Changing Chords

Contents Copyright © Kris Vanc 2023 All rights reservedOTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHORTrigger WarningsDedication1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Authors NoteAcknowledgement Copyright © Kris Vanc 2023 All rights reservedNo part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent from the author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be uploaded without the permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is originally published.This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, actual events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters and names are products of the author’s imagination and used fictionally. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. Alpha reader: SaphiraProofreading - Bearly Vanilla ProofreadingCover: getcovers.com OTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHORThe Charlington ChroniclesRootsTempestDominium Tellings of the TimeHidden by HoursMourning the Minutes Seconds to Silence Deserted LiliesChanging ChordsBreaking BridgesElided Endings Trigger WarningsChanging Chords deals with sensitive subjects, such as addiction, near death experiences, attempted murder, drug use, violence, strong language and graphical descriptions of sexual encounters. Everything that happens in this book is consensual.If you can’t handle these kinds of subjects, I suggest you pick another book. Reading should make you happy, not make you anxious, sad, or anything else. If you have questions about certain things before reading this book, ask me for spoilers. I’ll gladly give them. You can reach me at [email protected] care of yourself! DedicationThis one if for all of youwho are fighting past or currentdemons.I see you. 1“Don’t, Nathan,” I beg him, tears streaking down my cheeks, the scorching desert sun burning on my face. His dark eyes look down on me, sitting on my knees on the hard and hot ground in the middle of Death Valley. The name has never been more accurate, because according to the man looking down on me, he’s going to leave me here and drive off on his bike.“Are you willing to reconsider?” he asks me, voice gruff.“I can never get behind you being in the drug trade,” I answer. I should lie. I should lie my fucking face off. Do my morals mean more to me than my life? Am I willing to die for this? He’s going to sell the drugs when I’m dead anyway, so maybe it’s best to let him do it while I’m still alive. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with the hand he uses to hold his gun. “You leave me no fucking choice, Evangaline.”Rage conquers my fear. I try to get up, but the hands that have been tied behind my back make it difficult. So I stay where I am, on my knees, hopeless. “No choice but to leave me in the desert to die? You don’t have to expand by dealing drugs!”“It’s how it is. It’s club business.”That’s what I’ve been hearing for the last two years. Everything is club business. But he chooses to tell me anyway. And now that I want to walk away, because I don’t want to be involved in what he’s about to do, he believes I know too much. I’m a liability. The only liability on this deserted piece of fucking land is him. He rubs a hand over his face, pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. His slumped shoulders imply defeat.“Goodbye Evan,” he says while he turns around and walks to his Ducati Desert Sled. “Don’t fucking leave me here to die! I loved you!”And I did. I did with everything I was, but that’s over now.“That was your first mistake,” he answers, his bike between his legs and his hands fumbling to put his helmet on. “I’ve never put you first. That position has always been for the club. You just never understood.”He revs his engine, looks over his shoulder one last time and drives off, leaving me alone with nothing but endless desert and my time running out.I’ve managed to get up on my feet and I’ve been walking ever since. Which feels like a week ago. But the sun isn’t even starting to set. How long can I survive out here without any water or protection?That motherfucker took me out here first thing in the morning, driving for what felt like hours before we got here, probably making sure I wouldn’t be able to walk home or be saved. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m a goner. There’s no way I’m making it out of here alive. But I’m too stubborn to give up yet. I’ve got a lot of living left to do, but I mostly don’t want to let the overgrown biker mouse win. And at this point, dying would mean he wins. So there’s really no other option than to simply not die.Mind over matter.Whoever said that the desert is empty has got it all wrong. The desert is full of harsh truths, ugly thoughts and empty regrets. I should never have fallen in love with the bad boy everyone warned me away from. But no, I had to go and burn my hands on the dirty blonde, raw biker. I saw the cut, I saw the tats, I knew what they meant. But I also saw the lust in his eyes and the way his ass filled out his pants. And the smell of motor oil and grease sure seemed like an aphrodisiac at the time. Before I knew it I was his girl and I was so