Switch (Black Ties Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Switch

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  Playlist for "Switch"

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Connect with Brynn Ford

  Switch (Black Ties, Book 2)

  Copyright © 2019 Brynn Ford

  Published by Brynn Ford

  Cover Design Copyright © 2019 Arijana Karčić at Cover It! Designs

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews that are cited appropriately.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  More from the Author

  www.brynnford.com

  [email protected]

  ADULT CONTENT: This book contains explicit sexual content and mature themes.

  For my loving husband, Chris.

  I couldn’t live this life without you.

  Prologue

  Ris

  January 4

  * * *

  Asher was sorely mistaken if he thought he was getting past security to see me. The fake relationships he'd built on false pretenses with my colleagues disintegrated the moment I told them what he'd done to me. None of them were signing off on letting him pass as a visitor and he was a moron if he thought they would.

  I was grateful that I worked in a large city building that housed so many other businesses and a security checkpoint before the elevator bank. It meant I could fall into a crowd of people leaving for the day at five o'clock. Even if Asher were to notice me leaving, knowing there were other people around at least gave me the illusionary feeling of safety.

  I knew I should've called Law the moment I saw Asher downstairs, trying to schmooze his way past Nathan, my favorite security guard. Law would have come to meet me. He would've walked me home, made sure I was safe.

  Nathan offered to call the police for me, but what good would that have done? Asher was allowed to be in a public place. He'd posted bail on his charges. I'd been so preoccupied with Vaughn's case that I hadn't taken the time I should have to get a personal protective order issued against him.

  That was a stupid, tragic fucking mistake on my part.

  The angry, bitter, resentful side of me wanted him to try something. I recklessly hoped he would approach me, say something to me, so I could eviscerate him with a verbal lashing. I wanted to swear at him, hit him, tell him about all of the additional charges I was getting ready to press against him for the abuse I suffered at his hand over the last year. The deeper I dived into Vaughn's case, the more pissed off I'd become about everything Asher had done to me and gotten away with.

  I knew that Vaughn Cooper was gold the moment I met him, but he'd really sealed the deal defending my honor and attacking Asher for nearly killing me at Black Ties four days ago. Though I knew Vaughn's strength of character, his record didn't reflect the truth.

  Vaughn had two separate assault charges prior to the ones Asher was pressing against him. Asher had a squeaky-clean record, but he was a piece of shit. Vaughn was the good, honorable man in all of this and was about to get the final nail hammered into his coffin by a justice system that Asher could afford to pay off.

  The further I studied Vaughn's prior convictions, the more I learned about where he'd come from and why he'd taken the actions he had. It had always been in defense of his older sister, Hazel, who needed a good man like him to rescue her from an abusive relationship. He'd done the same for me, beating Asher into beautiful shades of black and blue because of what he'd done to me.

  Of course, Vaughn didn't know all of the other horrible things Asher had done to me before that.

  No one knew.

  Though maybe Vaughn sensed enough of what might have happened to me to keep swinging long after he should have stopped.

  It was cases like Vaughn's that reminded me why I became a public defender rather than a prosecutor. I'd chosen my role to protect the innocent from a broken justice system. Yes, perhaps Vaughn had assaulted Asher, but it was in defense of the innocent.

  In defense of me.

  Asher's inherent privilege and ability to afford the most expensive private lawyer a person could buy set my soul on fire to give Vaughn the best defense possible.

  That's exactly what I would do.

  And I'll win.

  Engulfed in the blaze of justice-seeking for the husband of a girl who was quickly becoming my new best friend, I felt falsely safe in the cocoon of fire. It was stupid to think I could ever be safe when Asher was involved. Especially with the hammer of justice I was about to bring crashing down on him.

  I shouldn’t have left the building alone.

  I spotted Asher just outside as I exited, sitting on the concrete edge of the large fountain that was frozen over in the January cold. His face was bruised from Vaughn’s brutal beating, black and blue shades that could easily become my new favorite colors. My chest swelled with indignation for his presence but also with sinister glee at the broken state of him. He saw me and stood, teetering in an obviously inebriated state.

  Drunken fucking prick.

  I picked up my pace, glaring at him with intent as I strode past in my black heels. I just wanted to get home as quickly as I could, get a locked door between us, and get back to work on my case files for Vaughn. I passed the fountain and moved forward, disappearing into the crowd. I glanced behind me to find Asher was following me, rushing to keep up. He looked determined.

