Infinite Bond

  Infinite Bond Copyright © 2022 by Lila Rose

  Editor: Hot Tree Editing

  Cover Designer: Covers by Juan

  All rights reserved. No part of this e-book or book may be used or reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without the permission from the author as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

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  Infinite Bond is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, and places found in this book are either from the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons alive or dead is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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  First Edition

  ISBN: 978-0-6454600-0-1

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Also by the author

  Read on for a look inside: A Torn Paige (book # 1 in the Hidden Kingdom Trilogy)

  With three hearts to worry about, as well as my own,

  time will tell if I’m up for the task.

  To my daughter, Shayla, who came to me about her weird dream with four guys in it and asked me to write about it. This is what happens when you give me ideas. I hope you love them as much as I do!

  CHAPTER ONE

  Micah

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  As I picked up the dirty dishes from a table, I couldn’t help but overhear the waitress, Tanika, serving a new group sitting in a booth close by.

  “Welcome to Danny’s. Can I start anyone with drinks?”

  “Can you tell me why your boss would hire a freak like that?”

  Already, I knew they were talking about me. The guy’s voice sounded familiar, one I probably pushed to the back of my mind from my high school days of being bullied. I didn’t need this crap on top of the fact I was feeling like hell.

  My head throbbed, and a headache wouldn’t be far away.

  Tanika harrumphed. “Sorry, who are you talking about?”

  “Can’t remember his name, but he used to slink around high school like a loser. I see he still dyes his hair that weird color. What a fucking loser.”

  I had always liked my dyed light blue hair. At first, I dyed it to try and get people to notice me, as I was tired of feeling alone. It failed. But now I did it because I liked it, and it made me feel different from others. Something special.

  “I’m guessing you’re talking about Micah.” From Tanika’s tone, I could tell she was pissed. From the first day we’d worked together two years ago, Tanika had been protective of me. Even though we were twenty-one, she’d taken me under her wing, accepting my quiet nature.

  A tornado of worry formed in my gut.

  Tanika and I hadn’t gone to the same school. She didn’t know I’d been the loner. The kid who lived in a trailer park with a drugged-out mother. The kid who got beat on for just being around. The kid who was nothing and no one to anyone.

  God, I sounded pathetic.

  I reminded myself that I got out of that trailer. Got away from her. It didn’t matter that I was in my own trailer on the other side of town. It was still all mine.

  Who cared that people didn’t like me because I was quiet, and that made me seem strange? Or because I was timid—thanks to my mother—and book smart?

  Only, I wasn’t smart enough to gain a scholarship and go to a college far away. Instead, I was stuck in this hellish town, working three jobs just to keep my head above water in case Mom’s debt collector paid me a visit when Mom didn’t have the funds needed to pay off her gambling debts. It had happened before, quite a few times, and the reminder of my fear from the first time, when Lax, her debt collector, held me at knifepoint as he screamed at Mom to pay, had me setting aside what I could as a “just in case.” I’d only been seven then, but it’d been embedded in my mind since.

  Really, I didn’t even have time for community college.

  Would Tanika think differently of me from the guy’s words?

  “Yeah, that’s the one. Shit, he was such a—”

  Tanika threw her notepad in the guy’s face. A woman beside him yelled in complaint, but Tanika ignored everyone while she pressed her hands to the table and leaned into his face.

  Happiness floated through me from Tanika’s actions, but I had to stop this. Usually, I wouldn’t involve myself in confrontations. I hated fighting or talking, really. But this was Tanika. A friend. My only friend.

  “Take your fucking foul mouth and ugly face out of this diner before I kick your ass.”

  The guy smirked with a glare. “You’re getting defensive over that guy?”

  “He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.” The warmth from her words had me straightening and flicking my light blue hair from my eyes. Tanika swung her arm back, and I moved quickly over to her, taking her elbow in hand and spinning her around until she was at my back.

  “Leave,” I told the guy. I still couldn’t remember his name or face, just his voice as one of many who taunted me.

  He smirked. “Are you going to make me?”

  Fiery anger spread through me—a feeling I wasn’t used to. But I was older, and I didn’t have to put up with his words.

  “I will if I have to.” It may have been fake bravery, but I honestly thought that if push came to shove, I would stand up to him now because I had someone at my back I cared about, and I didn’t want Tanika to think she was alone in her fight to have my back. I’d be by her side, as she was the first person to want to know me.

