Crime Novels

Razor's Edge (Underworld Kings) Read Free *************** Chapter 1 ELLISON “I really don’t understand why we’re moving so far away.” I’d repeated the same statement every hour of the last eight during our drive cross country. One day my dad came home and announced he’d gotten a huge promotion and we would be moving. Police Chief. South Vale: AKA, Ellison, somewhere you’ve never heard of. No one asked if moving was what I wanted, no one cared I’d be leaving the only home I’d ever known, not to mention, every single memory of my older brother. Those I couldn’t get back once they were gone. Starting at a new high school in a new city with absolutely no friends ranked high on the list of the worst things that could happen to a sixteen-year-old girl. That, topped with moving away from the only community I’d ever known, made me feel like my life was over. My parents didn’t even acknowledge my question, for them, the bottom line was that my father would be making more money. “Fresh start,” was all they kept saying. It really didn’t matter what I thought. It seemed to me like they were running from the pain. We pulled up to our new house, a quaint Cape Cod that would be very picturesque if I wasn’t in such a shitty mood. The medium-sized grey house with a white picket fence, a giant yard, and cute blue shutters framing all the windows might have lifted my spirits if it hadn’t already felt like a dungeon. It was much nicer than our old house—presumably, this was the kind of house any girl would want to grow up in, but I wanted all of my old and familiar stuff back, including my brother. My life in Hartford was like a pair of worn-in shoes, comfortable, reliable, you knew exactly what to expect and how they’d make you feel. Now I was in uncharted territory and I was alone. Ever since Adler died, half of my heart had been missing. He’d always protected me and made me feel safe. Now I was walking into a new life I didn’t even want to be a part of. Calvin “I’m going over to the new neighbors’ place. They have a boy around your age, maybe you want to come with me?” My mother suggested while standing beside me holding a warm casserole. I’d been in the house all weekend and my reclusiveness was driving her crazy. She was used to my older brother, Fox, who set her bar for normal. Normal to my mother being a boy who stayed out all night getting into trouble. The fact that I preferred to read and would rather play my guitar at home than go out on a Friday night, seemed to disturb her. That was a normal expectation for being the offspring of the president of a motorcycle club and his old lady. My mother had always been attracted to danger, she liked the fast life and found her niche with my father and his crew. My dad’s whole persona screamed criminal. He looked like an ex-con and the only reason he wasn’t in the slammer was that his club always took the fall for him—the perks of being president. They probably couldn’t figure out how they ended up with a kid like

Adrian's Vengeance (Mafia Heirs 1) Read Free I'll kidnap her before she says I do.ADRIANShe’s sweet, innocent, beautiful, and she’s going to be mine no matter what.Mafia princess Marzia De Luca made me a promise when we were children.She broke that promise. Now it's time to teach her a lesson.Marzia thinks she's going to celebrate her arranged marriage at a masked ball.But this party is the perfect opportunity for me to kidnap her.It’s time for me to show her that my love... means pain.MARZIASince I was a little girl, I've been in love with him - dark, twisted, menacingly handsome Adrian Bernardi.But my father, the mafia don, decided I'd marry someone else.Except I don’t want to marry the other man. I only want Adrian.I pray for help, asking Adrian to save me.But saving me means taking everything from me.Adrian’s Vengeance is the first book of the Mafia Heirs series. Adrian and Marzia's story begins in Broken Promises. This is a dark mafia romance. *************** 1 Adrian Eleven years ago "Hey, it's the outcast! Outcast, reietto!" Laughter follows the cruel words, filling the streets of the docks with its melodic tone. I grit my teeth together and do my best to ignore the mean boys like papa told me to. But they're determined to be heard, especially one of them, the one who hates me the most. When I look up from the water, a boy a couple years older than me is standing above me, smirking down with a disgusted expression. Like I'm nothing but trash. Quickly, I raise myself until I'm standing up and we're facing-off. I can take Vitto. I don't care if he's a Donati. He's got nothing on me. "Got a problem, cazzo?" I hiss at him. He curls his lips up in disgust. "Dirty mouth on a dirty kid. What are you doing here, Bernardi? I thought I told you and your brothers not to come to the docks anymore." "You don't own the world, Donati." We face off and he smirks at me. He knows he's got a one up on me. He may not owe the world, but his family owns the docks, which makes them royalty in Palermo, and he knows that as well as I do. "You're treading on dangerous ground," he grinds out. "Watch your step around here, reietto. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself. This is a dangerous place, especially when someone like me doesn't want you here." "Fuck you," I hiss. "You don't tell me what to do." "My papa tells your papa what to do, though," he smirks at me. "And he won't like hearing about this one bit." I stare at him sullenly, knowing full-well how right he is. Papa did tell me to be on my best behavior while he went for a meeting in the offices here at the docks. He won't be pleased to know I acted out. Again. I swallow thickly, knowing full well I can't fight this boy. But dio, the temptation is there. I want to smash his face into the dirty ground. "So, reietto. You better get the fuck out of here before I make you." Vitto steps forward, his face a menacing snarl as he advances on me. "You're nothing but trash, Adrian. You're not even a real Italian. Papa told m

Logan (Filthy Rich Alphas) Read Free *************** Prologue The Good Boy Logan W hen I was a kid, I would run around with a cardboard sword. I’d drawn skulls at the center of its brown papery blade and used red marker to represent the blood of my enemies. Growing up with five little sisters would do that to a boy. “Mom, I’m going out to play.” I bounced my ball, excited to hit some baskets. “Take your sisters with you.” I turned to her and pleaded. “Aww, come on, Mom!” “You’re the oldest.” And then she gave me that look, the one that said I better shut it. So, I always dragged myself back into the house, put my ball under the bed, grabbed my cardboard sword, and took my time gathering each one of my sisters. Celia always needed help finding her damn left sneaker. It was always the left one, never the right. Once, I’d tried to glue it to her foot while she was sleeping, and Mom went ballistic. Celia and I looked the most alike, both dark haired with green eyes and tanned skin. Reece and Rina, the twins, always held each other’s hands and waited for me outside—always the dutiful princesses, happy to make their big brother’s life easier. They were the only blondes in the family. Meanwhile, my other sister, Patricia whined about having to go outside. She was always stuck between the pages of a thick book and despised things like fresh air, human beings, and the sun. Then, there was my baby sis, Monica who always jumped her tiny self on my back and made horsy sounds. “Charge, horsy, charge!” Monica always roared. “Yeah. Yeah.” I would roll my eyes. “Hold on so you don’t fall off.” “You would never let me fall, horsy!” And then I would leave the house pouting and surrounded by pig tails and pink bows, headless dolls and stinky little fingers holding my hands. Happy, Mom would always stand in front of the door, watching us and giving me that special smile—the one that made me feel like my sacrifices were all worth it. “There’s my little man. You’re such a great prince. Don’t forget to watch out for them.” “Yes, Mommy.” “Always stay around them.” “Yes, Mommy.” When I turned twenty, Mom passed from cancer. I still had that cardboard sword, although it was crumpled, and the red skulls appeared faded and rusty brown. Presently, it was nailed to the main wall in my man cave. “Don’t forget to watch out for them.” And sometimes when I looked at that sword, I wished Mom had told me to protect her . She’d worked too much. We had lived in a house that looked like a mansion, but it was nothing of the sort. Eight bedrooms, five baths, and a small pool house. There had been no staff, just my mother cleaning and cooking, mopping and dusting, constantly with something in her hands, tired and stressed.

