Baby Bitch (Bitches and Queens) (14 page)

Hannah cuddled with McKenna in her bed.
Considering all her daughter had endured, and how graphic the news was these
days, she thought about turning off the television but this particular piece
had captured her attention. She thought it might be good for McKenna as well.

Last night, the clubhouse of the outlaw
motorcycle gang, Devil’s Kin, was destroyed by a fire, killing at least
thirty-three members and seriously injuring another fourteen. Authorities are
saying they believe this was act of arson, possibly retaliatory in nature, but
they have not released any suspects. The President of the gang, Earl Joints,
was found dead on the scene by what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot
wound…

Hannah reached for the remote and turned
off the television set. “It’s over,” she whispered into McKenna’s ear.

“No, it’s not,” McKenna cried as she
rolled over to look into Hannah’s eye. “Please,” she sobbed. “Please, please,
please do not leave me and go see that man.”

“Shh,” Hannah whispered. “We’ve already
discussed this. I told you I
have
to go. And we can’t talk about it with
your mother because she wouldn’t understand. But one day—you will. When you
have children of your own, you will understand that there is nothing a mother
will not do to keep them safe. Besides, while I am away, your mother, Kenyon,
Sam, Kate, and Abigail will all be here with you.”

Hannah arrived on time because Dmitri
wasn’t the kind of man you kept waiting. It wasn’t their first rendezvous at
this hotel, but she certainly hoped it would be their last. There had only ever
been two people that she had willingly allowed to touch her naked flesh—Willow
and him. He was no stranger and knew exactly what she was, but it didn’t give
her any comfort. Every fiber of her being convulsed with revulsion at the
thought of any other hands on her skin but Willow’s, but it was as she told
McKenna—for your children, you would do
anything
.

He was waiting for her, wearing only his
pants and socks. He was, no doubt, not trying to impress her with his prowess
but instead with his art. On some instinctual level, it worked—cruel hands mold
cruel minds.

“Hello, darling,” Hannah said quietly.

“My queen,” Dmitri said formerly and
bowed his head. “I did as you instructed,” he said, handing over a packet of
eight-by-ten photographs. 

As Hannah flipped through the pictures,
tears filled her eyes. She glanced up with a tender smile. “You flayed them?”

“Yes,” Dmitri agreed. “Removing the skin
is a very slow and painful way to die. I had forgotten how messy it can be, so
I had to sink the yacht. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It was nothing. And the clubhouse?”

“No one double-crosses my queen,” Dmitri
pledged adamantly.

Hannah reached for his hand and squeezed
it tight. “You will never know how much this means to me. I haven’t been able
to sleep. I’ve been so worried and distraught ever since this began.”

“My queen should never be troubled. You
know there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I know,” Hannah whispered.

“There is one thing,” Dmitri murmured. “I
have thought a lot about this, and I would like to keep McKenna.”

Hannah gasped. She stared at him as if he
had just grown another head.

“Not forever,” Dmitri rushed. “For a year
or two at the most… I believe she would come to appreciate my art just the way
you have.”

The
very
last thing McKenna needed
right now was Dmitri or his art. Since she came home, she had refused to let
Hannah out of her sight. Hannah knew it would probably take years of therapy
for McKenna to heal from what that monster had put her through. No, no, no… Dmitri
was not an option. She also knew that sometimes the only language Dmitri
understood was complete nonsense.

Her eyes glared with pure evil. She raked
her nails across the part of his chest where his heart should reside and drew
blood. “You only serve one queen,” she gritted through her teeth. “Or did you
forget that?”

Dmitri’s head bowed in shame as he
clutched his wound. “No, I will never forget,” he whispered.

“Good,” Hannah retorted and then took
Dmitri’s hand and led him to the bedroom.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for
reading BABY BITCH. I hope you enjoyed reading McKenna’s story as much as I
enjoyed writing it.

I have truly
come to love this family—each member so unique and fabulous. I am currently
working on the final book in the series, A NEW QUEEN, and I must confess saying
goodbye to them makes me sad.

As for McKenna,
rest assure, I do believe that while time may not be able to heal all wounds, a
twinkle or two of madness may be just the remedy.

If you want to
chat, you can find me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/rachael.james
. 52643.

Stay fabulous,

R.J.

Coming
Soon

A New
Queen

“What am I supposed to do without you?”

When one of their own becomes ill, the
family gathers to say goodbye. As they sift through the ashes of grief, old
foes will become friends, friends will become lovers, and broken hearts will
finally begin to heal. Once the dust settles, a new queen will rise.

“You are going to cry, but you will laugh.
You are going to fuck like crazy and then you will fall in love again.”