Thorn.

Carter Kids.

by Chloe Walsh.

This book is dedicated to Julie Phelan aka Aunty.

For her lifelong support, friendship.

And infallible belief that I could be whatever I desired to be.

And of course, for her sheer love of all things Kyle Carter.

I love you, Aunty.

Upcoming t.i.tles by Chloe Walsh.

The man who loved me was a fighter.

He had blood on his hands.

He was dangerous, treacherous, and he called me his Thorn.

I was his strength and his weakness all rolled into one.

He was trained bred to play a pivotal part in an underworld concocted of violence and destruction.

The question was could I love him in spite of the danger he represented to my life?.

Could I love him in spite of the danger he represented to my soul?.

Seven Years Ago - February.

TEAGAN WAS SAFE.

I could handle the whole d.a.m.n world falling down around me just as long as she was safe alive and breathing. My little Thorn was okay, and that made this whole d.a.m.n mess worth it.

I knew I was facing prison time because of my role in the quarry. I knew I was going away for a while up to five years for GBH.

Three if I didn't f.u.c.k up again, Kyle's suit had a.s.sured me at the station tonight. That didn't sound too f.u.c.king bad to me. h.e.l.l, three square meals a day, and a long a.s.sed rest sounded like heaven to my body. I might even get lucky and score a cell of my own.

To be perfectly honest, the only reason I was handling this so calmly was because I had Teagan. I didn't think she realized just how much I loved her crazy a.s.s. That girl was everything to me and I didn't say that lightly.

She'd seen the worst of me and she loved me through it.

f.u.c.k, she was prepared to keep me even when we thought I'd killed Gerome Javi.

Jesus Christ, what that girl did for me tonight running into the Hub all guns a-blazing.

I never realized a man's heart could love as hard as this.

This was an insane kind of love.

One I never thought I would have.

f.u.c.k, my whole world had pretty much burnt to dust tonight. I knew s.h.i.t was going to be a h.e.l.l of a lot different in the morning.

I had a family now.

Kyle was my brother, Lee was my sister-in-law, and the triplets and Hope were my niece and nephews.

Kyle had bailed me out. I was back in Thirteenth Street because of the guy and his big f.u.c.king heart. I couldn't resent that. Besides, I knew what kind of upbringing my older half brother had, and it wasn't f.u.c.king pretty. The man was self-made. I could only aspire to be like him one day. Maybe that's why I had always felt so d.a.m.n comfortable in the Carter's house?

It was because I was one of them.

Well s.h.i.t...

Just a few short hours ago, I was the only child of a murdered ex-con and a schizophrenic heroin addict. And now? Now I had brothers, and more family than I'd ever dreamed possible.

I should be losing my s.h.i.t right about now, but the meds flushing their way through my bloodstream kept me highly sedated and extremely drowsy.

My body was in pieces. Everything hurt. My back, my face, my f.u.c.king chest; h.e.l.l, even my d.i.c.k was throbbing. But I was alive, breathing and I hadn't killed anyone.

Pain was smothering my senses, my ribs were burning like vinegar seeping into an open wound, but I knew I would sleep easy tonight.

Because I was free.

Free from George Dennis, and free to live my life.

Free to be with Teagan.

Inhaling gingerly, I allowed my eyelids to flutter closed, comforted by the knowledge that my Thorn was safely tucked up in her bed next door.

f.u.c.k it, a bright future was actually attainable for a guy like me.

"Mmm...Yes!" A female voice mewled, startling me awake.

The sudden weight that slammed against my pelvis was f.u.c.king fantastic.

"Thorn?" My voice sounded groggy and slurred.

So sweet and soft and warm.

So d.a.m.n snug and tight.

A nervous tingle shot up my spine and I heard myself groan in pleasure.

"Shh," was the last thing I heard before unconsciousness claimed me.

WHEN I CAME TO I was alone on my bed, naked, and feeling more satisfied than I had in days.

Even though I couldn't remember jack s.h.i.t from the night before, the wet patch on the mattress a.s.sured me that a late night visit from my girlfriend was the reason I felt so sated.

