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  Kings of Chaos

  Copyright © 2021 Katie Ball

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Marisa at Cover Me Darling

  Kings of Chaos

  Book one in the Kings of Chaos Series

  By Katie Ball

  Hazel

  Age 18

  I have one chance, one shot at this. If I don’t go now, I never will. He’ll never let me. When he gets home that will be it. He’ll be mad. No, he’ll be livid. Maybe I wouldn’t even survive the night. Maybe this would be it.

  The end.

  My stomach churning at the thought of him finding me. Palms sweating, trembling with fear, flinching at every little noise. Wondering if it was him, home already. Ready to make me suffer for what I had done.

  There was no other option. I have to go. I have to take this opportunity. I wouldn’t get it again. It was now or never. I had to go. Now, whilst I still could.

  Running up the stairs. My body moving out of pure survival instinct. Fight or flight…I had picked flight. It was the only way to survive.

  Time was running out. I didn’t have much longer. Half an hour at best. Grabbing my backpack, I stuffed it with anything I could.

  My fingers ripping and clawing at the floorboard, leaving my nails bloody and sore. I was numb to the pain, adrenaline keeping it at bay. Not caring about anything else. Needing to reach what was underneath. Heart pounding in my chest, bruising me from within. Finding the box, I kept for emergencies. Ready for this day. This was my security, my way out. A secret stash of money that I had been saving. Keys to a car I had brought not too long ago. It was parked up in one of my neighbour’s garages. She had let me stash it there until I needed it.

  Tonight, was that night.

  My feet carrying me through the house, rushing down the stairs. My footsteps echoing through the house. Seeming so loud, so careless. I raced down the hallway that led me to the front door. It was right in front of me. Freedom was in sight, looming up ahead. Ready to run into the night and escape this place.

  Then, everything stopped.

  Light beamed through the door, making me freeze with dread. My heart felt like it was about to explode. Fear biting at my ankles. Headlights. Shining through the front door. He was back. It had to be him…it could only be him. I was too late, he was here.

  Run.

  The word roared within my mind, over and over again. A guardian angel maybe urging me to flee while I still could.

  Spinning around, I sprinted through the house. I couldn’t let him find me. He would never let me go.

  Shoving the back door open, I rushed across the garden, jumping over the fence. Not paying attention to anything around me. I had my eyes set on where I needed to go.

  I heard him yelling in the house. Booming through the night, like thunder rumbling through the sky. He was looking for me. He knew I was making a run for it.

  “Hazel!” Ignoring his furious shouts, I kept going. I could do this, I had to do this. For my own survival. There was no turning back now. Not unless I wanted to end up buried six foot under.

  Pushing myself forward. Never slowing down, even though I could barely breath. My lungs aching from the exertion. Feet throbbing in agony. Muscles spasming, screaming for me to stop and let them rest. There was no resting, not for me. Not until I was far enough away from him.

  Sneaking into my neighbour’s garden. Trying to be as quiet as possible. I could still hear him. Coming for me, hunting me down.

  I threw open the garage door. I could barely hear anything, blood pounding in my ears, drowning everything else out.

  Ripping the tarp off of my car, I slid into the driver’s seat. There was no time to waste. My heart was thrashing around in my chest. Wildly out of control. I was terrified. Panicking that I wouldn’t make it.

  Trying to keep calm. Focusing on the most important thing right now. Fleeing from the monster who was no doubt creeping up on me.

  The car roared to life, not hanging around any longer. I sped out of there as fast as possible, flying out of the garage. Risking a glance in the rear-view mirror.

  There he was.

  Yelling at me. I couldn’t make out what he was saying. It didn’t matter. Putting my foot down, I sped out on to the main road. Putting as much distance between us as possible.

  I could never let him find me. Praying that I never laid eyes on that man ever again.

  This was my one chance. The beginning of my freedom. A new life, a fresh start.

  If only it was that simple.

