Thirty-Five

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 SILAS

TWO WEEKS LATER

O ur driver stepped out of a Rolls Royce Phantom, greeting me with a

wide grin, and I shook my head at Santino’s knack for frivolously
spending money.
“Morning,” he said, a little too chipper for the ungodly hour Leni had
decided to book our flights. The sun was just starting to peek out from the
horizon.
The older man in front of me, albeit in top shape for a man his age,
offered to take my luggage after spotting the splint and bandage on my left
hand.
“Morning,” I responded with a nod, sliding the bags in front of him.
“And the Missus?” he asked, cautiously peering around me.
“She should be right out, and we can get going.” I didn’t bother to
correct him.
Leni was grabbing some last-minute items and chatting with one of her
friends from Philadelphia. She’d told me the woman was a police detective
but knew of the Order and had even married a former member. The notion
was insane at best. I couldn’t fathom the idea of a cop married to one of our
people, retired or not, though I wasn’t surprised. The Six bought many law
enforcement, government officials, and political figures for various roles to
maintain order, facilitate cover-ups, and offer bribes in return for silence
and loyalty.
“Ready when you are, sir,” the man said, standing by the door with an
accent I couldn’t quite place. I waved him off, motioning for him to wait in
the car as the morning air was crisp.
His green eyes found mine, and he flashed another double row of teeth
before turning and rounding the hood.
“Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”
Leni pushed through the revolving door, her jacket catching the wind
and flowing behind her. I greeted my girl with a smile, admiring her
unrivaled beauty as she approached and pressed herself against me, stirring
my cock to life.
“Not at all. Ready?” She nodded and rose to her toes for a quick kiss,
but I caught her waist and pulled her into me. “Good morning, beautiful.”
She smiled against my mouth. “It was a very good morning. Thank
you,” she said, biting my lip. “Who needs an alarm clock when a beautiful
man replaces it with his tongue between my legs.” She backs up with a sly
grin, allowing me to open the door. “You’re going to spoil me, and I’ll
expect a tongue fuck every morning.”
“Don’t tempt me, love. I’m already addicted.”
I followed her into the vehicle and pulled her into my lap. “Come here.”
“Were you able to double-check the flight status?”
“I don’t care about that,” I muttered into her neck, suckling her soft
skin.
Leni giggled when I hit that sweet spot behind her ear. “You don’t care
about delays?” she asked innocently.
“No, I don’t give a damn about any of that right now. All I want are
those pretty lips wrapped around my cock.”
She smiled and kissed my jaw. “Is that right?”
“I don’t know why you wore lipstick.” I fisted the back of her hair.
“Ruin it.”
“Right here? Right now?” she teased, hand stroking my hard shaft.
I peered around her and closed the driver’s partition. He made eye
contact with me briefly before disappearing behind the divider.
“On your knees.”
“Only for you.”
She slid off my lap and worked the buckle and buttons on my pants.
“Have I ever told you that you have the prettiest dick I’ve ever seen?”
I tipped my head back and laughed, unsure if I took that as a
compliment. Men don’t exactly want to think of their cocks as pretty.
 “You know what’s pretty? The way your eyes water when my dick is
halfway down your throat. Prettiest fucking sight I’ve ever seen.”
It was her turn to laugh as she stroked me and leaned in to swipe at the
precum with her thumb before bringing it to her lip.
My balls strained at the sight, and I tightened my hold on her hair,
tugging her to my mouth and kissing her roughly as I chased the taste of my
arousal on her tongue.
Leni gazed deep into my eyes and leaned forward to kiss me again. “I
think I could love you one day.”
A smile burned across my face, my heart stopping for a fraction of a
second before roaring back to life.
“Fuck, woman, I think I love you right now.”
Her beaming smile turned mischievous as she squeezed my cock and
ran her tongue up the underside.
“Oh…fuck, baby.” I let my head drop on the seat and closed my eyes as
the heat of her mouth enveloped me. “Just like that.” I guided her down my
shaft and held her in place as far as she could take me, the tip of my dick
pushing with bruising force against the back of her throat. I could feel the