Slightly dazed, and feeling like a freight train had mowed me down, I shrugged on a pair of sweat pants, climbed unsteadily to my feet, and made my way over to my bedroom window.

My eyes immediately honed in on Teagan standing on her front porch and my heart flipped inside of my chest.

I needed to get used to looking at her from behind a pane of gla.s.s, I thought to myself as I studied her beautiful face. Her face that was crying?

Confused as h.e.l.l, I watched in a mixture of surprise and anxiety as my girlfriend walked towards a cab with a suitcase.

What the...

I tapped on the windowpane and tried to get her attention, but she didn't look back.

That caused the anxiety inside of me to multiply rapidly.

"Teagan!"

I could barely breathe from the pain in my side, but the slicing in my chest watching Teagan, followed by Hope, climb into the cab was fifty million times worse.

f.u.c.k, I would rather take a knife than feel this.

"Teagan!"

I rapped my knuckles harder against the window.

"Thorn!"

And then the car pulled away.

f.u.c.k no...

Frantic for answers, I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and swiped my thumb across the screen. Immediately, a message thread opened up.

Noah: Need 2 show u something. Front door's unlocked. I'm in bed. Come straight up.

Teagan: Be there in 2.

"What the..." Gaping at the screen of my phone in confusion, I slowly worded out the messages under my breath as I tried to make sense of the texts I knew I hadn't sent.

Forcing my legs to move, I shuffled clumsily out of my bedroom and down the staircase. Leaning against the hallway wall when I reached the bottom step, still woozy from the pain meds, I shook my head and tried to clear my vision.

Raw anxiety was eating at my gut.

What the h.e.l.l was happening?

"Good morning, s.e.xy."

My entire frame froze the second my eyes landed on Reese, in the doorway of my kitchen, with a mug of coffee in her hands, dressed in nothing but my blood-stained t-shirt.

"What the f.u.c.k." It wasn't a question. I already knew the answer it was smeared all over my d.i.c.k. No doubt it was the reason Teagan had tore off in that cab quicker than a bat out of h.e.l.l.

Jesus Christ.

A million different emotions were coursing through me. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't believe my f.u.c.king eyes. "You f.u.c.king rapist," I snarled, feeling violated and furious.

"Calm down," Reese cooed, holding out the mug for me to take.

I took it from her and plastered it against the opposite wall. She yelped when it shattered and coffee sprayed everywhere.

"You raped me." Three words I never thought would come out of my mouth, but there they were. "You f.u.c.king forced yourself on me, didn't you?"

When she didn't deny it, I let out a roar. "You sent Teagan that text from my phone, didn't you?"

Reese's eyes welled up with tears as she nodded her head.

My heart sank. "Did she see?" I managed to choke out. "Did my girlfriend see you f.u.c.king me?"

"Noah please," Reese protested. "Let me explain "

"Don't you dare G.o.dd.a.m.n Noah me," I roared into her face. "You took advantage of me." My voice sounded strange even to me. "And now Teagan's gone because of you!" Violent and wholly enraged. "Was shaming her with that CCTV footage not enough for you?" I demanded, "You had to do this?"

"I'm sorry okay?" Reese shook her head in despair. "I didn't expect you to behave like this. I thought you would " she started to say, but I cut her off.

"What?" I stalked past her towards the front door. "You didn't expect me to feel violated?" With the front door open, I glared once more at the girl in my shirt. "You better get suited with a good f.u.c.king lawyer," I warned her. "There's a special place in the state penitentiary for women like you. Don't think you'll get away with this because I'm the one with the d.i.c.k."

It was freezing when I stepped outside, wearing only a pair of black sweat pants, but I didn't let it stop me. I was like a crazed man on a rampage.

I needed to stop Teagan from leaving me.

I needed her, period.

I wouldn't survive the next few years without her.

Staggering across the yard, I stumbled up her porch steps and thrust my elbow against the panel of gla.s.s in her uncle's front door.

The sound of the house alarm went off, almost deafening me, and I knew I was burying myself under another lawsuit, but I was desperate.