Caden (Loving the Sykes Book 1) Read online

  a LOVING THE SYKES novel

  CADEN

  ALSO BY ELIZABETH STEVENS

  NEW ADULT/ADULT BOOKS

  Damned trilogy

  Damned if I do

  Damned if I don’t

  Damned if I know

  Grace Grayson Security

  Chaos & the Geek

  Hawk & the Lady

  O Lord & the Queen

  Loving the Sykes

  Caden

  Carter

  Luther

  MATURE YA/NEW ADULT BOOKS

  the Trouble with Hate is…

  Accidentally Perfect

  Being Not Good

  Popped

  Royal Misadventures Series

  Now Presenting

  Lady in Training

  Three of a Kind

  Some Proposal

  Royally Unprepared

  a LOVING THE SYKES novel

  CADEN

  Elizabeth Stevens

  Kinky Siren

  An imprint of Sleeping Dragon Books

  Caden

  by Elizabeth Stevens

  Print ISBN: 978-1925928150

  Digital ISBN: 978-1925928143

  Cover art by: Izzie Duffield

  Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Stevens

  Worldwide Electronic & Digital Rights

  Worldwide English Language Print Rights

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form, including digital and electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  To the Duffields,

  with love from Glitorus Clittertits.

  N

  Contents

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Lucy

  Caden

  Thanks

  My Books

  About the Author

  1

  Caden

  For the first time in six years, I was freaking out.

  We weren’t the ones who died. We were the guys they sent in to save everyone else from dying. But now Petrelli was dead, Phillips and I were barely sheltered from heavy fire, the rest of the team were fuck knows where, and I’d lost it. For the first time in my whole career, I felt my mortality like a weight on my heart.

  I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think about anything except the fact Petrelli was dead and we were fucking next. We’d been in sticky situations before – each of us had spent our good share of time in the hospital over the years – but it had been nothing like this.

  Phillips, my commander, nudged me. “Reece, tell me about your girl.”

  “My girl, sir?” I asked, confused. I didn’t have a girl…

  “Your girl from the pictures. Tell me about Lucy.” Phillips pressed.

  They all knew about the important people in my life, namely Lucy and her brothers, just like I knew about theirs. Was kind of hard not to be like family when we’d been keeping each other alive for four years.

  “She’s not...not my girl.”

  Phillips scoffed then we winced as something exploded behind us, showering us in dirt. “No, you just carry pictures of her everywhere we go. Like I’ve got one of my wife and kids, Richards has one of his mum and sister, Beynon has one of his girl, Gunner has one of his dog, even Petrelli had one of his girl.”

  “She’s not my girl,” I repeated.

  “Tell me about her anyway. I never did ask when those were taken.”

  “What? Now, sir?” I asked as another explosion went off.

  “Why not?”

  I looked at him askance, but did as he asked. “The day before I left for training. Lucy decided we should all go to the beach. The boys and I didn’t really want to, but she was going anyway, in some ridiculously tiny bikini, and we knew we had to keep an eye on her.”

  “And?”

  “And, what?” I asked.

  “What were you doing when they were taken?”

  “Um…we were playing Frisbee. All the guys on the beach were staring at her in that bikini, it was driving me mad. Luther threw her the disc and both Carter and I went for it. I let Carter catch it, and I grabbed Luce round the waist and swung her around. She laughed and eventually I put her down. I couldn’t let her go though. She was the reason I was leaving, but I suddenly didn’t want to go. Not when she looked at me like that and I thought there might be a chance–” Another explosion blasted through the bullets and we heard shouting.

  “And?”

  “Oscar yelled at us for a photo, so I wrapped my arms around her waist again and pressed my lips to her cheek. He sent the pictures to me a month into training.”

  “And now? You still keep in touch?”

  “You know how hard it is to get personal comm time. But yeah, we email now and then,” I replied, wondering where he was going with this. He knew I communicated with everyone back home. Some more than others, but still…

  “And you never told her how you felt?”

  “Sir, I fail to see how this has any relevance to the situation,” I snapped, looking around for anything we could use to our advantage, anything to get him to stop talking about me and Lucy when there would never be a me and Lucy.

  “Reece, there are people in our lives that help us go on in times like this,” Phillips said carefully. “Whether they know it or not. Just thinking about her, you’ve already re-focussed and dragged your head out of your arse.”

  I looked at him sharply. “So, you successfully distracted me from my own mortality. Thank you, sir,” I said sarcastically.

  He chuckled gruffly. “Son, we all need a reminder who we fight for now and then. Who we have to get us through the tough times–”

  “Sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is a royal shitstorm. Thinking of the people we love is not going to get us out of this one.”

