Category: Romance with a Body Count

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Pre-order Arsonist’s Lullaby (River Reapers MC) Special Edition

Accidentally running explosives for the mafia is fun for single mom Lucy. The pay sets up her new life with her daughter, the package includes a biker with benefits, and the marks are evil men no one will miss. It’s everything she wants and more, so when Stixx says “We’re done,” she says “We’ll see.”

Hang onto your seat, handlebars, or the hot biker you’re riding—a new River Reapers MC novel is coming in hot!

Arsonist’s Lullaby

Fire, meet gasoline. 🖤🔥

Lucy knows the stroller posted for sale in her feed is too good to be true, but it can’t hurt to check it out. Just like it can’t hurt to flirt with the biker who meets her. She’s been numb since she torched her relationship with her controlling baby daddy, but when she sees both desire and vengeance mirrored in the biker’s eyes, she finally feels alive again.

Stixx is in the River Reapers MC with Lucy’s cousin, and she’s definitely not the mule who’s supposed to deliver his package. He should send her on her way, but there’s no one else and she knows too much. It can’t hurt to take her on the run, just this once. Just like it can’t hurt to hookup in a church on the way back while the distribution center they blew up burns.

Turns out Stixx and Lucy are pretty good at destroying things together, so good they turn it into a competition. In the ashes they find all their missing pieces, and what looked like destruction grows into a flame that won’t go out, even when the backdraft finally hits.

Arsonist’s Lullaby is a standalone dark romance set in the world of the River Reapers MC.

This limited edition is a signed matte case laminate hardcover and includes an alternate non-HEA ending, available exclusively from Maietta Ink.

Production Schedule

Dates are subject to change. Any delays will be communicated via my newsletter, Kickstarter updates, and social media.

Blurb and Chapter 1 revealApril 14th ✔️
Special Edition pre-order beginsApril 29th ✔️
Special Edition pre-order endsMay 29th
Developmental editingJune
Beta readingJuly
Line editingJuly
Cover revealAugust 1st
ARCs dropAugust 14th
Special Edition shipAugust 14th
eBook and Paperback releaseSeptember 1st
Read Chapter 1
Pre-order

This is a not a drill! After five years of illness, I’m roaring back into publishing with the Lucy/Stixx book I hoped to release after A Fatal Prospect in 2021. It’s been a bumpy ride, and I’m so grateful to you, dear readers, for hanging in there with me. This book is a few things: me getting back on track with releases after re-learning to write (thank you to my speech therapist, neurologist, and the entire pharmacy inside me); a formal apology and love letter to all the Lucy fans who begged me to bring her back somehow; my way of coping with all the horrific things evil human beings do, and my way of giving survivors our power back.

This edition includes the wide HFN ending in Lucy’s POV, plus an alternate non-HEA ending in Stixx’s POV, allowing you to choose your reading experience.

Please note that this special edition is available exclusively by pre-order. Due to a limited run, I cannot guarantee that copies will be available after the pre-order period.

U.S. orders ship media mail and should arrive 1-2 weeks before the wide release date. If you’re ordering from outside the U.S., please expect delays. Everyone who pre-orders the limited edition will receive an ebook download to ensure you can read it ahead of the wide release.

You can read all FAQs here, and if you have any questions, please reach out! Reply directly to this to leave a public comment, or email me privately.

I’m so happy to be back in the River Reapers world. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my dark heart and depths of my strange brain, for your support. Now, let’s roll!

Read Chapter 1
Pre-order

Meet me at Mini CT BookishCon 🎟📚 August 1st, 2026

If you’re in northwestern Connecticut or need a bookish day trip, join me at Mini CT BookishCon this summer! We’ve got 45 attending authors, flash tattoos (can someone watch my table real quick?), food trucks, and a book drive benefiting Read to Grow, so get your tickets today!

This is not an April Fool’s prank, and it’s not a drill. I’m so excited to announce I’m signing at the first ever Mini CT BookishCon this August!

