Finley's Adoration Read online

  Finley’s Adoration

  Iron Vex & Nights Bliss Crossover

  Elizabeth Knox

  E.C. Land

  Contents

  Available Now By Elizabeth Knox

  Available Now By E.C. Land

  Warning

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Finley’s Adoration

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

  Finley’s Adoration. Copyright © 2021 by Elizabeth Knox & E.C. Land. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews. For information, contact Elizabeth Knox & E.C. Land.

  Published by Knox Publishing

  Cover Design by Charli Childs, Cosmic Letterz Cover Design

  Editing by Kim Lubbers, Knox Publishing

  Proofreading by Jackie Ziegler, Knox Publishing

  Formatting by E.C. Land, Knox Publishing

  Created with Vellum

  Available Now From

  Elizabeth Knox

  Series: Skulls Renegade

  Reign

  Redemption

  Revenge

  Relentless

  Reckoning

  Reclaimed

  Reckless

  Regret

  Reclusive

  Retribution

  First Generation: A Skulls Renegade MC Boxset

  Series: Steele Bros.

  Tough as Steele

  Stripping a Steele

  Protecting a Steele

  Steele her Heart

  Stolen Hearts: The Complete Steele Bros Boxset

  Series: Reapers Rejects MC

  Scarred

  Blackjack

  Here Kitty, Kitty

  Booger

  Widow

  Kade

  Hawk

  Bull

  Cobra

  Mouser

  Dixon

  Zane

  Amara

  Grim

  Chaz

  Frost

  Zorro

  Axel

  Hammer

  Series: Reapers Rejects MC: Second Generation

  Sydney’s Battle

  Series: Iron Vex MC

  Enraged

  Bossed Up

  Vex’s Temptation

  Venom’s Secret

  Series: Royal Bastards MC: Baltimore/Knights of Retribution MC

  Bet on Me

  Rely on Me

  Hate on Me

  Wait on Me

  Series: Satan’s Raiders MC

  Inc’s Regret

  Series: The Clans with Iris Sweetwater

  Promised

  The Trade

  Cherished

  Deceit

  Love is War

  Defiant

  Shattered

  Ruthless

  Covert

  Heretic

  Venomous

  Flawed

  Demise

  Series: The Mackenzie & Volkolv Duet

  Deceptive Love

  Series: Love Hack

  Ransom

  Series: The Mackenzies

  Forbidden Love

  Corrupted Love

  Sin City Fets with Linny Lawless & Aubree Valentine

  Switched

  Surrender

  Full Throttle with Erin Trejo

  Against All Odds

  Sharp Edges

  Burnout

  Pins and Needles with E.C. Land

  Blood & Agony

  Blood & Torment

  DeLancy Crime Family with E.C. Land

  Degrade

  Deprave

  Anthologies

  Santa’s Naughty Helpers

  Sweet Treats

  No Man Left Behind

  Available Now From

  E.C. Land

  Devil’s Riot MC Series

  Horse’s Bride

  Thorn’s Revenge

  Twister’s Survival

  Reclaimed (Devil’s Riot MC Boxset Bks 1 – 3)

  Cleo’s Rage

  Connors’ Devils

  Hades Pain

  Badger’s Claim

  Burner’s Absolution

  Redeemed (Devil’s Riot MC Boxset Bks 4 – 6)

  Devil’s Riot MC Originals

  Stoney’s Property

  Owning Victoria

  Blaze’s Mark

  Taming Coyote

  Luna’s Shadow

  Choosing Nerd

  Ranger’s Fury

  Carrying Blaze’s Mark

  Neo’s Strength

  Cane’s Dominance

  Venom’s Prize

  Devil’s Ride (DRMC Boxset 1-5)

  Protecting Blaze’s Mark

  Whip’s Breath

  DRMC Southeast

  Hammer’s Pride

  Malice’s Soul

  Axe’s Devotion

  Inferno’s Clutch MC

  Chains’ Trust

  Breaker’s Fuse

  Ryder’s Rush

  Axel’s Promise

  Fated for Pitch Black

  Tiny’s Hope

  Their Redemption

  Fuse’s Hold

  Nora’s Outrage

  Dark Lullabies

  A Demon’s Sorrow

  A Demon’s Bliss

  A Demon’s Harmony

  A Demon’s Soul

  A Demon’s Song

  Dark Lullabies Boxset

  Royal Bastards MC (Elizabeth City Charter)

  Cyclone of Chaos

  Aligned Hearts

  Embraced

  Entwined

  Entangled

  De Luca Crime Family

  Frozen Valentine (Prequel)

  Pins and Needles Series with Elizabeth Knox

  Blood and Agony

  Blood and Torment

  DeLancy Crime Family with Elizabeth Knox

  Degrade

  Deprave

  Raiders of Valhalla with Elizabeth Knox

  Malicious

  Anthologies

  Santa’s Naughty Helpers

  Sweet Treats

  No Man Left Behind

  Twisted Steel: Second Edition

  The Elites

  Available on Audible

  Reclaimed

  Cleo’s Rage

  Connors’ Devils

  Hades Pain

  Badger’s Claim

  Trigger Warning

  This content is intended for mature audiences only. It contains material that may be viewed as offensive to some readers, including graphic language, dangerous and sexual situations, murder, rape, and extreme violence.

