Depravity Delivered

Table of Contents Depravity Delivered Copyright Mission Mercenaries Other Series in the Same World Synopsis 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 Social Media Links OTHER BOOKS FROM MARIE JAMES Depravity Delivered A Mission Mercenary Novel Marie James Copyright Depravity Delivered: A Mission Mercenary Novel Copyright © 2023 Marie James Editing by Marie James Betas & Ms. K Edits EBooks are not transferable. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental. Mission Mercenaries Lessons Learned Mistakes Made Bridges Burned Depravity Delivered Redemption Refused Other Series in the Same World Cerberus MC Blackbridge Security Ravens Ruin MC Hale Series Synopsis The job I took was personal for my boss, but my abduction quickly made it personal for me. There’s no forgiveness for the things they made me do to her. It would be easy to point fingers, but what about the part of me that liked it? Something triggered that sickness and left me needy. I made a choice to protect her when I could, but the need to hurt her again is always in the back of my mind. The crazy thing is, I see that same darkness in her eyes when she looks at me. If we survive captivity, there’s still no guarantee we’ll survive each other. Prologue Ayla 4 months ago “You have that same disappointed look Mom always had.” “I do not,” I argue, looking away from my sister because I know exactly what look she’s referencing. “You’re annoyed with something, and your face says it all.” Alani stares at the side of my head until I face her. I don’t respond immediately because I know if I share what’s annoying me, she’s going to remind me that she’s an adult, and I can’t coddle her for the rest of her life. “It’s nothing,” I assure her with a quick smile rather than telling her that I know she left out the fact that she’s in a coed dorm rather than one with all women. She narrows her eyes at me, the same blue as mine, sparkling with the almost too-bright overhead lights. I want to growl in irritation when some bro-dude yells about partying twenty-four seven in the hallway. “I know how important this is for both of us,” Alani says, the direction she’s taking shocking me. She clasps my hand in hers, and the kind gesture makes my eyes burn. “It’s college. I have to be here. I promise I won’t get into trouble or skip classes. I know there aren’t extra reserves in the bank to cover me if I fail.” Her voice begins to clog with her own unshed tears. “I won’t let you, or them, down. I promise.” Them. Our parents. The sting of their deaths is still raw even three years later. I have a million things I’d like to say. I can count at least a hundred mistakes I’ve made over the last couple of years as her guardian. A hundred things my parents would’ve handled differently had they not died in a car accident when I was twenty. But in a way, I was still a kid then too, thrust into adulthood and asked to raise a fifteen-year-old girl because letting her go anywhere else was out of the question. I don’t regret it. Do I wish my parents were alive every single day? Of course I do. We both deserved more time with them. “You have a long drive ahead of you,” Alani reminds me. “Trying to get rid of me already?” I give her a smile, but I can’t handle much more than a twitch of my lips. “If you cry, then I’m going to cry,” she warns. I blow out a harsh breath, trying to get better control of myself. I know I can keep calm in front of her. It’s something I’ve mastered in the last couple of years. She didn’t need to see me cry when life got to be too much. It wasn’t her fault that the stress of making sure she was taken care of and nursing school was almost too much to handle. We got through it then, and we can get through it now. Her leaving for college was supposed to make things easier, but I’m certain her being four hours from our home in Plano will only increase my anxiety level. “I’m going to need more lemur stuff,” she says, changing the subject, something she has always been good at when the topic of conversation got too serious. “Did you see that girl in the hallway? Everything she brought with her was white, black, and purple.” “I’ll keep it in mind for Christmas.” Just the thought of having to wait until the holidays to see her again makes my skin crawl and my throat threaten to close. I know she chose Lindell University because she needed a break. I know there were times I was more than