You guys, I’m crushing on this event so hard. There will be books, food trucks, flash tattoos, a book drive… I’m swooning! I can’t wait to see familiar faces and meet new ones. If you’re in Connecticut or looking for a fun weekend road trip, I’d love to see you there. Personally I’m hoping I have time for a tattoo, and I’m looking forward to hitting the food trucks!

@minictbookishcon
Get Tickets

I’m bringing the River Reapers series with me, and I’ll have a pre-order form set up soon.

I’m so relieved winter is over! This one was pretty hard. I’m writing my way through it, though, putting my broken pieces into my works-in-progress. That alchemy is what I love most about writing. I can take something heavy and difficult to put into words, write a story around it, and then other people read it. I don’t know if I’m out here healing anybody, but I’m healing myself and maybe keeping some of you company during your hard times, and in this world, that’s the best thing each of us can do.

I’ve been pretty low on spoons, so I’m keeping this newsletter short and sweet. I’m hoping to have my shop re-launched in time for my next newsletter (maybe with some exclusive coupons), and maybe another lil treat…

Talk soon!

🎊 2025 Highlights, and 2026 Hopes 🎊

In the first Elizabeth Barone newsletter of 2026, I reflect on 2025’s hardships and highlights, and look forward to hopes for the new year.

Happy New Year, dear readers!

Every year has its challenges, losses, and wins, and 2025 was no exception. I took a huge step back from writing and marketing, not by choice but I need to focus on my physical and mental health. Quite frankly, the autoimmune neurological issues I’m dealing with are kicking my ass. I’m slowly but steadily finding my way, equipping myself with the right-for-me team of doctors, treatment regimen, and mental health tools.

2025 wasn’t entirely hardship, though! I had a few highlights.

I rewrote most of Sleeve of Hearts. The manuscript had been through a few rounds of editing and revisions and still wasn’t quite working, so I read back through the previous two drafts, kept what I loved, and cut the rest, rewriting everything in between. This book hands down has been the hardest to write between my health issues, life stuff, and a smidge of imposter syndrome. I’m really proud of myself for sticking with it, even when I wanted to—and swore to Mike that I was going to—quit. Some days I can’t even string a sentence together, the brain fog is so bad, but the beauty of writing is that thing really isn’t going anywhere (even when you kinda sorta wish it’d delete itself*).

I started doing Whatnot shows, even though I didn’t think there was anybody there shopping for books. Wrong! There’s a lovely community of readers, authors, and bookish creators there. Madd thanks to my sister-in-law for encouraging me (and then surprising me with a shipping label printer for Christmas, I’m cooking now).

I’m doing a show tomorrow (Friday, January 2nd) at 9 pm EST (6 pm PST). If you’re new to Whatnot, it’s like TikTok live with shopping, without all the distractions. They’re a lot like my old Facebook reader group livestreams, you can just hang out with me, no pressure to buy. Follow me and save the show to join!

Follow me on Whatnot

I also found myself involved in my first ever copyright violation. In case you missed it, a bunch of AI companies used authors’ and other artists’ work without permission, and the artists sued in several class action lawsuits. Unfortunately, the River Reapers MC books were used, so like it or not, I’m in the class. Several of my other books were also used, but like many others, I can’t do anything about it because one of the stipulations is that authors must have a registered U.S. copyright before the lawsuit. Another downside is that this ruling seems to give AI companies permission to use authors’ work, as long as they purchased a copy of the books in their database. Reader, I’m not feeling that. I’ve been thinking long and hard—said the romance author—about what I want to do, and I’ve finally come to a decision. More on that soon!

I’ve decided to take 2026 as it comes. That doesn’t mean I don’t have hopes for this year, because I certainly do!

First thing’s first, it’s time to get back to writing. I’ve got about 10K left to write for Sleeve of Hearts, and I will finish it soon, perfectionism and suspected dysautonomia be damned. It’s also time to get my ass into gear and release the first two books in the series in paperback.

Depending on how things go, there are a few other books I’m hoping to write this year. Two are for the River Reapers MC series, another is a Stagwood Falls novella (series finale), and the other isn’t a romance.

