Chapter 1
one
a killer fuck
Fallon
Clutching the shovel's handle, I sliced it across the sidewalk leading to my front door. Thick snowflakes fell relentlessly, transforming the city into a shimmering, pristine canvas.
Christmas carols, ice skating, and hot chocolate by the fire—memories that usually brought a smile to my lips.
But today, the joy was short-lived. A brutal reminder of a Christmas nightmare from years ago swiftly erased it.
It's an ever-present shadow, especially now.
Without thinking, I glanced over my shoulder, checking for anyone watching as I cleared another layer of snow, wary of slipping on the ice.
A shiver ran through me, a mix of cold and unease.
Was it the wind, or prying eyes? Either way, I couldn't be sure anymore.
Foley, I was certain, was watching. I wouldn't put it past him.
Everything changed that night, and my life has been a chaotic fucking mess ever since.
It's not just a few things; it's everything.
The rumble of approaching plow trucks yanked my attention. They were bearing down on me, their blades aimed directly at where I stood.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I yelled.
Dropping the shovel, I bolted up the treacherous steps of my brownstone, gripping the icy railing. As my boots finally reached the porch, the truck rumbled past, leaving a mountain of snow in its wake, bigger than what I'd just cleared.
"Motherfucker!" I spat. "That's it. I'm fucking done."
Defeated, I stomped the snow from my boots, pulled off my gloves, and tossed them on the porch swing, eager for warmth. Just as I reached for the front door, it swung open. My brother stood there, a warm smile on his face.
"Done fighting the snow, huh?" he laughed, cradling a steaming mug of cocoa. He stepped aside as I pushed past him, heading inside.
"Fuck off, Brady," I mumbled, shivering as snow dripped down my back. The heat hit my frozen body, somehow making it worse.
Snatching the mug from his hands, I took a long sip, savoring the chocolate as it warmed me from the inside out and the vodka burned going down. Starting up the stairs to lose myself in work, Brady stopped me.
"Disappearing already? Julian and I were going to bake Christmas cookies, and we were hoping you'd join." I spun around, glaring at him. Julian, oblivious, was engrossed in his tablet in the living room.
"You can't always use the kid to get what you want, Brady. That's not right," I whispered, trying to keep Julian from hearing.
"Come on, Fallon. It's not his fault he doesn't have a normal life.
He loves doing things with you. The least you can do is make him happy.
" He instantly regretted the words; I could see it.
"Shit. I didn't mean it like that, it's just, you know his situation and I'm doing the best I can.
It would be nice if you could help me out. "
I rolled my eyes, keeping them glued to the unsuspecting little boy on the couch, the one who didn't deserve any of the life's shit he'd endured.
But my brother was right. The least I could do was be a good aunt to him.
All my other issues could wait. I've waited this long for revenge. What's a few more fucking hours?
"Fine, Brady. I'll bake fucking cookies with you guys." He beamed, pulling me into a hug. "But let me put some dry clothes on first."
I locked myself in my room, not wanting to bake cookies at all, but Brady was right—we needed a shred of normalcy.
Everything changed the night Evander raped me, including my social life.
Eliza doesn't know what happened, but my brother does—of course he does.
He was the only one I could turn to, the only one I trusted.
I shuddered at the memory as I pulled on dry clothes, forcing a fake smile, like I do every goddamn day.
Swinging the door open, I found Julian waiting, a bright smile on his face.
"Fallon, are you ready?" he asked, his cheeks puffed.
"I am now, kiddo." I ruffled his hair and scooped him into my arms, navigating the steps, trying to push the nightmares to the back of my mind.
In the kitchen, Brady was whistling along to Christmas music blasting from the speakers, which made my stomach churn.
I hated everything about this holiday now.
Evander didn't just ruin my life, he ruined Brady's too, although that came later.
Setting Julian on the counter, I washed my hands and grabbed an apron, attempting to embrace the Christmas spirit.