  Chapter One

  Present day

  Gasping for air as my eyes snapped open. Hands clutching at my chest. Panic seized my heart. Sweating from the nightmare that plagued me every single night. Always horrifying memories of him. All I could do was relive them every night.

  Except in my dreams, I never escape him.

  This was how I woke up every morning. I don’t remember the last time I had a peaceful night’s sleep.

  God, I needed coffee, pronto.

  Rolling over, I switch off my night light. It was the only way I could fall asleep, needing some kind of light source to help lull me to sleep. My fear of the dark had been drilled into me from a young age. Always afraid of what lurked within.

  Reluctantly, I slid out of bed. Longing for the day to be over so I could crawl back under the covers. I don’t know why, I doubt tonight would be any different than last night, or the night before that…or the night before that. Nightmares were a constant occurrence for me. Torturing me while I slept.

  Sighing to myself, as fun as it examining my baggage, I needed to get ready for work. Jane was going to kick my arse if I was late again.

  Quickly using the bathroom. Fixing my hair as best I could, not that there was much I could do to tame my wild mane of chestnut curls.

  Pulling on some jeans with a white blouse, it would have to do. Luckily, work was pretty relaxed about uniform. The one rule Olly wished we would follow was ‘less clothing, the better.’ Neither me nor Jane listened to that bullshit. Olly may be my boss, but he was a sleazeball and I didn’t stand for his crap. Probably why he didn’t like me. Luckily for me, he couldn’t afford to sack me. Employing someone new would be too much paperwork for him.

  Not bothering with make-up. Thankfully, I had good skin and long lashes. I could thank my mum for them. I mean, it’s not like I could thank her for much else.

  No…I was not going to think about her. I had better things to do. That part of my life was gone, dead. No way was I going to take a walk down memory lane. Not when all it would bring me was misery and distress. No thanks, I think I’ll pass.

  Anyway, I had a new life now. Sure, it wasn’t living the dream but at least I was free from that monster.

  For now.

  I never stayed anywhere for too long. I didn’t have that luxury. Not if I wanted to stay out of his grasp.

  He always found me though. No matter how far I ran or how well I hid, he still appeared. Crawling out of the shadows to taunt me, hoping to capture me once more.

  This time was the longest I had ever been in one place without a peep from him. It was unnerving, I had been on edge for the last few weeks. Wondering when he would show his face.

  A little part of me wanted to believe that he had given up. Figured out that I wasn’t worth the trouble.

  But I knew better than that. He wasn’t the kind of man to admit defeat.

  No, he was waiting. For what, I don’t know.

  Making myself a quick cup of coffe
e, knowing what a mess I would be without it. Though, when I noticed the time, I had to neck it since I was already running late.

  Fuck.

  I grabbed my stuff and made a mad dash for my car. Racing for work. It may only be ten minutes, but Jane loved giving me shit for being late.

  Parking up outside Paradiso’s. Thankfully, it was dead by the looks of it. Not that I expected it to be busy, it never is. The evening pick up a little but nothing to the point where we’re rushed off our feet.

  Stepping through the door, it felt lifeless in here. Needing some tender love and care. A fresh lick of paint and well, new everything wouldn’t go a miss.

  It wouldn’t happen though; Olly was a stingy bastard. Doing everything he could avoid parting with money.

  “And what time do you call this?” Rolling my eyes at Jane as I strolled towards the bar. She stood there, polishing a glass as she grinned at me. The dimples in her cheeks only made her seem even more impish. Light honey hair that was braided today. Warm ocean blue eyes. Whereas mine were icy blue, often said to be cold and stormy. Most of time, they were closer to grey.

  Jane was petite and yet she had an impressive set of breasts, I envied her. Natural double DD’s. She had some good genes. No wonder the gents loved her.

  Don’t get me wrong, I had curves. Just mine were more of a handful. Not that it mattered, I wasn’t interested in getting involved with anyone.