There’s lots to look forward to in 2026. Thank you for all your support in 2025. I hope this next chapter is the best one yet for you and your loved ones.

*I obsessively backup, so it could never, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize!

September writing, ditching Kindle, and a free short horror story

Happy September! 🍂☕️📕

It’s been a busy last few weeks for me. I’ve been banging away at my keyboard, because I’ve finally figured out how to write Sleeve of Hearts. I had to do a lot of things wrong first, but man am I proud of this version.

What I’m Writing

When I was writing the first draft of Sleeve of Hearts, I wanted Antoni to be that addictive bad boy hero, but I had too much fun and made him an asshole. It’s like accidentally adding too much salt. A little is just right, but too much and you’re parched. Seven drafts later, I feel confident unleashing Ant into Romancelandia. He’s always feeding Kinsley, supportive of her dreams and crazy ideas, and a total dirty talker.

I’ll be done with this draft soon, and then it’s off to my publisher. I’m hoping we won’t have too much to revise. Either way, it may be a while before it’s published.

This month I’m rewriting the ending to a horror novella 🐝 I wrote a few years ago. I got to the end and didn’t like what I’d planned anymore. It just didn’t work. So I put it aside and went back to my small town romances. Four years later, I’ve worked out the right ending, so I’ll be adding that, and I’m sure rewriting the rest so it works.

I’m also wrapping up the River Reapers summer bash miniseries from last year. I was writing episodes alongside my main WIP while juggling lupus things, and my hands got too full so I had to drop it. Sometimes life’s just like that. Anyway, I’m wrapping that up to warm up for my next project.

Pulling all my books from Kindle

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my open letter to Amazon! I’m really glad it’s not just me. I’m also really grateful for all your support. We can’t control what Amazon does. What I can control, though, is what I do, and I’m working on getting my store back up and running so that you can buy ebooks directly from me that will transfer between devices, as well as work with the Kindle ereader and app. If you’d like to help, you can become a sponsor for $5 a month.

Quitting social media

Earlier this month, I left Instagram for good. A few years ago, I deactivated my Facebook, then deleted Twitter. I’ll probably let my TikTok go, too. I’m feeling more and more disillusioned by social media, for a lot of reasons. Privacy, intellectual property, and algorithms, oh my—it’s much more complicated than I can get into in a newsletter, never mind one post. I forgot to mention in my goodbye IG post that I’m on Bluesky, a Twitter alternative. I’m also on Whatnot.

Livestream Friday, September 12th, @ 4 pm EST

Join me this afternoon for my first ever Whatnot show! I’ll be reading from A Disturbing Prospect, signing copies of the River Reapers MC series, and unveiling a secret project I’ve been working on since January.

Watch

I’m aiming to do these once a week, maybe themed. If you can’t make this one, follow me on Whatnot and let me know the best day/time for you.

Get in the mood for spooky season

It’s that time of year when I break out the spooky short stories! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting one from my horror anthology The Last Minute Before Midnight. This week’s story is “The Corpse in the Tree.”

The only constant is change, and the book industry is sure going through a lot of them. I can’t thank you all enough for your support over the past decade. There’s so much to look forward to, I feel like I’ve only gotten started.

Until next time, happy reading!

Get tattooed (fictionally) for $5, summer updates, and a free River Reapers novella

In the July edition of my reader newsletter Romance with a Body Count, I share my current lupus challenges, what I’m working on, and how you can get a (fictional) tattoo for $5.

The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.

Romance with a Body Count

Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter
July 2025

Archive: January 2025 | February 2025 | April 2025

When I wrote A Touch of Gold in 2020, we’d lost my Noni and our family home. I baked my grief into the book, and wrote a way for Goldie to save her family’s home.

Cut to 2025, I’m working on the last book in the series while staring down the barrel of being homeless.

I really don’t need any more writing inspiration! 😅

The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.

For me, that means writing.

It’s really hard to focus when everything is crashing around you. Lately I’ve been practicing my original reason for writing: to stay sane. Over the years, my why evolved first to keeping my mind occupied while sick and unemployed, then to giving my readers more of the story they loved. I struggle with the fawn trauma response, so I’ve done a lot of people pleasing over the years, almost always to my detriment. Going back to basics and writing for myself has been so healing.

