Double Down (a double standards series) Dark Romance (Part 7)

No Turning Back Now

Hello sweets!!

I hope you're all enjoying CJ and Alice's tale!! Would love to hear some feedback from you all! What do you think will happen now? Will they ever find Laney and London's killer? Do you think the 9th is better than the 8th or 7th and why?

I know one thing we can all agree on and that's missing London and Laney. Rest assured though, I have begun their new tale but it's still several week's from being published! Hang tight!

A huge thank you to my reader's who have been with me since the birth of the very first Harper book and continue to love them through all their trials! Thanks to all my reader's new and old for voting, commenting, sharing and following! Each one of you continue to give me the encouragement to continue on!! Much love!

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Corruption.

Is that what this is? Is that the change I'm going through?

Corruption of the heart, body and soul?

Corruption of an innocent, young lady who no matter what curve ball's life pitched at her still chose to see the good in the world. Still chose to practice kindness and smile with optimism believing that one day her life would shine and she'd bask in the glory of real, true, deep, unconditional love.

And I found it in a man that wondered into my life for a cup of coffee. I found it and he was so prefect, so charming, so..... Everything. I still can hear his voice when he confessed his love to me and my heart still does a quick pitter patter. Then it happened.... I was forced into his world of murder, crime, drug's and deception.

I should've known it was too good to be true, nothing ever work's out in my favor. I've always been on the bottom of the totem pole.

Even after I discovered CJ's truth, even after he locked me away and refused to let me leave I still loved the man. Often I caught myself wondering if his lifestyle was really all that bad and came to the conclusion that I could overlook it. However I couldn't overlook my newfound fear of him. I was so scared he'd eventually kill me if he decided I wasn't what he wanted or I upset him. Even though he assured me I'd never come to any harm my instincts said otherwise. Blame it on my uncle, on Derrick and the fact anyone I ever placed trust in had hurt me including CJ. No, he didn't hurt me physically but his lies hurt my heart. How could I trust his word now?

That night we were attacked I was frightened, not only for myself but CJ as well. It's a moment I relive over and over and wonder if I made the right decisions. As I held that gun I thought about letting our attacker kill CJ. I'd be free and rid of him but I looked down at CJ struggling for control and I couldn't do it. It scared me more knowing that the man I loved was facing death so I pulled the trigger. Not only did I kill one man but two so CJ would live.

In a splitting hair decision, I ran. I saw my chance and I took it. It wasn't until later that I figured out I didn't have a well thought out plan. The only thing I knew was I needed to vacate this city as fast as possible. The only problem was I had no money and you can't get far without that mean green.

After painfully removing the tracker from my arm my first thought was to pawn the necklace and earnings CJ adorned me with. I knew I'd get a pretty penny for them but once at the dealer's I couldn't do it. I can't explain it. All I know is that I felt selling this treasure would be an ultimate betrayal to this family. This was his deceased grandmother's for God's sake. In a rush I fled from the shop back into the cold night.

As I walked along I racked my brain as for what to do. And so begins my downward spiral into a life of deceit and corruption.

Corruption that I created on my own.