Condemned Complete Series: A Dark Romance Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Titles by Gemma James

  Summary

  Note To Readers

  BOOK 1: TORRENT

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Escape

  2. Comeuppance

  3. Break Me

  4. The Code

  5. Disorderly

  6. Spawn

  7. First Time

  8. Choke

  9. Regret

  10. Flee

  11. Phobia

  12. Turning Point

  13. The Shower

  14. Showtime

  15. Morning Glory

  16. Visitor

  17. Interrogation

  18. Destroyed

  19. Agony

  20. Intruder

  21. Vanish

  BOOK 2: RAMPANT

  Dedication

  1. Back To Me

  2. Cornered

  3. My Blood

  4. Rude Awakening

  5. Ecstasy

  6. Homecoming

  7. Depleted

  8. Old Habit

  9. Always

  10. Standoff

  11. Cut

  12. Foolish

  13. Bad Idea

  14. Psychoanalysis

  15. Getaway

  16. Facing Fears

  17. Unwritten

  18. Absolution

  19. Bodyguard

  20. Uncaged

  21. Tempted

  22. Torched

  BOOK 3: FERVENT

  Prologue

  1. Perilous

  2. Welcome To My World

  3. Alex in Wonderland

  4. Afraid

  5. Already Broken

  6. Bad Blood

  7. Taking Shelter

  8. Pandora's Box

  9. Escape To Nowhere

  10. Impasse

  11. Without Consent

  12. Wicked Games

  13. Lessons

  14. Crimson

  15. Bang

  16. Brawl

  17. Safe

  18. Only Yours

  19. Candid

  20. Legacies

  21. Breaking Alex

  22. Take Control

  23. Mirrors

  24. Let It Burn

  BOOK 4: VAGRANT

  Dedication

  1. The Note

  2. Champion

  3. Tattoo

  4. Fragile

  5. Elixir

  6. Nightscape

  7. Favor

  8. Tease

  9. Run

  10. Hostile Negotiations

  11. Rebellious

  12. Tick Tock

  13. Empty Gold

  14. Addiction

  15. Burn

  16. Voyeur

  17. Aftershocks

  18. Family Matters

  19. Ricochet

  20. Nobody Praying For Me

  21. Ode To 1:11

  22. End Game

  23. Forfeit

  24. Breaking Free

  25. Born Again

  BOOK 5: DEVIANT

  Prolouge

  1. Not Out of the Woods

  2. Passion and Pain

  3. A Switch of Truth

  4. No More Bandages

  5. Home Sweet Misery

  6. Bad News

  7. Breaking the Shackles

  8. Underwater Excursions

  9. Deviant Games

  10. Visitors

  11. Man Talk

  12. Kindred Spirits

  13. Not a Democracy

  14. Oh Father

  15. My Old Friend Fear

  16. Cornered

  17. Bad Pain

  18. Three Times the Burn

  19. No Mercy

  20. Grounded

  21. Jade Like Her Eyes

  22. Unworthy of White

  23. Jaded and Twitterpated

  24. Confirmation

  25. Homebound

  26. At Last

  27. A Gift to Remember

  28. The Key

  29. Check

  30. Mate

  BOOK 6: DESCENT

  1. The Irony of Time

  2. Out For Blood

  3. Game On

  4. Leverage

  5. Barter

  6. Failure

  7. Shock and Submit

  8. Crazy

  9. No Ecstacy

  10. The Pit

  11. Save Yourself

  12. The Cavalry

  13. The Monster in the Mirror

  14. Rescue Squad

  15. Field of Nightmares

  16. Reunion

  17. Unbridled

  18. Home Sweet Home

  19. Twice the Loss

  20. A Fate Worse Than Death

  21. Another Angle

  22. Tender Sting

  23. Something To Prove

  24. The Gift of Ginger

  Epilogue

  Newsletter Offer

  Also Available

  Playlist: Top 20

  About the Author

  Condemned: Complete Series

  Copyright © 2020 Gemma James

  Cover design by Gemma James

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  TITLES BY GEMMA JAMES

  The Zodiac Queen Series

  Aries (The Zodiac Queen #1)

  Taurus (The Zodiac Queen #2)

  Gemini (The Zodiac Queen #3)

  Cancer (The Zodiac Queen #4)

  Leo (The Zodiac Queen #5)

  Virgo (The Zodiac Queen #6)

  Libra (The Zodiac Queen #7)

  Scorpio (The Zodiac Queen #8)

  Sagittarius (The Zodiac Queen #9)

  Capricorn (The Zodiac Queen #10)

  Aquarius (The Zodiac Queen #11)

  Pisces (The Zodiac Queen #12)

  Condemned Series

  Torrent (Condemned #1)

  Rampant (Condemned #2)

  Fervent (Condemned #3)

  Vagrant (Condemned #4)

  Deviant (Condemned #5)

  Descent (Condemned #6)

  Devil’s Kiss Series

  The Devil’s Kiss (Devil’s Kiss #1)

  The Devil’s Claim (Devil’s Kiss #2)

  The Devil’s Wife (Devil’s Kiss #3)

  The Devil’s Spawn (Devil’s Kiss #4)

  Trashy Affair Series

  Trashy Foreplay (Trashy Affair #1)

  Trashy Conquest (Trashy Affair #2)

  Standalone Novels

  Epiphany

  Swallow Me Whole

  SUMMARY

  I was fifteen when I sent the love of my life to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Back then Rafe was my brother’s best friend and off-limits, but that didn’t stop me from drooling over him. I’ve never forgotten the guy whose green eyes made me weak in the knees.