Whether you’re struggling with health issues, horrified by the evils of the world, or going through something else entirely, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on your why. You don’t have to be a writer to have a why; my best friend says her five children are hers. It can be that simple and wholesome. We all need a light that keeps us going.

What’s yours?

What I’m Working On

Summer is in full swing, and for me that means a renewed focus on my work in progress, Sleeve of Hearts. It’s slow going as ever, but a change in attitude has made things a bit easier. Instead of beating on myself for only being able to do one thing a day—often that one thing is making a meal—I’m shifting to focusing on one thing at a time. I’m practicing prioritizing my needs and keeping my expectations realistic. Much like anything else in life, it’s a work in progress; it’s a practice, never perfect. I’m practicing remembering that.

I’m so grateful for my publisher for being so understanding and supportive while I duke it out with this book and my own body and brain. Their publishing schedule is set for the next two years, so I’m hoping Sleeve of Hearts will see a 2028 release.

You don’t have to wait three years to go back to Stagwood Falls, though!

Get a (Fictional) Tattoo for Only $5

Inflation’s fucking crazy lately. I’m sure I don’t even want to know the going hourly rate for a tattoo these days. Let my apprentice Kinsley tattoo you fictionally!

I’ll turn you into a character in Sleeve of Hearts and your fictional self will receive a tattoo, microblading or permanent makeup, or haircut or braiding from apprentice Kinsley. All you have to do is upgrade to a paid sponsor of my newsletter for $5/month!

I’ll post a rough draft of your scene on my website, and you’ll see the edited version in the published book.

Don’t worry, if you don’t want to upgrade, you’ll still get my free reader newsletter and occasional goodies. But if you do upgrade, you’ll also get access to serialized editions of my books and exclusive goodies (like new stickers before they even hit my shop).

Become a sponsor now!

Thank you so much to my Sponsors Lauren, B., Dee, and Katy! Look out for your characters’ scenes soon.

Free River Reapers novella

As my email subscriber, you can now read Her Mercy for free! All 25 chapters are now live.

If you’ve already read Mercy and Bree’s story, leave a comment with your emoji reaction to the novella. Mine would be like 🦋🦅🖤!

What’s your biggest challenge this summer? Let’s cheer each other on—tell us yours by replying to this email, or you can leave a comment on my website.

I hope you and your loved ones are as well as can be, and that your summer’s giving all the good vibes. Or at least good AC. 😉

This summer, I’m having six MRIs and a tilt table study to assess what lupus is doing all up in my brain and nervous system. I could let the fear freeze me in place, or I can choose to see these scary tests as a scheduled nap and amusement park ride. I’m somewhere in between—like I said, I’m practicing.

May you always be in practice as a beautiful work in progress, too.

Happy reading!

Her Mercy, Epilogue

There’s only one thing left to do.

“It’s gonna be a long ride,” I warn Bree. “I’m not as young as I used to be.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re no longer entirely true. Overnight my heart is younger, my body lighter—more free.

“I don’t care how long it takes,” she says, nuzzling into me. “I just don’t know what I’m gonna say to her.”

Catch Up

Part 3: The Bohemian and the Biker

Epilogue

Now
Mercy


In the morning, I borrow the kitchen and cook too much breakfast for just Bree and me. The thought of hundreds more breakfasts like this one makes me smile. She sits in my lap and I feed her bites of bacon and eggs, unable to physically separate. Not just yet.

Soon there’s nothing more to do. Our bags are packed—not an impossible task, since there are only two of them. I hold her in my lap, bringing her hand to my lips.

“It’s gonna be a long ride,” I warn her. “I’m not as young as I used to be.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re no longer entirely true. My body has aged, but overnight my heart is younger. Lighter. Freer.

“I don’t care how long it takes,” she says, nuzzling into me. “I just don’t know what I’m going to say to her.”

Read Her Mercy and the River Reapers MC series for $5/month!