  I clenched my shaking hands, wishing he’d just disappear from in front of me. I wanted him gone. I wanted him… to hurt. My gaze flicked to the salt and pepper shakers on the table before I moved my glare back to him.

  I stumbled back into Tanika’s hands. Blinking rapidly, I watched as the guy rubbed his forehead and throat.

  The shakers had forcibly flown across the table and smacked into the guy before shattering, leaving salt and pepper, plus glass, all over him.

  “Oi, what the fuck is going on over here?” Ivan, the owner of the diner, strode over and stopped beside Tanika and me, throwing his hands onto his large waist.

  Tanika gently shoved me aside. “They were saying shit about Micah, and the table tipped when he went to stand, spraying salt and pepper over him.”

  That didn’t happen.

  Did it?

  It did.

  Right?

  Glancing at the other couple, I saw they stared d
umbfounded at their friend. The shock on their faces told me I couldn’t point the weirdness in their direction. They hadn’t done anything.

  How did the shakers move?

  Pressing my fingers to my lips, I hid my snort under my breath. I was overthinking it. There was nothing strange or special about what just happened.

  “Get out, now.” Ivan pointed toward the door.

  “That’s not what happened,” the guy yelled. As he stood, salt and pepper rained down all over the floor from his body.

  Ivan crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah? Then tell me what happened.” I caught Tanika poke Ivan in the side.

  “He did this.” The guy threw a hand my way.

  Tanika mimicked Ivan’s stance and snorted. “He wasn’t even close to the salt and pepper.”

  The woman climbed out of the booth, as did the others. “Jon’s right. He made them move across the table.”

  Tanika and Ivan laughed loudly. Tanika even bent at the waist to slap her thigh. She straightened, wiped under her eyes, and shook her head. “Did you hear that, Ivan?”

  Ivan chuckled again. “I did.”

  My head throbbed again, and a new pain burned in my stomach, which had me gripping it.

  “You think he used his mind to move things across the table?” Tanika shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  “Are you on drugs?” Ivan demanded. “I don’t allow junkies in my diner. You need to get the fuck out of here.”

  Jon went red in the face. “I’m not on drugs or a damn junkie. It’s that freak you have working for you.”

  “Sure,” Ivan drew out. “Look, take your shit magic trick and work it on someone else. You ain’t getting my worker in trouble for something you did.”

  “I didn’t—”

  The woman beside Jon touched his arm. She shook her head. “It’s not worth it.”

  Jon clenched his jaw before he dropped a sigh and started for the door. As he went by me, he gave me a new look. This one held fear, and I wasn’t sure why. I hadn’t done anything, and he was wrong if he thought I’d somehow moved those shakers.

  “Thanks, guys,” I said, facing Tanika and Ivan, who were both staring at me. I tucked the long strands of hair behind my ear. I needed to cut the front of it. Though, it was good to have it longer to hide behind. Yeah, I would probably leave it.

  Why was I thinking of my hair?

  To distract myself, maybe? To stop focusing on the pulsating behind my eyes and the way my stomach wanted to revolt?

  “Are you feeling okay, Micah?” Tanika asked with a furrowed brow. Her mirth had quickly changed to worry.

  How had she read me so quickly? Besides my body acting up, I felt like Ivan had turned the heat up in the diner.

  Wiping at my brow, I nodded. My hair dropped forward into my eyes again. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I gestured toward the door where Jon and his friends had just walked through. “Sorry about that situation.”

  Ivan slapped a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t stress, kid. I know you wouldn’t cause trouble.” He smiled, but it was a little strained. “You sure you’re good, though?”

  “Yes. I only have an hour left anyway.” My head pulsed again. Maybe I was coming down with something.

  “All right. Let me know if you want to shoot off early. Tanika, keep an eye on him.”

  “You got it, boss.” She saluted Ivan’s back as he made his way into the kitchen, then bumped into my hip. “You know Ivan won’t care if you need to get out of here. Or I can call in Jassy early.”

  “No, really, it’s just a headache.” Their kindness nearly brought tears to my eyes.

  She grabbed my arm and gave it a squeeze. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Nodding, I moved back to clear the table and take the dishes to the kitchen. Maybe when I thought I only had Tanika as a friend, I was wrong. Ivan was also one. He took a chance on hiring me and had also stuck up for me before.

  It just annoyed me that my past couldn’t stay in the past where it belonged.

  I’d been lucky enough in the last two years that no one else who’d haunted my days in high school had come into the diner. It had been bound to happen. I just wished it hadn’t been tonight. I was already freaking out about the high chance of seeing Lax, the debt collector, since the scene of Mom coming into the diner earlier was still fresh.