  He shook his head and grabbed my arm as I made to get up. “It does, more than you young ones know.”

  “Phillips, we’re going to die here, man! It’s just a matter of how long it’s going to take!” I yelled.

  “Then fucking fight for her, son! Fight the inevitable and get home safe for her. Think of Petrelli’s girl. You want Lucy to end up like her? You want the girl you love to lose you? Whether she thinks of you as a brother, a lover, a best friend, we all know she loves you. What will it do to her, or the boys, if you don’t make it home?”

  I blinked at him, feeling a fire start inside me. We’d all met Petrelli’s girl just before we left. He’d forgotten something at home and she’d brought it to base. Petrelli had been awkward and shy, but it was obvious how they felt about each other. And now, he wouldn’t come home to her.

  “You’re our best, Reece.
Fight for your girl and get the rest of us the fuck home, son.”

  I grumbled, knowing he was right. I could never tell Lucy or the boys I’d been in love with her for years, but I sure as hell would fight to get home for her. She was waiting on an email from me.

  I checked my ammo supply and any exit points from our shelter.

  “Fuuuuck!” Benyon, Richards and Gunner came sliding behind the wall we were sheltering behind.

  “Shit, where have you arseholes been?” Phillips yelled. “Where are the vehicles?”

  Gunner was breathing hard and holding his side. His dune fatigues were tinged dark red, but the bleeding didn’t look as bad as last time. “We couldn’t get back to them, the fuckers have the roads blocked.”

  Richards’ fingers played over his tablet and he showed us the most recent satellite images.

  “We’ll have to go over the roofs,” I replied, looking up, “scale down to the cars and gun it out of there.”

  “We’re just leaving Petrelli here?” Benyon spat.

  “We need back up,” Phillips replied. “We’ll come back for him, you know we will.”

  Benyon glared, then nodded reluctantly. Philips made the motions and we started off, sticking low. I shot cover while the others cleared the gap. We made our way through the streets until we came to the closest building we could get into.

  “Here. The barricades start the next street over. If we’re going up, it has to be this one.” Richards pointed at the tablet, then the building.

  Phillips led the way and I took rear.

  We got out onto the roof with little hassle and crept to the edge. Four men were stationed at this barricade. I dropped a grenade over the side and we took cover until it blew, then leaped across the gap between buildings. We continued in much the same fashion until we got to the last one.

  We were all set to rappel down the side of the building when we heard noise in the stairwell. I unclipped my line and took position.

  “Go. I’ll take them out and join you!” I yelled.

  “You’d better,” Gunner pointed to me.

  “I’ll beat you down,” I promised him with a smirk.

  The four of them started down the building just as seven guys came bursting out of the stairwell. They opened fire quickly, but I was faster and more precise. I didn’t avoid taking bullets, but six of them were down before it got too bad. I’d just aimed at the seventh when he threw something in my direction. His aim was terrible and whatever it was blew up before it hit me. But the blast was strong and I was flung off the side of the building, feeling shrapnel pierce my body armour.

  I heard the team yell my name before I crashed onto the roof of one of our cars. I felt my leg crack and the wind was knocked out of me. I fought to stay conscious.

  I yelled in pain as I felt hands on me, dragging me off the car.

  “Reece! Shit, man. I know it was a contest, but that seemed pretty extreme,” Gunner laughed awkwardly.

  “I still beat your arse down here.” I tried to smile. I tasted blood.

  “Get him in the car, we need to go,” Phillips yelled.

  They lay me in the boot of the car I hadn’t landed on, Phillips sitting beside me and holding my head. My vision was getting fuzzy and I was concerned about the lack of pain I was feeling in my leg.

  I groaned over every bump we hit, but knew it wasn’t the driver’s fault. It was supposed to be me and Petrelli driving. With Phillips back with me, it was probably Gunner, and we all knew how well he drove.

  “Chopper Six, this is Falcon One, come in,” I heard Benyon say.

  “Come in Falcon One,” was the fuzzy response.

  “We’re on our way. One down and one injured.”

  There was a pause before the response. “Roger. Starting her up. See you boys soon.”

  “Ten minutes from the chopper!” Benyon called back to Phillips.

  “Almost there, son,” Phillips said to me softly. “Hold on and we’ll get you home to your girl.”

  “Lucy’s not my–”

  I yelled in pain as something hit the car and I blacked out.

  2

  Lucy

  “So, what do you think’s going on?” Brit asked as she stuffed her sandwich in her mouth.

  “Going on where?” I looked out the window for some sign of anything new in our little town.

  “Around the corner from your house, you idiot.”

  I went back to stacking books. “Oh. I dunno know, haven’t really thought about it.”

  “Lucy! There are hot builders there day and night and you haven’t really thought about it?”

