Embedded Files
(Kiss of Death MC)
Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap
Date Published: March 28, 2025
Pippa is the unexpected twist in my life, a complication I never saw coming.
Pippa -- My life has been shaped by some kind of underworld scheming I don’t really understand. Or maybe I don’t want to know. But now I’m living in darkness and violence, unable to break free but unwilling to succumb to the drug induced stupor my captives force on me. Then Gunnar, a fierce man with a dark relentlessness, charges to my rescue like a black knight, taking vengeance on those who have hurt me. Our first meeting isn’t a rescue out of a fairy tale -- it’s pure chaos. Gunnar may be an ex-con, but he protects me with a ferocity I never knew existed.
Gunnar – Pippa’s quiet resilience clashes with the violent life I know. With just a look, the woman claims my heart and life takes on a brand new meaning. I’ve done time -- fifteen long years behind bars, to protect my sister. Now I’ll protect Pippa with a ruthlessness she can’t even imagine.
My past is dark, my future uncertain, and every moment with Pippa makes me realize the lengths I’ll go to keep her. Fate has brought me to the one woman I know I can’t live without.
WARNING: Gunnar includes scenes of graphic violence and adult situations including potential triggers for some readers. There’s also a protective hero, an intelligent, insightful heroine, and eventual happy ending. No cheating, as always.
EXCERPT
“This the day?”
I glanced at my cellmate and now a close friend. I was packing up my personals in our cell, getting ready to leave prison after serving fifteen years of a twenty-year sentence. “Yep.”
“Thought you had a few more years left.”
I shrugged. “I did.”
“Interesting.” Knuckles leaned against the end of the bunk. I paused in my packing to find him watching me intently.
“Yeah,” I drawled slowly. “Thought so myself.”
“You think it was your old man?” Knuckles knew about Cain and ExFil and Bones. He knew my dad had some pull and was likely thinking I’d held out on him.
“If you’re implyin’ I’ve been down-playin’ people I know, I haven’t been. This is as much a surprise for me as it is you.”
“I know.”
OK, now I stopped what I was doing altogether and took a step toward Knuckles. “What’s goin’ on?” Clearly, I’d missed something important.
“You’re a solid guy, Gunnar. I had an… opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?” I was preparing myself for a fight, but I had no idea who’d I’d be fighting. Knuckles didn’t usually play politics inside, but one thing I’d learned while in USP Terre Haute was that there wasn’t much men wouldn’t do for a few amenities.
“The kind where I had to make a choice.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are we gettin’ ready to try to kill each other, Knuckles?”
“Depends on your answer.”
I held my arms out from my side slightly so he could see I wasn’t armed. “Gotta know the question first, man.”
“I was told there was a one-time opportunity for me to get myself or one person of my choosing out early. Call it a favor from someone in the position to make this happen.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
“If you agree to do something for me, you get to go back to your life a couple years early.”
“I suppose it depends on what it is you want. There are things I won’t do. Even for my freedom. I take it me getting this early parole wasn’t my father’s doing.”
“Even for the man who kept you alive when you first got to the real prison outta Camp Hilton?”
There was nothing easy about the camp and the bastard knew it. He also knew I’d agree with him I was alive now because of him. “Yeah, Knuckles. Even for you. But I hope you know I’d never deny you something without a fuckin’ good reason.”
Knuckles studied me for several seconds before nodding his head slowly. “Yeah. I do know. It’s why I went ahead and pushed the order through. You’re a good man, Gunnar. Of all the people here, I believe you are the one man who has never been a danger to society. Anyone who fucks with your family isn’t considered society and is asking for whatever you dish out.” He snorted out a laugh. “You’re leaving whether you agree to help me or not.”
“What’s the ask, Knuckles?”
“My daughter,” he said. “She’s been taken. One of my enemies found out who she was and used her to get revenge on me.” Knuckles handed me a few photos of a young woman bound and gagged with an expression of abject terror on her face. The thing striking me most about her were her bright green eyes. They shimmered with tears, but there was something about them. A quiet acceptance of what was about to happen, maybe? Not in a sense she’d given up, but like she’d accepted the experience wasn’t going to be pleasant, but was determined to make it through so the task was complete.
“Pippa?” Knuckles had told me of her often enough. He was so proud of his baby girl. He’d managed a fling with one of the nurses in the prison before I got here and the woman had kept in touch over the years, even going so far as to let the girl meet Knuckles. The visit had gone well, but Knuckles had come back to the cell angry and agitated, afraid his enemies might use her to get revenge. That had been about five years ago. I knew there was nothing in the Goddamned world Knuckles wouldn’t do for Pippa, whether it be killing or dying for her.
“Yeah. I’ve had some stuff sent to the Bones MC clubhouse for you. I can’t rescue Pippa on my own and I have no idea if my own club would back me after what happened. The fallout of killin’ those bastards put Kiss of Death in a pretty bad position.”
OK, the name of his club got my attention. “Kiss of Death? Motorcycle Club in Nashville?”
Knuckles nodded. “You know of us, then?”
“Yeah. You could say that.” I had to be careful here. I had no idea how I had managed to form a strong friendship with this man over the course of fifteen years and not realized he’d had ties to Kiss of Death.
“I was vice president before I got put in here. After I went away, things went to shit. Ain’t even sure at this point if they’ll still accept my patch. Damned sure ain’t vice president anymore. So my chances of gettin’ her back on my own are pretty Goddamned slim.”
“You think I have a better shot?”
“Know you do. The new prez of Kiss of Death came from Bones. Vice president too. I can tell by the look on your face you know this.”
“Yeah. What I don’t know is why you kept your ties to them a secret from me.”
“There’s a reason I hadn’t called in that favor before now, Gunnar. I set this in motion the day I found out Torpedo had taken over Kiss of Death. It took a few months for my guy to pull it off so I used that time to gather as much information on the fuckers who took her.”
“I assume the information is in the package you sent back to Bones?”
“Yeah. Let whoever you need see it. Do whatever you have to. But get Pippa away from those bastards.”
I didn’t hesitate but stuck out my hand to Knuckles and he took it. “On my life, brother. I’ll bring Pippa home.”
“No,” he snapped. “You take her back to Bones or Kiss of Death if Torpedo and Bohannon are men you trust. But get her behind locked doors and do not let her out of your sight. If that means you take her as your old lady, then you do it. That’s the ask, Gunnar.”
It took a moment to comprehend what I’d just heard. “Me? You want me to make your daughter my old lady?”
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About the Author
Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated housewife by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes pleasure in spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited, vulnerable heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a blissful ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her writings are speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning delight entwined with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying conclusions that elicit a sigh from her readers.
Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts (which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with Marteeka's latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her website. Don't forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you with a potpourri of Teeka's beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.
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