Redemption Hills: The Complete Collection

1. Milo

ONE

MILO

It was just before ten p.m. as I edged through the crowd.

Every muscle in my body was coiled and ready to strike.

Absolution was packed wall-to-wall, filled to capacity with a line at the door, same way it was most nights.

Though, as I moved beneath the lights that flashed in time with the chaotic rhythm of the band that played onstage, the throng broke apart, instinct warning them they’d do best to keep out of my way.

My job was to keep tabs on those who came to the club for a taste of the excess offered within its walls.

Kult cut through the roiling mass, heading in my direction. He was the second head bouncer here at Absolution, and the two of us were running circuits on the main floor tonight.

Dude had buzzed his once long-blond hair. The effect of it only doubled the threat that oozed from him in waves. He slowed to a stop in front of me, and he lifted his voice over the din. “All quiet?”

“If you mean I haven’t had to haul any unruly assholes out back, then yeah.”

He cracked a shit-eating grin. “Tell me why you seem so glum about that.”

So, I might come with a reputation. I chalked it up to it being a part of the job, but my crew knew better. Still, I played it off. “Glum? Not even close. Hell, I’d pay for one dull night.”

Cracking up, Kult pointed a finger in my face. “You, my friend, are a liar. But don’t worry, the night’s still young. No need to sulk. Your face is way too pretty for that,” he razzed.

I grunted at him.

He laughed again, though he was holding his hands up in surrender. “Just messin’ with you, brother. No need to go beast on my ass. I know you only give a beat down if someone deserves it.”

God knew there were plenty who did.

I’d been a bouncer here at Absolution for the last three years. There weren’t a whole lot of nights that shit didn’t go down.

It was on me to draw the invisible line. On me to decide what forms of corruption were acceptable and when those boundaries had been breached.

No, the irony wasn’t lost on me, considering I had never been so good at delineating them for myself.

“Besides, we’d be out of a job if people decided to behave themselves. You’re not going to find me complainin’,” Kult said. “I’m going to make the rounds. Let me know if anyone gets rowdy.”

“Will do,” I told him.

Truth was, I took protecting those who came to this club seriously. It was always the innocent that got in the line of fire. The ones I could tell with a glance didn’t belong in a place like this and had stumbled into a viper’s den, without a clue how to navigate the seedy, sordid waters.

Deviants could scent that shit from a mile away. Sniffing out the vulnerable, getting off on the thrill of tainting something pure.

So this? I used it as an offering.

Penance.

Reparation.

A guardian of the innocent and a reaper of the corrupt.

Fools didn’t know how desperately they didn’t want to be the latter.

I let my gaze wander the cavernous space.

Housed in an old warehouse, Absolution was two stories of luxury cut with a slice of biker bar. Plush booths lined the walls, and leather couches and high-top tables were set back from the dance floor to fill the open middle area. Blue neon lights glowed from the main bar that ran the length of the entire far end of the building and illuminated the wall of bottles that ran up its height.

Upstairs quartered another bar and a bunch of pool tables, done balcony style so there was still a view of the stage.

People flocked here night-after-night, searching for escape.

For a good time.

A fuck.

Freedom.

Whatever they couldn’t find outside these walls.

As long as they weren’t hurting anyone else? Then for me, it was a go.

My attention roved over the disorder. It snagged on Trent who stood at the end of the bar. He lifted his chin, gesturing for me to approach.

I headed that way, weaving through the groups of people who were huddled around the high-top tables.

“Trent,” I said when I got within earshot of my boss.

Trent was one of the club owners, along with his two brothers, Jud and Logan, plus Sage, a guy who used to be the general manager but who had bought in recently.

Trent was intimidating as fuck, tatted from head to toe, an ex-biker who’d known the dark life but had come to our small city of Redemption Hills, California and started over.

I’d met him when he’d first come into town. Two of us had taken one look at each other and had known we were one and the same. We’d become instant friends, and I’d been working for him ever since.

“Hey, man, need a favor,” he said.

“Whatever you need.”

“Eden and Tessa are coming in tonight.”