  I smiled, but didn’t feel very cheery. “Yeah, okay. I’ve looked at them, but it’s no big deal. Probably some rich family moving in to such a nice wee town, except none of it’s good enough for them.”

  Brit snorted. “Probably.”

  There was a sort of pregnant silence and I was just waiting for her to say it. She didn’t, though, and I didn’t need to look up to know she was staring at me.

  “God, no. Okay? I last emailed him a few of months ago, but haven’t heard anything since,” I said finally.

  “Not the first thing I was going to ask, but okay. Thanks for the update…” she paused again. “He’s okay, though. Right?”

  It wasn’t unusual to not hear from him for months at a time, but it didn’t stop me from worrying he hadn’t made it through whatever he’d been doing this time.

  “I don’t know. He talks to the boys more than me. I’m sure Carter would have heard something if he’d been…hurt.” I wouldn’t look at her and I think that told her more than I needed her to know.

  “Is Tommy still being a dick?” she asked.

  I shrugged and sat on the spare stool behind the counter to her parents’ shop where I often helped out. I’d graduated and had nothing better to do with my days at the moment, so spending them with my best friend seemed like as good a way as any. Plus, her parents were generous with my pay.

  “He’s been moody and weird, I won’t deny that. But he hasn’t actually said anything. I don’t know what to do, Brit.”

  Annoyingly, she laughed. “What is there to do?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Tommy knew what he was getting into when he first asked you out, even if you didn’t. It’s not your fault he could never live up to your one true love.”

  “Brit!”

  “What? You did say his name in your sleep, during a sex dream, the night you and Tommy first fucked. That has to bruise a man’s ego.”

  “Don’t remind me,” I pleaded. I hadn’t got around to telling her it had been the first and last time Tommy and I had slept together and the incident had been causing tension ever since.

  “Oh, Caden!” Brit teased.

  I threw a decorative pillow at her. “Shut up!”

  “Caden!” she cried passionately.

  “I swear to God! I’m going to murder you one day and they’ll never find the body,” I laughed.

  Brit was the only one who knew I’d been hopelessly in love with Caden Reece for as long as I could remember. But he was my big brother’s best friend and would only ever think of me as the little sister he was fortunate not to have.

  Plus, I had Tommy. And he might not have been six foot plus of lusciousness, but he was kind and sweet and funny, and he loved me.

  “You should marry Caden, I can marry Carter and we’d be sisters,” Brit sighed and I followed her gaze to where Carter was walking across the road toward us. “With a side of Oscar.”

  I gagged a little, knowing where her mind had wandered and wanting no part of that Sykes sandwich.

  Carter came in, grinning like usual. “Hey, hey. Little sister. Brit.” He nodded and she giggled. I rolled my eyes.

  “Do you want something, Cart? Or, are you just here to annoy us on the way to lunch?”

  He frowned. “Can’t a big brother come and see his fav
ourite girl?”

  I shook my head. “I wouldn’t be your favourite girl if you weren’t such a slut.”

  “Oh, don’t be like that, Lulu,” he grinned widely. “You’ll always be my favourite girl.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Enough compliments. What do you want?”

  “Are you girls heading out tonight?”

  I nodded as I checked with Brit. “Yeah, why?”

  “Well, Oz is planning on doing one of his experiments tonight and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be involved or not. How’d you feel if I tagged along with you?”

  Oscar was my closest brother, in age and personality, and was a junior chef by trade. On his nights off, he liked to turn our kitchen into a science lab and create new recipes. Sometimes, they were great successes and they were put on the menu at the only fancy restaurant in town where he worked. Other times, they were an unmitigated disaster. We’d had explosions once or twice.

  Still, even feeling Carter’s pain at potentially being at home during experiment night, I couldn’t not tease him for wanting to hang out with his sister. Even though we hung out as a family almost all the time – we were all just super close. Who needs heaps of friends when you have three older brothers?

  “I’d feel like you were a sad old man.” I grinned.

  “Hey, I’m only three years older than you!”

  “You can always tag along with us, Carter.” Brit smiled.

  “See,” he pointed at Brit as he looked at me. “Some people appreciate me!”

  I slid off the stool and moved around to hug him. “You know I appreciate you, Cart. Of course, you can hang out with us. Although, you’ve never really asked before.”

  He shrugged. “First time for everything.”

  I swatted him.

  “Oh, hit’s getting sloppy, Lulu. You going to come in for a refresher course sometime?”

  Carter worked at the local gym, and expectation was the owner was leaving it to him when he retired. I’d worked out with Carter a few times, and I’d given in when he’d demanded to teach me to defend myself. Still, it had been a year or so since I’d gone in. But Carter was a task master and no mistake.