Subscribe to continue reading

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

Read Her Mercy, Part 2 for free

Parts 1 & 2 of my standalone dark romance novella Her Mercy are now live! Read this prequel to the River Reapers MC on its own, or as your appetizer for the series. Free when you join my email list!

🖤 Her Mercy Parts 1 & 2 are now live! 🖤

In case you missed it, I’ve been serializing my dark fake marriage romance Her Mercy on my website, free for all email subscribers.

This novella is a standalone prequel to the River Reapers series, and a little less dark than the main series. If you haven’t read it yet, now’s the perfect time!

what you can expect

  • standalone novella 📖
  • prequel to the River Reapers MC series 🖤
  • he’s 19 years older 😉
  • second chance romance spanning decades 💔
  • runaway bride 👰🏻‍♀️
  • SA survivor heroine 🙌🏼
  • wounded warrior biker hero 🎖
  • surprise baby (it’s not his) 🤰🏻
  • healing together ❤️‍🩹
  • quick read ⌛️

The last time Bree ran away, she put the love of her life Mercy in prison. Now that he’s out, he’s got to find her and convince her they belong together so they can both be free.

Bree has been running for decades. Every time she gets into trouble, the River Reapers MC covers her tracks. That’s how she met Mercy, the only man who’s ever loved her, and the reason she’s running again.

Mercy has an ache in his bones that not even freedom can soothe. When Bree disappeared, she put him in prison both metaphorically and physically.

Mercy needs to find Bree and reclaim the home they once found in each other. But Bree is still buckling under the weight of her own prison, and if Mercy doesn’t find her before her past does, she’ll disappear forever.

Catch Up on Part 1

Read part 2: The War Hero

Part 3 begins Tuesday, May 6th! Be sure to join my free email list so you don’t miss a chapter.

You can also become a sponsor for $5/month.

keep bree & mercy for your shelf

Buy the book

Available everywhere books are sold!

catch up on the series

If you’re enjoying this serialized edition of Her Mercy, give this post a like! And if you’re excited for more River Reapers stories, give this post a like for that. 🖤

Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash

Read Her Mercy, Part 1 for free

Part 1 of my standalone dark romance novella Her Mercy is now live! Read this prequel to the River Reapers MC on its own, or as your appetizer for the series.

The last time Bree ran away, she put the love of her life Mercy in prison. Now that he’s out, he’s got to find her and convince her they belong together so they can both be free.

Bree has been running for decades. Every time she gets into trouble, the River Reapers MC covers her tracks. That’s how she met Mercy, the only man who’s ever loved her, and the reason she’s running again.

Mercy has an ache in his bones that not even freedom can soothe. When Bree disappeared, she put him in prison both metaphorically and physically.

Mercy needs to find Bree and reclaim the home they once found in each other. But Bree is still buckling under the weight of her own prison, and if Mercy doesn’t find her before her past does, she’ll disappear forever.

what you can expect

  • standalone novella 📖
  • prequel to the River Reapers MC series 🖤
  • he’s 19 years older 😉
  • second chance romance spanning decades 💔
  • runaway biker bride 👰🏻‍♀️
  • SA survivor heroine 🙌🏼
  • wounded warrior biker hero 🎖
  • surprise baby (it’s not his) 🤰🏻
  • healing together ❤️‍🩹
  • quick read ⌛️

Her Mercy, part 1: The Drifter

Part 2 begins April 8th! Be sure to join my free email list so you don’t miss a chapter.

You can also become a sponsor for $5/month.

keep bree & mercy for your shelf

Shop Signed Paperbacks

catch up on the series

If you’re enjoying this serialized edition of Her Mercy, give this post a like! And if you’re excited for more River Reapers stories, give this post a like for that. 🖤

Photo by Elle Cartier on Unsplash

Book tariffs, pirating my own books, and ways Canadians can still support American authors

In the April edition of author Elizabeth Barone’s reader newsletter, Romance with a Body Count, I share what I’m working on, how we can all support each other during boycotts and tariff wars, and why I’m pirating my own books.

I’m trying to find my footing after all the things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve had to make some big changes.