I ignored the spark that popped in my chest at the mention of Tessa’s name. I locked it down tight, where it belonged.

“School wrapped this last Friday, and they want to celebrate,” he continued. “Should be here in five, and I need to meet with Sage in the office for a few. Need you to keep an extra eye. Make sure none of these pricks decide to get friendly .”

His voice turned dark when he issued the last.

No one messed with his wife.

Eden was his world. She was the only woman on the planet who could take this broody motherfucker and turn him into a cheesy sap who melted whenever she came into the room.

“Not a problem. I’ll see to it they make it to your private booth.”

That didn’t mean every drop of my blood wouldn’t be boiling with the thought of Tessa coming through the door.

Tessa McDaniels was Eden’s best friend. She was this wild, untamed thing with a big, bleeding heart.

Kind to the core.

Someone I counted as a friend, and I sure as hell didn’t have many of those.

Problem was, somewhere along the line, she’d become the tormenter of my dreams.

“Thanks, man. Trust you to keep a close eye. I appreciate what you do.”

“Just doing my job.” I shrugged like it was simple.

Cut and dry.

Ignoring the truth that I used this job as an outlet. Better to pour my wrath out here than take it elsewhere.

Turning, I weaved back through the crush of bodies that roiled and thrashed. I broke out the other side and ducked into the employee hall that ran the far side of the club. At its end was the door to the employee lot where Eden would park.

Oz took up that post. He was a new bouncer who’d been hired on earlier this year. He was older than the rest of us by probably fifteen years. Rough around the edges, and he had this massive scar running the length of his face.

“Hey, man, boss’s wife is on her way. Going to step out to meet them,” I told him as I approached.

“Of course, sir.”

He opened the door for me to duck out.

That was the precise time Eden came bobbing through the other side.

She was dressed up for the night. Her blonde hair was curled in fat waves, and she had on a black cocktail dress that was modest compared to what most wore here.

Eden sent me a warm smile. “Hey, Milo. How are you tonight?”

“So far, so good.”

I did my best to keep my focus on Eden and not the girl who came ambling up the steps behind her.

Impossible.

Because Tessa was wrapped in that same shiny red dress that never failed to send my thoughts spiraling in a direction I couldn’t let them.

It was strapless and hugged every sharp curve of her body, landing just at the top of her thighs to show off her long, long legs.

She teetered on these sexy-as-fuck, strappy heels that made my stomach clutch.

Sight of her always twisted through me like a knife.

But she had a douche-dick boyfriend that I hated with every fiber of my being, not that I’d ever touch her if she were free, anyway. Still, the thought of her with him made my insides quake with the thirst for violence.

Dude was a grade-A prick.

“Milo!” Tessa nearly squealed when she saw me.

Eyes the color of the ocean lit.

Complex layers of teals and deep blues and speckles of green. Made me feel like if I went to any beach, I could find her there.

Her face was this angelic thing, her cheeks high and her nose tiny, her mouth nothing but a plump rosebud ripe for devouring.

Every inch of her face was dappled in freckles, promising the lush, red locks rolling down her back didn’t come from a bottle.

But it was the goodness that ran from her like a current that kicked me in the gut, evoking all the shit I couldn’t feel, but when I was in her space, I couldn’t stop the sense that I was standing in the light.

Then she went and threw herself around me. Her arms tightened around my neck, and she pressed her cheek to my heart that threatened to hemorrhage out, rocking us back and forth as she hugged me like she was relishing the moment, too.

Knew better than to let my thoughts go sliding in that direction. This urge to dip my dirty into the purity she embodied. Drink of the light that glowed from her.

My chest fisted as I leaned down so I could wrap my arms around her waist, careful as all fuck, doing my best to quell the urge to crush her against me and push my nose into that wild mass of hair and inhale.

“I missed you! How long has it been?” she rushed.

I quirked a brow at her when I managed to untangle myself from her hold. Only thing it did was shift her hands to my sides.

Heat curled up my spine.

“It’s been a week.” You know, because the girl liked to come in here and torture me.