  Proceed with caution. This book does entail several scenes that may very well be a trigger to some.

  Prologue

  Ainslee

  Over the last month, my entire world has changed, and I’m not even exaggerating. Finley went from avoiding me at every turn to yanking me by the back of the hair and forcing me to kiss her. God, even thinking about it now makes me wet. I don’t know how all those years ago I ended up going back to Scotland. Sometimes I regret it, while other times, I think I needed the horrible things to happen to me in order to shape me into the woman I am now.

  Every heartache, ev
ery loss, and every horrible day brought me to this moment, to sitting in this class getting closer to getting my MBA. With any luck, I’ll be finished in a couple years. Finley’s even made remarks about how I can help her around Night’s Bliss and The Lounge. But, honestly, I don’t know how’d that would work with the Iron Vex MC. The club is my family as much as Finley and Dominic are. His name was Walter, after his birth father’s father, so we changed that as soon as possible. If you ask me, Walter doesn’t even fit his personality.

  With his dark hair, he honestly looks like he could be Finley’s child. They even have the same eye color and skin tone. It’ll only make things easier moving forward, not getting so many weird stares and all that. I had a few friends back in Scotland who adopted, and they always said if you adopt, try to adopt a child who looks like you because it’ll make the integration even easier. Considering adoption is so hard, I totally understood what they were saying.

  Now, while I was afraid of jumping into the deep end with Finley . . . it’s been amazing. It’s like we just naturally fit together, never having to put too much effort in or anything. We’ve fought once, and it was because she ate my fucking cannoli. I thought I was gonna strangle her to death. You never take food away from a woman on her period, and she should know that, but no, instead, she took my damn food. I might even still be a little bit bitter about it.

  I have weekly video chats with Boss going over the progress I’ve made and since Kayla was attacked, it quieted down a bit. I’m betting because Finley’s guys intervened. It probably scared them a little bit, so they’re being careful for a while. That being said, I’ve been integrating myself into campus life so much more, becoming friendly with a fraternity president that Boss told me she got a tip on. His name’s Victor and he’s technically in his graduate program like me, but oddly enough, most fraternities don’t allow graduates in. They mostly stick to those going for their bachelor’s degree. Considering I’m from Scotland, I didn’t realize that was a red flag, but Boss did some digging and with the tip she received, we found out this guy’s connected to a few interesting people, to say the least.

  Victor always gets to class early, so I made sure to get here too and wait outside where we normally have our lectures. I flirted with him a bit and asked him about the parties his fraternity throws, briefly mentioning how I wanted an invite, how it could be fun and all that. He made a remark how the party probably wasn’t my scene, and it usually wouldn’t be. But now it is.

  Boss called to tell me she heard the police have been covering up the fact that a few women have gone missing here at the college, all of whom had gone to a party at this frat house. The same frat house Victor is the president of. I’m not someone who believes in coincidences, but I am a firm believer in what’s factual, like people following the same pattern.

  I might’ve just flirted with Victor, slyly indicating I’d like some alone time with him, and a party would be a great opportunity for it. Our professor came in before he could answer me, but we’re leaving class, and I let everyone file out of the room, then walk up to Victor and sit down on his lap, grabbing his tie and wrap it around my wrist. “I’m beginning to think you’re not a fan of me.”

  “No, no. I wouldn’t say that. I’m just . . . not used to women being so straightforward.”

  I giggle, putting on a show for him. “Come on, you can’t be serious. You’re in a fraternity.”

  “Yes, but I’m much different than my brothers.”

  “Obviously, so, let me just break it down for you. I’ve been watching you all semester and I think we have certain . . . interests in common. I’d like to explore those with you and find out if it’s true, if it’s accurate and I . . .” I release my grip on his tie and drag my nail down his chest until I reach his navel, tapping away through his shirt. “I think you’ll enjoy what I can bring to the table.”

  A few moments of silence pass us by before Victor nods. “Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you’re much more different than I thought. I’m throwing a party next weekend if you’re interested, right before mid-terms.”

