Sacrificed: Sofia
Sacrificed
SOFIA
TERRI ANNE BROWNING
Copyright © Terri Anne Browning/Anna Henson 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Terri Anne Browning, except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976.
Sacrificed: Sofia
Angel’s Halo MC Next Gen
Written by Terri Anne Browning
All Rights Reserved ©Terri Anne Browning 2022
Cover Design Sara Eirew Photography
Edited by Lisa Hollett of Silently Correcting Your Grammar
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sacrificed: Sofia is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book can be reproduced in any form by electronic or mechanical means, including storage or retrieval systems, without the express permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Contents
The Rocker Universe Timeline Reading Order
Dictionary
Playlist
Prologue
1. Sofia
2. Sofia
3. Sofia
4. Zak
5. Sofia
6. Zak
7. Sofia
8. Zak
9. Sofia
10. Zak
11. Sofia
12. Zak
13. Zak
14. Sofia
15. Zak
Epilogue
Coming Soon
The Rocker Universe Timeline Reading Order
Our Broken Love Collection (Alexis/Reese)
The Rocker Who Holds Me
The Rocker Who Savors Me
The Rocker Who Needs Me
The Rocker Who Loves Me
The Rocker Who Holds Her
The Rockers’ Babies
Angel’s Halo
Angel’s Halo Entangled
Angel’s Halo Guardian Angel
The Rocker Who Wants Me
The Rocker Who Cherishes Me
The Rocker Who Shatters Me
The Rocker Who Hates Me
Angel’s Halo Reclaimed
The Rocker Who Betrays Me
Defying Her Mafioso
His Mafioso Princess
Angel’s Halo Atonement
Angel’s Halo Fallen Angel
Marrying Her Mafioso
Angel’s Halo Avenged
Her Mafioso King
Angel’s Halo Forever Angel
Forever Rockers
Needing Forever Vol 1
Catching Lucy
Craving Lucy
Rocking Kin
Un-Shattering Lucy
Needing the Memories
Tainted Kiss
Tainted Butterfly
Forever Lucy
Tainted Bastard
Tainted Heartbreak
Tainted Forever
Needing Forever Vol 2
Salvation
Holding Mia
Needing Nevaeh
Off-Limits
Sweet Agony
Savoring Mila
Surviving His Scars
Loving Violet
Wanting Shaw
Needing Arella
Sacrificed: Sofia
Sacred Vow
Her Shelter
Cherishing Doe
Heartless Savage
Cruel Surrender
Hating Piper
Dictionary
babochka–butterfly
dragotsennyy–precious
dorogaya–dear one
lyubimaya–beloved/sweetheart
zhena–wife
Playlist
“Every Breath You Take” by Chase Holfelder
“Novacaine” by 10 Years
“Brunettes (Do it Better)” by KIDFORCE
“Consequences (Orchestra)” by Camila Cabello
“Stay With Me” by CHANYEOL & Punch
“Big Girls Cry” by Sia
“Liar” by Like a Storm
“Every Time We Touch” by Jonathan Young (ft. SixteenInMono)
“Never Back Down” by No Resolve
Prologue
SOFIA
Every muscle in my body ached. It was the kind of pain I’d never experienced before, because it came from exhausting, physical work that never seemed to end. From the moment my alarm went off each morning at the crack of dawn, I was up and moving. Whether it was waitressing at Aggie’s, Creswell Springs’ little mom-and-pop restaurant that, surprisingly, served some of the best food I’d ever eaten, working behind the counter at the only garage in the entire county, or handing out beers at Hannigans’, I was continuously busy.
There was barely time to eat in between my three jobs. Some days, I even had to help out at Barker & Reid, the construction company that was so busy they had projects scheduled up to two years in advance. Or at the Ink Shoppe, one of the two tattoo parlors in the small town. It just depended on where I was needed—and how pissed at me Raven Reid was when her feet hit the floor each morning.
This was my punishment.
One that I’d thought was unfair and definitely undeserved when it had been handed out by not only my parents, but Tetka and Raven Reid herself. The betrayal I’d felt when my mom and dad had said I had to come to this backwoods, incest-infested, hick town had been almost too much for me to deal with. If Tetka hadn’t given me the look, I probably would have had a complete meltdown and shown everyone at the wedding reception just how explosive a true tantrum could get.
But the look in my aunt’s eyes had dared me to defy her, and I was anything but stupid. Spoiled? Sure, I’d admit that. But stupid? Fuck no.
After the reception was over, I had to board one of the Vitucci private jets with the rest of the Hannigan-Reid clan, with nothing more than a small carry-on my parents had so graciously allowed me to take with me. I hadn’t even been able to pack it myself. Our housekeeper had been told what necessities I would need and nothing else.