"Snowman or Santa?" Brady asked, holding up two cookie cutters while Julian devoured dough.
"I don't care, Brady. Pick one for me," I sighed, just wanting to get back to my room to plot for revenge.
Rolling his eyes, my brother tossed me the snowman cutter and got to work on Santa cookies, pretending everything was fine. I hated how he did that, acting as if the monster who raped me hadn't also murdered his girlfriend. He's in denial, I swear. Luckily, the doorbell rang.
"Be right back," I told them, flashing a grateful smile as I bolted for the front door.
"Merry Christmas!" Eliza breezed past, laden with bags, her smile radiant.
"What's so fucking merry about it?" I scoffed, about to shut the door when a gloved hand stopped me, forcing it back open.
"Shutting me out, Fallon? That's not very nice of you, but I'm used to it," Hitch said. My friend, with benefits—also my stepbrother—stood there, sexier than usual with snowflakes dusting his shoulders.
"Oh, I didn't see you there. Come in, why don't you?" Ugh, why did Eliza bring him here? Closing the door, I focused on his ass, perfectly outlined in his fitted black jeans.
"Where's Julian and Brady?" Eliza asked, taking off her coat.
"I'm right here, Liza!" Julian ran in, leaping into her arms.
The sight warmed my icy heart, and it brought back what happened to Nina to the forefront of my mind.
..again. I started to spiral, my OCD kicking in as I noticed things out of place, not matching, etc.
. I felt panic rising. Suddenly, Hitch pinned me against the wall, his face inches from mine.
His green eyes pierced through me. His warm hand cupped my cheek, and the other found my clit.
"Come back to me, Fallon," he murmured, his nose grazing my jaw as he pressed on my clit, slow and deliberate circles with his finger, his breath hot on my skin.
"I'm right here, Hitch," I moaned breathlessly, clutching his sides and pulling him closer, even though we were still in the living room.
"I can tell you're spiraling...your crazy is showing in those gorgeous fucking eyes of yours," he whispered, nibbling on my earlobe, sending chills down my spine. The sound of footsteps made us jump apart quickly, leaving me wound up and desperate for release.
"Fallon, Hitch, daddy said to come and join us," he yelled, tugging on my hand as he did his best to pull me toward the kitchen, and with some reluctance, Hitch and I followed.
Brady eyed us suspiciously as we entered, my face flushed. "There you two are," he said, grinning.
"Yeah, here we are," I shot back, downing the shot of peppermint schnapps that Eliza offered me.
I fixed my eyes on Brady as she refilled my glass, refusing to back down from his challenge.
"I don't know what's going on with you two, but for Julian's sake, cut it the fuck out," Eliza said, finishing her shot and then disappearing to play with Julian.
Hitch remained silent, his body pressed against mine, making sure I could feel his erection against my ass. Without saying anything to Brady, I took Hitch's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen.
"Running off?" my brother yelled after us, and I didn't bother to reply.
Upstairs, the moment the door closed, Hitch had me pinned against it, ripping at my clothes.
"Fuck, Fallon," he murmured against my lips as he kissed me deeply.
I fumbled with his jeans, and when I got them undone, I pushed them down, freeing his massive cock. He wrapped his hand in my hair, pulling it roughly. Hitch dove in, devouring my exposed neck as he pushed me to the bed.
"Hop on my dick, Fallon, and show me how good of a sister you are," Hitch said, grinning as he held my waist.
"What, you need a reminder?" I asked, swinging my leg over him, straddling his lap.
"Just a little." He winked, slamming me down on him as I met his shaft and plunged his cock deep inside me.
Immediately, his hand reached between my legs and he grabbed my clit, tugging on the little ring, knowing how much it turned me on.
Pleasure coursed through me, leaving my body on fire each time I slammed down.
My nipples hardened and tingles erupted along my spine, letting me know my orgasm was close, but I kept riding him. I couldn't stop.
"Fuck, Fallon. That's good, God that's so good," he grunted, pressing on my clit while he grabbed my throat, squeezing.
