Explosive union made boo.., p.1
Explosive Union (Made Book 7), page 1
EXPLOSIVE UNION
BOOK 7 IN THE MADE SERIES
BROOKE SUMMERS
CONTENTS
Copyright
Books by Brooke:
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
Want to know what happens next?
All the ways you can follow Brooke.
Acknowledgments
COPYRIGHT
First Edition published in 2022
Text Copyright © Brooke Summers
All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Edited by Farrant Editing
Proofread by Gem’s Precise Proofreading
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without the prior written permission of the author. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
BOOKS BY BROOKE:
The Kingpin Series:
Forbidden Lust
Dangerous Secrets
Forever Love
The Made Series:
Bloody Union
Unexpected Union
Fragile Union
Shattered Union
Hateful Union
Vengeful Union
Explosive Union
Cherished Union
Obsessive Union
The Fury Vipers MC Series:
Stag
Mayhem
Digger
Standalones:
Saving Reli
EXPLOSIVE UNION BLURB
Never underestimate a woman who’s been hurt… The vengeance she has will be beautiful.
Jade Gallagher has sacrificed more than most for her family. Being sent to prison for a crime she didn’t commit was only the beginning. Five years she spent biding her time and coming up with the perfect revenge plan for those that harmed her while she was incarcerated. Never did she think that when she’d be free she’d end up shackled yet again. This time to a marriage she doesn’t want. For Jade, her mind is only on getting even with those that caused her pain. But her new husband breaks down her walls and gets to her like no other. Can she let him see the true her or will she keep him at arm’s length?
Rocco Gallo knows that he’s next in line to become the head of the Italian mafia in Chicago. What he doesn’t want is a wife that is disobedient and doesn’t know protocol.
Meeting Jade Gallagher turns his well planned life into disarray. The woman gets under his skin. But when he sees a new side to the brazen woman, he realizes just what she's been through. No one hurts his wife and lives to tell the tale. But the men that hurt her aren’t the only ones that this new couple have to watch out for. Old foes are wanting revenge too.
When Jade and Rocco finally give in…. It’s explosive.
For D+A
For always believing in me and being with me every step of the way. Love you to the moon and back.
PROLOGUE
JADE
“Girl, careful yeah?” Shona warns me as she gets up from her bunk, her sweatpants loose around her waist and her t-shirt tucked inside them. She’s missing three teeth thanks to her crack addiction. Usually, she’s as high as a kite. Today, though, she's jittery and scatter-brained. Coming off her high is never a good thing to witness. I like Shona; I just hate that she’s a drug addict who can’t say no to the dealers in here.
She stretches, her back bowed, before she rights herself. “Those fuckers aren’t happy with you being here, and they’re bastards, Jade. Fucking assholes.”
That’s something I already know and don’t have to be told about. I’ve felt the wrath of the correctional officers already. The moment I stepped inside these prison walls I had a target on my back. Being the daughter of the Head of the Clann in Illinois, people view me differently than they do other women. I’m the enemy.
The female COs treat me as though I’m beneath them. That, I can deal with.
The male COs, however, are on a whole other level. They don’t care that my father and brothers are part of the Mafia; they want to show me they're the boss and will do anything in their power to do just that.
The thing is, I’ll never show them the respect they crave. The respect I have because of who I am. The moment I walked into this hellhole, the women flocked to me, wanting me to offer them protection from the gang bangers and drug dealers. I’ve had fights to assert my authority. I’ll never back down and let someone dictate to me what I should and shouldn’t do. I don’t deal with authority figures well. I never have; never will. But these bastard guards abuse their power.
“You listening?” Shona asks, her brows furrowed as she paces the floor.
“I heard you. I know exactly what they are like.” My words are clipped and filled with anger.
Her pacing stops and she stares. “Oh no,” she whispers. “Jade, have they–” She shakes her head, unable to continue.
“Have they what?” I ask, wondering what the hell she’s alluding to.
She bites her lip and glances away. “There are five COs in particular who are the worst.”
“Barker, Rice, Jones, Andrews, and Greaves,” I tell her, and her face pales. “Just what have they done to you, Shona?”
She shrugs. “It’s not just me. They've done it to so many women here. They think they can get away with it.” She runs a shaky hand through her blonde, greasy hair. “The other COs don’t care what gets done to us. As long as they pick up their paychecks, that’s all that matters to them.”
I slide off my bunk, my sock-covered feet hitting the floor before I slide them into my shoes. “Talk to me, Shona. I can’t help you unless you tell me.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t help me, Jade. No one can. The COs here run this place. Just be careful,” she instructs me.