Taken For A Debt: A Mafia Romance (The Taken Duet 1) Read Free *************** Chapter One When you wake to a hand over your mouth and more hands tugging on your elbows and ankles, dragging you out of bed on a night with no moon, and your first thought is, not again… Well, it might be time to start thinking seriously about the choices you’ve made in your life. I didn’t have time to do that right that minute, though. I started kicking and squirming and biting. My head jerked back so hard from a slap it took me several seconds to confirm my neck was still in one piece. “We’ll have none of that,” growled a voice I was sure I’d never heard before. “How do you think you’re going to fight three of us off when there’s nobody to come to your rescue?” Not just opportunist criminals, then, as if the fact that the security alarm wasn’t screaming and they were coming for me instead of raiding the house didn’t give it away. They knew my parents were away, and they’d taken every other precaution to make sure nobody else would know what was happening to me. Too professional to be an ex-boyfriend and I didn’t deal with the sorts of guys who had money to spend on hired goons: basically, I had no idea who these men were. That meant it wasn’t safe to just let them take me… but as they lifted me, raised my arms over my head, wrapped my wrists and ankles fast and began to carry me off trussed like a pig ready for spit-roast, I realised I didn’t have a choice for the moment. The men moved me out of my own bedroom like I weighed nothing, a shiver running through me as I floated barely dressed down the hallway, down the stairs towards the back door that led into the yard. There, my head turned for reasons I couldn’t make sense of at first. Something about a shadowy corner had triggered my subconscious… Not something, someone. I felt a strange calm fall over me, and took the opportunity to start taking mental inventory of the men I definitely knew were there. Two carrying me and the third helping to guide them while he kept one hand over my mouth as much as possible… yes, that man had lied to me. There were four of them who had come for me, and maybe it was convenient for them to let the one who wasn’t taking direct part in my kidnapping remain in reserve, in the shadows. Did he know me? Was he avoiding getting too close to me so I wouldn’t notice? Whether familiar or a stranger, it seemed likely he was the mastermind, the one who could stand back and watch while others got their hands dirty. And once I was whisked away to a location of his choosing… I would find out what he really had in store for me. Chills ran through my body. A few years ago, I was kidnapped by a boyfriend who’d flipped out because… well, I was a flirt back then and I messed with boys’ heads as a hobby, so I was probably asking for it a bit, but how was I supposed to know he was going to go off like that? Anyway, I’d learned my lesson when it came to teasing men. There’s no safe level. But though I’

Convict Me (Broken Heroes 1) Read Free The day I meet Hero Miller I know he’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. Sheltered and raised around no one but my family all my life, his darkness draws me in. He was raised with violence, it oozes from deep within him. I was raised by the bible my naiveness to save him proving just that. He scares me and excites me all at once. He’s obsessed and guarded. He protects me and hurts me. He pushes and I pull, but only because he doesn’t think he’s good enough. His warnings are clear. He tells me about his past, and the people he’s killed. He tells me about the things he wants to do to me…about the things he will do if I stay. The goodness in me wants to cure the stain of dark on his heart, but I’m not strong enough. The closer I get to Hero the further I get dragged into his darkness and eventually it starts to swallow me whole. Murder. Crime. Money. Sex. It surrounds us, and when Hero’s past comes barreling towards us it won’t be him that pays the ultimate price..it will be me. **This is book one in the Broken Heroes Series. It contains a happily ever after and is a complete standalone. It contains dark themes such as dubious content, sexual themes, violence, and swearing.** *************** Chapter One Hero I tap the pencil on the notepad so furiously, it’s about to give way and break in half. Where is this stupid tutor girl? I glance down at my phone to check the time. Fifteen past six. She was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. Every minute I sit here, it makes me more irritated, more impatient. This small room with its bare walls reminds me too much of the prison cells I spent the last seven years in. The seconds tick by slow. The walls feel like they’re closing in around me—inching toward me like they are about to swallow me whole. Not only am I one of the oldest students here, but also one of the dumbest. Thanks to the lack of proper education the justice system provided me with, I could barely pass my classes. If it hadn’t been Mom’s wish for me to go to college, I would get up, walk my happy ass right off campus, and never look back. I’m not here to make friends or kiss ass. Half the things I’ve seen and done, these assholes wouldn’t be able to handle. Death. Murder. Pain. Grief. These people have no idea the shit-balls life could throw at you. The door handle to the room jiggles, and I sneer at it. I should just get up and walk out of here. I’m sure the girl isn’t going to be coming anyway. “Hi! I’m so sorry. I got lost, then…” The words I intended to speak pause in thin air. All my irritation and anger disappears, replaced with something else—something I’ve never felt before. It’s an emotion I can’t quite pinpoint. Instead of focusing on it, I take in the tiny woman before me. She has fragile features, soft, doll-like. Coal black lashes frame her big blue eyes, and those eyes…fuck, they’re fixated on mine, beckoning me onward. Her coffee-colored hair is braided over one shoulder. It look

Fatal Obsession: The Black Widows Series #2 After a hot weekend with a mysterious woman, Damien Chan did not expect to get a frightened phone call from her, begging him to save–what? who? The call is cut before she says it. The next thing he knows, he’s become obsessed with finding her and saving her from the man that had led to their first meeting. But he never expected to find her in his cousin Dale Carson’s house… as his wife! She finds out her nightmares are actually memories of her past life… the life of a murderer. Could she truly be the deranged Ellsa Jabari who'd almost added her own sister Ellie to the list of people she’s killed? Amnesia can be a real bitch! *************** Chapter One Summer 2006 Damien Chan pushed his sunglasses to the tip of his nose to give his eyes a clear view of the beauty that had just crossed in front of him on the other side of the pool. He hadn’t expected—well it was Miami and seeing beauties pool side was the norm of each day but this one... there was something special about this one. He could tell by the way she walked in her six inch strapped sandals that exposed perfectly pedicured toes and sturdy ankles. There had to be a secret to balancing in those neck breaking heels and look so mouth watering doing so. He never understood why women tortured themselves trying to look taller, but he gained a whole new appreciation for the neck breakers. His eyes travelled up from the silver charm anklet that sat seductively around her ankle, up her caramel stiff shaped calf that spoke of how fit she was. Damien loved a woman who kept fit. Nothing jiggled and she had a combination of tight and soft in all the right places. His eyes journeyed up to her thighs—Damien smiled to himself—toned and jiggle free. Just the way he liked them wrapped around his waist. Her thighs rounded up into a perfect ass partially exposed by the white swimsuit she had on, but tastefully covered by the see through thigh high robe that rode slapdash on her shoulders. The bottom of her swimsuit had golden circular hoops at both sides of her waist bone, clearly the only things holding the bottom pieces together. Very Victoria Secret like. Damien shifted uncomfortably on his lounge chair. The bottom half of her had him so hard already, he had to raise his knee to hide the evidence. She turned around, giving him a back view of her body. He wished she would— “Yes!” he whispered with a discreet air punch. The flimsy robe slide down her arms so fluidly, like a gentle caress and pulled at her waist before she tagged it completely off and tossed it on the lounge chair. Damien had never felt so jealous of a piece of clothing before. What he would give to be that robe! Her back was exposed, except for the thin straps that tied behind her neck and across her back to hold up the swimsuit. She had what looked like a delicate back, the outlines of her shoulder blades were visible and so was the hollow deep between that led to the round curve of

Soulless Knight (Sins of Knight Mafia Trilogy 1) Read Free There’s a price for power and I’ve paid it.No matter the cost.We were young when we met.I thought I could protect her from the world.Shield her innocence from darkness and evil.I believed what I felt for her could take down anything in our path.Even our fathers.But I was wrong.I learned my lesson.We’re not kids any more.Now I have an empire to run and there’s only one thing standing in my way.Kennedy.She’s not the girl she used to be.The woman is more gorgeous than ever and has a tongue laced with vengeance.The ruthless world has opened her eyes.She sees me as the threat I’ve become—her enemy.She calls me the devil.She’s right.But she’ll give the devil his due.Because I always get what I want, and I never stopped wanting her.**Soulless Knight is the first in the Mafia Billionaire Second-chance Enemies to Lovers Trilogy.**  *************** Part I 1 Kennedy I didn’t like new places. I pressed the tortoise glasses against my nose to block the light. It was invasive and unwanted. I scooted lower in the bistro chair, slouching under a palm frond. The shade was hit or miss on the outdoor patio, but it was too crowded inside. I wanted space. Quiet. I wanted to wallow in the feeling of isolation. “Thank you,” I acknowledged the waitress softly when she delivered my espresso. “Anything else?” she asked. “No.” I winced. My head hurt as I lifted it to take a sip. I was paying the price for the party I attended. I didn’t make good decisions in new places. I dug through my designer bag for ibuprofen and swallowed a few tablets with the coffee. My phone chirped, but I didn’t look at the screen. I couldn’t. There were probably pictures. In fact, if I closed my eyes long enough and remembered exactly what I had done, I could see the cell phones freely snapping shots of me. I didn’t care then. I only somewhat cared now. My phone chirped again. My eyes moved to the two men posted nearby. I couldn’t go to a damn coffee shop without my father’s detail. Their heads leaned closer together and one of them whispered. Shit. The taller one walked toward me. “It’s time to go,” he announced. His hands clasped in front of him. I saw the blunt edge of his weapon when his jacket was pulled to the side. “I haven’t finished my coffee,” I argued. “It’s your father,” he replied. “You can bring the coffee with you.” “I’d rather drink it here.” I didn’t want to acknowledge my hangover to him, even though he had noticed it. It was his job to notice everything about me. “That’s not an option.” His voice was flat without emotion. The second suit had already walked inside the bistro for a to-go cup. He returned, dumped my espresso in it, and handed it to me. I glanced to my right. The couple next to me stared. They must have been tourists. Surely, the locals were used to mob boss’s daughters being dragged through the city against their wills. I didn’t know New Orleans well. I didn’t know how to read people here yet. No one in Ph

