Title: The Maw of Mayhem
Author: AK Nevermore
Genre: Dark Paranormal Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Grimdarke James has got problems. As Vice Prez of the Maw of Mayhem MC, he needs to keep his act together, but between the constant threat of his inner cat going feral, and Nikki, one of the motorcycle club’s mollys, blackmailing him, it’s a fine line some days.
Then when an arms deal goes bad, everything goes to hell with it. All fingers point to an old club enemy, a man Grim has reason to both fear and loathe, but the facts don’t add up, and everyone is a suspect… including Grim. Faced with the constant threat of Nikki revealing his past, and his need to prove himself to the MC, the fragile peace he’s made with his cat is threatened.
Out of options and running out of time, Grim sets a bold plan into motion, and the consequences are far more dire than he could have imagined…
Excerpt:
Disclaimer: This excerpt is rated 18+ for the use of swearing like mad and adult situations. If this is a trigger for you, please be forewarned. For the rest of us, enjoy!
Grim’s fingers ghosted over the butt of his gun, eyes on the long sinuous shadow of a lynx stalking from one patch of darkness to another. It was one of their crew, but Christ, this deal, just east of butt-f*ck, had the nape of his neck prickling. Goddamned hills surrounding the warehouse were too quiet, and the fact that the rest of their men were skulking around out there in cat form had nothing to do with it.
Drop shouldn’t be taking this long.
[UNEASE]
His inner cat paced, tail flicking, and damn if he didn’t feel like doing the same.
“Something’s off,” he murmured.
“Clay has it handled,” the brother at his right replied, glancing at his phone, too bright in the moonlight. “Vans just cleared the bridge. Some shit about a flat. ETA five minutes.”
A f*cking flat? Since when did an entire convoy stop for one downed vehicle? Grim flicked his eyes from the road below to MK. The MC’s road captain was too damned calm.
“I don’t like it.”
MK snorted. “You don’t like anything.”
He had a point, but f*ck him. Grim kicked at an outcropping of stone, sending scree rattling down the hillside. F*ck that, too. MK wasn’t worried, why should he be? Down in the valley, headlights sparked into view on the winding road, flickering through the trees. Five sets, following ass to nose.
“That’d be them,” MK said, shoving his phone in his pocket. “Tell that c*nt cat of yours to calm down. This deal’s too big for him to f*ck up.”
—growling—
Yeah, but he’s not wrong, and you’ve been a miserable prick lately. F*ck, maybe that’s why he was so on edge. With all the sh*t going sideways with their supply routes the past few weeks, Grim couldn’t remember the last time he’d let the furry f*cker out.
Oh wait, yeah he could. He was still picking bits of blood off his bike.
[ANGER]
It’s your own damned fault. His cat’s impulse control was for sh*t on a good day, and this wasn’t one of them. “He won’t be an issue.”
MK shot him a look that said he’d believe it when he’d seen it. And that was the problem right there. Too many of the brothers didn’t trust him to keep his sh*t together.
Neither did he.
Grim took a deep breath, fingers raking through his shaggy blond hair. Jesus F*ck, it shouldn’t be this goddamned hard. Clay believed in him, had made him his VP for a reason, despite all the pushback from the club—
Whatever. He sighed, staring up at the moon and wishing— F*ck what he was wishing. Sh*t never worked anyway. He had to take tonight for what it was; another chance to prove he deserved his patch.
And he’d be damned if he let Clay down.
Especially with the problems the last two shipments of arms had run into. They couldn’t afford to have this one go off the rails because of Grim’s cat or anything else, which is why they had a full crew out here. Their supplier was getting nervous, and word on the street was they were looking into other distributors. That meant one of two things; either the cartel was gonna run the risk of transporting over Niagara, or they were gonna back Satan’s Vengeance MC to take over their territory.
Grim knew where his money was. The Niagara route was way too f*cking dicey, and the cartel’s backing was exactly the opportunity those SV bastards had been praying for to push the Maw of Mayhem out of St. Lawrence County. Assholes had a hard on for them even before they’d gotten SV’s piece of sh*t alpha locked up.
Gravel crunched and high beams swung across the warehouse’s bay doors, dust and detritus swirling through the sudden shock of light. Grim looked away, trying to preserve his night vision.
Which is when he saw it.
The quick pulse of LED red, deep in the third van’s rear wheel well as it humped over a rut. The f*ck? Grim started forward, and MK clotheslined him, blocking his progress.
“Didn’t you see that?” Grim hissed.
“See what? You about to blow our position?” MK spat back with a sneer. “Yeah. Why do you think Clay’s got me babysitting your ass out here on the fringe? You’re a f*cking liability—”
“No, asswipe, the tech mounted to the third van,” he gritted out past his hurt. “They got some sh*t rigged—
“Why the f*ck would Cantone mess with his own shipment? Man’s already paid a mint for what’s in those crates. Probably just one of them gangbangers pimpin’ out his cage.”
Grim ran a hand over his jaw, shaking his head. MK was right about Cantone, but the rest of it? Who the f*ck tricked out a laundry truck? Nah. Sh*t wasn’t sittin’ right.
The vans came to a halt and the warehouse’s bay door rumbled upwards. More men than they’d expected exited the vehicles, engines still running. Clay walked out to meet them, hands in his pockets. He paused, then pulled out a toothpick and rolled it to the side of his mouth.
Grim smacked MK’s arm away, jerking his head at their alpha’s signal for impending f*ckery. “See asswipe?” Clay knew something was off, too. MK’s lips tightened.
“Thought Espada was on this run,” Clay said like he didn’t give a f*ck.
A burly man in a skullcap shrugged. “You got me instead. Where’s our sh*t?”
“Depends. Where’s the rest of my money?”
The breeze picked up, redolent with exhaust and motor oil. Grim’s brow furrowed, his lip curling, canines extending. Scenting the air he drew into his mouth… F*ck. He spat the taste from his mouth, eyeing the vans. Make that a sh*t ton of motor oil with a side of nasty-ass BO. The kind humans put out when they were sh*tting themselves about something…
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
AK Nevermore is offering this book for free to all readers. Think of it as a gift to kick off the new year. Isn’t that lovely?
(Free Download) https://dl.bookfunnel.com/49jmdusl2d
It’s a brand-new year, full of possibilities. Did you make any resolutions/goals for 2024? If so, please share one.
My goal this year is to self-publish my Dark SFF Romance series, The Price of Talent. Which is terrifying…
Why is your featured book a must-read in 2024?
The Maw of Mayhem is all angsty anti-hero yes please. Grim was super fun to write, and the back and forth he has with his cat takes inner conflict to a whole new level.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card
Open internationally.
Runs January 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on February 1, 2024.
Author Biography:
AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef and restores antiques when she’s not running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.
Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time, along with copious amounts of copy, and a column on SFF. She volunteers for far too many committees, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.
Social Media Links:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AkNevermore
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aknevermore/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ak.nevermore