My hand clamps around her wrist, and I stop her from pacing yet again. “I’m not letting you brush me off. What the hell happened to you?”
She wrenches her arm from me, spins around, and throws her arms in the air. Her eyes wild, her lips pulled into a snarl. “They like to rape us, okay? Whenever they need to get their fucking rocks off, they come to us. We can’t do anything except take it.” She slides to her knees and shoves her hand under her flimsy mattress. Within seconds, she’s got pills in her hands.
Great. Just what I need—her high again.
“All of them?” I ask her, and she nods while popping the pills. “At the same time?” Just the thought makes me want to vomit.
“No,” she tells me, as she fiddles with her keychain, the one that houses the pictures of her children. “Just take turns each night.”
Goddammit. Why am I not surprised? This place is fucking awful. The COs and the inmates run it how they see fit.
It’s going to be a long fucking five years.
Coming to this hellhole was to save my brother—my best friend—from losing everything he had worked hard for. Hayden and I are, and have always been, thick as thieves. Growing up, we did everything together. I watched him move up the ranks in the family. He was passed over for positions time and time again, but Granda made it clear. He was expanding and wanted Hayden to be a part of that expansion. The moment the Masters found out about the Gallagher’s plans, they set out to take us down.
Hayden and I went to a bar and ran into trouble. The Masters somehow knew where we were, and they were packing. They shot at us, and Hayden returned fire, killing the youngest of the Masters boys. Within minutes, the police were on us, and I did the only thing I could do to save my best friend. I told him to run, and I took the blame.
I let the water cascade down my hair and onto my back. I let it hit the knots on my back and wash away the grime I feel on my skin.
A door creaks, and it’s followed by heavy footsteps. It’s then I notice I’m all alone in the shower room. Fuck. Why the hell didn’t I notice everyone leaving?
“You stuck up bitch,” I hear Rice growl. “You think you’re better than us?”
“Nice ass. Who knew the Irish bitch had such a great body? I mean, that ass is sculpted. I bet it would be great to spank,” Greaves sneers.
“It’s time to teach this Irish mutt some respect,” Andrews says loudly over the running water.
I’m standing in the shower room, completely naked, surrounded by men.
I’m at my most vulnerable, and these cowards think it’s the best time to try and teach me some respect?
Hell fucking no.
“Respect is earned, not taught. I don’t respect pussies.” I’m antagonizing them, and I don’t
“Hear that, Jones, she’s disrespecting us again,” Barker growls. “What do you think we should do?”
I hear a whirl in the air and duck just as a baton hits the shower wall.
My laughter is filled with angry humor as I turn to see them. I stand tall while their filthy gazes rake over my naked body. “You five sure are cowards. Five against one? Scared I’m going to beat your asses?”
Greaves’ smirk is sinister. “No, you won’t be doing anything of the sort, whore. You’re about to get what’s coming to you.”
I roll my eyes. These men are all talk. Well, all except Greaves. His anger is palpable. His eyes are filled with hatred. This is personal for him. There’s something about me that makes him crazy with rage. Whereas the other men, they’re here because of Greaves. They wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t by his say so.
“So, you’re going to what? Beat me? Rape me? From what I’ve heard, it’ll be nothing new. You assholes take whatever the fuck you want from the women inmates. What’s wrong—you not getting it at home?”
The punch to my stomach winds me, taking every ounce of oxygen from my lungs, and sends me to my knees. I gasp, trying to catch my breath, but those fuckers aren’t finished with me. Not yet anyway.
“Get her,” Greaves growls out, just as I press my hands against the wet, tiled floor, trying to lift myself off the ground. “Teach that fucking bitch some manners.”
The baton hits my spine, and I release a cry as pain ricochets up my back, forcing my face to smash against the ground. Blood fills my mouth as the assholes let their anger loose.
I cry out once again when the baton connects with my head, then a foot is shoved into my ribs, making it hard for me to breathe. Blood seeps from my face and gets washed away by the running water.
I try to lift off the tiled floor, but my hands, slippery from the water, make it tough for me to achieve. I manage to get to my knees—and realize the mistake I’ve made. I’m more accessible for them to get to me. While I was lying with my stomach to the ground, I was only giving them my back and side to target.
The beatings don’t stop. Every single man is in on the act. Punching, kicking, hitting me.
The darkness starts to creep in, my gaze unfocused on the blood that surrounds me.
