Channon: Five Brothers Series, #4

By Melissa Bell

Channon O'Shea, with his Irish blood and good looks is one of the cursed brothers. When he meets Cedela-Rose, a coffee skinned Cajun beauty and his inner wolf growls 'Mine,' will he be able to keep her safe from her own family?
Cedela-Rose's father, Papa Legend, has promised her to the son of the Bokor Chief, Brok. Can her father find her in time and present her to her fated mate in order to align their houses?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Bell & Jordin Thiele Inc.
• Release date: May 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781386793250

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Channon brushed his lips gently across Violet’s as their date came to an end. This was their first date, and although Violet’s family didn’t approve of them seeing each other, she had managed to convince them that being from different backgrounds wouldn’t be an issue. Channon hadn’t mentioned to Violet that her brother, Denzel and the gang he ran with, had physically threatened him that if he so much as touched Violet they’d kill him. As far as gang law went, Denzel’s sister was supposed to belong to Donnell, the leader. Channon had managed to avoid getting caught up in the thuggery of the streets where he lived, but it didn’t mean he wanted a target on his head either. With that thought in mind, he broke the kiss when he saw the curtain move on the inside of the window next to the porch. He pinned a stray piece of hair back over Violet’s ear and explained, I think I should go, before things get complicated.

I had a nice time Channon, she sighed, And I like you a lot… she looked sideways, But, I don’t think we should do this again.

Channon straightened his shoulders and with a nod of his head he replied, See you in school tomorrow?

Violet turned quickly to prevent Channon from seeing the tears in her eyes as she opened the front door and entered without answering.

Channon frowned, not understanding how things had gone from good to bad within a matter of hours. If the date had been such a washout, then why had she let him get close enough to collect a chaste kiss? It wasn’t like he had manhandled her or stolen it. She had leaned in to meet him. It was like she wanted it as much as he had. His thoughts kept him company as he walked back to his car, got in and headed home. He still had an English assignment due in the morning.

Channon turned the corner of the street where he and his mother lived above his mother’s hair salon. The road was blocked off by police cars and yellow tape. The entire glass front of his mother’s business was shattered. He raced from his car to see three bodies covered in white sheets inside. His heart sank as he dropped to his knees at the edge of the crowd that had gathered around the cordoned off perimeter. An unholy bellow sounded out through the sunset when he realised what his date with Violet had really cost him.

JoJi, one of their neighbours, spied him and helped Channon to stand, Lock your knees boy. Don’t let them see they have broken you. JoJi, looked at the nearest officer and called out, You sir, she wriggled her finger at him, This is Geraldine’s boy, his mother owns the shop.

What’s your name son? Officer Vella asked.

Channon, Channon O’Shea.

How old are you?

Seventeen, soon to be eighteen.

Where were you this afternoon?

Channon’s head swam with images of warnings from Denzel, and he quickly turned away from JoJi and the officer as his stomach revolted against the hamburger and fries he’d had with Violet after the movie.

Mam, do you know what happened here? the officer continued to ask questions.

The middle aged Filipino woman glanced at Channon then back at the scene behind the policeman, before confessing, I witnessed it from over there. She pointed to a parked car in front of her fruit and vegetable store. I was just beginning to close up, when I walked to the curb to collect the sign. A black sedan with no plates came slowly down the street and stopped. A boy called Denzel, who often sells drugs on the corner, got out and walked to the front of Geraldine’s. He put his face up to the window then headed back to the sedan. Someone from the back seat passed him a gun, and he used it to spray the front of the salon with bullets. As he entered to see if the people inside were dead, the man in the front of the car took aim and fired at Denzel.

Can you identify the shooter in the front seat of the sedan mam?

No sir, I’ve already said too much.

Channon’s phone beeped, but he was too numb to move. His palms glued to the knees of his jeans was the only thing holding him up. After a moment of not responding to the text he’d received, his phone began to ring, but he ignored it. Turning his attention back to what JoJi and the officer were saying; it was like he was in a tunnel and someone was slowly dimming the lights.

Channon woke to find his head pounding. He raised his hand to a spot on his forehead that hurt the most, only to have his hand slapped away.

What are doing to me? he opened his eyes to recognise that he was in a hospital bed.

JoJi cleared her throat, You okay now? You fainted and hit your head on the tail of the police car. Officer Vella said he’d check on you later. I have to go, I need to feed my cat.

Channon’s phone rang and as he tried to locate where it was coming from, JoJi passed it to him. Well answer it, before the battery rings flat, she said, shaking her head while dodging out through the split in the curtain.

Talk to me, Channon answered.

Oh thank God! Where are you? Violet asked.

In the hospital. I’m fine, but I can’t talk right now. Channon hung up. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment.

The curtain shifted and a fit looking man in his mid-thirties walked in. He looked uncomfortable, like his clothes were scratchy and too tight. He’d seen pictures in an old photo album that his mother kept locked up, except on the rare occasion that she thought he was in bed and she was alone. She would pour herself a glass of wine and sit for hours crying over each page as she slowly turned them. The man standing in front of him now, was the same one that his mother used to sob over the most. Aedan O’Shea, his uncle.

I’m done for now. If you need to get up, let a nurse know. Just push the button. the doctor handed him a buzzer.

So when can he go home? Aedan spoke for the first time and not to Channon.

If Channon’s head wasn’t hurting so bad he’d tell him to leave, but he could hear his mother’s voice in his head telling him that Uncle Aedan was his only family tie. Without him, he would end up, where? Living on the streets. He could kiss his future goodbye, with no money and nowhere to live. He was so entrenched in his own thoughts as he attempted to ignore the pain, he would have been dead if his Uncle Aedan hadn’t been there.

Through a gap in the curtain, the muzzle of a nine millimetre levelled on him. His Uncle Aedan moved with the precision of a skilled warrior. His right hand wrapped around the muzzle while his thumb trapped the shooter’s trigger finger painfully in place as he twisted and reefed. At the same time he pulled the guy through the opaque sheet, his elbow flying on an upward angle, crunching bones, snapping them on impact. His knee came up to greet the now shattered nose, with the downward force of his hand on the back of Donnell’s head. He fell, unconscious and bleeding to the floor.

Aedan planted a foot in the middle of Donnell’s back then straightened his clothes. When a nurse burst through the curtains into the cubicle, Aedan instructed her to get security. He lifted Channon’s patient chart from the foot of the bed, flicked over the page and told him to get dressed and ready to leave. You’ll live. It’s only a bump on the head, and you’re already stitched up and good to roll.

But…

Hustle it! This one won’t be alone, his second will be hanging around here somewhere. So move pretty boy.

Channon rose to the challenge. His mother had always held Aedan in high regard. He was her big brother, a Navy Seal with years of training and experience up the short sleeve of his t-shirt, and the only family Channon had left, so he did what he was told.

Somewhere in the process of getting his clothes on, a security officer had taken over for Aedan and was rambling on a walkie-talkie to his partner about the details of having Donnell picked up by the police.

An hour and a half later, they pulled into a gated complex, and Aedan lowered his window and entered a code into the freestanding panel. The security grill rolled sideways on runners and Aedan slowly drove through then stopped on the other side and waited for it to close. Once it clicked shut, and the light blinked to indicate the locking mechanism had reengaged, he took his foot off the brake and headed towards the third street on the left, pulling into the driveway of a small house which had the uniform appearance of its neighbours. It was like all the houses were lined up military style. Everything looked identical, right down to the length of the grass.

Come on, let’s see what we can find to eat. I think I have some ration packs if you don’t like cold pizza.

Pizza’s fine, Channon answered, following Aedan into the small two bedroom, off base