She grinned, so damned sweet. “Way too long. I’ve totally missed you. And seriously, have you grown since the last time I saw you? I always thought of you as a mountain man, but I changed my mind…I think you’re an actual freaking mountain.”

Stepping back, she held on to my arms while she looked my giant frame up and down.

A tease played across those red lips, warmth dripping from her being.

Girl pure fucking sun.

“Hardly.” The word was rough.

“I dunno,” she drew out, “you’re looking extra big to me.”

Eden giggled at her side. “Tessa, leave the poor guy alone.”

She glanced at Eden. “What are you even talking about? Milo loves me.”

Her attention swung back to me, red hair swishing all over her bare shoulders. “Don’t you?”

Without answering, I took a step back to put some space between us. “I hear we’re celebrating tonight?”

“That’s right, baby! School’s out.” Tessa gave a sloppy slug to my shoulder.

Eden shook her head. “She’s acting excited right now, but she went and took the director position at the foundation, and now she’s going to have to work all summer break.”

Aghast, those blue eyes widened, and Tessa pressed a hand to her heart. “Do I look like the kind of girl who wants to miss out on all the fun?”

“Working overtime at the foundation?” Eden’s brows lifted on the tease.

“Says the girl who will be teaching ballet classes there all summer,” Tessa tossed back.

The two of them taught at a private school, and they could razz each other all they wanted, but there was no question they loved it.

“So, where is this one’s husband, anyway? I’m surprised Trent wasn’t at the door, ready to go caveman on her adorable ass.” Tessa knocked her hip into Eden’s.

Eden giggled as she peered down the hall. “Is it weird if I agree with Tessa?”

Tessa feigned offense. “Why would you not agree with me? I know all the things. I told you Trent was your Ace, didn’t I? You should be forever grateful for my stellar intuition. Your mouth would still be watering for a taste of that bad boy if I hadn’t intervened. You’re welcome for your kids, too.”

Tessa waggled her brows.

Light laughter rippled from Eden. “Is it sad you’re probably right?”

Fucking cute, the two of them, tied at the hip the way they were.

“Nothing sad about it.” Tessa took her hand. “You’re my ride or die. I complete you. Well, me and your smoking hot hubby, and I may not give you all those yummy O’s, but I was here first, so you’re stuck with me.”

“I’ll be forever in your debt.”

“You know it.” Tessa was all grins.

I angled my head down the hall. “Trent is tied up in a meeting.”

I stepped around them to start walking. I needed to get the hell out of that confined space. “He asked me to meet you two and make sure you got to your private booth. He should be finished in a few minutes.”

“ Oooo , we get an escort. I feel like a celebrity right now. The perks of being this one’s bestie.” Tessa fumbled along behind me, trying to book it up to my side while wearing those heels.

Felt her like chaos at my side. Like one of those summer storms that were really fucking gorgeous to look at but could cause outright annihilation.

The second we dipped out into the main room, I was on edge.

I began to wind them through the crush, ready to pounce on any fucker who got the wrong idea.

People parted like they felt the intensity that gushed from my being, that intuition to step aside. I cut a path to the booth tucked at the far back corner of the club that was reserved for the Lawsons and their guests.

“Here we are,” I said, standing off to the side so they could slip in. Tessa touched my arm as she passed, slanting me a sweet look that made me itchy. “Thanks, Milo. You are the best.”

Reining my wayward eyes was hopeless as she slipped into one side of the booth. There was no goddamn way to stop my gaze from tracing the length of her silky thighs, the way her knees parted just enough to give me a veiled glimpse of what had become nothing but a fantasy.

Like I said, the torturer of my dreams.

Tiny Tease.

Except she didn’t have a clue what she did to me.

“I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

Tessa winked. “As if we’d expect anything less of you.”

I set up post about five feet away, hidden in the corner, and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest.

Far enough away to give them some privacy, close enough I could get to them in a blink if the situation arose.

Tessa and Eden kept tossing back dirty martinis.

They were laughing and giggling and likely conspiring.

Everything about them became more animated as the minutes passed.