  I smile lightly. “I think it would be a lot of fun.”

  I can’t fucking wait to tell Boss about the progress I’ve made tonight, and I can’t wait to tell Finley and Twister too. Knowing all of them, they’ll make sure I won’t show up to this party alone and I’ll have the backup I need.

  Victor sets me off, and I’m really looking forward to finding out what kind of shit pile he rolls around in.

  Chapter One

  Finley

  The pulsing beat of the music playing on the floor below me can mutedly be heard from behind the closed doors to my office.

  Over the past few months, things have changed around here. I have Ainslee back in my life, and we now have our son, Dominic. I didn’t have much happiness growing up, and by having Ainslee and Dom in my life now, they’re proving each day can be better than the one before.

  After the bullshit his biological father tried to pull, I took him and had my lawyer draw up the papers for Ainslee and me to adopt him. It didn’t hurt I put the asshole out of his misery. Dominic didn’t have any other family, and thankfully, I have connections in high places, so Dom didn’t have to be removed from our care while we started the adoption process. You don’t use children to pay your debts. I don’t regret what I did for a moment. I took his life to make an example to those who would think otherwise when it comes to my business.

  I might be a woman, but I’m a ruthless bitch who has no problem stepping up when need be.

  The only thing that’s been giving me a headache is a man named Preacher. He’s the owner of a club that opened not too long ago on the other end of the city. But he seems to think he’s hot shit and can threaten my business as well as my girls.

  I don’t know what the fuck he’s been smoking, but he’s sorely mistaken.

  I’ve upped the security at the house some of the girls live in. But that’s not all, I upgraded the security here at the nightclub. The Fort already has a top-of-the-line security system that feeds footage straight to the security room that Halton and Dalton work out of. Cedric’s office has a wall of monitors that show feed throughout the club, but his main focus is on the second floor.

  Inwardly shaking my head, I read over the numbers once again and frown. The numbers aren’t adding up, and I need to find out why. It’s either an error on my guy’s part, and he’s giving Watson more time to pay in full, or he’s skimming off the top. After taking over the loan shark side of things, it’s been nothing but a headache. Twister, the president of the Devil’s Riot MC, offered to take it over or help by putting someone he knows and trusts in the seat, but I have my own way of handling things. I prefer to be the one to handle the reins. It’s just the type of person I am.

  Dominic’s babbling draws my attention to where he’s lying on the floor. He’s on the playmat near the couch with Ainslee sitting beside him doing her schoolwork. She’s going to college here, and that’s why we were fortunate enough to get back into one another’s lives. She’d been sent down from the Iron Vex MC to become the regent for them. They’re allies with the Devil’s Riot MC, and I’m grateful as can be she was the one that was sent.

  When I first saw her again, words can’t describe what I felt. Anger and pain, and my heart raced faster than it ever had. Every emotion combined into one, and before I knew it, it was surrounding me. The wall I built to keep people from getting close to me came crashing down. Ironic, considering she’s the reason I created the wall in the first place.

  “You okay?” Ainslee asks, lifting her gaze from her books to meet mine. “Dom’s not bothering you, is he?”

  “I should be asking you the same thing.” I smile. Neither of us wants to put Dominic into a daycare. If he’s not with either of us, Mara-Lee has him. Hell, even Cedric takes him. According to him, Dom’s a chick magnet that helps him get all the ladies.

  Whatever.

  Ainslee warned him if she finds out that’s
what he’s doing while watching him, she intended to punch him in the balls.

  “No, he’s not bothering me. I like having him with me when I’m studying. I like the background noise.” Ainslee loves having our son with her as much as possible. She fears losing him, and I don’t blame her. Not after what happened to her child. “You, on the other hand, seem irritated by something.”

  “Sorry, I’m just dealing with some business,” I mutter. “Do me a favor put Dom in the playpen? I don’t want him to accidentally be stepped on.” Reaching for my phone, I press the contact for Cedric’s number. Meanwhile, my eyes stay locked on Ainslee to wait for her response. She nods and places her books to the side, and lifts Dom into her arms.

  “What’s up, boss?” Cedric’s voice fills the room.

  “Need you and Halton up here.” Is all I state before hanging up.

  “Do you want me to go out of the room while you handle this?” Ainslee offers.

  “Do I ever make you leave the room?” I retort, I don’t hide who I am from her, and she knows this. The same goes for her. She sees my darkness, and I see hers. We’re incredibly flawed people, but I think it’s why we work.

  Nodding, she gives me one of her sexy as hell smiles that makes me want to kiss her and spend time lavishing her body right here in this very room.