Judgement

Edie Baylis

Description

The BRAND NEW gripping gangland thriller from bestselling author Edie Baylis!

Samantha Reynold and Seb Stoker are looking forward to the future together. With all the recent trials and tribulations from the past seemingly over, their new life together looks brighter than ever…or does it?

Because unbeknownst to them both, danger is circling….

Marina Devlin wants to destroy her sister Samantha once and for all and will stop at nothing to have her revenge. And judgement day is looming.

In this final encounter… only one can survive.

A gripping new gangland story perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Heather Atkinson and Caz Finlay.

What people are saying about Edie Baylis!

'From start to finish, fast paced and gripping. Gangland fiction at its best! Bestselling author Kerry Kaya

'Shocking and thrilling at the same time. It will take your breath away!' Bestselling author Gillian Godden

'Edie Baylis has produced another fantastic gangland read. I loved the characters and was gripped from the first page. A massive 5 stars!' Bestselling author Caz Finlay.

Sujets

• Policier & Thriller
• Policier
• Mashups
• Psychological
• Siblings
• Thrillers
• Suspenso
• Psychological thriller
• Domestic
• Sibling
• Psychology
• Crime
• Family Life
• Suspense
• Thriller
• Noir
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 31 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781802801996
• Langue: English

Extrait

JUDGEMENT


EDIE BAYLIS
For Anneliese x
CONTENTS



Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Epilogue


Acknowledgments

More from Edie Baylis

About the Author

Peaky Readers

About Boldwood Books
PROLOGUE
JUNE 1996

Leaving Carlos Garcia on the bed, Marina Devlin swung her leg over the well-muscled torso of the man she’d just milked dry and pulled her baby doll negligee around her.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling balcony and looked down from her beachside villa onto the azure expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, a smile playing on her lips.
The sheer material draped around her nakedness showcased her perfect figure; it meant Carlos was unable to take his eyes off her, like he’d been unable to do since their paths had crossed only three days after arriving, which was gratifying.
It had been almost three months now since Marina had escaped the miserable drizzling Birmingham weather. Almost twelve whole weeks away from that cursed shithole of a city which had brought nothing but trouble. This period away had bought plenty of time to move on with her life in unreserved luxury without having a bunch of losers out for her blood.
It also meant it was almost three months since she’d last clapped eyes on Samantha – that sister of hers who had been given everything on a bloody plate. Despite this, she had in no way deviated from her original mission. Why would she?
Marina smirked with satisfaction. She may have made the call to bide her time, but that didn’t mean she had forgotten her aim.
And the end result remained firmly at the top of her to-do list.
She would get control of Samantha’s casino and the rest of the business along with it. She’d have all the money it raked in, plus she’d take the kudos that came with it.
Lovely.
The whole thing could be run remotely from Marbella. It would be easy.
Marina’s smirk grew wider because as well as all that, the best bit would be once she’d made sure her grasping bitch of a sister was aware she’d got the lot and there was fuck all she could do about it, she would be deleted.
Permanently.
Since she’d upped sticks it hadn’t been difficult to keep track of goings on back in Birmingham. There was usually frequent coverage in the press about Samantha, being as her nemesis of a sister had manufactured herself into the city’s self-professed darling. Marbella being a tourist destination heavily populated with Brits made it easy for Marina to get her hands on English newspapers to keep up with what was going on back home. Sure, sometimes the news was a day behind by the time the newspapers rolled up, but who cared?
‘Marina…’ Carlos’s strongly accented voice murmured. ‘Come back to bed, bella . I have nowhere to be until later, so we may as well use our time wisely, no?’
Allowing her negligee to slip from her shoulder giving a better view of the globes of her breasts, Marina smiled at the man in her bed. ‘I guess I can spare another hour…’ If she had to…
She moved back across the marble floor of the villa’s bedroom to Carlos.
Carlos hadn’t been part of the plan. But it wasn’t a complete drudge. With his finely chiselled Mediterranean looks and fantastic physique, he wasn’t unpleasant to look at. It was the fact he was loaded and held a renowned position in the music industry that was the incentive.
His standing and money weren’t necessary. She had enough of both of her own – certainly enough to purchase an elite and popular beachfront bar, as well as an equally fine four-bedroom villa within two days of touching down.
She was sure exchanging a percentage of her red-hot cash for something physical – something that would remain hers , was the way to go. And she’d been right.
But that wasn’t to say there were no plans to attain a large stake in Carlos’s fortune down the road. He was already generous with his money, which of course meant more for her, but once she’d completely reeled him in, she could go one better. Although keeping him interested may be dull, it wasn’t offensive. Forfeiting anything in order to get by these days wasn’t required, but ensuring he became obsessed with her, was. But one thing at a time.
Feeling Carlos grab her hips, Marina upped her pace.
Much to her surprise, she was enjoying Marbella life. She’d expected the place to be filled with tons of skanky Brits on cheap package deals paid for by their giros. It was , but luckily, thanks to choosing her initial movements wisely and purchasing a business and property frequented by what could only be described as the elite and well-connected, she rubbed shoulders with very few of the great unwashed.
And there were no plans to change that.
That was, of course, until the time came to finish what she’d started.
And that would happen.
Just not yet.
When exactly, she wasn’t sure, but she’d know when the time was right.
In the interim, she’d continue just the way she was – revelling in the luxuriant and prosperous niche she’d created for herself.
It seemed a shame to remove herself from this situation for even a short period of time, but it had to happen.
It wasn’t Samantha Reynold’s money that she was after.
It was a lot more than that.
Marina’s mouth flattened into a hard line as, like always, the image of her sister filled her veins with poison.
No, she didn’t want Samantha’s money. She wanted her life . And nothing would be complete until that had been done, whatever attaining it involved.
This time, the bitch would not outsmart her.
And that was a promise.
1
JULY 1996

