Release Date - July 1, 2021
Opening scene - Warning adult content and violence
Droplets of blood seeped from Darien's wolf tattoo, mesmerizing him. They trickled over the inside of his bicep, splattering against the bar floor.
Darien ran his hand back through his hair and frowned. Why was the wolf bleeding? It was supposed to look sexy. Turn chicks on. Not bleed. He blinked as a thought formed. Maybe it wasn't the tattoo. Could he be bleeding? He didn't remember getting hurt. But that might be because he'd had too many vodka shots.
Expensive gold-infused vodka.
An order snapped out in Thai ripped his focus away from the cost of the booze.
Stumbling with the translation, his gut clenched - Check everyone. Anybody alive. Kill them.
A shrill female scream. A gunshot. Silence.
That'd be one of the hookers. Damn. Hope it wasn't the one with the butterfly tattoo above her clit. She had a mouth on her that performed miracles. Dude! What the fuck! Must be the vodka talking. Stay focused. There are guys with guns out there.
Darien stretched his neck out and peered around the edge of the bar. In his line of vision, a male leg stuck out from under a table. Expensive looking shoe. Presumably Italian leather. Probably belonged to Nai Jâhng.
Darien raised his eyebrows. Wow. Somebody had the balls to kill a Triad boss.
He shifted his glance. A few feet to the left lay a female arm with brilliant orange fingernails. He shivered at the memory of those nails grazing his balls. He focused on a tiny object a foot in front of him. Shards of glass were scattered about. He frowned, trying to remember what happened. He'd walked behind the private club's bar to get another bottle of vodka when, one by one, bottles started exploding. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor, looking at the blood dripping from his tattoo. He glanced at his arm. The bleeding had stopped.
Okay, so he wasn't gonna bleed to death. Good. Now he just had to get his dumbass outta there. Past them. The guys with the guns. How the fuck could he do that?
Voices interrupted his thoughts. The tones were panicked or angry, and the words too fast for him to translate, although he understood the meaning of the three rapid gunshots, followed by a short groan. The door at the opposite end of the bar, leading to the kitchen, swooshed as someone pushed it open.
Gunfire and screams sounded from the kitchen. The door swung open again. Darien translated the shooter's words, "Nobody alive in there. I'll check the offices upstairs."
Darien slid back, trying not to disturb the glass. He did his best not to yelp when a sharp edge sliced through the skin on his knee. With deliberate movements, he backtracked the length of the Black Dragon's bar. Squatting, he peeked around the end.
Three men stood with their backs to him, dressed in black pants and muscle shirts. Each one held an assault rifle. A bleeding sun tattoo visible on one attacker's shoulder. Daeng Arthit Triad. Not good. So not good.
He looked forward. The kitchen door was six feet away. Six feet of wide-open, easily visible space. It might as well be six inches or a mile. He couldn't risk it. Wouldn't. He didn't want to get shot.
He shifted his weight off the knee, pressing on a piece of shattered bottle. What the fuck, dude? You're gonna die if they find you. Better to be running for your life than just lay here and let 'em kill you. That was the logical side of his head's opinion.
The chicken shit side said, Stay here. Stay down. You're safe.
Blurb
To save Darien's life his brother asks, "Can you walk in high heels?"
Erika Bailey, owner/manager of a drag queen club in Bangkok, Thailand has happily settled into all aspects of her new life, except for her lack of a love life. When a new diva auditions, Erika is bewildered over her instant attraction to the blond God, Apollo.
Darien Scott is on vacation after a world tour and mistakenly figures the safest place to be is at The Black Dragon with the head of a Triad. When the club is hit, Darien is the only person to get out alive. Now he's running from the police and a Triad. Mistake number 1.
Disguised as a drag queen, he's hired by Erika, but falls hard for his new boss, then struggles with not coming clean with her. Mistake number 2.
Can he fix his mistakes and find a life filled with love or is he headed straight for mistake number 3?
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That. Is. So. Good! I did not want that snippet to end. I love the characterization you wrote into this snippet. The visuals are great! It all works. :-) GREAT writing!
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