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  DOWNFALL

  THE COMPLETE SERIES

  BOOKS 1 - 3

  EDIE BAYLIS

  First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Athame Press.

  All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

  Copyright © Edie Baylis 2019

  The moral right of the author has been asserted

  Front cover design Copyright © Athame Press/Edie Baylis 2019

  Front cover photography: Adam Radosavljevic/Shutterstock

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to any real person, living or dead is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  e-ISBN 978-1-9998110-6-8

  Athame Press

  Unit 13230 - PO Box 6945 – London – W1A 6US

  Contents

  About the Series

  Until the End of Time (Downfall Series #1)

  Escaping the Past (Downfall Series #2)

  Vengeful Payback (Downfall Series #3)

  Thank You!

  More from this Author

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  ABOUT THE SERIES

  Firstly, this is a series by Edie Baylis so it won’t be a fluffy, happy-ever-after typical story. If you’re easily offended or faint-hearted this will not be the sort of book for you. But then it might be... Some say it’s REALLY dark, other say it’s not THAT dark – it all comes down to your personal perception.

  The Downfall Series consists of three books and is NOT suitable for anyone under the age of 18. The hero and heroine in these books are not your average couple: they do bad things. Really bad things. The thing is, they’re not bad people – just messed up and they live in a way which the vast majority of us will never experience (probably just as well...)

  Their love is obsessional and dangerous. They will do anything to ensure no one gets in their way. What has become normal for them and for the majority of the people who surround them, is not typical for anyone possessing a sound mind.

  Their story is not a normal one. Far from it.

  There is lots of violence, sex and an equal amount of strong language in this book. There are also subjects that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

  The Downfall Series contains:

  UNTIL THE END OF TIME

  Dive into Seth and Jane’s train wreck life, where drugs, alcohol and obsessional love means this downright dangerous pair will do anything to ensure nothing gets in their way.

  They do bad things. Very bad things and their promise to love each until the end of time turns into a war against each other.

  A war neither of them can win.

  ESCAPING THE PAST

  Things have changed and everyone has got on with their lives.

  Well, not entirely...

  Embroiled in a bitter feud between two rival firms, it is clear that not everyone is who they proclaim to be.

  The net is closing in and some things just can’t be changed.

  VENGEFUL PAYBACK

  There is something missing. Something very important and no one is above suspicion.

  Past vendettas are gaining pace and it is vital that whoever is behind this never-ending stream of cleverly engineered payback is discovered before it is too late and everything held dear is ripped apart.

  WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE DOWNFALL BOOKS:

  5 stars - “...I was completely fascinated, disgusted, and in awe of the story as it hurtled toward one hell of an ending...”

  5 stars - “...a rollercoaster of a book...”

  5 stars - “...Brutal... vicious... shocking... A cataclysmic novel of life in its most raw form...”

  5 stars - “...I couldn’t help but think of Seth and Jane like the couple in the movie Natural Born Killers. Which, at the time was a pretty controversial movie, much like what I think this story is as well... I love how the author did not hold anything back. The story is in your face, every messed up thing you can think of is probably written in the pages...”

  5 stars - “...if you aren’t afraid to dive into a world of sex, drugs, and violence, you’ll love this...”

  5 stars - “...all three instalments would make a great movie...”

  5 stars - “...Totally addictive...”

  5 stars - “...I am very impressed by this author and their ability to write a book that was like a mobster movie...The characters were real, believable and raw... Shocking twists and turns...”

  5 stars - “Dark and impossible to put down...”

  5 stars - “The interweaving of characters and their schemes throughout the plot was masterful...”

  5 stars - “...Amazing read... Whatever you are doing, please continue...”

  5 stars - “...well-written, fast-paced, gripping...”

  5 stars - “...On the edge of your seat...”

  UNTIL THE END OF TIME

  DOWNFALL SERIES #1

  EDIE BAYLIS

  First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Athame Press.

  Paperback edition published in 2018 by Athame Press.

  All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

  Copyright © Edie Baylis 2017

  PART ONE

  A friend in need’s a friend indeed

  A friend with weed is better,

  A friend with breasts and all the rest

  A friend who’s dressed in leather.

  A friend in need’s a friend indeed,

  A friend who bleeds is better,

  My friend confessed she passed the test,

  And we will never sever.

  Pure Morning - Placebo

  ONE

  1991

  DEBBIE DIXON FUMED AS she stomped into the small kitchen of her grubby first floor flat. Accidentally kicking an empty tin of cat food on the floor, it rolled into the corner and came to rest against a pile of cereal, plastic tubs and jumbo packets of toilet rolls. She stared miserably, realising that getting a staff discount on top of the special offers at the supermarket was sadly the only bonus of working in the crummy place.