When I’d gotten to Raven’s house and was shown to my room to unpack, I’d discovered that my necessities were just five pairs of jeans, an equal number of tops, and only one pair of shoes—my running shoes. Thankfully, I’d been given plenty of underwear and bras. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if I’d only been permitted a few pairs of panties and the same bra that I would have to wash every day. I didn’t even know how to use a washing machine, but Raven hadn’t wasted time informing me that no one else was going to be doing my laundry. I’d have to do it all myself.
Other than the few changes of clothes, I didn’t have anything else that was mine. No phone. No credit cards. Not even any cash. My parents had taken my purse before I could board the jet and informed me that Raven would supply me a place to eat and sleep, but everything else I would have to earn.
I’d never had a job before. If I was being honest, I hadn’t even considered what career I would pursue. What was the point when I was my father’s princess? I had a very cushy trust fund that would be mine the minute I turned twenty-five, and until then, he and my mother paid my credit card bills. How could they expect me to go from living a life of leisure to being some barmaid in redneck central?
Yet that was exactly what they wanted, and for the past week, that was all I’d done.
At this point, I was sure even my hair hurt, along with every other part of my body. When my alarm went off, I cursed the damn thing and slappe
d my hand down on top of the old-school digital alarm clock. Turning over, I pulled the covers up over my head and closed my eyes.
This place sucked even worse than I thought it would. All I did was work, work, and work some more. I had no time for fun. Most of the guys I’d seen so far were hot, but they were all in that stupid motorcycle club. An all-male club only brought one picture to my mind, and that was all of them sitting around sucking one another’s dicks. Which might have been a hot fantasy—if they weren’t such jerks to me.
Every person I’d met looked at me like they were better than me, glaring down their noses as if I was some foul-smelling pest. It was hilarious, because no one was better than me or my family. They were the peasants and should have been bowing at my feet. Serving me a slice of Aggie’s Death by Chocolate cake or champagne at Hannigans’. Instead, I was forced to bring them their food and drinks or schedule maintenance appointments for their shitty vehicles at the garage.
The door to my room slammed open, startling me. The next thing I knew, the blanket was jerked off me, and I was looking up at a pissed-off Raven Reid. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders, and her nostrils flared as she glared down at me. “Get your ass dressed and downstairs in five minutes. You’re going to be late for your shift at Aggie’s.”
“I’m taking the day off,” I informed her, rolling over in an attempt to find a more comfortable position. But that was pointless on the lumpy mattress.
“You are, huh?”
“Mm-hm.” I yawned. “I might take tomorrow off too.”
I felt the bed dipping beside me, and then suddenly, I was on my back, Raven practically straddling my body as she gripped my face in one hand so I couldn’t glance away. The look in her olive-green eyes reminded me of how Tetka’s baby blues could drill through to my soul, causing me to gulp.
“You are not here on vacation, princess,” she sneered. “You’re here to learn how to be a decent human being, something your parents forgot to teach you while they were spoiling your worthless ass. And lesson number one comes with the bonus of learning how to be a hard worker. Now, you have four minutes to get your lazy ass out of this bed and ready for your shift at Aggie’s. Or tonight, you won’t have this nice, cozy bed to sleep in. I’ll have my son take everything out of this room except for that alarm clock and a sleeping bag.”
She released my face and backed off the bed. “I only have the summer to teach you how the real world works, Sofia. Hopefully that’s enough time to teach you some respect and responsibility, but I’m hoping to instill some empathy in your cold little heart along the way. If that means I have to do it the hard way and make you earn the right to sleep on a mattress, then so be it.”
“I hate you!” I screamed at her, sitting up.
She merely grinned down at me. “I’m not too fond of you either, princess. Three minutes. Time’s ticking away.”
My screech as she walked out the door, leaving it open, could be heard throughout all of Creswell Springs.
* * *
Picking up the two plates loaded with eggs, bacon, and pancakes, I turned—only to run right into the idiot who was standing directly behind me. The food spilled all over my top before the plates crashed and shattered on the floor at my feet.
“You idiot!” I yelled, swiping my hand over my yolk-and-grease-covered breasts. “Do you watch where you’re going, or do you wander around aimlessly like the brainless twit you are? Should you even be allowed out around people unsupervised? Fuck, you’re so stupid this is the only job you can get in this stupid-ass town.”
The kitchen suddenly grew so silent I could hear the ticking of the old, round clock that hung on the wall a few feet away. That was my first clue I’d just fucked up. Then I lifted my gaze from my broken plates and ruined shirt to find Quinn Hannigan, my boss when I worked at Aggie’s, standing in front of me. The two sides of hot maple syrup had landed on her own shirt, and she just stood there, staring at me with a mixture of emotions on her face that made my stomach feel oddly twisty.
I saw anger in her pretty eyes, but nothing that came close to the wrath I saw all too often in Raven’s eyes. The anger, however, was overshadowed by a combination of remorse and…shame?