The fuckwads out on the prowl must have felt the ferocity vibrating from my bones because they gave them a wide berth even when they had to be the two most gorgeous women in the club.

An hour passed.

Then two.

Trent checked in every so often, but there was a problem in the kitchen, so he kept slipping out.

The longer Tessa sat there, the more the giggles coming out of her grew in volume, her voice getting louder, her spirit free.

Had to wonder if she came here to find the things she couldn’t outside these walls, too.

If she found respite here.

Relief.

If she was always this fuckin’ happy or if once she was out the door, life’s burdens got heavy.

I guessed I’d always sensed an undercurrent of something beneath that joy.

The thing that really pissed me off was it became most apparent when her boyfriend came around.

Asshole dimming her light.

The same way as he did right then.

A cloud gathered around her, shuttering her warmth, when the pompous fucker broke through the crowd and came striding her way.

A tacky hatred slicked across my flesh, violence threatening to rise to the surface. I did my best to swallow it down before I did something I couldn’t take back. Still, my mouth watered with the thirst to just let go. To release the chains that kept me in control.

Karl Haller was one of those pretentious pricks who thought he owned the world, with too-straight teeth and over-styled blond hair.

Wearing an expensive suit and arrogance on his face.

He’d caused trouble here last year, and I’d personally wanted to give him the official stamp of unwelcome and make sure he never waltzed through Absolution’s doors again, but over time, he’d somehow swindled his way back in.

I never could see what she saw in him. Wanted better for her.

Hell, what I really wanted was to knock him flat when I saw the way she shrank when he came to stand at the edge of her table.

Tessa was the farthest from weak. Not close to being a doormat. She was this fierce, fiery spirit that chased after the good things in this life.

Whole of it left me confused, whatever this clutch was that he had on her.

I was close enough that I could make out the false pleasantry he tossed at Eden, a cool, “Hello,” before he straightened his suit jacket and turned toward Tessa.

He stretched out his hand, but the gesture didn’t come close to appearing kind. “It’s time to go.”

“I didn’t text you yet to come get me.” Her voice had gone raspy, cut with revulsion.

“And you didn’t return my text an hour ago. Now, it’s time to go.”

“Karl—”

I surged forward. I figured there was no reason to stop myself. Even if some other asshat was trying to pull this in the club, I’d be all too happy to intervene.

But there was something about this that sent venom coating my tongue. “It seems the girl isn’t interested in leaving with you.”

Worry filled Tessa’s face when she looked up in my direction. “It’s?—”

“I’m pretty sure you don’t have a say in it,” he sneered, disgust in the curl of his nose, like the asshole thought he was better than me. The second I hauled him out back, he was gonna find out that was not the case.

A soft hand landed on my wrist. “It’s okay, Milo.”

And shit, I nearly stumbled.

Nearly turned and gathered her up so I could stand between her and this fucker she clearly didn’t belong with.

“It’s not okay if you don’t want to go with him.” The words were a snarl as I stared the bastard down.

Karl scoffed and turned away from me, though there was no missing the tremor in his hands. “I don’t have time for this tonight, Tessa.”

“Tessa.” It was a plea from Eden.

Tessa slipped out of the booth, turned to her best friend, and whispered, “It’s fine.”

Karl spun on his heel and started to walk, and the girl glanced at me in some kind of apology before she followed the asshole out.

“Damn it,” I rumbled, scrubbing a palm over my face to break up the haze of red as I watched her disappear into the fray, hating that I couldn’t do one goddamn thing about it.

It was hard as fuck continuing with work like nothing had gone down. To act like my insides weren’t a web of anger and frustration. I’d barely had the willpower not to rip the face off every asshole who dared to even look at me sideways.

It’d made it even worse that Eden had been super upset after Tessa had left. It was clear she didn’t get it, either.

Why Tessa would give the way she did.

I was more than ready to call it a night when Kult and I dipped out the side door and into the employee lot at just after three a.m.

The air was cool, brushing against my heated flesh like a balm that might soothe the fire that burned within.

