted” as she passed. The sun was
still up, and she wasn’t looking at where she was going. Opening the door, she
went in and was overcome by a cloud of smoke. Covering Simon’s eyes, she gasped
as a woman danced naked on the stage semi-naked.

“Can I help you?”

She turned to see a large
man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail staring down at her.

“No, I, erm, no, I’m in the
wrong place.” She made to leave, but he gripped her arm.

“Are you looking for a job?”

Simon was in her arms, and
she noticed the man didn’t pull too hard on her arm.

“Yes, I was hoping for some
waitressing work.”

“Anyone
look
after the kid?” he asked.

She shook her head. “
There’s
only me. I’m all he has.”

“Follow me.”

With no other choice she
followed the large man to the back where his office was. Lexie couldn’t believe
she’d walked into a strip club. She hadn’t been looking, and desperation was
clawing at her for something good to happen.

“I’m Vincent. I own this
club.”

“I was looking to waitress
or bartend or something,” she said, holding onto Simon tightly.

Kayla, when we see each other I’m going to fucking
kill you.

His gaze wandered down her
body. She knew there wasn’t much to look at. Lexie wasn’t a beautiful woman.
Her tits were too large with too wide hips. Her mother loved to tell Lexie how
inadequate she was at being a woman. No man wanted a fuller woman in their bed.
She didn’t possess striking blonde hair but a dull brown that failed to stand
out.

“I’ve lost one of my girls.
She was stupid and got herself knocked up. None of my customers want a pregnant
woman dancing. Otherwise they’d stay home and look at their wives.” Biting her
lip, Lexie tried not to take offence. “You’re looking good for just giving
birth.”

“He’s not mine. My sister
has left him with me while she sorts out her problems.” Lexie thought of the
thousands of dollars her sister had left her. She knew that money wasn’t
Kayla’s. The last thing she wanted to do was use money she didn’t trust.

“That explains it. Do you
dance well?”

“I can’t be a stripper,” she
said.

He glared.
“Why not?
You too good or something?”

“No, look at me. I can’t get
my clothes off. I’m not exactly stripper material.” She poked at her rounded
stomach.