  The door opened, and I happened to glance that way. Mom spotted me and stalked right up to shove my shoulder.

  “I need money.” She scratched at her arm and glanced around in jerky motions.

  My heart beat franticly as I told her softly, “I won’t have anything until after my shift.”

  The panic in her eyes set my pulse to race. But in a blink, she changed and scowled up at me. “You useless piece of trash.” She itched at her arm again, at the scabs. “Why the fuck did I give birth to you? I should have aborted such a waste of space. Hopefully, they’ll take care of you for me.” And with that final note, she stormed from the diner.

  Like I had with Jon, I wished I’d stood up to her then, or if I could with Lax, but Lax worked for someone with a worse reputation in town, which made him scarier than anyone I knew.

  Hate pumped through my veins over how weak I sounded and acted. I ground my teeth together as I walked back out into the diner. My head hammered again, but it wasn’t the worst pain I’d had. I’d put up with beating after beating whenever Mom had a boyfriend over with a violent streak. There were also the times I got my ass handed to me at school, usually after I’d found enough courage to smart back with a comment.

  Those beatings had worn me down to a point where I didn’t see a reason to fight back or say anything. When I did, they only got worse.

  Sighing, I picked up another set of dirty dishes and forced those depressing thoughts from my mind.

  I had survived.

  I was surviving on my own two feet and away from her.

  One day I would get away from here. One day I would think back to these situations and laugh at them because I’d be rich, smarter, and worth something.

  My future would be better.

  My stomach twisted and my lunch threatened to show up. I placed the bucket down on the table I’d been cleaning and sucked in some deep breaths. I flicked my hair away from my eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. There were still another twenty minutes to go. I had to make it for the money.

  Sucking in another deep breath, I picked up the bucket, cringing when my stomach clenched.

  “Hey,” Tanika said from my side so suddenly, I jumped. She smiled apologetically. “Sorry. Look, I think you should get going. It’s not long until your shift ends, and I’m sure Ivan will still pay you for it.”

  Shaking my head, I rubbed at my stomach. “Then I feel like I’m cheating him.” My head picked that moment to throb painfully. I closed my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.

  “That’s it.” She took my arm in one hand and the bucket in the other. My gaze flared at her strength. How could she carry it with one hand, especially since I’d found it so heavy with dishes?

  Tanika marched me out into the kitchen, where Ivan was laughing at something with his wife, Flora. Once they saw us, they stopped.

  “Micah’s leaving a little early,” Tanika announced.

  “Micah, are you all right? You do look a little green.” Flora approached and rested her hand against my forehead. “And clammy.”

  Taking her hand from my skin, I patted it to show my appreciation for her concern before letting go. Flora was a sweet soul, but I wasn’t close to her as I was Tanika, and I didn’t enjoy people touching me. I’d only grown used to it with Tanika, as she was super affectionate, and over the years, she’d gotten me used to it.

  “It’s just a headache and a slightly twisted stomach. Nothing I can’t handle. I can still finish my shift.”

  They all shared a look. Flora’s lips thinned in worry while Ivan’s brows dropped in confusion. About what, I didn’t know.

  “Tanika will wal
k you home.”

  No!

  “No, I’ll be fine.” Quickly, I undid the apron, pulled it over my head, and stalked to the cubby where I stashed it before I grabbed my wallet and keys.

  If Tanika accompanied me home, and Lax showed, he would see her and somehow drag her into something horrid. I didn’t have a doubt about it at all. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “I’ll get going. See you all tomorrow night.” I opened the back door.

  “Micah, wait. I’ll come.” Tanika tried pulling her own apron off but got stuck in it.

  “No, stay. No one’s here to take both our shifts. Bye.” I waved lamely and quickly stepped out, shutting the door behind me.

  In a rush, I started my walk home. I kept glancing over my shoulder to check Tanika wasn’t there. Thankfully, she hadn’t followed. It wasn’t until I neared the trailer park that I realized I’d forgotten to pick up my pay.

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  A whistle sounded, startling me. “That’s a naughty word for a guy like you, Micah.”

  Stuff me in the ass with knives.

  Anything would be better than facing Lax when he realized I didn’t have any money for him.

  Turning slowly, I caught Lax moving out of the shadows and into the light of the streetlight. Four other guys followed him. Usually, he had about ten guys with him. Maybe he noticed I didn’t put up a fight and told the others to go deal with someone else.

  God, I’m weak.