  His expression was downright frightening.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  I was thankful, at least, for the sunshine that made the world seem a little brighter, even if falsely so, knowing that darkness was following me. It was already fading quickly with the short winter day, disappearing behind the skyscrapers and tall city buildings, all of the light around me slowly creeping away, gradually dimming to dark.

  I hurried to the street corner.

  I pushed forward into the crowd of people who were standing, waiting for the light to change so they could cross the busy intersection. I pushed right to the front of the pack, hoping I could distance myself from Asher, or at least put some people between us.

  I looked back and spotted him, noting he was far too close. The look on his face was unnerving, twisted drunkenly in a wicked smirk that made my skin hum with fearful energy. I begged the light to change in my mind. I wasn't often afraid, but someth
ing about his demeanor had me on high alert.

  I took slow breaths and counted, trying to focus and calm my nerves. I hoped the crowd would deter him from coming nearer, from threatening me, from putting his hands on me.

  I didn’t have to look back to know when he was right behind me.

  My body felt it.

  I froze, every muscle rigid in fear. Then, his breath brushed across my neck, too hot on this cold, cold day. The words he whispered in my ear made me wonder how I ever could have believed he was the one for me.

  How could I ever have been in love with this man?

  "If I can't have you, Angel, then no one can."

  I felt his hand land between my shoulder blades and shove me forward without warning.

  I stumbled off the curb, tripping over my heels and falling onto my hands and knees in the street.

  As I scrambled to get to my feet, I heard gasps from people nearby, shouts in warning, shrieks of impending doom.

  I wasn’t quick enough to get back on the sidewalk.

  I looked up just in time to see the yellow cab barreling toward me, going too fast to stop in time. I heard the horn blare but it was too late.

  The last thing I heard were screams from the nearby pedestrians as the car slammed into me head on.

  Chapter 1

  Law

  “Someone’s calling you, Law.”

  Desi called to me from her new favorite spot, lying on the middle of her living room floor. I was in her kitchen, looking for ingredients to make her some dinner, and had left my phone on her coffee table. She heard it ringing before I did.

  I went immediately to answer it. I wasn’t the type to let a call go unanswered, especially now when everything in our lives seemed so precarious and urgent.

  I lifted my cell phone from the table. I didn’t recognize the number so I decided the call should be answered away from Desi’s anxious ears, worried it might be about Vaughn’s case.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told her before stepping out of her apartment into the shared hallway.

  I tapped the screen to answer the unknown number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, my name is Nancy and I’m calling from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. May I please speak with Jasper Haven? I have an urgent message.”

  My shoulders tensed immediately, my heart sinking into my stomach.

  “You’re speaking with Jasper Haven.”

  “You’re listed as the emergency contact for Christine Warren.”

  Ris.

  What the fuck happened to Ris?

  “What’s going on? Is she okay?”

  “There was an accident, Mr. Haven. She’s in surgery now and she’s stable. She was struck by an oncoming vehicle crossing the street. Can you come to the hospital?”

  Oh, my God.

  “Yes, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

  I ended the call, not bothering to ask where to find her in the hospital. I’d figure it out once I got there.

  I went quickly back into Desi’s apartment to find her up on her knees now, regarding me nervously as I came in, almost as if she knew something bad was happening. Her intuition was in fine form considering how on edge she’d been since Vaughn’s arrest.

  I went to her, putting a fake smile on my face. I didn’t want to worry her with this, not when I didn’t have answers to tell her about Ris, not when she already had so much on her mind.

  Ris and Desi had become fast friends and had been growing swiftly closer to one another through everything that was happening with Vaughn’s case. I knew this would upset Desi more than she needed. I knew she’d insist on coming with me and I wasn’t going to put her through that when I didn’t even know what was going on myself.

  I acted my ass off for her benefit.

  Thankfully, I was a very good actor.

  Desi had concern etched across her face, “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, sweetheart, everything’s fine. Just an urgent issue I need to take care of at one of my clubs before they open tonight. I’m just sorry I have to leave you and your beautiful face alone so soon.”

  I kneeled in front of her, mirroring her position and flashing her a charming smile.

  “Oh, okay.”

  The relief on her face lightened everything in the room and it made me feel like shit to deceive her that way. Dishonesty had never been in my vocabulary, but it just felt necessary in order to protect her.

  Protecting her had to be my number one priority.

  I’d promised Vaughn and I’d promised myself that I’d do whatever it took to take care of Desi’s needs. I always took care of my girls and she was my girl now for all intents and purposes, with her husband in jail indefinitely.