  Scowling at the dirty plates and sticky glasses that were piled in the sink, her pudgy nose wrinkled and she pulled the waistband of her faded black leggings up over her ample backside. The fucking dump was driving her mad. Like everything else.

  As Debbie squeezed into the small hallway and shuffled past piles of dirty clothes stacked against the skirting board, she sighed and self-consciously yanked her pink T-shirt down in an attempt to cover the rolls of fat on her belly. Getting distracted meant she’d forgotten to get herself a drink. She must be losing the plot. Damn him and damn that fucking freak whore too.

  Giving up finding anything clean, she poured cider into one of the less offensive glasses before sitting her heavy frame down on the leather sofa in the lounge. She glanced at her watch and smiled. She’d got half an hour before she was due to meet Ned for a special delivery which she certainly didn’t want to miss because this one would sort her life out once and for all.

  Absentmindedly kicking a pair of dirty knic
kers across the carpet, Debbie picked up a purple plastic-framed mirror from the coffee table and peered at her reflection. Even though she plastered the mascara on, she’d been cursed with short and straight eyelashes and they ended up looking stupid, rather than devastatingly lush like the eyelashes of that psycho bitch.

  She glugged down a second glass of cider and pulled her hair back. Focusing critically, she turned her head from left to right in the mirror and eyed the flat mousy mess. At least she looked like a real woman though, not some freaky plastic doll.

  Against her will, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jane and inwardly seethed because the name she hated more than anything was bouncing around in her head. Ok, so Jane was pretty and thin, with curves in the right places, but she was still a fucking freak. And a psycho.

  Opening a packet of biscuits, Debbie angrily crammed some into her mouth and shook with rage. She HATED Jane-fucking-Ellerton.

  Debbie would be the first to admit she’d been systematically trailing Seth Wright for over two years and had been crazy over him since the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Tracy kept on that he was bad news and to leave him alone, but what did she know? Tracy might be her sister, but that didn’t give her the right to tell her what to do, did it? She scowled angrily. She knew full well Seth was a hard case, but that was what she liked about him. A proper man, rather than a wimp.

  She’d hang around the bar at the Ten Barrels every night he was working instead of sitting with her mates, but despite her repeated offers of meeting up, he’d never agreed. Apparently he didn’t do relationships. That was fine. She’d happily take a few rounds with him. After all, once he’d sampled her, he’d be back for more.

  A frisson of excitement ran though Debbie’s body as she imagined running her hands through Seth’s long hair and peeling the clothes off his muscly six foot three frame.

  All things considered, she’d thought she’d been in with a very good chance. Until he’d got with that bitch. Not into relationships? He could have fooled her. Him and that bloody Jane were joined at the hip.

  Smiling sarcastically, Debbie popped the last biscuit into her mouth. After tonight it was just a matter of time before she could put her plan into action and then everything would fall nicely into place.

  Glancing at her watch once more, Debbie hefted herself off the sofa. It was time to meet Ned.

  SITTING IN THE PASSENGER seat of the white Transit, Seth impatiently glanced at his watch. “What time did Phil say this bloke would be here?” he muttered, getting more and more agitated.

  Digger shrugged his huge shoulders and mindlessly strummed his thick fingers on the steering wheel. “Any time now.” He glanced at Seth and even in the gloom of the twilight could see the green of his eyes getting darker, which always signified danger.

  Seth sighed and slipped a pill into his mouth. He swallowed it dry and continued getting himself in to the zone. He needed to get this wrapped up quickly because there was a party on tonight and he wanted to spend some time getting drunk first.

  Looking out of the window, he trained his eyes on the alley between the two ramshackle buildings that led into the car park where they were waiting and weighed up the surroundings. He decided the corner between the half-derelict remains of an old shop would do just nicely. It was out of the way enough should someone else be stupid enough to wander into the car park whilst he was delivering what was needed.

  Sparking up a cigarette, Seth took a deep drag and tried to regulate his breathing as he pictured what Jane was doing in the interim. She’d probably be up the Ten Barrels getting drunk - which was fine, as long as that was all she was doing.

  Clenching his teeth together he tried to remain rational. In his minds’ eye he visualised the long tendrils of her dark wavy hair running down to her waist and his muscles tightened thinking of her blood-red lips. The lips he immediately wanted to crush his mouth onto. He’d felt exactly the same way ever since the moment he’d first clapped eyes on her and admitted his feelings for the woman scared the shit out of him because he could barely control himself.

  Seth sighed resignedly, wondering why he had to be so totally, utterly and crazily in love with Jane. It made him weak and he didn’t like it. Spiralling out of control feelings could make him careless and he was getting on quite nicely at the moment.