Romance with a Body Count

Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter

April 2025

Archive: January 2025 | February 2025

My dear readers, I pulled a classic “me.” I meant to send a March newsletter weeks ago, said weeks flew by, and now it’s April! On the plus side, it’s spring. And I’ve got even more updates for you, so let’s dive in.

what I’m working on 💻

I’ve been floundering these last few months, trying to find my footing after all the life-y things life’s been throwing at me, in an industry that’s more tumultuous than ever. With everything going on, I’ve really had to fortify my mental fortress. It no longer serves me to be frozen in anxiety from or reactive to every crisis that arises. Instead I’m focusing on being proactive where I can, and writing rather than worrying I’m not active enough on social media or booking enough appearances.

This means I’m less active on Instagram (Meta sucks anyway, more on that in a sec), my new podcast is on hiatus (at least until Mike and I find a peaceful home), and I’m no longer actively booking events.

I’m still working on Sleeve of Hearts revisions, even though my progress has slowed quite a bit with this latest flare a la peripheral neuropathy. PN really, really sucks! I’ve had it as a “side” symptom for a while, so I’m not exactly new to it, but this is the first time it’s gone full throttle on me, and that I’m not used to. Luckily it usually responds well to my Tylenol, ibuprofen, and cannabis cocktail, except when the New England weather is weather-ing, which is frequently. It responded beautifully to both courses of prednisone I did in March, but I think at this point I need a stronger, longer course. It’s tricky.

With all that said, 2025 is officially a writing year for me, and with everything on, it’s exactly what I need.

book tariffs are coming to publishing
what readers need to know 📖

Unfortunately, U.S. tariffs on books go into effect this week. This means readers could see a drastic increase in cover prices. Right now, indie books shouldn’t be effected at all, since most self-published authors use IngramSpark or Kindle Direct Publishing, and the tariffs are on books printed in China. We could see indie prices increase, though, depending on how well publishers and printers adjust to a forecast increase in demand.

It’s really just my forecast, though, so we might not see much impact on indies at all. Only time will tell.

If you’re interested in the deets, or if you’re an author who might be effected, I wrote a quick blog post about it with some recommendations.

pirating my own books 🏴‍☠️

Since Meta apparently used 15 of my titles to train its AI without my knowledge or consent, I’m pirating my own books.

Just kidding—I was actually already serializing the River Reapers MC series with plans to serialize my other indie romances. Just when I was thinking Should I continue?, The Atlantic published their database of the books that Meta copied, cementing my plans. The RRMC books were sort of a test balloon for me, and now I’ll almost definitely be “pirating” the rest of my books.

Why am I posting my books online for free?

I’ve always offered alternatives for readers on no, low-, or fixed incomes, because I believe reading should be accessible. That’s why I’ve always enrolled my books in library catalogs and why I chose Kobo Originals to publish my first trad series (they’re sisters to Overdrive/Libby, the most widely used ebook distributor for libraries). I enjoyed posting on sites like Wattpad and Radish, where my stories did pretty well if I do say so myself. I was fortunate to be able to set up something similar using WordPress, which also gave me the ability to offer paid subscriptions. Some of my serialized books will be free for all, some will be free for those subscribed to my (free) email list, and some will be exclusively for (paid) Sponsors.

Right now, you can read the first two books in the River Reapers series, and I post new episodes of Her Mercy every Tuesday and Thursday!

I’m also considering reopening my review program. It was wildly successful when I launched it a few years ago. Basically, readers could request a review copy of a book of mine they weren’t able to purchase, no questions asked, as long as they posted an honest review. If you think I should do this again, hit the like button below!

How Canadian readers can still support american authors 🇨🇦

Or, low-key, how American authors can support #BuyCanadian and #BoycottUS 🙌🏼

With all the shots our strangely orange president’s been taking at Canada, it’s no surprise that Canadians are boycotting U.S.-made products and services. In some bookish spaces, it’s getting pretty ugly on all sides. I don’t think any of my readers are like that, but I believe we all succeed when we work together, so I put together some recommendations.