slight innate fight in her, the instinct to seek oxygen. But I held firm.
“That’s it. You can take it.”
I felt the car stop at what I assumed to be a red light, but I was too lost
in lust to notice anything else besides the incredible woman choking on my
cock. We still had a good fifteen minutes before we arrived at the airport.
“Bravo.” The sudden intrusive voice came accompanied by a taunting,
slow clap.
Leni and I drew our weapons in perfectly synched, coordinated
movements. The partition no longer covered the driver behind the glass.
“Don’t bother with those,” he said, tapping the glass. “Bulletproof,
remember? Would make for a very uncomfortable time back there: Ricochet
and all.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
Leni beat him to an answer. “Ronan Cain.”
A dark chuckle echoed in the cabin over the intercom. “Helena Adamos,
I’m flattered you remembered me. Although it took a bit to jog my memory
there, you know.” He made a crude gesture with his hand and tongue, his
grin insidious. Purposely taunting. I would tear his head from his body. “I’d
never seen you guzzling down a cock before. But you’re a natural.”
 “One more word,” I threatened.
“And you’ll do what? Shoot me?” he snickered and motioned toward
my still-exposed dick. “Maybe you should put that thing away first.”
Leni reached for the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. I went for the
opposite—the same outcome.
Fuck.
A trap.
“I know what you’re thinking. How am I going to get out of this one?”
he teased, punctuating every word with morbid satisfaction.
Who the fuck was this guy, and how did Leni know him?
“I’m thinking about how long you’ll scream when I detach your dick
from your body.”
The bastard tipped his head back and laughed at her reply.
“You are just obsessed with cock, aren’t you? A regular cock-guzzling
champion, huh? Reminds me of someone I used to know. How is she doing,
by the way? Heard I’m going to be a grandfather soon.”
“You’re insane. Stay away from her. Derek will end you on the spot.”
He belted another cruel laughter. “Derek will be on his knees soon,
begging me for mercy in front of the corpse of his dead wife and child…Or
maybe, I’ll keep that little bitch. It is a girl, isn’t it?” Leni’s shoulders were
shaking. “I’ll raise her as my own. She’ll never know the difference.” His
eyes moved to mine, the glint of something sinister burning in his irises.
“I’m a master at keeping secrets. At hidden identities.”
I steadied the hold on my gun, the space between his eyes within my
sights. “Get out.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name.” He tauntingly rubbed at
his beard, feigning ignorance. “Silas, was it? No, no, that’s not it.” My heart
pounded in my chest, blood rushing to my ears when his eyes met mine
again. “I remember you—Frankie. Frankie Cruz, is that you?”
Frankie.
Frankie Cruz.
The words echoed over and over. There was a pull, a spark, something
inexplicable, but nothing at the same time.
Leni turned to me slowly, her mouth slightly parted, and she shook her
head. “No…” she whispered. “That can’t be.” Her weapon was trained on
Ronan again. “Stop it! Frankie’s dead. Stop fucking with him.”
 He barked another laugh. “Oh, sweet, Helena. How could he be dead if
his dick was halfway down your throat two minutes ago?”
I was too stunned to speak or focus on how she was cussing and
threatening his life.
Frankie Cruz?
Was that really my name?
My eyes found his again. “How do you know this? Who are you?
Why?”
“Rapid-fire questions. I like this game.” He put up a hand. “Two for
one: Easy. I was the person who ordered the hit.” He clucked his tongue and
motioned to the side of his head. “Hope it didn’t mess up all that fabulous
hair.” He sent a fucking wink my way. “And two, what kind of a man would
I be if I let you die not knowing who the fuck you really are?” I raised my
gun at him again. “It’s inevitable.”
Leni moved between us, partially blocking him from view. “Open this
goddamn door, and I’ll show you what’s inevitable.”
His focus was back on her. “Oh, I know you will, you fucking
psychopath, you.” He leveled her with a glare. “I heard about poor Rupert.
His wife was a mess. Good thing it was nothing a good fuck in the ass
wouldn’t fix.”
Leni shot forward, banging at the glass with the handle of her gun.
“Motherfucker! What are you talking about? Tell me! Did you do it? Did
you kill him?”
“Leni.” I put my hand on her shoulder, and she swiped it off.
“Tell me! Tell me!” She slammed the gun twice more.
