Carey

By Ella Grey

Gambled away to a man she doesn’t know...

All Carey Murphy wanted to do was keep her head down. She counted down the days hoping her father would drink himself into an early grave. All she worried about was when the next beating would come—until the day her father bet her on a game of chance and lost.

After losing his wife years ago, John O’Grady never thought he’d find himself in another relationship, let alone married to a blue-eyed girl with a bruise on her cheek. She was given to him as the spoils of a poker game, and he had no intention of keeping her.

When heated looks give way to passionate kisses, neither of them notices the danger which looms around the corner.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight
• Release date: Sep 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780369504159

Ella Grey

Ella Grey is an Australian writer with a bachelor’s degree and a hunger for romance. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Smashwords.

Book preview

Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2021 Ella Grey

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0415-9

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Audrey Bobak

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To the readers that follow me on this journey.

CAREY

Gambled Away, 1

Ella Grey

Copyright © 2021

Prologue

Carey Murphy couldn’t fall asleep. The apartment was quiet, and those times were few and far between. It was hard to gauge what the night might bring, and she often found herself walking on proverbial eggshells. She never knew what would set her father off, but he wasn’t home. Which meant he was out gambling away money they couldn’t afford to lose. Her mother was in her room. The only time she could get any sleep was when her father wasn’t around. Carey had found the empty bottle of vodka. where it had rolled under the couch. Her mother didn’t care if anyone knew she was an alcoholic, all she wanted to do was to numb the pain.

She looked over the envelopes and the red stamps on them. Overdue. Please contact us. Last Warning. She sighed. Her father’s monthly pension payment was supposed to cover the bills, but he had terrible luck holding on to money. She rubbed her forehead. Her wages from the café wouldn’t cover them. While she had hoped she could spend the night going over university applications, she would need to start calling the companies and agreeing to a payment scheme with him. A stab of anger shot through her. Why did she stay? This wasn’t a life. It wasn’t even close to one.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of the front door being slammed open. Sybil, get out of bed!

Carey got to her feet and opened her bedroom door. She spied her father dressed in a dark-brown suit that had seen better days. Her mother screamed as she was dragged out of bed. The sound of a slap made her flinch. Where is it?

What?

Your wedding dress, you stupid bitch. Where do you keep it?

At the back of the cupboard.

Carey left her room. Why was he looking for that? She pushed open the door to her parents’ room. Usually, she tried to keep out of the way, but the sounds of her mother crying pulled her forward. She had never hated a man as much as she did him. Every time he left, she hoped he wouldn’t come back. That maybe he’d end up in an accident or he pissed off the wrong person. He was pulling out clothes from the wardrobe, throwing them everywhere until he found what he searched for. When he turned around, he held her mother’s wedding dress.

He smirked when he saw her. Good, you’re awake.

The whole room was in a state of disarray. The pale-blue curtains hadn’t even been pulled together. Her mother sat on the bed, knees up to her chest, tears streaking down her face. She shook with such a force, Carey thought she might have a fit. She closed the distance between them, sat on the bed, and pulled her mother into a hug. Then she glared at her father. Hard to sleep. Why do you need that?

It isn’t for me. It’s for you.

She frowned. Why would I need a wedding dress? She didn’t even have a boyfriend. A relationship was the furthest thing from her mind.

He grinned, and a chill went down her spine. Because every bride wants to look her best on her big day.

Chapter One

Carey stood in front of the mirror and tugged at the sleeve of the dress. The heavy, unflattering material wouldn’t have been her first, second, or third choice to get married in. A scoop neckline, with funnel sleeves that barely reached her fingertips. Her mother fussed around her.

I don’t want to do this.

Her mother’s hands stilled. You look beautiful. She stood next to her and held her hand. I knew my dress would fit you. It was like she didn’t even hear her. People always told them they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. The same hair color, except her mother had a few strands of gray, mostly hidden by the near white-blonde. Her own hair had been pinned in an intricate style. A little at odds with the old-fashioned dress. Her mother faced her, cupped her cheeks, and smiled. Her hands were cold against her feverish skin.

Carey took her hands into hers. She needed her mother