I’m still working on my mega list of ways people can boycott Amazon while supporting authors. It started off as like 10 things and now it’s grown monstrous—a wonderful problem to have, so I’m breaking it into several parts. The first will go out this week, probably Wednesday or Friday.

Leave me an emoji comment if you’re a proud reader! 🇨🇦🇺🇸📚🙌🏼

It’s been a bumpy year, and it’s only April. We will get through this, though, I really believe that. We just have to stick together and get creative. That goes for anything in life, not just dictators and religious crazies. Nothing can get ya when you’re stubborn. 😉

Happy resisting, and happy reading! 🖤

Thank you to March and April’s Sponsors: Katy Nicole, Dee, B., and Lauren!

Become a sponsor for $5/month.
Subscribing to my free newsletter is another great way to support me.

Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash

Her Mercy, Chapter 5

The banging on the door continues, and Bree has no choice but to let Mercy in. Except the woman at the door isn’t him. She might even be worse.

“You can’t hide from me!” She kicks the door, and it shudders in its frame.

She’s strong for such a little thing.

I decide to have some fun with her, and fling the door open.

Catch Up

Part 1: The Drifter

Chapter 5

Now

The knocking continues, even though I’m standing between the kitchen and living room, eyes squeezed shut. As if that’ll make him go away.

There’s not enough time to run upstairs, grab my shit, and slip out the back door. I consider leaving it all behind, but then I’d have nothing. I’ve started from zero before, over and over again. Doesn’t make it any easier.

It’d be easier than facing him after all this time.

I take a step toward the back door, praying it doesn’t lead onto some weird enclosed porch. That’d be just my luck.

“Claudine!” hollers the knocker, who sounds like she’s gargling cigarette smoke.

I tip my head back, relieved. It’s not Mercy. I don’t have to run.

Not yet, anyway.

I peer through the peephole and find a woman who can’t be taller than four and a half feet. Her dishwater blonde hair is set in curlers, which shake as her fist begins beating on the door again.

“You can’t hide from me, Claudine!” She kicks the door. It shudders in its frame.

She’s strong, for such a little thing.

I don’t really feel like dealing with her—or anyone, really—but it would be kind of fun to leave Claudine some kind of parting gift. I decide to see what this woman wants, and fling the door open.

Her fist freezes midair. “You’re not Claudine,” she says, voice accusing.

I glance down at my chest, then raise my eyes to her face pointedly.

“Where’s Claudine?” She peers past me into the living room, as if Claudine is hiding behind the couch.

“She’s . . .” It dawns on me that I have no idea where she is. Neither does her number one fan, apparently. “She’s out. Maybe I can help you.”

“Doubt it.” She shakes her head, a curler precariously close to tumbling loose. “That bitch owes me money.”

“For what?”

“Don’t you sass me.” She frowns, further wrinkling her already leathery face. “Oh, fine, she owes the HOA money, but I’m the treasurer. She can’t avoid me forever!”

I bite my lip to hide the smirk. Claudine’s behind on her condo fees—I’ve found the chink in her sleazy armor.

“I’m so sorry,” I say. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

I glance around and lower my voice. “She’s looking at another townhouse.”

The treasurer gasps, her lip curling. “She isn’t looking at Covenant, is she?”

This is too easy. These bitches are just as trigger happy as the officers in a motorcycle club, if not more. They’re certainly cattier.

I spread my hands apologetically. “I’m afraid so. She said something about lower HOA fees.”

Pinching her face, she turns on her heel and marches away. I can practically see the cartoon fumes coming out of her ears.

Smiling, I close the door and lean against it. That was fun, but probably not very nice of me. Still, the thought of Claudine getting an earful from this woman warms my cold soul and stifles any guilt.

Besides, I’m pretty sure Claudine will have no problem setting her straight. Our history aside, I’ve got to give her credit where credit’s due. And Claudine can certainly hold her own.

I tamp down the spark of admiration. I refuse to respect the woman who destroyed my family.

Not that there was much of a family to begin with.

Thank you for reading Chapter 5 of Her Mercy, a River Reapers MC prequel novella.

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