  Rafe hasn’t forgotten me either. Eight years later, I find him on my doorstep with revenge on the mind.

  The twisted part of this story?

  I still want h
im, even though he’s holding me captive on an island. He says I’ve got eight years of misery to atone for, and every move he makes is designed to shame and punish.

  Instead, his touch lights us both on fire.

  But the lie I told years ago is ricocheting. Neither of us saw it coming. The violence, death, and betrayal that leave us in ruins. Redemption seems impossible because we can’t undo what’s been done.

  I belong to him as much as he belongs to me, and we’ll fight for each other or go down in flames trying.

  Includes all 6 books in the Condemned series: Torrent, Rampant, Fervent, Vagrant, Deviant, and Descent.

  NOTE TO READERS

  Intended for mature readers who enjoy a dark contemporary romance with kidnapping and other disturbing themes. Not for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned.

  BOOK ONE: TORRENT

  To my husband James, whose support and encouragement means everything to me. Thanks for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I love you.

  PROLOGUE

  Alex

  We’d left the gravesite two hours ago, but Mom’s lifeless eyes still accused me. The memory of finding her dead in the bathtub, the water deep and murky with her blood, embedded in my brain like a tattoo I couldn’t erase.

  I stood in my bedroom, a space inundated with white lacy subterfuge, and sensed the uprising in my soul. Grief turned and boiled with a vengeance. I clenched my hands and crossed them over heaving breasts but couldn’t stop the eruption. I’d been simmering too long, unchecked. I hated my perfect room, my perfect family, my perfect life. Appearances were deceitful bitches that lied and covered the ugly truth.

  “Open the door, Lex!” Frantic fists pounded, and I covered my ears to block out my step-brother’s barrage on the door. The first drop of misery fell from my eyes and despite squeezing them shut, I was incapable of stemming the mental pictures. They flickered in my head like a child’s View-Master reel.

  I relived Mom’s horrified expression the night she heard me cry out, recalled the condemnation in her voice when she yelled at Zach to get out of my room. I still saw her wide eyes—the same green as mine—staring at me blankly a few days later, open and void as the life bled from her wrists.

  “Let me in!”

  “Go away!” I screamed, repulsed by the mere sound of his voice. A sob caught in my throat, and my body shook with the effort of holding back. I was trapped inside myself, a prisoner of rage and despair. Bursting with the need to tear into something, I dug my nails into my arms.

  Her face wouldn’t leave my mind. Her beautiful face, twisted with shock and disgust at what she’d walked in on. I’d been too ashamed to explain. Now it was too late. I’d never see her again, never again inhale the sweet scent of jasmine as she embraced me.

  Zach’s fault. My fault.

  My nails dragged down pale flesh, almost of their own volition, and left behind ugly red streaks. Letting out a roar, I hefted a chair into the vanity mirror. My reflection shattered with an echo, a grotesque replica of my soul. I was unstoppable, insane with the need to destroy, to create the sound over and over again. Breaths coming in shallow gasps, I swept candles onto the floor, followed by pictures and perfumes. My entire makeup collection crashed onto the white carpet where the colors stained with flawless imperfection, but the pressure in my chest wouldn’t subside.

  The assault on my door grew in strength, and I thought I picked up another voice blending with Zach’s. Had to be my imagination. Dad had barricaded himself in his bedroom, just like me, though he had a sedative and a bottle of Jack to keep him company.

  Afternoon sunshine streamed through the lace curtains, an assault of warmth on my face, and I scowled. The skies should have opened, should have drenched the earth until it drowned. On that day, the day I’d watched my mother go into the ground, the whole fucking world should’ve cried until their eyes bled.

  I grasped the lamp on my nightstand and hurtled it through the window, eliciting that glorious sound of splintering glass again, and I screamed until my voice went raw like the rest of me. The door broke under Zach’s struggle to get inside, and I fell backward, landing hard on the bed with both hands raised.

  “Leave me alone,” I said with a pleading sob. He’d never gone so far as to break down my door. My room had been my only sanctuary, other than those few horrible occasions when I found him lying in wait in the darkness; those times when I wasn’t quick enough to escape within my four walls and turn the lock. “Don’t touch me!”