  Not after him.

  He had broken me. The thought of a man touching me left me feeling sick. My skin crawled when a guy flirted with me. He had ruined me. I was just better off of my own. No one would ever get through my barriers. I doubt anyone could ever make me feel needy with desire. It felt impossible at this point. An unrealistic dream. One that will never become reality.

  “Coffee time?” Shaking her head at me. Handing me a fresh cup of streaming coffee. She knew me too well. Had one ready and waiting for me. I bowed to her, grateful for the beautiful caffeine that my body needed to survive the day.

  “You must have read my mind. One cup just wasn’t enough this morning.” She carried on polishing the glasses when she turned her attention to me. Seeing right through me.

  “Still not sleeping well?” Taking a long, slow sip of my coffee.

  “Nothing new there.” Not wanting to talk about the truth behind my restless night’s sleep. “Changing the subject. How was your date last night?” She pouted at me.

  Knowing full well what I was doing. She knew all my tricks. Well aware that I hated talking about anything from my past. It was something I never shared, not even with her. I didn’t want her view of me to change or worse, drag her into my shit. In my own way, I was trying to keep her safe.

  “You know if you talked about it, it might help you to heal.” I necked the rest of my coffee. It was too early to get into these deep feelings crap.

  “Your date?” She sighed, admitting defeat. Knowing I wasn’t going to talk about my past trauma.

  “Fine, but when you’re ready to talk about it, just know I am here to talk to.” Letting her words sink in.

  When she was satisfied, I had heard her, she gave me the details I was after. “Anyway, my date, was a nightmare. I don’t think I’ll be seeing him again.” I raised an eyebrow at her. Wondering what the hell went down last night?

  “I thought you were really excited about it. About him?” She started polishing another glass, trying to keep herself busy.

  “I was…but he spent most of the date talking about his mum. Don’t get me wrong, I want a guy to love his mum, but it was a little excessive. I mean he called her in the middle of our date just to let her know how it was going, which turned into an hour phone call. It wasn’t like I wasn’t even there.” I could tell she wasn’t finished. “Then he drove me home and I honestly wasn’t going to sleep with him, but he was just there, and he was good looking, and I was seriously frustrated.”

  Knowing full well where this was leading.

  “So, you slept with him.” Looking down now, like she was ashamed of herself.

  “Yeah, and it was a massive mistake.” I figured that much by the way she was avoiding eye contact.

  “What happened?” Putting the glass down, she gave me her full attention.

  “He had a mummy kink going on. He called me mummy the entire time and showed my breasts some very…disturbing attention.” She cringed just thinking about it. Not comfortable with what happened obviously.

  “Disturbing attention?”

  “He kept acting like I was breastfeeding him. To make it worse, he kept saying ‘mummy I love it when you feed me’.” Well, that was a new one to me. Fuck, no wonder she was uncomfortable just talking about it. “I literally thanked god when he was done.”

  “Probably best to nip that one in the bud.” Obviously, it was his kink, but surely, he should have checked to make sure she was ok with that sort of thing. Not just assumed she was.

  “Oh god…I can never see him again. Ever.” I couldn’t agree more. He was not the one for her, that much was apparent.

  “Well, just steer clear of him. It’s not like he lives in town so you should be fine.”

  “What if he comes in here?” Glancing at the door like he was about to come strolling in here. I could see the panic in her eyes.

  “Jane, just pretend I’m your girlfriend. Dick doesn’t do it for you anymore.” It wouldn’t be the first time I had to pretend to be her girlfriend to scare off one of the many creeps she entertained.

  “You’ve always got my back haven’t you.” Damn right I did, she was my best friend. As long as I’m around, I’ll always look out for her.

  “What kind of friend would I be if didn’t pretend to be lesbian for you?” Both of us burst out laughing.

  The moment was shattered when the office door opened, announcing the imminent arrival of our boss. Heavy footsteps stomping towards us. Alerting us to the slimy prick that was about to grace us with his presence.