  “You should order takeout. I might be gone for a while,” I pulled my wallet from my back pocket and slipped out one of my credit cards, handing it to her, “Use this to pay. I’ll check for a transaction later, so I’ll know whether you ate tonight. No more skipping meals.”

  She nearly rolled her eyes at me, but I caught them with mine, trying to convey with a look that I had a sincere concern that she may waste away to nothing. She sighed and conceded, taking the card from me.

  “Okay.”

  “Come on, Blue. Give me a yes, Sir just for old times’ sake,” I kept my tone light-hearted and flashed her a brilliant grin.

  She finally gave me a smile, “Yes, Sir.”

  She opened her arms as she shuffled the extra couple of inches to close the distance between us, wrapping them around my neck. I squeezed her tightly, allowing myself five beats to enjoy the incredible feeling of having Desi in my arms before breaking away and letting worry take over in my mind again.

  I forced another grin for her benefit, “I’ve gotta go. I’m taking your keys and I’m locking your door. It had better be locked when I get back, got it?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  I want to hold her longer.

  I want to keep her safe in my arms.

  I want to drag her along with me everywhere I go to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.

  Desi laid back down on the floor. I pocketed my cell phone and wallet, grabbed her keys, and rushed out as quickly as I could.

  The elevator ride down from her seventh story apartment was slow torture, granting me time I didn’t want or need to lose myself in fear. I allowed the moments to let me shift, taking me from softness and strength for Desi to fierce protectiveness and determination to get to Ris.

  What the hell happened to Ris?

  Is she okay?

  What if she’s not okay?

  Ris used to be mine and in many ways, I would always feel responsible for making sure she was okay, making sure her needs were met. Ris was one of my oldest friends, one of the best. I cared for her deeply and if she was hurting, I was hurting, too.

  I was hurting a great deal and the pain only deepened as the elevator descended. It struck me in the chest to think of Ris alone in a hospital, injured, hurt, scared. I knew it in my gut that Asher had something to do with this, I just didn’t know how or why or what.

  What kind of demon wants to take down an Angel like Ris?

  My Angel.

  That’s what I’d always called her when she was my submissive years ago. She was my Angel.

  Asher stole that name and used it against her. He used it to control her. I’d just been too wrapped up in my own shit to notice that Ris had been wearing rose-colored glasses when she left me for him, that he’d been taking advantage of her, that he was abusing her freely given submission

  Manipulative son-of-a-bitch.

  It was of no concern anymore. He tried to kill her at Black Ties on New Year’s Eve. He may have been out on bail, but I knew he was going back behind bars in time. That time would be short if he had something to do with why she was in the hospital now, and I knew deep down that he did.

  I needed to get to Ris fast and protect her from that sorry excuse for a man. I needed to protect her from him now becaus
e I hadn’t fought to keep her years ago.

  The weight of that burden was mine to bear.

  * * * * *

  I traded fresh, nighttime air for the sterile musk of the hospital’s emergency room lobby. I rushed inside and it was a slow hustle to get them to track down my girl.

  It took four long minutes and two phone calls for the clerk to figure out where Ris was. Apparently, an ambulance had brought her in to the emergency room, but she’d been taken to surgery shortly after and was just arriving in recovery.

  I spoke to the first person I saw that was wearing scrubs when I finally landed on the correct floor. Thankfully, it was a nurse who knew right where Ris was. I couldn’t have lasted through another painful minute of trying to track her down.

  The nurse took me back to the surgical recovery area. It was nothing more than a cold, tiled walkway lined with hospital beds on both sides, separated only by flimsy curtains that pulled closed around them. The nurse leading me back stopped at a closed curtain and peeked inside, talking to someone behind it.

  This waiting is really testing my patience.

  Finally, finally, the woman nudged the curtain open just a bit, waving me inside. I stepped into the small space and had to do a double take at the person lying in the hospital bed. I knew it was Ris, but I’d never seen her in such a state. It took me completely off-guard.

  Her golden blonde hair was a tangled, matted mess that looked like they must have pulled it back in a crude ponytail after she arrived. Her left arm was positioned against her chest in a dark blue sling. There were scratches on her cheeks and forehead, obviously just shallow scrapes. None of them appeared to have been stitched, only cleaned. She looked battered and broken and more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her before.

  Something shattered inside me, but I couldn’t locate where or what.

  “You’re Mr. Haven?”

  I was startled by the voice of the nurse sitting beside her, watching her beeping monitors.

  “I’m Nancy,” she continued, “We spoke on the phone. I’ve been with Christine since they brought her in. She’ll be asleep for a while yet.”