  Strong hands encircled my wrists and pulled them to the sides, but it was Rafe’s beautiful green eyes staring back and not my brother’s. Tension seeped from my bones, left me weightless, and I exhaled in relief when he knelt in front of me, elbows resting on my thighs. A significant moment passed, locking the two of us in that short span of time when the world magically receded.

  “I’ve got you. Everything’s gonna be okay.” His arms wound around my trembling body, and I went limp in the cocoon of his embrace.

  Zach stood off to the side, arms crossed and gaze shooting daggers in our direction. I stiffened under the threat of his jealousy, and not even Rafe’s warmth could combat the chill that seized me. I wanted to believe him so badly, but nothing would ever be okay again.

  1. ESCAPE

  Alex

  Eight Years Later

  When it came to karma, I wished for skepticism. Thing was, I fully believed in karma. Something had to balance the scales, otherwise the world would tip off its axis and crash into total chaos. Thanks to my belief in supernatural balance, I had no doubt I was screwed. That was never more true than when I gripped the single piece of paper on which four words were written.

  I’m coming for you.

  I’d found the note tacked to my door. I didn’t question who left it, as only one person had reason to leave such a warning, and considering he’d been released from the state penitentiary three weeks ago, I couldn’t deny the evidence. I’d been agonizing over the moment when he would confront me.

  When, not if.

  My knees gave out, and I sank to the bed. Rain beat against the roof in a sudden onslaught, and the panes of my favorite window seat rattled. I hadn’t been home for more than a few minutes, but apparently I’d escaped inside at the most opportune time. I took the torrential tap-tap-tap and rush of wind as a sign, an omen perhaps.

  He was coming for me, and I deserved it.

  Someone pounded on the door, and I jumped like a frightened kitten. I stashed the note in the drawer of my nightstand and returned to the foyer, pulled the door open, and almost expected to find Rafe on the other side.

  It was Zach, not Rafe, who shoved past the threshold. Immediately, the strong odor of whiskey hit my nose.

  “You’re not fuckin’ marrying him,” he said with a slur. I edged away as he stumbled into the accent table in the foyer. “I’m going crazy, Lex. Look what you’ve done to me.” Wiping soggy brown hair from his eyes, he lurched forward and clung to my shoulder to keep from falling.

  “Did you drive here?”

  “Of course I didn’t drive! I’m not an idiot.”

  “I know you’re not an—”

  He grabbed my chin, silencing me instantly. “You’re gonna call this engagement off, do you hear me?”

  The ever-present weight of dread held me in its clutches. “Dad pushed for it.” I paused, one, two, three thuds of my heart pounding in my ears. “Just like he pushed for me to date Lucas. I think he knows.”

  “Knows what?” His fingers fell from my chin, and I stared at my feet, enclosed in trendy black heels that matched the black cocktail dress I’d worn to dinner, where Lucas Perrone had proposed.

  “About us.”

  He faltered, mouth gaping, and it was the most unusual sight. Zach didn’t normally struggle for words, threats, insults.

  He blinked and the moment was gone. “I don’t give a fuck what Dad knows or doesn’t know. You’re gonna break this engagement, and you’re not seeing hi
m again.” As if the issue were settled, he staggered into the living room where he sprawled onto the sofa, one leg bent and a foot resting on the floor. I averted my gaze from the bulge behind his zipper.

  I needed to get him out of my house pronto. “I’ll call you a cab. We’ll talk tomorrow about this, I promise.”

  He let out a bitter laugh. “My cab just left, and we’re talkin’ now.” His brows narrowed over angry hazel eyes. “C’mere,” he said, patting his lap.

  I backed up, shaking my head.

  “No? You want it extra rough? Is that it?”

  I didn’t want it at all, but I knew better than to voice it. I scratched my arm, digging in a little deeper than usual.

  “You think marrying some mid-forties vanilla hack is gonna ‘fix’ you? Make you normal? We both know you’re nothing but a slut.”

  I clenched my teeth. His insult maimed more than his hands did, especially since he was the only man I’d ever slept with. He perceived any guy who glanced in my direction as a threat, as if I welcomed the attention, and he’d become downright vicious since Dad set me up with Lucas.

  Dad had always made decisions for me, from what school I attended to which program I chose as a major. I’d earned degrees in accounting and business but harbored no desire to use them. He expected me to hop on board the family legacy in a managerial capacity, but unlike him and Zach, I had no interest in mixed martial arts or running an enterprise of venues and training centers.

  I chalked it up to the fact that we didn’t share DNA. Mom married Abbott De Luca when I was six, but he was like a dad to me, especially since he’d legally adopted me, and as such, I’d never thought of Zach as a step-brother. Not where it counted. The step part got lost in the sea of right and wrong and perversely unacceptable.

  I folded my arms and put another foot of distance between us, backing toward the foyer. No one made me more uncomfortable in my own house, in my own skin, than my own brother.