Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Roman and Genesis are swept away by a passion that seems unstoppable. But their love story is quickly threatened by a ruthless patriarch who demands loyalty—and a deadly price for it. The weight of his nefarious demands could shatter everything Roman has fought so hard to build.
As dark secrets loom, threatening to destroy their future, Roman knows time is running out. His past—once buried deep in between the pages of a book—begins to resurface, and the stakes have never been higher. With everything on the line, Roman and Genesis make a desperate pact to protect their love and everything they’ve worked for.
No more silly games. Roman pulls every trick he’s learned, revealing the depths of his duplicity. The mask slips, and the patriarch may soon learn that some black sheep don’t follow—they lead, and this black sheep hunts until the prey gasps for its last breath…
From USA Today bestselling author Tiana Laveen comes Book two of the 7 Deadly Kins series. Come along for a dark love story packed with suspense, vengeance and desire. ‘The Black Sheep – Greed’ is an exciting sibling’s best friend, opposites attract, emotional scars, bad boy, possessive alpha hero contemporary romance. It’s the second installment in the series, but can be read as a standalone novel. It has no cliffhanger and has a HEA (Happily-ever-after). This book includes mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences—reader discretion is advised. Please look inside under the ‘Trigger Warnings’ for possible topics that may be deemed personally objectionable.
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PART 2 of Black Sheep – Greed
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Promised Land
Grandpa Wilde stood inside an old, dilapidated barn that smelled of old leather from several abandoned horse saddles, rotting hay, and damp earth. It may not have been much to look at, with the ramshackle silage, random bits of debris, plentiful old cobwebs, and antiquated, broken-down farming equipment, but the land it was on was invaluable.
The same land he’d stood on as a young man with a special young lady. So very long ago… The same land that was coveted in the community back in his day. Where the wealthy came for clandestine meetings, elaborate southern dinners after church, and live fiddle concerts from some of the best musicians in all of Houston. When he looked over yonder, he could still envision the big white house that had once stood there. It had two winding porches, balconies, a butler and maid entrance, beautiful white and pink roses, and horse stables occupied by healthy stallions and gorgeous ponies. Now there was nothing more there than fragments of rotten plywood, broken shards of dust covered glass and pottery, overgrown weeds, and an old blue shutter that had somehow missed being tossed away with the rest of the housing wreckage. Right before the home was bulldozed, squatters utilized the place.
It had no heat, air, or running water. No plumbing, but it was such a lofty, magnificent estate, that it attracted vagrants all the same. The copper was plundered, and any squirreled away or forgotten items that may have brought in a dollar or two, were stolen and hawked to pawn shops. Some claimed, even many years back when he was a young man, that it was haunted. It was the Allen family’s land. Oil folks, but they’d all gone and abandoned the place when Mr. Theodore Allen came into serious legal trouble due to some salacious scandals that erupted regarding his abuse of some minor boys. The details were ghastly and haunted the entire community. The family fled in a panic; their lives threatened after such incredulous accusations were met with proof found in the attic. A big heaping collection of photographs of unclothed teenage boys.
He ruined his life due to his perversions… He ruined his family… Brought shame to his wife and children. I remember that house. It was a beacon of hope and life. Somethin’ to aspire to. He turned it into a place of ill repute and misery. Dem boys had a hard time getting out from under that once the truth came out. Honorable men don’t do such things. No sir! Goes to show you that not all that glitters is gold.
The house used to be a showstopper. Big bashes, fancy parties with the best liquor, and saucy dancing on Saturday evenings. He was never invited. His impoverished father sure as hell wasn’t either. The surname Wilde was banned from such events. But sometimes he came anyway. Drifting in the darkness. Behind a bush or in the stable with the livestock. He wanted to observe how wealthy people lived. In the daytime, and nighttime, too. He’d sometimes manage to slip in through the butler door and take a memento. A silver fork, a tiny porcelain teacup for his mama, or a slice of vanilla cream cake. He enjoyed mostly just looking in the windows.
Watching the people dance in their nice threads, laughing at jokes that weren’t all that damn funny. It got to a point where he didn’t always enjoy watching it though. He started to hate the people. It was like they were in a beautiful snow globe, and he was in a chow line. Dresses flowing with each step a spoiled princess of a woman made. Flutes filled with bubbling libations. Trays of appetizers he couldn’t even pronounce. Yes, he could see it all still in his mind… Fresh like it just happened only a day ago. When the property was vibrant and ripe with wealth, robust plants, trees, and cattle, he wanted what Mr. Allen had. Cyrus Wilde was just a poor country boy though… trying to figure out how to get his hands on the keys to success. On riches. He figured out early the rich acquired admiration and social supremacy. The poor got nothin’ but spit at, made fun of, and turned away. He swore that one day that when he was able, he’d purchase that beautiful place for his bride, and prove himself worthy of the estate. Tina loved that house, too…
He promised her that land would be theirs in the near future, and he’d build her the house of her dreams on it. They’d get married, have babies, and live out the rest of their days together. She chastised him and called him foolish. After all, they were both quite young, he hadn’t made anywhere near the money he possessed now, and they had other issues to contend with, too—but he didn’t care. He’d made a promise. And he planned to stick by it, with or without her believing his promise. Today was that day.