Ronan neared the glass, Cheshire grin in place. “Your father squealed
like a goddamn pig at slaughter as I took him apart, piece by piece.”
The shrill cry that came out of Leni rang in my ears. She dropped the
gun and began clawing and punching desperately at the glass until it was
smeared in her blood.
“Well, it’s been fun catching up. But my ride is here just in time,” he
said in an eerily calm voice despite Leni’s frantic shrieks. “You have about
five minutes before you become barbecue. Use them wisely.”
He said nothing more and exited the vehicle.
“Leni!” I held her shoulder, shaking her until she came back to me.
“Baby, I need you to pull it together for me, okay? I think there’s an
explosive. We have to find a way out. I won’t let you die like this, you hear
me?”
Her watery eyes found mine. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“Then we do this together. He said five minutes, but that could be a lie.
We could be down to seconds for all we know. Let’s make them count.”
“He killed him,” she whispered, black streaks running down her face.
“If there were ever a reason to claw my way out of here, it would be for the
chance to cause him the same pain.”
“Good. Let’s make that a goal and get the hell out of here.”
Leni tried the door closest to her again, and I did the same. She pushed
on the sunroof with the palms of her hands, then her fists. Her adrenaline
was probably spiked so high she was numb to the damage she was causing
to her knuckles.
“Silas, nothing is budging.” She crumbled to the cabin’s floor, hands in
her hair as she shook her head back and forth in disbelief at our situation.
“We’re going to die here, aren’t we?”
I motioned for her to approach me and pulled her into my lap. “I’m
sorry.”
“Don’t. This isn’t your fault.” She framed my face, brows knitting
together curiously as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Eva—your eyes. Now
I see it. You…you really are Frankie. This is incredible.”
“Who is she?”
“Evangelina is your little sister. But she thinks you’re dead.” A sister.
She lovingly pushed back hair from my forehead, a faint smile on her face.
“She still loves you so much.”
“My parents?” I felt jittery. My body was in a panic, waiting to die.
Maybe talking like this would ease my nerves.
“It’s just your father Franco and Eva.”
The universe had one hell of a sense of humor. By some outrageous
stroke of luck, my sister and Leni were friends.
I was speechless. Confusion and foreign emotions were wreaking
havoc. And the most fucked-up part was that I’d never meet her. She
wouldn’t even know I was still alive. Calling her now would be cruel and
pointless.
“Do you want me to—” As if reading my thoughts, Leni held out her
phone for me.
“No, it would be like making her relive my death.”
 She lay her head on my shoulder. “You have a niece on the way.”
The pangs of loss and grief for people I’d never met, or at least
remembered meeting, swept through me, burning behind my eyes. But
nothing cut more profoundly than when I looked at Leni, knowing our fate.
I lifted her chin. “Leni, love…”
A knock on the window caused us both to startle. A man with a
reflective vest and creased expression stood on the other side of the glass.
“Hey! You can’t park here.”
Leni leaped off my lap, face close to the glass. “Open the door! We’re
stuck.”
The man scrunched his face harder but slowly attempted to pull on the
handle.
“I think it’s locked.”
Fuck.
“The driver’s side. Open the sunroof. Now!”
The man did as he was told, but it took him a few more seconds than I
was comfortable with before he found the right button.
As the glass slid open, I pulled Leni. “Go now! I’ll be right behind
you.”
Her jaw tensed. “Silas, if you try anything.”
“I’ve got you, always, remember?”
She nodded and bolted through the opening, and I followed. The
moment our feet hit the ground, we ran. “Get away from the vehicle,” I
shouted at the man, who immediately shuffled backward upon seeing our
frantic escape.
Reaching a safe distance, we fell to the ground, struggling to catch our
breath and waiting for the explosion Ronan had promised.
“You think he lied? Just to fuck with us?”
Leni looked back at the lone car parked on the side of the road and
shook her head slowly. “No. He’s not the type of man who makes empty
threats.”
She was right. No sooner had I tugged her into my lap, the world rocked
around us. The explosion was thunderous, and my ears began ringing.
“Fuck,” we said in unison before falling back onto the grass.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