Violent Delights (White Monarch 1) Read Free *************** Prologue From my bedroom balcony, I danced to the upbeat mariachi music coming from the parade in town. Street fireworks popped and crackled to a soundtrack of trumpets and violins. I couldn’t see much beyond the fortress of olive trees surrounding the compound. They’d been planted after my first birthday party, when my father had been shot at in the backyard while holding me. The sicario had hit an inflatable bouncy castle instead, trapping kids inside and inciting a mob of screaming parents. That was what my best friend had told me, anyway, and Diego would know, since his parents had ordered the hit. I waved to one of the guards, who tipped his AK-47 to me. I was supposed to be at the Day of the Dead parade now, honoring the deceased. Diego had promised me two slices of sugar skull cake if I went early and got a good spot, but since Papá was out of town with half his security, my mother didn’t want me leaving the premises without her. And as important as every man around here acted, she was the neck that turned the head of the Cruz cartel. I went back inside to see why she was taking so long, twirling through the maze of hallways so the colorful, floral embroidery of my floor-length skirt ran together. Almost an hour ago, my mother had been nearly ready in an off-the-shoulder, white, green, and yellow dress with a red ruffle along the bottom. She’d pulled her hair back with silk, orange marigolds, and I’d stood on a stepstool to clasp her necklace, a starburst with gilded chains heavy enough to sink a small ship. “We’re missing the parade,” I called as I skipped down the corridor, my woven leather sandals clicking on the tile. I rounded the corner into my parents’ sunny bedroom, tripped, and landed in a puddle. A pair of combat boots stopped in front of me. I raised my eyes to meet the cold, distant gaze of a man dressed in all black—Cristiano de la Rosa, a high-level member of my father’s security team. “Get out of here,” he ordered. “Now.” Cristiano was all brawn, beast, and towering height with opaque eyes to match his hair. Based on the stories Diego had told me, people feared his older brother, but I had no real reason to. Though their parents had been enemies of ours once, Cristiano and Diego had been on our side for eight of the nine years I’d been alive. Plus, Mamá had always told me—go to Cristiano in an emergency. He would protect me. But something was off. He didn’t like me being here. In one of his large, powerful hands, he held an army-green duffel bag. In the other, a solid black gun. Then, there was the blood—on his pants, splattered on his shoes and hands. And on mine. Warm and sticky between my fingers, soaking through my fancy skirt. Not even its metallic smell could mask my mother’s signature perfume. I looked over my shoulder. I hadn’t tripped over my own two feet, but hers. Mamá was lying on her back. Sunlight glinted off the large, gold necklace she’d bought for

Midnight Days (White Nights 2) Read Free *************** 1 Kate The full impact of the last twelve hours only hits me when Alex Volkov’s private plane comes in for landing over St. Petersburg, Russia. I sit up in the double bed where I’ve been sleeping and look out the round window that’s next to the bed. The sky is a magnificent thin, winter blue. Far below, a city is mapped out on the ground. Judging from the increased pressure in my ears, we’re dropping in altitude. I check my watch. It’s seven in the morning in New York City. That makes it two o’clock in the afternoon in St. Petersburg. The side next to me is undisturbed, the sheets unruffled and the pillow undented. There’s no sign of Alex. When he ordered me to bed, he was in the middle of a hushed, intense discussion with the guards who boarded the plane with us. The usual guys, Igor, Leonid, Dimitri, and Yuri, were there, as well as a few new faces. Has he been working all night? A knock falls on the door, startling me from my thoughts. “Kate?” a gruff voice calls from the other side. “We’re landing shortly.” Igor. I have a good mind to tell him to go to hell, but it’s not his fault I’m locked in here. Taking my anger out on the guard won’t help. He knocks again. “Did you hear me? You have to take a seat and buckle up.” I rub my eyes in an effort to clear the lingering grogginess. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed.” “You have ten.” I suspect Alex slipped something into the juice he insisted I drink with my dinner. My sleep was almost comatose. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been too apprehensive to drift off after the events of last night. Last night. A shiver creeps over me at the memory. After someone delivered my hospital access card to Alex’s house, he had our bags packed in a hurry. Despite my protests, he bundled me into his plane and took me away from my home, my job, my mom, and my friends. For several months maybe. He delivered the blow with reserved regret but unstoppable determination, telling me in no uncertain terms that I no longer have a choice. It’s nothing short of a kidnapping. Yet that’s not the most troubling thought at the forefront of my mind. It’s the knowledge that someone wants Alex dead. After the failed assassination attempt in New York, his life is still at risk. I thought—I hoped—that whoever shot Igor gave up when they didn’t succeed, but the card delivery indicates otherwise. Whoever is after Alex is going to try again and is willing to do whatever it takes, including using me to get to Alex. Not only am I a liability to him now, but my life might also be in danger—and Alex refuses to go to the police. He thinks they can’t help, and maybe he’s right. Other than my card going missing for a few hours, we don’t have any evidence of foul play. Also, there’s the possibility of corruption. I didn’t consider that before, but it’s not uncommon, especially where the Russian mafia is concerned. Alex’s business dealings aren’t exactly clean. What a freakin

Top-Notch & Unruly *************** In Riverdale District, the doors of a prison slowly opened. Bradley Jackson waved goodbye to his friends in the prison before walking outside in large strides. After he lifted his head, he narrowed his eyes as he allowed the bright sunlight to shine on his face. Feeling as though centuries had passed in the prison, Bradley looked excited and agitated. “I’m finally free.” Five years ago, when he just graduated high school, he was accepted into a famous university. However, at a class gathering, a drunken Jeff Sulley wanted to rape his girlfriend. Initially, Bradley merely wanted to stop him, but Jeff smacked him with a beer bottle and attacked him with a knife, leaving a few wounds on his body. Under those urgent circumstances, he had stabbed Jeff in order to defend himself. However, none of his classmates would testify for him after that. Even his girlfriend, Natalie Tucker, also lied, saying that he was fully responsible for the fight. Why? It’s just because I’m a poor bloke who came from the countryside! It’s because Jeff’s family is rich! Natalie Tucker, Jeff Sulley, just you wait! I will never let you go! Bradley silently swore to himself. However, no one would have imagined that he had received a lot of knowledge transfer in the prison, from Cultivation methods, medicinal knowledge, to Feng Shui and charts. He had learned a lot. Throughout the five years in the prison, he had already assimilated all the knowledge he learned, and he even successfully introduced Qi into his body. He believed that he would definitely lead a glorious life through the knowledge that he received. At this moment, two different voices reached his ear. “Brad.” “Bradley!” With a jolt of his body, Bradley looked into the distance and saw his mother and younger sister waiting for him on their family’s old trishaw. At that instant, tears welled up his eyes as he immediately kneeled before his mother. “Mom.” The longing and guilt he had for them immediately turned into tears. “My son.” His mother, Janice Carlson, also couldn’t stop wiping tears off her cheeks. “Brad, let’s go home.” His sister, Emily Jackson, helped him up. “Alright. Let’s go home.” With that, Bradley went into the old trishaw with his mother and sister. Seeing his aged mother and plain sister, he swore once again to let his family live a good life. “Brad, what’s on your mind?” Emily’s voice interrupted Bradley’s train of thoughts. Bradley merely smiled. “Nothing. Just slightly wistful that you have grown into a beautiful young woman.” Just as what he said, the eighteen-year-old Emily had a slim waist and a beautiful figure, looking quite attractive indeed. She had small lips and a straight nose. With her hair tied up into a ponytail, she looked quite innocent with her clear, wide eyes. “Gee, thanks, Brad!” Emily blushed, looking shy. “You’re now in your senior year, right?” Bradley asked. With that, both his mother and his sister looked slightly unc