  Right on cue Olly appeared. The arrogance just rolling off of him. A natural snarl on his face, I’m pretty sure he was born with it. Greasy black hair that was slicked back. He was looking gaunt in the face, ill almost. Was something going on with him? I would ask but it was pointless, he wouldn’t tell me anything.

  The hate just oozed out of him. Those dark brown eyes filled with venom. No doubt wondering if he could get away with making me disappear.

  “What are you two just standing around for? Got nothing better to do.” Making a big show of glancing around the almost empty bar, then staring right back at him like the answer was obvious.

  “Your right, we are neglecting our customers, aren’t we? How lazy of us.” Scowling at me, not impressed with my attitude.

  “You’re a fucking comedian aren’t you. I hired you for your arse, not your mouth. Now, do some work or I’ll take it out of your wages.” Glaring at him now, wishing I could punch him in his slimy face. I had to remind myself that he was my boss…unfortunately. Though I imagine it would be worth it.

  “Bad luck for you, it’s kind of a package deal.” I don’t know how I put up with this arsehole. Sometimes, I felt like I had the patience of a saint.

  “Just find something to do.” Saying nothing else as he stormed out of here, leaving us on our own. I guess, that was the last we would see of him today. It would no doubt be up to me to lock up tonight. The same as every other night.

  “Thank god his gone. Prick.” It would probably be a few days before we saw him again. Thanking my lucky stars already.

  Leaving Jane out front working the bar whilst I ventured into the kitchen. Ready to pass the time but baking some sweet goodies.

  It was a passion of mine, something I loved to do. Baking, experimenting a little. Don’t get it twisted, I was no chef, but I was a mean baker. Jane often referred to them as orgasm inducing. So, a pretty good review if you ask me.

  I spent the next few hours creating pieces of art, that’s how I viewed them anyway.

  “Someth
ing smells good.” Jane poked her head. Eyes locked onto the goods. I was busy finishing off piping the frosting onto the last batch of cookies and cream.

  “There’s plenty to choose from.” Coming into the kitchen to have a good look, inspecting my creations.

  “Oh my god, these are divine.” Smiling as she demolished it. That’s one happy customer at least.

  “Thank you. Let’s see if we can sell some of these bad boys tonight.” My cupcakes had been going down a treat. The regulars loved them, and they went perfectly with a beer.

  “I mean this is genius. What a combination, cupcakes and beers, it’s a no brainer.” It really was a winning combination.

  Setting up my display of cupcakes on the back of the bar, ready for the regulars to annihilate them later on.

  “You are a true artist.” Jane was my biggest encourager. Always supporting me. I was lucky to have her in my life.

  “Well, what do we have here?” I knew that voice. Grinning as I turned to find Wilson stood at the bar. He was one of our regulars.

  “Hey Wilson. How are you doing today?” Perched on his stool as I poured him a beer.

  “Same as every other day, plodding along nicely. What do you have there?” Pointing at the display of cupcakes.

  “A selection of Hazel’s beautiful cupcakes, of course. Want to try one?” He just gave her a look like the answer obvious.

  “Do I really need to answer that? When have I ever turned down one of her cupcakes?” Jane brought one over for him. Taking a big old bite, giving me a thumbs up. I got his seal of approval. Not surprising.

  “These are to die for, with a beer as well. Now I could die happy.” Chuckling softly at the delirious look of happiness on his face.

  “I’m glad you approve.” Him and Jane started chatting about something. I left them to it, while I went and cleaned my mess up in the kitchen. I could only put it off for so long.

  When the clock struck seven, Jane called me out to help her. The evening crowd were in, this was the beginning of the rush of regulars.

  “What’s up ladies.” Zach appeared then. Looking pretty pleased with himself, like the cat that got the cream. He was our chef. It looked like he was going to have a busy one tonight, people were already keen to order some grub.