“This is just the beginning,” Greaves promises me.
I know that what’s about to come is going to be far worse than anything I or my family could have expected.
If Hayden ever found out the truth about what’s happening now, he’d blame himself. That’s the very last thing I want. I just know that when I come out of this fucked up place, I’m going to make every single one of these bastards pay for what they’ve done to me.
Strong hands grip my arms and hold them behind my back. The sound of a belt buckle being undone has me tensing. These fucking bastards. God, they really are the scum of the earth.
I wrestle against the tight hold on me as the fucker gets close to me. The heat of him tells me he’s inches from me.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” Greaves snarls as he grips my hair. “You’re about to learn what happens to those who don’t respect me.”
I grit my teeth and think of what I plan to do to these animals when I’m out and breathing fresh air.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
CHAPTER 1
JADE
FIVE YEARS LATER
Fresh air fills my lungs, and I let it seep in. God, it feels so fucking good to be free. It’s been a hell of a long five years. I’m sure as fuck glad to be able to walk out of here a free woman. I let the feeling of the ground beneath my feet fill me with joy. I’m close to tears. The turbulent five years inside of this hellhole were sometimes more than I could ever bear, but I made it through. I made sure those assholes never saw me at my lowest, and when I could, I gave them as good as I got.
The gates open, and I look up at the sun, loving the way the heat caresses my skin. The slight breeze sends a chill through me, but I don’t care. It’s been too long since I’ve felt this good. The moment I step outside of the gates and out of the prison line, I feel a well of emotion hit me. Tears spring to my eyes, and I breathe deeply through my nose, trying not to let those tears fall. My time will come soon, and I’m ready for it. Not one of those bastards are getting away with what they have done to me. Not fucking one of them. They made the biggest mistake when they targeted me, and I’m going to ensure they’ll pay for every single crime they committed against not only me, but the women in the cell with me. They were for me to protect, and I failed them. Both of them. Shona and Marcy.
I shake my head to get rid of the onslaught of memories. No, I can’t deal with them. Not now.
A car door slams, and I glance in the direction it came from. My heart stutters heavily as I see the man who’s just got out. God, I’ve missed him. His black hair is longer than I remember, and he’s wearing a suit, something I hadn’t expected. Before I was sent away, he was happiest wearing jeans and a tee.
I keep one foot in front of the other as I walk toward him. His bright smile is solely for me, but I see anger and guilt swirling in his whiskey-colored eyes.
“Jade.” His gravelly voice is deep and filled with love.
I give him a smile, so glad to be out and with him. My brother is the best person in the world, and I know I hurt him when I refused to see him in prison. I only saw three people while I was locked up. My cousin Finn, my granda Henry, and my sister-in-law Annemarie. It wasn’t because I love them better, or that I wanted to punish anyone. I didn’t want my family to see how much prison had affected me. How deeply those bastards had cut me; not physically, but mentally. I never wanted Hayden, in particular, to see me. He’d feel the guilt more than anyone, especially as I took the fall for him.
“Hey, Hayden, don’t you look dapper?” I say in jest, and I sigh with relief when I see his shoulders shake and the corners of his eyes crinkle.
“Yeah, well, we have a lot to discuss. But first, come here,” he instructs as he opens his arms.
I don’t hesitate. I’ve missed my brother—my best friend. I sink into his embrace and swallow hard as once again the tears well up. God, I didn’t expect to be so emotional today. I’m usually able to close off my emotions, bury them down and forget about them.
“You doing okay, Sissy?” he questions quietly.
I giggle at him calling me Sissy. It’s something he has been using since we were kids. It used to annoy me, but like all big brothers, he was never going to stop. So Sissy stuck. Thankfully, only Hayden calls me it.
“Better now I’m out,” I reply as my hands slide around his waist and I rest my cheek against his chest. It’s been so long since I’ve had a hug.
“I’d say,” he grinds out as he releases me and takes a step backward, his eyes hard and flinty. He opens the car door for me to get in. “We’ll talk on the way home.”
I climb in and see Hayden’s right-hand man, Cody, up front driving. As soon as Hayden settles in beside me, Cody slides up the privacy screen.
“Say it,” I instruct him. I know he has a lot of shit to get off his chest and I’d rather have him say it now when it’s just the two of us.
“I’m so fucking mad at you, Jade. Fucking furious. Words cannot describe just how fucked up this has all been,” he grinds out, his palms pressing against his eyes. He sounds more like our da when he’s angry. His Irish brogue comes out thicker.