Wife For Him (Volkov Crime Family 3) Read Free Blind date? Try blind wedding.I’m about to marry a total stranger—and find my mafia princess.Lifting Cora Leone’s veil is the hardest thing I’ve ever done—and kissing her is the easiest.All we need to do is show the city that our marriage is the real deal and the alliance between our two families will hold. Unfortunately, she hates my guts, and her cousin forced her into my marriage bed.I never knew I wanted a bride, but Cora’s changing my mind one night at a time. Too bad her broken past makes it impossible for her to open up.She’d better try, or else she’ll fight me to the grave, and bring both our families down with her. An old rival resurfaces and wants to destroy everything we’ve built—and he’ll succeed if she can’t learn to work with me.I’ll tame her, take her, keep her safe, and show her how a true mafia man fights and falls in love.Get ready for a wild ride! Cora’s got a backbone but too bad Reid knows what he wants and will do anything to get it. Wife For Him is a steamy possessive romance with no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed HEA. Enjoy!! XO BB *************** 1 Reid When I first met Cora, she was wearing a wedding dress. It wasn’t how I pictured our first meet-cute but this wasn’t an everyday situation. Don Vincent, the acting head of the Leone Crime Family, stood at the front of the church with a wicked smiled and a midnight-black suit. The head of the Volkov Crew and my current boss, Hedeon, stood on my side in the traditional best man’s spot, which was more than fitting—considering he orchestrated this entire wedding. The pews were filled with made men, their wives and girlfriends, and a few kids. I knew everyone on the Volkov side—men I’d known all my life and the crews they worked over, men I considered brothers, best friends, family. The Leone side was a little bit sketcher, but there were a few faces I recognized, like Dante, Luca and Steven, guys that were legends in the city’s underworld. They gazed back at me impassively as I took my position up at the altar and nodded at Hedeon, who gave me a big grin in response and clasped my arm. I hoped he was happy. He’d better be, since this was the last thing in the world I wanted—but when the crew asked something of me, I always stepped up. Soft voices echoed through the huge marble church. I glanced over at the stained-glass windows, at the statues of Jesus, at the opulent columns that ended in elaborate carvings along their tops and had to admit that Catholics had pretty damn good taste in art. White, pink, and light blue flowers bloomed along the edges of the pews and a light gauzy fabric hung from the ceiling, casting gentle shadows over the assembled killers. The priest was an old dude decked out in that fancy robe—I wasn’t sure it was called, unfortunately I didn’t pay attention the two or three times I went to Mass when I was growing up—and his hair was a shock of white that stuck out from his skull like he’d been ele

Gio Read Free *************** What the fuck did he do now? The question that defines my life. With an addict as a father, it’s a question that plagues my days, because it’s always something with him. “Uh, excuse me?” I try to grab the attention of the tall brute of a man that is currently wreaking havoc on my apartment. My belongings are scattered around the place. Items I’ve collected lay in broken pieces by my feet. I know the drill. Debt collectors will terrorize and threaten you and all you hold dear in order to get the money they’re owed. Somehow, I always become the person they come too. My father is notoriously hard to find and even if you can get your hands on him, he’s broke. Every dime that touches his hand is gambled away or traded for a bottle faster than you can blink. Still, he claims he’s not an addict. So they come to me, the only one in my family with a semblance of a life and any sort of money in my bank account. Sometimes they threaten to break my bones, but that normally doesn’t get my father to pay. It works better for them if they threaten me instead. They break things, promise to kill my brother or my father. Threaten to harm me. They toss around all kinds of threats, all of the promises if they don’t get the money their owed. The man in front of me raises a challenging eyebrow. It says do you really want to fuck with me? I don’t, but the problem is I don’t even know what he owes, where he is, anything really. My father, Danny Byrne, disappeared ten months ago and I haven’t heard a word from him since. Honestly, it was better this way. I’ve made peace with it. He’s not my father really, I have to believe that if a man loved his children he wouldn’t have treated us the way he did. Suddenly I’m more aware of my size. I feel small next to this giant, and it doesn’t help that there are two others somewhere in my place. I hear them tossing things and yelling back and forth even though I can’t see them from my place in the living room. I’m strong and my muscles have been getting better since I started working at the nursing home. I can lift patients into beds, tubs, and showers with little assistance, but these men are stronger. It’s evident by the ripples of muscle, and even if they weren’t strong, they’re much larger than me. I’ve learned that fighting doesn’t work with these guys, at least for me. I have a much easier time using my charm, the little I have than if I try to act tough. I don’t think my blonde hair helps my case if we’re being honest. Men try to collect from me and see a weak, skinny, blonde girl. They don’t care to see what’s behind those appearances as long as I pay them. “I was just wondering what you’re looking for? My father’s not here.” I say in a sweet, non-threatening voice. A voice that says, don’t hurt me, I’m just a girl. Like I said, these men prefer my charm. “I don’t give a fuck about your father.” He chuckles, taking a box of photographs from the bookshelf and dumping them out on the floor. This i

Beast's Demands (Crude Hill High 3) Read Free Hmmmm…..I really didn’t expect this! This book was a struggle for me to reach the end. I had a Love and Hate it relationship with this book. The book had a great synopsis, but it was just Muah! You have Earl Valentine who is known as the Beast in the underworld. He deals with everything a crime lord can get his greedy little fingers on. This book was not really my favorite, because it was based on Earl who wanted Ashley with a passion and he sees her as his property. I also didn’t like the fact that Earl is paying Ashley for her virginity. Earl was very demanding and didn’t really see Ashley as young woman with her own mind. It’s like he was the King and Ashley was a peasant. Honestly, their relationship did not mesh well. I believe these two should not have been together at all. Earl should have been matched up with a stronger female who doesn’t take Earl sh*t! Ashley was given to Earl to protect her friend Emily and to settle a debt. Ashley is quiet and is conflicted. She wants to comprehend why she is falling for her abductor. Throughout the story towards the middle, we do show Ashley getting a backbone and standing up to Earl. It was too much by this time, the back and forth. This book was well written, but it did not live up to its potential. It was missing something…and it’s a 3 – star read for me. *************** Chapter One Ashley I wasn’t used to being important. All my life, I’d been told how useless I was. How I’d destroyed my mother’s figure. Stopped her from finding the perfect man. How men didn’t want a woman with a kid. Before we moved to Crude Hill, I either hid out in my old bedroom when she had guests or left. I’d spent many nights camped out at a park, or down by one of the lakes while she pretended to be a single woman. I did all of that out of love. I loved my mother. So much. She was the worst and best person in my life. I loved her more than anything. Then he came along. A man with smooth words, and within a matter of months, we’d gone from living a life of struggle to luxury. He was a married man with a family. He didn’t require me to leave. Knew all about the daughter, and for a short time, everything was perfect. Or as perfect as it could have been. He’d told me straight, I wasn’t going to get anything out of the arrangement that he wasn’t willing to give. While he had my mother eating out of the palm of his hand, he had a whole host of other plans for me. Strange how life turned out. The same man who held the threat of my life over my head was the same man whose daughter I befriended. I didn’t do it on purpose. Emily was … everything. She was the best friend I never had before. She didn’t have to stick up for me, but she did. She was the first and last person to put her life on the line for mine. It was because of her that I was alive. Staring across my room, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the door. I had no choice but to focus on something. I would be sick if I didn’t.

Stolen Lies (Fates of the Bound 2) Read Free *************** Chapter 1 The only flaw in Lila’s plan was Tristan. Again. She cast a not-so careless eye toward the LeBeau militia gathered at the base of the auction house stairs. The dozen women and men tugged at the collars of their formal uniforms, the sweaty fabric chafing in the muggy afternoon. The LeBeau coat of arms, a scorpion with its stinger poised to strike, had been stitched in lavender on the breast of their summer-weight blackcoats, cut in ankle-length cotton rather than leather. The group chugged bottles of ice water, a balm against the late October heat wave, and fanned their coats to reveal tranq guns underneath. One of the militia whispered something. They all chuckled before separating once more to pace. As the chief of her family’s militia, Lila had been party to such jokes for years. It was likely a barb against the paparazzi, or the so-called press behind the stanchions. Microphones in hand and cameras at the ready, they stood at attention while their flashing bulbs captured the scene. Of course, the joke might have been aimed at the heirs who flowed up the silver-carpeted stairs toward the auction house, wilting under their finery. Predictably, the highborn had ignored the weather. The heirs wore their autumn dresses and well-tailored long coats while the men panted in their vests and coats and breeches, their cravats tied and pinned at their necks. Everyone wore their family colors. The highborn sparkled with jewels and sweat as they ran the gauntlet of press and photographers, vainly dabbing at their foreheads between photos and interviews, desperate to enter the cool lobby and the ballroom beyond. And they all suffered. All except Lila. She’d visited the family tailors, insisting they alter a dress from the year before. Obligingly, they’d scissored off half the blood-red fabric and dyed a pair of gloves to match. After all, she had to hide the stitches and bandages that crisscrossed her palms. She’d earned them the weekend before when she’d been trapped in the middle of a riot. Of course, few people knew the real story. She’d told everyone she’d been in a motorcycle accident. So far, everyone believed her. The other highborn stared at her dress, half jealous, half grumbling that her clothes too closely resembled last year’s fashions. Her tailors had been clever, though, expertly tying together the trends. The bodice of her backless dress hardly covered her breasts, and the silken skirts barely brushed her skin. The slit had been cut as high as was proper, allowing for a delightful breeze between her legs. She’d balked at the matching gossamer coat, but it might have been woven by magical spiders, for it didn’t stifle her in the slightest. With her dark hair set in tumbling waves and her makeup perfectly applied, she looked a great deal less like a militia chief and more like the eldest heir to one of the richest and most powerful families in New Bristol, and perhaps all of