I locked the heavy metal door behind us before I ambled down the three steps to the pitted pavement below. The deep darkness was cut by the hazy glow of lights that streamed down from the sides of the brick building.

I took a furtive glance around, making sure we were in the clear and ready to roll.

Head bouncers were always the last to leave, ensuring the rest of the staff made it safely to their cars after closing up and doing one last sweep of the interior to verify it was empty.

“Looks good, yeah?” Kult asked.

“Yup.”

“See you tomorrow night, then, brother,” he said as we crossed the lot.

“Night.”

He climbed onto his Harley that was parked next to my old truck. Cranking open my door, I hopped into the driver’s seat.

“Ride safe,” I told him.

“Never.” He winked.

Chuckling, I shut my door, turned the ignition, and the loud engine rumbled to life. I’d restored the ancient blue Ford about two years before, and I took it out every now and again to keep the old girl alive.

Kult’s bike grumbled as he kicked it over, and he gave me a little salute as he pulled out and took to the road.

I backed out, and the spray of headlights illuminated the dense forest that enclosed the area.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I made out a grainy figure leaning against a big boulder just off to the right, hidden in the shadows of the towering trees. The wash of headlights flooded over her, sending that red dress glittering like a dizzying mess of stars.

What the fuck was she doing out here alone?

Throat closing off, I rammed on the brake right where I was, and I shoved the truck back into park.

Her expression nearly made me lose it.

She looked lost.

Broken.

Beaten down.

Rage coiled down my spine.

I couldn’t handle the idea of the girl out here by herself.

Of someone hurting her.

The other part of me was fuckin’ relieved that she was here. At least for the moment, she wasn’t subjected to that dick.

I breathed deep to rein the chaos that caught me up in her cyclone before I tossed open the door and slipped out.

Didn’t feign to know the details about her and Karl’s relationship, but I’d bet my goddamn life he was responsible. It’d been close to three hours since she’d walked out, and I had no clue what’d transpired between now and then, but I was certain it wasn’t good.

I rounded to the front of my truck, the words coming out rough. “What are you doing out here, Tessa?”

Eyes the color of a thousand seas roiled.

Tumultuous and uncontained.

Every cell in my body clutched.

Tears streaked down her stunning face, and those thick locks of red hair were a disaster. She swallowed hard, her delicate throat bobbing as she did. “I…”

She blinked as her gaze drifted to the side before she brought her focus back to me and whispered, “I don’t even know. I came back to wait for Eden, but I just sat here and watched her leave.”

Torment rippled through her expression, and her smile cracked at the side.

Lost.

Definitely lost.

“It’s okay, Little Dove. You’re not alone.” Carefully, I approached. Every step I took sent swells of protectiveness rising from the depths. It made it hard to keep my head on straight. To remember my boundaries. The places I couldn’t go.

That was the problem with Tessa.

She got me off-kilter. Made me itchy. Made me want to forget.

Fucking heresy.

“Are you hurt?” The question was shards.

“No. I’m fine. Completely fine. Totally fine.” She swiped at the lines of tears that tracked over the freckles dappled on her cheeks.

She gave me the biggest, fakest smile. That was when I noticed the tiny cut on the edge of her mouth.

Rage blew through me so hot and hard it nearly bowled me in two. Acid burned in my stomach, and fury curled my hands into fists.

Had spent years working to control that shit.

The kind of violence that spiraled fast and cracked me in half.

“Don’t look so fine to me.” It came out the rumble of a warning.

She laughed a shaky sound and gestured at herself, the girl still wearing that red dress that hugged her slim curves so tight it was hard not to get stuck there.

“I’m not fine ? Pssh. Have you seen me?” she attempted to joke and shimmy her shoulders, but it was soaked in misery.

“What the fuck did he do to you, Tessa?” I tried to keep my voice even when I was pretty sure it came out a growl, and I knew from experience I was a hot second from going on a rampage.

“It was nothing.” Another faked smile.

Bullshit.

This wasn’t the girl I knew. Not even close.

“Little Dove.” I said it soft and urging because shit, I knew she needed someone right then.

A supporter.

A friend.

“Let me take you home.”