Flashbacks of that night with Foley threatened to cripple me, but my pussy gushed first.
"Let me come on those gorgeous tits of yours, crazy girl." He smirked, pushing me onto my back.
He got to his knees, stroking his cock as he aimed for my tits.
We locked eyes as a gush of warm liquid spilled all over my chest. He collapsed next to me, drawing his name on my chest in cum, laughing.
The simple act brought me back to the moment, out of my head—out of the hellish nightmare that he knew nothing about.
"You look so fucking sexy like this; covered in my cum, with my name all over you… you might as well be mine, Fallon," he said, sitting up with his back against my headboard as he pulled out a cigarette, ruining the mood.
I sighed, trying to keep calm, even though we've gone over this countless times. "Hitch, we've talked about this, haven't we?"
He rolled his eyes as I wiped his cum off, ruining his masterpiece. "Yeah, we have, and each time you shut me down."
"I'm just not ready for—"
"Not ready for a relationship, yeah, I got that, Fallon. Is it because I'm your stepbrother?" He asked, and I sucked in a breath.
“Of course not. If I had a problem fucking my stepbrother then we wouldn't be where we are today.” I winked, but I knew he was all in his feelings, and that just wasn't me.
“I'm not just talking about fucking each other, Fallon,” he informed me, as if I didn't already know. “I'm talking about—”
“I know, Hitch. I know.” I shook my head and the room got eerily quiet.
The air thickened as we got dressed in silence. He didn't know the truth and if he did, I'm sure he wouldn't want to be with me. He smiled, gliding his thumb along my jawline.
"One of these days I'm going to change your mind, Fallon; you'll see…"
Walking back downstairs with Hitch after an awkward post-sex cigarette, Brady called us to the living room immediately—typical. Hitch still walked close, brushing his fingers against mine, but I ignored it.
"What were you guys doing?" Eliza raised her perfectly shaped brow as she sipped her martini.
"We were just talking about Christmas shopping, yeah, that's it," Hitch said, his voice cracking.
For the last couple of years, Hitch and I have been fucking around, and we tried to keep it a secret since the thought was extremely forbidden, but we couldn't. He was a great distraction from the whole Foley incident so I kept him around, but he didn't know about it and I planned to keep it that way.
After dinner and putting Julian to bed, we gathered around the fireplace for drinks.
As Eliza and Brady cuddled, Hitch and I slipped outside, into the biting cold and falling snow.
The feeling of being watched was still with me, bringing chills that weren't from the cold. Hitch pulled me into his arms.
"I can spend the night, Fallon," he said.
"Not tonight. I have work to do," I told him, which is always my answer, but it's true. I still have my investigation on Foley.
"Why won't you let me in, Fallon? Is it because you think I'm going to hurt you?"
I sighed, knowing Hitch didn't understand. "It's not you, Hitch. It's me. I need to figure things out on my own." Hitch nodded, his expression softening.
"I'm here for you, Fallon. Whenever you're ready to let me in," he said.
I leaned into his embrace. "Thank you, Hitch," I whispered.
As the snow continued to fall, I knew I had to face my fears and the investigation head-on.
With Hitch by my side, it seemed a little less daunting.
With him, I felt like I could conquer anything.
Sharing one last kiss, Hitch pulled away and walked into the darkness.
Watching him go, I pulled my jacket tighter, scanning the street for anyone watching.
Spotting a blacked-out Lexus parked across the street, a tingle ran down my spine, and I began to panic.
Clenching my fists, I tried to shake off the unease, but the feeling lingered.
I made my way to my car, constantly checking over my shoulder.
As I started the engine, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over.
With a deep breath, I prepared myself for whatever lay ahead and drove off into the night.
When I got back, the Lexus was still there. I breathed a sigh of relief when I got inside and locked the door. Feeling safer, I poured myself a drink and tried to calm my nerves as I decided to keep an eye on the window.