Saved By The Hitman Read Free *************** Chapter One Jett I walk around the ballroom, feeling out of my element. This isn’t my usual kind of job – with the bright chandelier glinting from the ceiling, the happy chatter of the party guests, the jazz band filling the cavernous room with their music from the corner – but it’s my last. So I have to do it. Then I’m done with this life. I make sure to circulate and make small talk with the guests, using my false identity. These are all Wall Street types, and so that’s what I become. My name for the evening is Michael Chandler and I’m a trader of money, just like them. I wonder how quickly their faces would change from friendly to terrified if I told them I usually trade in bullets and blood. I don’t sip on the champagne which is stuck to all the guests’ hands. I just want to do my job and get out of here as quickly as possible, disappear from the East Coast forever, find somewhere quiet where I can forget about this life. I search the men for any signs of depravity as I wander the room, pretending to take sips from my perpetually-full champagne glass. I’ve always drawn the line at killing anyone who doesn’t deserve a bullet between the eyes. I take out the trash—the rapists, the killers, the scumbags. I do it for a fee, so maybe that makes me no better than my quarry. But fuck it. This is the life I’ve chosen. I can lie to myself and say I was forced into it, but only weak men make excuses. I end up in the far corner of the room, waiting for the burner cell to buzz from my inside pocket. Usually, my contact – the contact, the man who runs all the high-level hits on the East Coast – will give me the details several days in advance so that I have a chance to prep. But this job is different. Two days ago, he called me, using a voice changer like he – or she – always does. “You’re going to attend a party,” I was informed. “You’re going to circulate, smile, be as friendly as a big bastard like you can be. At some point in the night, you’ll get a text with an image attached. That’s your target.” “What did they do?” I ask, my usual question. I have to be able to live with myself after all the gun smoke has drifted away. But this time, my contact wouldn’t tell me. “If you do this, you’re free and clear. We won’t hunt you. We won’t kill you. You’ll be a free man, Jett. So just do your goddamned job.” “You wouldn’t talk to me like that if you were here,” I noted coldly. The alien voice warbled as he laughed. “No, maybe not. But I’m not there, am I? So just do your job.” I had to take a few long, deep breaths once the phone call was over, stilling the fire that flares constantly deep inside of me. There are caverns of violence within me, constantly firing, burning deep, my rage bubbling in a hellish boil just beneath the surface. But tonight I’m Michael. I wear my most convincing face. I even try to smile. The worst of the small talk comes from the women, draped in their glittering dresses, the bodies they’

A Vow of Lust and Fury (Underworld Kings) Read Free My uncle may be the boss of the Chicago Outfit, but there’s one man even he fears, Giovanni Guerra. Yet he sold me to him—as his wife. For an alliance. For power. The boss of the New York family is beautiful and deadly, and he stokes a fire in me that might destroy us both. He may believe he was sold a submissive mafia princess, but Giovanni Guerra is about to find out that I am no one’s pawn. The only vow I make is one of lust and fury. *************** Created with Vellum “She was an angel seeking chaos. He was a demon seeking peace.” – Author unknown. 1 Gio With an ominous creak of hinges, I opened the basement door and stepped into a torture scene. Literally. A single light bulb hummed overhead, casting shadows over the bleak cinder block walls and the unconscious man bound to a chair in the center of the room. Once-white bandages that covered a relatively minor gunshot wound in his gut were now red, and as the metallic scent of blood infiltrated my senses, I became high on the violence of it all. My enforcer, Jackson, paced before him in the small space, a demented smile on his face and his bare chest smeared crimson. Judging by the array of neat slices and copious amounts of blood covering our prisoner, Jackson had thoroughly indulged in the task of extracting the information I wanted. The guy was found beside the bodies of two of our men and an empty truck that should have been filled with cocaine. Our cocaine. Usually, I’d be far removed from such issues, but that was the third shipment this month. Whoever was brave enough to take from us was brazen. And fucking stupid. No one had dared challenge us in years, and for good reason. Retribution would be swift and brutal. But it was more complicated than I’d like because it had happened in Chicago. I didn’t like to shit on my own doorstep by bringing drugs directly into New York. I had a tight grip on the Windy City; however, my lack of absolute control had my skin itching. On a sigh, I pushed away from the door. “Did he tell you anything?” “No,” Jackson spat, still pacing like an agitated cat. I wasn’t surprised. If I were going to steal a shipment from us, I’d hire someone who couldn’t be associated with it, someone who knew very little, because the consequences for such a slight would be grave. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I glanced at a message from one of my underbosses, Tommy. One word: Irish. Followed by a screenshot of a list of bank transactions to one Mr. Steven White. Also known as the sack of leaking blood in front of me. The money came from an account under McGinty holdings. A “legitimate” business of the Irish Mob in Chicago. We hadn’t had any issues with them recently, although we did have Patrick O’Hara’s cousin, Finnegan, killed a few years back. Irish and Italian relations were always tentative. Now I had to work out if it was an act of opportunity or war. As much as I wanted heads to roll for the sheer fucking audac

Dirty Obsessions - The Lion and The Mouse Read Free *************** Prologue Misha I stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the bow for my tuxedo. Come on. Stop acting up. Aggravated, I scowled at myself in the mirror. Weariness crept around my eyes. These past days had been chaotic. Right when I thought all would be calm, more pandemonium arose. I dropped my hands. Chaos and death. I can handle those two things as long as I have Ava’s love. Today had been a long day. I’d woken up to Maxwell fucking the bartender from last night and filling my condo with the strangling noise of his orgasm. My men then informed me that someone sent threatening text messages to Ava. They tracked the number to Bolshoi Theater’s artistic director, Akiva. He had texted her the words, he can’t save you. We’ll see about that. I planned to prove Akiva wrong. For now, my men followed him around St Petersburg. I needed his apartment location and schedule. I couldn’t murder him in the theater. I’d already killed three people there—Mr. Kuznetsov, Mr. Oblonskey, and Mr. Turgenev. They were rich old men from powerful families. Incredibly old money. Their ancestors had partied with the Imperial family of long ago. Some had been kings and queens. Unfortunately, they were also creepy patrons of ballet. The sort of men who paid millions to rape ballerinas. Akiva thought he could auction Ava’s pussy to the highest bidder and continue to breathe. He would learn. Bolshoi Theater would too. Ava was mine forever and would always be under my protection. She was more than the most talented ballerina on this earth. She was rich brown skin over a taut body. Long legs and sensual muscle. Tiny breasts that served as little morsels in my mouth. Forever. No matter what war this might cause between the wealthy Russian families and the Brotherhood. The Bratva. . . One-half of the codes to Kazimir’s nukes remained with the Devil. So far, my cousin didn’t know. I would need to solve this soon and then explain myself to him. The Lion was sensitive these days. Many had been disloyal. My top security guy, Naveen, hired a crew to grab the codes. The team was led by a man named the Devil. He didn’t mind leaving dead bodies in his wake. The whole situation went from a simple problem to pure chaos. We’d tracked the codes from Prague to a small California city named Belladonna. From there they’d gone to Canada. Currently, Naveen traced them to Paris which couldn’t be a coincidence. The French—mainly Jean-Pierre—was somehow involved. Even worse, Kazimir had taken his mouse to Paris on a romantic vacation. Naveen spoke into the phone. “The Devil’s heading to Paris. He’ll land by late this evening.” I frowned. “I will be there to meet him.” “When will you arrive?” Naveen asked. “Maybe we can leave together.” “No. I have a performance to go to. After that, I am taking my plane. I will let you know when I get there.” “This guy’s a nasty one. I would bring some men.” “Oh, do not worry. My top men will be wi