A pan slamming down on the stove behind me made me jump just as I opened my mouth to apologize to Quinn. A strong hand grabbed my wrist and jerked me around to face the giant blond with those damned typical Hannigan-green eyes. The look on his face reminded me of his aunt Raven, and I gulped as he lowered his head to get in my face.
Kingston Hannigan wore a pair of dark jeans, a white T-shirt, and a grease-splattered apron over both. His blond hair was short, and like his many cousins, he was nice to look at. Hell, I would have even said drool-worthy, if he weren’t such an asshole to me all the time.
“Listen up, city princess. I don’t care who your family is. If you ever—and I mean fucking ever—talk to my momma like that again, I will—”
“Kingston!” His mother snapped his name before he could finish the threat, but there was no need for him to say the words. I got the message loud and clear from the glitter in his eyes. “Get back to the grill. We have customers who want bacon that isn’t burned.”
“But, Ma—” he complained without even taking his eyes off me.
“Now, Kingston,” she commanded.
With one last frosty look at me, he turned on his heel and stomped back to the grill.
It was only once he was out of my personal space that I realized I was shaking. This was all-new territory for me, having someone confront me without my team of security there to back me up. From the moment I became a Volkov, I was never without a half-dozen guards—unless I snuck out of the house. Yet even then, someone was always following me. My parents had known me too well and had made sure that even when I was breaking the rules, there was a safety net in place to keep me out of trouble.
But now, I was completely on my own.
As my heart pounded away in my chest, I mentally advised myself to keep my sharp tongue quiet before it was ripped from my mouth by a pissed-off momma’s boy. Bending, I started to pick up the largest pieces of broken plate, only to slice my thumb open on a sharp sliver of cheap imitation porcelain.
Above me, I heard a soft sigh, and then Quinn was there, taking my hand in hers. Fingers callused by decades of hard work cupped my own as she inspected the bloody digit. “It’s just a scratch,” she advised in a gentle voice. “Let’s get you bandaged up.”
Still holding my hand, she straightened. “Kylie, could you take table eight’s food out while I get Sofia cleaned up?”
The plump waitress gave her a grim nod. “Sure thing, Quinn. Take your time. I’ve got this handled for the moment.”
“Thanks, honey. This will only take a few minutes.”
Quinn guided me down the hall to her office. After closing the door behind us, she urged me to sit behind her desk and then grabbed a first aid kit. Without a word, she disinfected my cut and then pulled the small sliver of fake porcelain from the wound before bandaging it. The entire time, her touch was soft, tender—just like my mother’s always had been when I’d gotten hurt as a child.
Once she was done, she pulled off the disposable gloves she’d put on to take care of my thumb and tossed them into the wastebasket beside the desk. Straightening, she crossed to a small closet and started sorting through the stacks of shirts inside. Grabbing two, she returned to me.
“Here,” she murmured, handing me a fresh shirt in my size. When I only sat there staring at her, she placed it on the desk and changed out of her own stained top for a clean one. The action ruined her ponytail, so she pulled it free of the holder and began to redo it. “I realize it must be hard on you. Living with people you don’t know. Thousands of miles from your family. Expected to do things you’ve never had to do before.”
The understanding in her tone made me look down at the shirt still lying on the desk. It was hard, but the worst part of all was that it felt as if my parents had abandoned me.
All my life, I’d never experienced that emotion, not even when I found out I was adopted. How could I have possibly felt like something was missing when I had the perfect life with Adrian and Victoria Volkov as parents. Hell, even having Theo as a brother had been kind of perfect. Although he was a jerk at times, I still loved the dickhead.
Mom and Dad had said it was for my own good, but it was hard to see where they were coming from when all that was in front of me were people I hated and a community I detested. Whatever lesson they were trying to teach me could have just as easily been taught in New York, damn it.
“But Sofia, this is all part of growing up. You have to learn that sometimes the only person you can rely on is yourself. Not Mommy and Daddy. Not their money or the privilege that comes with their name. The real world isn’t easy. It can be downright cruel at times. And if you aren’t prepared for it, then sweetheart, it will eat you alive.”
I lifted my chin, but the glare I shot her didn’t feel nearly as chilly as I wanted it to be. “I’m a Volkov. I know how dangerous the world is.”
“I’m sure you do,” she agreed with a nod. “But danger isn’t the only thing you need to be prepared for. And if you pay attention, then maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be prepared for all the true ugliness that is out there.” She gave me a sad smile. “Perhaps if we do it right, you’ll leave here not being part of that ugliness.”
Hurt hit me hard in the chest, causing my anger to spike. “Are you calling me ugly?”
“On the outside, you’re beautiful. No one would ever dare deny that,” she said, her voice ringing with sincerity. “But the inside is covered by an ugliness that will rot the whole world if you’re not careful. Especially your own.”