  Aside from his bar job, he knew over the last few years he’d developed a damn fine reputation for his ability to sort situations out and was getting more and more in demand. The cuts he took from the money he collected were gratefully received, not to mention the extras. Smiling, he patted the large bag of coke in his pocket that he’d got as a bonus from yesterday’s job.

  Before Jane had steamrollered into his life a year ago he hadn’t given a flying fuck about anyone and he didn’t want emotions getting in the way. The trouble was, he knew there was no way he could be without her. He wanted to marry her for God’s sake. He’d asked her twice now, but she’d laughed each bloody time. In fact, why wouldn’t she marry him? Did she want someone else?

  “Here he is!”

  Digger’s gruff voice snapped Seth from his thoughts and without another word they both pulled their sawn-offs out from under their seats.

  THE SHORT MAN WITH no discernible neck and a long scar running across his face was taken by surprise when seemingly from out of nowhere he was jumped and unceremoniously dragged around the side of a building. He barely had time to react before he was thrown roughly into the battered remains of a shopping trolley by a six foot four bloke built like a brick shithouse, sporting a short Mohican. To his horror the other man, who was almost as tall with long curly hair and a feral expression across his face, delivered a swift kick to the side of his jaw, shattering it on impact.

  “You owe people some money don’t you?” Seth roared, sneering at the man on the floor as blood, bits of teeth and saliva poured from his shattered mouth.

  Digger stood to one side and watched Seth jump astride the man and tighten one hand around his throat whilst pointing the sawn-off at him with the other.

  “Well?” Seth screamed. “Cat got your tongue?”

  The man’s piggy eyes darted frantically from left to right, trying to avoid staring down the barrel of a gun six inches from his face. “I-I’ll get you the money,” he stammered. “I know I’m late with the payments and I’m sorry....”

  Eyes wild with rage, Seth jumped to his feet. Keeping the gun trained on the man’s face, he grinned savagely, his teeth flashing brightly in the moonlight. “Let’s just say we’ve been sent to pick up the money you owe. All of it.”

  “Please don’t kill me,” the man wailed as panic wracked his being. “I’ll get it. It’ll all be there!”

  Digger leant over the man’s shaking body. “I don’t think you understand dickhead. We can’t wait. We need it now, plus interest....”

  The man shook his head as much as he could muster. “I-I can’t. I don’t have it.”

  Seth grinned. The prick was lying. Phil had told them this twat was on his way back from a lucrative deal and had the readies on him. The fuckwit didn’t have the nous to realise it wasn’t the best idea to walk through the back streets with three grand burning a hole in his back pocket. Especially when he was late with loan payments to the wrong people. Still, that was this moron’s problem, not his.

  “You must think we came down on the last fucking branch you silly cunt!” Seth roared, moving the barrel of the gun away from the man’s face and stopping at his kneecap.

  Realisation dawning, the man attempted to sit up, his eyes pleading through his ruined face. “No wait! Wait! I....”

  “Too late! You’ve lost your chance to walk away from this decently now,” Seth growled.

  A high-pitched wailing noise emanated out of the remains of the man’s mouth as one and then the other kneecap was blown away.

  “Go through his pockets,” Seth muttered. He needed to finish this. The fucking screeching coming from this prick’s gob was setting his teeth o
n edge.

  Holding the writhing, screaming man down with one beefy hand, Digger grinned as he extracted the wad of cash from a back pocket. Phil would give them a nice cut from this. He stepped away. “The money’s here. Let’s go.”

  “Ok”, Seth winked, then swiftly unloaded the gun into the man’s chest.

  Digger raised his eyebrows questioningly. What the fuck was Seth doing? They’d got the money hadn’t they?

  Seth smiled coldly. “What’s the problem? His wailing was getting on my nerves ok?” Without a second glance at the man on the floor, he began walking. “Let’s get a move on. I need to go and find Jane.”

  Sighing, Digger followed Seth back to the van.

  TWO

  JANE PARKED IN AN IMMACULATELY pruned flower bed in front of the large, imposing white house and got out of the car whilst Seth retrieved a crate of beer from the boot. They entered the house through an open door into a kitchen sporting polished granite countertops that were littered with piles of bottles, cans and lines of coke.

  Jane wandered out of the room past a large bong that was smoking silently on a snooker table. Someone lay next to it, naked apart from an afghan coat. Seth leant against the wall and watched her flit around the room. He loved looking at her, especially when she didn’t realise he was watching.

  Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the ringing tones of a sitar playing from the top of the range stereo piping music into all rooms via built-in speakers, Seth’s brows furrowed together. He knew how he felt, but for all his bravado even after a year together he was still unsure how Jane felt about him and it was playing with his mind. Cutting two lines of coke on the worktop, he quickly sniffed one and then beckoned her over.