Married to the Mob (Bianchi Crime Family 1) Read Free *************** Prologue Three years earlier Aria The vehicle pulls off the expressway as we head toward O’Hare International Airport, but I can’t shake the overwhelming, raw emotion that flows through me. I’ve just gotten my first up-close look at Domani Bianchi. Granted, he never saw my face the entire time his father and mine spoke. I stare out the window as if somehow I’ll still be able to see his brooding handsome face again. It was twenty minutes ago, and I can’t stop thinking of him. “Aria, are you well?” I dart my eyes to my father, wondering if he knows what’s going through my head right now. I sure as hell hope not, but the man doesn’t give anything away. I calmly take a breath and say, “Yes, Papa. I’m fine.” “Your face is flush. Are you sure you’re alright?” “I am. I’ve never been to Ireland. I think I’m getting anxious, nervous or something.” “Couldn’t have anything to do with running into Domani Bianchi? He’s not going to hurt you no matter how dark his reputation is.” That perceptive man. Huffing and fixing the hem of my skirt, I blurt out in a rush, “I didn’t actually see him. Anyway. How long until we’re there? I want to take a nap.” My denial is a little too blatantly obvious, but I hope he drops the subject. Talking about boys with my dad isn’t something I care for and I’m sure neither does he, although Domani Bianchi’s anything but a boy. “It’s a long flight, so just relax. We’ll be boarding soon.” “I can’t believe Gloria’s getting married,” my mother says, tearing up. “I told you we shouldn’t have let her go abroad,” my father snarls at my mother, handing her his handkerchief. My sister was supposed to take a semester in England and somehow ended up in Ireland where she met Cormack Delaney. They’re getting married in two days because the man is insanely determined and doesn’t care if she ever comes back to Chicago. My father and him had a very long and loud discussion. All things said and done, they’re getting married, and we at least get to see it. We board the plane and I take a nice built small bed and go to sleep. All the while dreams of Domani keep me from wanting to wake up. **** I can’t wait to get out of here. I thought when we flew over the Emerald Isle that I’d found paradise, but then Peter Delaney appeared out of thin air, sending chills up and down my skin. His eyes linger over me when he believes no one is looking, but I can feel them as if I rushed into a spider’s web. The creepy feeling has made my brief stay a nightmare. “It’s time to get ready for the wedding,” my mother says, shaking me out of my terrible thoughts. Unfortunately, Peter’s standing up at the wedding and we’re walking together. His wife is here as well, a pretty lady who appears kind but there’s something behind her eyes that is unsettling. Does she fear her husband? Will Cormack be that way with Gloria? No. I had my answer the second I met my future brother-in-law. He’s a great guy and wan

Guard Me (Broken Heroes 4) Read Free She was a tiny little lamb that claimed my heart with one fearful look. I was her captor, the man responsible for breaking her, for preparing her for auction. She was taken, plucked right off the street and brought to me to be sold at the next auction. Rescuing her from my men was never part of the deal, and neither was bringing her up to my room. Yet, night after night I did this, refusing to give up the way she made me feel. When I’m with her I feel less like a monster. I can remember the man I used to be before the mob got to me, before all the bad tainted my soul. But wanting her is forbidden, and keeping her unthinkable. If they find out what I’m doing they’ll kill both of us. And still… I want to save her. I want to love her. I want to cherish her. When the time comes will I be able to let her go? Or will I risk both our lives for a love that I may not deserve? **This is book four in the series but it can be read as a complete standalone. It is a full length novel (85k+ words) that contains NO-CLIFFHANGERS, NO CHEATING, and has a HEA. It is a dark mafia/crime romance and contains subject matter not suitable for all readers. ** *************** Prologue Violet The music pounds loudly in my ears. It’s so loud I can’t hear myself think let alone, hear whatever it is my best friend is trying to say to me. I don’t know why I was so excited about coming here for my birthday. It seemed like such a good idea when my friend’s suggested it. However, now that I am here everything seems so much less appealing. My ears hurt from the loud music, and my throat is scratchy from the smoke that clings to the air. The skin tight dress and black high heels I’m wearing are getting more uncomfortable with each passing minute. All in all coming here was a shit idea. Sweat beads against my forehead, as I survey the crowd. Everyone here seems to be way older than me. I’m only eighteen but this club allows people under twenty-one to come in as long as you let them stamp both of your hands. Some older guys offered to buy me a drink a couple minutes ago and I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should have let him. I really don’t want to get drunk in here and lose my wits, but it’s so hot, and I can’t help but wonder if I’d loosen up with a little alcohol in my system. I grip onto my cell phone tightly in my hands deciding there won’t be any drinking for me tonight. I’ll just call Ella and have her pick me up. She’s going to be pissed at me for not telling her what I was doing but she’ll get over it, she always does. I unlock my phone and start scrolling through my messages when a man appears at my side. “Here.” He says shoving a glass at me. It has some red colored liquid in it and I know better than to take some drink from a random stranger. I shake my head and hold up my hand to motion to him that I am not interested but he just shoves the glass closer to my face. Annoyance boils deep inside me. I take the glass, hoping it

Children of Ambition (Children of Vice 2) Read Free "Show me a strong woman and I’ll show you the scars on her soul that made her so.” Everything I’ve done, everything I will do…no remorse. The world is a vicious place for a woman. It’s even crueler to the daughter of the Ceann na Conairte—discarded, married off, left powerless… But I am no ordinary daughter of the mafia. Unlike every other mafia family, my mother was Melody Callahan, Bloody Mel, the Don of the Italian Mafia, and the Don didn’t raise some precious mafia princess. Bone by bone she broke me first, so no one else could—and bone by bone, I pieced myself back together. I am no longer just the daughter. I am the Don. I am Donatella Aviela Callahan, and there is only one way—my way. *************** PROLOGUE “She slept with wolves without fear, for the wolves knew a lion was among them.” ~ R.M. Drake DONATELLA One day the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted steer together; a child would lead them all… That is what the church told me. But that time never came and so, when I grew older, my mother taught me to slaughter the wolves, skin the lambs, shoot the leopards and behead the goats. Have the calf for my feast and the lion as my goal. None needed to be together. The child would grow and rule over them all. All of nature, not just human nature, abided by one law… Rule or be ruled. Which meant to solidify one’s position of dominance was inherent in all things, whether man or beast, because man was a beast. People were not people. People were animals. Beasts on two feet. Fearsome creatures…and yet so many lived in a perpetual state of fear of themselves and other people. Why? …Rule or be ruled… Many people like to believe they are the master of their own fates, that nothing controls them. But in reality, fear and the need to survive ruled over everything in their lives. Why did people get married? Because they sought to survive loneliness. Why work in jobs they hate? They fear poverty. People even offer a fraction of their freedom to governance, in order to be protected from those who’d tried to rule over them. Everything in the end came down to surviving. Ironically, at the end of that long or short life, the grim reaper punishes everyone’s efforts with death. So, there are two truths. A person will do anything to survive, but will never survive because death will come. When I realized this, when I realized that death was the ultimate ruler, I decided since I cannot be death I would become the bringer of death until death came for me. My mother used to say everyone is ruthless, they just don’t know it. I say, it doesn’t matter if they know or not, so long as I’m the most ruthless of them all. As long as I am not ruled. “We’ll be there in four minutes,” Toby said, releasing the secret hatch for the backseat of the Range Rover beside me where a small black box waited for me. It looked like a l

The Dark Elite (The Dark Elite 1) Read Free *************** 1 Grace I prop my shaking arm on the vanity as I swipe on a touch of lip gloss. My honey-blonde hair is pulled back in a simple updo, with a few curled tendrils framing my face. My hazel eyes are accented by tasteful eyeshadow and mascara that highlights my long lashes. The look is understated. Classic. The picture of an innocent bride. So why the hell am I so fucking nervous? I really shouldn’t be getting anxious about something I’ve been looking forward to for months, but now that my wedding day is here, my insides are in a twist. My hands won’t stop shaking, and I don’t know if it’s just typical wedding day jitters or something else. I love Brian. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry him. If I didn’t completely love him, I wouldn’t be here right now, minutes away from walking down the aisle and marrying him. We’ve been together for over two years, our sex life is decent, and the next step after spending a few years in a relationship is marriage. Because that’s what people do. Isn’t it? Ever since my life changed in the blink of an eye when I was sixteen, when I was yanked out of the violent, dark world I grew up in, I’ve always tried a little too hard to be “normal.” To fit the textbook definition of the average American life. And getting married is a part of that. That’s not why you’re doing it though, Grace, I remind myself. That would be crazy. I’m getting married because I’m in love. Because I want to start a family soon. Because I’m ready for this next step. Right? My hazel eyes seem a shade darker, larger than they usually are, and I shake my head at my reflection, shooting her a quelling look. “Stop it,” I whisper at the woman in the mirror, clenching the lip gloss between my fingers. “Just stop it.” I draw in a breath and force myself to unclench my hand, setting the tube down gently on the vanity. I just need to stop worrying. In a few hours, it’ll all be over. I’ll be happily married and on my way to a nice Canadian cabin with Brian, wrapped up in bliss. From the outside, my life looks pretty perfect already. I went to college and came out with straight A’s and no debt—thank goodness for scholarships—have a business degree, a good job lined up, and I’m getting married to a handsome law enforcement officer who will keep me safe. In a few years, we’ll have kids. Cute kids with blue eyes like Brian and chubby cheeks… The door behind me gently creaks open, and my gaze snaps up to the mirror, catching sight of my father. He smiles when our gazes meet, and a wave of emotion washes over me at the sight of him all dressed up in a suit. He looks handsome and dapper. I haven’t seen him in a suit in years, although he used to wear them all the time. Back before we moved to Washington. Back in the other life we never talk about. Six years ago, we moved from Chicago to Washington, traveling off the grid and staying low. We were running from our past lives, running from the death o