She cracked at that, and she turned her head away and looked into the distance like it could cover her distress, though I could tell she was tripping toward a breakdown.

Her shoulders hitched and shook as she tried to keep the sobs silent that wracked through her being.

Possession wound me tight, this sense that I needed to gather her up and hold her. Promise her it would be okay.

Such a goddamn fool, but still, I slowly erased the rest of the space, trying to discount the way the air sizzled as I got closer.

Reaching out, I took her by the chin and prodded her to look at me.

Bad move.

Fire flamed and lapped, and those eyes were staring at me, where I towered over her like I might be someone I was not.

“Tell me, Tessa. He did this?”

He had.

Of course, he had.

Karl was a piece of shit. I just needed her to confirm it, and I’d be glad to take care of the rest.

She sucked in a shattered breath. “I’ve put up with so much crap from him, Milo, but tonight, he actually hit me, and that was it. It’s over. It’s over, and I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Thank fuck.

Somehow, I managed not to shout it toward the heavens.

The moon lit the angles of her face. Her nose and jaw were sharp, but her lips were soft and trembling. “I was so tired, Milo. So tired of him treating me the way he did. So tired of his demands. So tired of his control. I couldn’t take it any longer. I couldn’t.”

“That’s good, Little Dove.”

“No, it’s not.” A sob hitched in her throat, and her gaze seemed disoriented, as if whatever had gone down tonight had just caught up to her. “I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“You’re going to be free, that’s what.”

Pain echoed through her features.

“How could I just let him down like that? How could I be so selfish?”

The words were slurred, and she swayed a bit to the side. Clearly, the effects of the martinis she’d been sucking back earlier tonight still glided through her bloodstream.

My hands went to her waist so I could hoist her from the rock and onto her feet.

It brought her too close.

Energy sparked through the connection. I ground my teeth to tame it and angled my head down closer to hers, trying to break through the disorder that had her trapped in a storm.

“Let him down? You don’t owe Karl anything, Tessa.”

Tears streamed fast down her cheeks, and guilt contorted her face. “Not Karl. I hate him. I hate him,” she stammered. “He hit me. I can’t believe he hit me. That was it, Milo. I cracked. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

It was like she was apologizing to the world, and there was nothing I could do but sweep her into my arms, holding her tiny body against my chest.

I was slammed with her presence. With her scent. Strawberries and cream and something far too sweet.

“It’s okay.” It was a gruff promise.

“It’s not,” she whimpered. “How could I be so selfish, Milo? How could I do this to him? How could I do it? After everything?”

I had no idea who he was, though it was clear she wasn’t talking about Karl. Clear whatever she was going through held a profound pain.

I understood that kind of pain far too well.

This went so much deeper than being about the asshole I wanted to pound into the ground until he no longer existed. A thousand questions burned through my mind, but the girl was in no shape to be answering them then.

“Going to take you home,” I rumbled at the side of her head.

It was a horrible idea, but I couldn’t force myself to come to an alternate one.

She buried her face up under my beard. “I don’t have a home.”

I tightened my hold. “My home, Tessa.”

Trying to keep my cool, I carried her in the direction of my truck.

“Don’t worry about me, Milo. You don’t have to take me to your place. I’ve got this.” I felt her resolute nod against the panging in my chest.

I held her so tight in my giant arms I was afraid I might crush her. “You do have this, Little Dove. Know you do. But let me help you tonight, okay?”

Curling in deeper, she whispered, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” she hiccupped, her heart beating so hard I could feel it thrumming against mine.

“That’s right. That’s what friends are for.”

I carried her to the passenger side and settled her onto the seat, holding my breath because I kept getting assaulted by her scent as I leaned in to help her get buckled.

I eased back, trying to keep my cool at her sitting there, the way she had her head angled toward me and her cheek pressed to the seat.

That fiery hair blazed around her precious face, and those ocean eyes swam with a million things. “Mad love, Milo. Mad, mad love.”

Her smile was soft.

My heart flailed in my chest. I stared at her for a beat too long before I murmured, “Yeah, Tessa, mad love.”