Seb Stoker straightened up from where he’d been leaning over the large table in the banqueting suite at the hotel he and Sam had chosen for their wedding reception, admitting he was impressed.
Stone flagged floors, arrays of armour along the candle-lit corridors and majestic wood panelling offered the epitome of mediaeval luxury. It symbolised their union – beauty, elegance and power.
He’d been so busy admiring the scenery, he hadn’t taken too much notice of the seating plan, but if Sam was happy with it, that was just fine.
Keeping the reception more intimate with only a hundred guests ensured they wouldn’t be awash with hangers-on or blaggers who’d shoehorned an invite. He and Sam would create a beautiful day where they weren’t exhibits. They’d already put up with that for too long.
He entwined his fingers in Sam’s, barely able to contain his enthusiasm for the day when he could slip the wedding band on her slender finger. Raising her hand to his mouth, he trailed his lips over her soft skin. ‘You’re happy with the seating plan?’
Sam beamed with delight. ‘More than ever. And this place! I’m convinced it’s more beautiful than when we booked it!’
The wedding coordinator hovering in the background shimmered with pride. ‘I’m very pleased everything is to your satisfaction. Anything else you require, then don’t hesitate to let me know.’ She tossed her perfectly styled hair over her shoulder with aplomb. ‘We’ll ensure everything you desire for your special day is met.’
Seb returned the woman’s smile. ‘Thank you.’ Regardless of her intentions, she couldn’t provide everything he desired. Only Sam could do that.
Without thinking, his hand moved down over Sam’s belly, a wave of love and amazement washing over him as his fingers followed the slight curve of her once washboard stomach.
Giving Seb a knowing look, Sam allowed him to steer her from the magnificent room which would soon be theirs to use and smiled, knowing the next time they entered this building, it would be to become man and wife.
Moving through the huge stone entrance, she squinted against the bright sunlight and feasted her eyes on the beautiful grounds.
Seb placed his arm around Sam’s shoulders and bent to kiss her as she gazed wistfully over the ornamental lake at the end of the stone pathway. ‘How much longer before I can formally announce you have made me the happiest man in the universe?’ he murmured, the gradual changing of Sam’s body never failing to enthral him.
‘A few more weeks. I know it’s hard, but we agreed doing things this way was what we wanted.’
‘That’s not the only thing that’s hard!’ Seb grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he enveloped Sam in his arms.
Sam snuggled against Seb contentedly. They’d thought it safer to save the announcement of her pregnancy until she passed the three-month mark. To be extra vigilant, they’d taken that one step further and decided to wait until three and a half months had passed before making the announcement. But after eleven weeks of bursting with excitement and the need to share their good news, a further three weeks on top seemed an age away.
This decision was made doubly difficult by including her mother and Gloria in the blanket ban. Having two mothers, thanks to Linda being Sam’s biological and Gloria, her adoptive, made her doubly eager to speak with them of her excitement as well as her fears. But absolutely no one could know until the agreed time.
Call it superstition or perhaps not wanting to tempt fate, but keeping the news under wraps for now was something both her and Seb had jointly agreed on, but she was certain people had begun to speculate whether the patter of tiny feet was on the horizon.
Both Seb and herself had struggled concealing their general contentment and pleasure, but had so