Tame Me (Broken Heroes 5) Read Free *************** Prologue Sophie I feel nothing, even though I know I should feel something…anything. Maybe I numbed myself because my body can’t handle any more pain…or maybe I’m just broken. My body and my soul…broken beyond repair. I stopped feeling anything a few days ago. I don’t know exactly how long because I haven’t been able to keep track of time. Hours bleed together in this cell, like an endless string of useless time. Feeling nothing is better than the overwhelming pain and all-consuming dread. How could my family do this to me? How could they just forsaken me this way, discard me like I’m nothing? There was a time, not long ago, where praying would have been my answer. I would pray for the pain to go away, pray for my family to take me back, pray for strength to forgive them… But after everything, after the beatings, being sold for money, my family took that faith from me. I never doubted anything they said. I believed in all they taught me, just to find all of it was a lie. My whole life a charade—a means to an end. All my parents ever wanted was the money and power. I see this now, but it’s too late. Now I’m broken, my heart and mind fractured straight down the middle, and there’s nothing that can heal that kind of misery. Chapter One Roman All eyes are on Ivan and me as we make our very first round through the compound he used to run for Rossi. Now that Rossi is dead, Ivan’s taken over the whole fucking operation. Big money is made in this place. All the high-dollar shit is made, kept, and processed here. A lot of things are changing, and a lot of these assholes don’t like change. You know what I say to that? Fuck them. I groan at the shit Ivan made me wear. My muscles and torso feel so constricted, like I’m wearing a damn straitjacket. He told me it looks good and makes people respect you. The way I see it, people are going to respect me, or they’ll get my fist in their fucking face. I can’t believe I’m wearing this monkey suit. “Tell me again why I’m fucking doing this?” I adjust the collar of the stiff shirt and look over to my brother. The fucking bastard’s smirking. I have half a mind to knock the grin right off his face. “Because I need someone I can trust with me in this place and I sure as hell don’t trust anyone who used to work for Rossi. I already took care of the ones I knew were loyal to him even after his death, but the rest of the men…I just don’t know who exactly they are yet. Either way, I’ve already decided I’m not going to let anyone else help me.” We’ve been walking through this place for a few hours now, and I’m more annoyed now than when I came in. This isn’t my fucking thing. Holding authority over a group of men. I run my gym and that’s it. What Ivan’s asking of me is something I’m not sure I can give him. We continue to walk around. Ivan wants to make sure everybody knows who I am, and I get it, but fuck, I just want to get out of here and out of these ridiculous clothes

Children of Vice (Children of Vice 1) Read Free I, Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan, first son of the former head of the Irish mob, Liam Alec Callahan, and former head of the Italian mafia, ex-governor, Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan, solemnly swear to ruthlessly protect our family name, business and way of life, no matter the cost to me or anyone else. I shall show no mercy; I shall offer no forgiveness; there will be no peace for those who stand against me.I will live for my family.I will kill for my family.I will marry for my family.I, Ivy O'Davoren, the only daughter of Shay O'Davoren, solemnly swear to ruthlessly and mercilessly exact revenge on the Callahans and all those who betrayed my father and family. I will live for revenge.I will kill for revenge.I will marry for revenge.***You devoured the Ruthless People series. Now it’s time to revel in the reign of the Callahan children…Stand-alone sequel series to Ruthless People series. You do not have to read Ruthless People series beforehand . *************** PROLOGUE “Monsters make choices. Monsters shape the world. Monsters force us to become stronger, smarter, better. They sift the weak from the strong and provide a forge for the steeling of souls. Even as we curse monsters, we admire them. Seek to become them, in some ways. There are far, far worse things to be than a monster.” ~ Jim Butcher ETHAN I’m not sure when it happened… When it began to crack and alter shape… Looking back, there are so many moments that could be the one, the origin. If you asked anyone who wasn’t family, they’d say it happened the day I was born. That the moment I came into this world as a Callahan, the innocence, the morality, and the virtues that are normally common to everyone else, were defective. Like a house with fractured windows. If you asked anyone within my family they’d say the windows were not fractured but frosted and bulletproof because that is how it should be. After all, the people who were pointing at my windows were the same people who used blinds. That was my family all right…stupidly rich, dangerously powerful, unspeakably ruthless, and obsessed with extended metaphors. But the thing was…I didn’t care if I was a house with fractured or frosted or bulletproof windows. If people were curious to know the type of man I was, they were free to find out at their own peril. What I cared about was when. When did it happen? When did I understand what it meant to be a Callahan? To be Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan. Staring up at the waters above me until my eyes drifted closed, one memory, one moment came forward… ETHAN - AGE ELEVEN He looked like what everyone said Santa Claus was supposed to look like…with everything but the long white beard, though, which made his red-faced, white-skinned, fat body, cloaked in red robes disturbing to see. “Why is there a screen here if I can still see you?” He laughed. “Is this your first confession, boy?” I don’t like him. I thought immediately and for three good reas

Dirty Hearts: Interracial Russian Mafia Romance Read Free *************** Prologue Emily Kazimir. Kazimir. A blindfold covered my eyes. Naked, I stood on a two-foot pedestal in six-inch heels. The shoes were satin crimson like the yards of ribbons tying my hands together. My legs were free…for now. For the past hour, Kazimir had been tying the ribbons to my body and securely binding me to a large gold cross that went from the ceiling to the floor. Yesterday, his staff installed the cross and hammered the top to the beams. I had no idea what it would be used for. Later, he’d told me to get naked and one by one, pulled out long satin ribbons. With him fully clothed and me nude, the moment felt more erotic. And then he’d raised my hands above my head and tied them to the center of the cross. It hadn’t been tight. I had space to walk away from the cross and enough ribbon to step off the pedestal. There was even space for him to stand behind me on the pedestal. Next, he’d placed the blindfold on. What are you up to? More ribbon slipped along my skin delivering shivers through my body. Kazimir. Kazimir. I felt tangled in his net, and I had no regrets and no need to be free. I trembled with anticipation for the pleasure I couldn’t imagine but was guaranteed to experience. I couldn’t see him, but Kazimir’s deep, sexy voice filled the air. “Now, the mouse is trapped.” “What happened to the mouse after she was trapped?” Kaz whispered close to my ear. “The lion ruined her for anyone else.” “You’ve already ruined me.” “I haven’t even begun.” His warm hand slid along my bare hips. “Do you trust me, mysh?” Sunk in a world without light, I leaned against him, letting my relaxed posture speak for me instead. “Yes.” “That was a shaky yes.” “Very true, but being tied up and not able to see…that’s a big sign of trust.” “Good point.” “I’ve never let anyone do this to me.” “And no one ever will.” He slipped his hands up my body and cupped my breasts. He pinched my nipples. A moan escaped my lips. I shivered in delight. “Our enemies are gone.” He spoke sweetly in my ear. Yesterday morning, when the sun rose above Moscow’s capital building, those lovely rays had decorated Sasha’s corpse as it dangled from the flagpole. Subtle was not Kazimir’s strong suit. Kazimir whispered in my other ear. “Now what, mysh?” “I don’t know.” I groaned as he toyed with my nipples, caressing the areolas and squeezing the tips. “Kaz…” His touch disappeared.

