Beyond Black & White Book 5: Tarek
Author
A. Duncan
Reads
179K
Chapters
40
Tarek Quinn has always been the loud one—the playful twin with a wicked sense of humor and absolutely no filter. But behind the jokes is a man fiercely loyal to the people he loves.
Karden Ritchie is his complete opposite. Controlled, powerful, and destined to become the next Don of the Southern Syndicate, Karden carries the weight of an empire on his shoulders.
They shouldn’t make sense.
But when Tarek finds himself falling for a man whose future is written in blood, he discovers Karden may be the one person capable of seeing past the laughter to the man underneath.
Tarek is the chaos. Karden is the control. Together, they might become something neither man is willing to lose.
Chapter 1: Prologue
TAREK
It’s the wink that does it for me. Most people think it would be a tight ass that turns me on, but it’s the wink.
You can tell a lot of things about a man from his wink alone. The confidence one has. The experience…the expectation. That wink alone will tell me exactly what he wants by the end of the night and how much I will enjoy it.
I’m usually here alone, but tonight…tonight my family is here. They’re here, and my heart is full. Ellery is my only blood relative. My twin sister, to be exact. But everyone else…they’re my chosen family. Because sometimes your closest family isn’t always through blood.
I look over at all of them still laughing, and I smile. King, who rarely shows emotion himself, has that rare laugh we all love to see. He’s looking at Rook holding the golden axe we won like it’s an Oscar. His arm around Laken. The woman who not only reads him like a book but is the only damn person who can talk to him in a way that would get everyone else killed.
Poor Kallie. The damn woman is hanging on to Bishop like they haven’t been on a date in years. Those two are made for each other. If destiny gets her way with anyone, it is with those two. I expect them to be fucking in the back of the car on the way home. Bishop is one kinky fucker. I admire that in him.
Then I look over at my best friend. The one who makes my sister happy. He doesn’t realize it yet, but Rook would give his left nut just to make her smile. Ellery dropped that playboy to his knees, and now he won’t let her go. All hardcore men until it comes to the women they love. All close as brothers can be behind closed doors.
The mafia nobody ever sees.
Acceptance is the name of their game. They don’t question the decisions they make. They learned that life is too short to live on regrets and remorse. And they refuse to turn into the man who almost broke them all. The one whose darkness still runs through their veins.
Because I have never had to be anyone but myself with them. Never had to explain. Never felt uncomfortable. Never felt unwanted. They aren’t just here to see Rook make a fool of himself. They are also here to support me. I know if anything ever happens, all I have to do is make one phone call.
They may be darkness personified to many, but this is my family.
“Damn, you looked hot up there on that stage.”
I look up to see a nice-looking guy. Dressed in worn jeans and a tight shirt. Nothing wrong with that. Until I make it back to his face. I can’t help my reaction. The sudden grimace that takes over my whole body.
“Is there something wrong with your face there, friend? Because I’m starting to wonder if I need to call 911 or buy you another drink?” I ask, confused.
“Aww, you’re one of those who don’t like to be winked at. I get it,” he says, laughing, taking another sip of his beer.
“No…let’s be clear. I enjoy a fabulous wink if used correctly. You, on the other hand, look like a mixture of a stroke and picking your teeth. Have you ever seen yourself wink? Pretty scary stuff,” I tell him.
He stands there frozen for a second like he can’t believe what he just heard. Then his face changes from a friendly look to one like he smells shit on the bottom of his feet. He looks at me from top to bottom and back.
“Fuck you.” He finally spits at me.
“Not in this lifetime. I have wink standards. Excuse me, now there’s a wink,” I tell him and walk away to the one who knows how a wink is supposed to go.
Because I see him in the crowd. Watching me and waiting. I feel my heart rate spiking already because this is my chance. It might be my only chance. It’s what I’ve been looking for. The one who stands in wait. Comfortably lingering until his turn. The one who watches the crowd and waits for our eyes to meet.
And then winks.
It’s quick, practiced, and precise. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He doesn’t mind using patience because he knows by the end of the night it will be worth it. It’s an adrenaline rush all the same.
We meet over by the bar, and he hands me a drink Tova, the bartender, just slid over to him but doesn’t immediately let it go.
“So, is the lumberjack yours?” he asks.
I look up at the man I’ve been waiting to see. Sutton has been the one who has eluded me for months. The man sure knows how to wink. But every weekend I see him leave alone. So disappointing.
I’m told he is picky about his hookups. That he looks for a specific type of man. One who won’t catch feelings and is okay with a few kinks. If I knew where the sign-up list was, I would be at the top of the page. I empty my glass in one swallow before I answer.
“No. He’s my best friend. Rook belongs to my sister. Such a shame too.” I shake my head. The man is sinfully hot. You ought to see him walking around our house with only a pair of low-riding jeans on…barefoot.
“Not really. I was more interested in Superman, myself,” he says.
My eyes snap up to his. I look up at him and raise my eyebrow. He’s forward, that’s for sure. He reaches over and takes my empty glass, along with his, and sets them on the bar. I now look at him with questions in my eyes.
“So, tell me, Tarek, your place or mine?”