Violent Ends (White Monarch 2) Read Free *************** 1 Natalia The devil had a name—Cristiano de la Rosa—but from this day forward, I would call him husband. The cozy church where I’d spent Sunday mornings over a prayer book with my parents stood still and quiet except for the echo of broken promises and ripped lace. Mid-day, sunlight flooded the pews around us, but only candlelight touched the darkened aisle. In a sharp, tailored suit, my new husband stood before me, waiting for me to finish stripping off my wedding gown so he could thoroughly claim ownership before we’d even left the church. Cristiano had forced my hand in marriage, and the man I’d envisioned spending my life with had agreed to it. Had tricked me into it. “My new bride is shy.” Cristiano smiled tightly, finding pleasure in the designation, likely just because he’d imposed it on me. “But I only required my brother meet two terms to validate this arrangement, and you’ve already broken one.” Cristiano had expected me to come to him a virgin, but Diego hadn’t delivered me that way. The implication was clear—would I break the second term, too? I couldn’t. Cristiano had already invited me to walk away from all of this, but there would be a price for that, and the people I loved would pay it. Consummate the marriage, or the Maldonado cartel would obliterate all of us. “I’d hoped our first time might be different,” I said, grasping for a way to change an inevitable outcome. He’d asked me to marry him when he could’ve dragged me down the aisle. He’d respected the ceremony, lassoing us in a show for our few onlookers. If there was a shred of humanity within him, I had to try to tap into it. “As had I.” He tilted his head, his eyes scanning my front, as if I was a puzzle to be solved. “But you chose to give your virginity to another. I was prepared to take you to bed and handle you gently, but it seems I no longer have a need for that.” He stepped toward me, six-foot-five inches of suited muscle and dark beauty with a clean, masculine scent. “You have been thoroughly broken in . . . haven’t you?” I shivered as I slipped one arm through the wedding dress, mourning the beautiful, ruined lace my mother had worn to wed my father. “No,” I whispered. One thick eyebrow arched. “I’m sorry?” “I haven’t,” I insisted. “Diego and I did it once. He was gentle. I’m not . . .” “Broken?” he suggested. “Like a wild horse.” I turned away from his penetrating gaze as his black eyes danced. To sully the wedding altar, to slap God in the face, to force Diego to endure my ruination from the other side of the door—it was what I’d sold Cristiano in exchange for our lives. Not just mine, but my father’s, Diego’s, and anyone else close to the Cruz cartel. Men who’d protected my family, who’d raised families under my father, and who’d helped raise me after my mother’s death. I drew my other arm through its sleeve and pushed my dress down until it pooled at my feet. Cristiano wet his lips, his eyes drifting to

The Saint (Notorious 3) Read Free *************** 1 CARTER There were two kinds of people in the world. Logical people who saw reason and agreed with me about the Jimmie Simpson Community Center. Then there were the others. The others, who wanted my blood. Who wanted to string me up by my neck and shove bamboo under my fingernails, just to hear me scream. Right now, I was surrounded by the others. Looking out at the mob of seniors and single moms, all I saw was bloodlust in their eyes. Even the toddlers were sharpening their incisors on their teething rings. But no one looked more furious than Tootie Vogler, who showed up at every single informational meeting, with her Sunday hat and her white gloves and so much anger in her eighty-year-old body she nearly levitated. “Mrs. Vogler,” I said with as much calm as I could muster. “As I’ve explained, the activities and services that are currently offered here will be held in the new building.” “But,” she said, standing in the front row of the small gathering being held in the decaying belly of the Jimmie Simpson Community Center, “what happens while you’re building that new building?” “Yeah,” one of the mothers said, jiggling a baby in her arms while her toddler ran amuck in the corner, grabbing the cookies we’d laid out. Seriously, she needed to be watching that kid instead of asking the same damn questions I’d heard—and answered—a thousand times already. “How long is it going to take?” “Once we tear down the existing building it will take a year—” “A year!” Another one of the mothers cried as if I’d just said I wanted to eat her kid for lunch. “Well,” Mrs. Vogler said, “that’s what you say now, but what about what happened over at the Glenview Community Center?” There were rumbles of agreement, and frankly, the others weren’t wrong. The Glenview sat, half-built, a total waste of time and money. There was simply no way the city could finish that project with the limited tax money they had while the existing community centers were in such terrible shape. Never mind the fact that Jimmie Simpson was in low-income Beauregard Town where the programs offered by the center were at capacity and Glenview was over in up-and-coming Spanish Town, where there wasn’t nearly the demand for day care and after-school programs. I’d tried to explain this, but the message was never received and frankly, I was feeling like a broken record. A broken record speaking German. The Glenview Community Center was this administration’s albatross. And, since I wanted to be voted in when the current mayor’s term was up next year, it was my giant hole-in-the-ground cross to bear. “As I’ve explained numerous times,” I said, “that project was spearheaded by a previous administration. And while it’s not currently a priority, we are looking into ways to complete the job.” What I couldn’t say, though everyone knew it to some degree, was that the previous administration had been so dirty, so backhanded and money hungry, that I still spent

Prima Read Free *************** 1 Clara Ballet is like dreaming on your feet. But when the dancing stops, the nightmare begins. I knew this better than anyone. Marilyn Monroe once said if you give a girl the right shoes, then she can take over the world. But what happens when those shoes are stripped away from you? What are you left with then? Stepping outside, I swayed a bit, my gait a little unsteady as I headed toward my mailbox. The sunlight was so bright it stung my eyes, which were already aching from not sleeping through the night yet again. Insomnia had kept me up until dawn and the few hours I’d managed were definitely not enough. I slanted my hand against my forehead to provide a modicum of shadow while I moved my aching body across the lawn. If I were being honest, this gesture wasn’t because of that. It was to block out the rest of the world from seeing me too. It had been four years, and yet it was as if I feared some photographer who didn’t give a shit about anything but snapping “that picture” in order to sell it to some sleazy tabloid would jump out from the bushes at any moment. I thought back to the person I once was. The renowned, beautiful, and very much sought-after prima ballerina whom everyone wanted. Wanted to feature a photo of me in midair, arms arced gracefully over my head, legs extended, toes pointed in a perfect grande jeté on the cover of their glossy magazines. Wanted to be able to name drop me as an attendee for their A-list parties. Wanted to escort me on their arm like the ballet’s version of a trophy wife. Wanted. I was wanted. But now, ever since I’d stepped out of that spotlight focused on center stage — for which I only had myself to blame — I didn’t want anyone to even glance my way. I used to love all eyes on me, the thunderous applause, the long-lasting standing ovations, the dozens of roses heaped into my arms after every performance, the male attention. I no longer desired any of that. I wanted to lock myself away, to hide from the rest of the world, and to not be seen by anyone. As the mailbox swung open, I moaned, and my heart sank as I spotted the thick pile of unpaid bills. I used to have money to burn. Now — after years of teaching students who would never be stars in anyone’s but their parents’ eyes no matter how hard they practiced — the balance in my account was dangerously close to zero. With the current economy, people were tightening their belts regardless of how much they doted on their precious babies, and dance lessons were often the first extracurricular activity to be struck from their budget. Perhaps if I’d opened a real school, or if I’d capitalized on my reputation, I would still live like a princess. But I’d not had that choice. The few classes I taught out of my garage-slash-studio were barely enough to keep me going. It was a shame my lavish lifestyle had been reduced to such a mediocre one, but this was exactly what I deserved for allowing myself to get into such a fucked-up mess

I Have to Have Her Read Free Claire Sutton needs a job and a place to stay. When her best friend lets her live with her, she can’t stay long as she’s never gotten along with Gabriel, her bestie’s brother.Gabriel hasn’t seen Claire in a long time. Her curves drive him crazy, but he won’t allow any woman to make him weak. He finds her a job, and seeing no end in sight, he comes up with an agreement—a proposition that grants him unlimited access to her while she promises herself she will never fall in love with a monster like him.She becomes his weakness, and when she is nearly killed, Gabriel has no choice but to let her go. His world doesn’t allow love, but what will happen when he’s hit with the cold, harsh reality that someone else might claim her?He doesn’t share.He takes what he wants.Weakness or not, he will have Claire all to himself. *************** Chapter One“It’ll only be for a few days, I promise. And then everything will be fine. I mean, it will probably be longer than a few days. That asshole she was with took the car and all of her belongings, and even got her fired from her job for making a scene. He hit her too. You should see it, it’s really bad. So please, please, please, Gabriel, can she stay?” Gabriel Locke half-listened to his sister over the phone as he stared at the man who’d tried to steal from his casino. Not that he himself needed the money, but still, he couldn’t have anyone stealing from him. “I don’t want her here,” he said. “If you don’t do this, I will be the biggest royal pain in your ass.” “I haven’t seen this girl since she was eighteen. I don’t know what kind of influence she has on you.” “That was years ago, and I told you all the time, I’m the one who convinced her to go out to parties with me. Not her. You’re being unreasonable. Why am I not surprised? I should have known you’d react this way. It’s what you always do. You just react without being given all the facts.” If he didn’t nip this in the bud, he was going to hear this all day. With prolonged nagging, Rhianna’s voice was like nails down a chalkboard. “Fine, but only for a couple of days. Don’t push me on this.” He hung up the phone to the sound of her squealing. At least she was happy, which was more than he could say about this man in front of him. “Please, please, I didn’t mean to do it.” After rolling up the sleeves of his jacket, he cracked his knuckles and his fist flew across the bastard’s face. He repeated this four more times. Stepping back, he admired his handiwork. He needed a bit of blood, the pain that dug into his knuckles. He didn’t like people who tried to steal from him. He’d built up this casino along with the six more he owned, as well as his strip clubs, and a couple of other illegal businesses on the side. No one fucked with him because he hit right back. This was who he was. He’d built up his reputation and his businesses on pain and fear. The only weakness he had was his little sister and he made sure she was covered with plenty o