My feet were heavy. My heart pounding. In just minutes, I would be face-

to-face with my sister. Leni had pulled up a photo posted on a website from
an event at her precinct. She was beautiful, and maybe I could see the
resemblance in our eyes. Still, nothing else felt familiar, no matter how
many times I’d lose myself in the image of her face, trying to force
memories that were, in all probability, lost forever.
“Are you ready?” she asked, looping an arm through mine.
“I am,” I said, scouring the crowd, searching for the woman in the
photo. Leni had called ahead and gave her the news once we picked up our
bags and offered to meet them outside. Eva was beside herself and insisted
on parking.
“There they are.” Leni nudged on my arm as a group of people
dispersed. A short distance before me was a pregnant woman with pretty
features twisted into a sob. She mouthed my name and began to move
toward me, when the tattooed hand of a man held her back. In the same
breath, he took a protective stance before her, eyes like lasers fixed on
mine. But Eva pushed her way around him, mouthed words I couldn’t quite
catch, and continued toward me.
“F-Frankie?” Her voice broke, and she was shaking, as if fighting to
keep it together. She reached out, and I thought she was going in for a hug,
but she yanked the collar of my shirt open and instantly gasped. I could
only assume it was due to the small birthmark on my clavicle. “It’s really
you,” she breathed. “But…how? I saw when they shot you.”
My eyes widened. Doing quick math, she had to have been barely
sixteen. What a tragedy.
“I’m sorry,” I said, unsure what I was apologizing for other than not
protecting her from something so horrific.
She smiled and shook her head. “You’re so handsome, Frankie. And so
tall. So grown up.”
While I didn’t remember, I’m sure she looked vastly different than she
did today.
“You too, Eva.”
At the sound of her name, her facade cracked. This tiny woman with a
rounded belly jumped on me, arms around my neck, and broke into
hysterics.
I hugged her back, ensuring not to hurt her as I’d never been around a
pregnant woman before and wasn’t sure how things worked.
I’d seen a lot of movies where the person suffering from memory loss
hits their head or a cure is triggered by a reunion similar to this one, but
there was no rush of memories flashing before my eyes like a reel. A slight
twinge of emotion buzzed inside my chest, though I wasn’t sure if it was
genuine or a product of wanting to return the love radiating from Eva.
The man whose name I knew to be Derek Cain, a former member of
Ares, stepped closer. He seemed completely unimpressed with my presence.
Instead, hyper focused on his wife as if making sure she was okay.
When his eyes flickered to mine, I offered a nod. Before returning the
gesture, he looked to Eva again, who was now wiping her tears, a hand on
my forearm.
“Angel, are you okay?” The tension in his face melted the moment she
found his gaze.
“Derek, it’s Frankie,” she said with a watery smile. He kissed her
forehead, slid an arm around her waist, and lifted his eyes back to mine,
finally returning my nod.

I tossed the last suitcase into the trunk of Derek’s SUV and watched as it
latched closed.
“Hey,” Leni said, arms around me. “Are you ready?”
“To be with you? Absolutely.” I found Derek’s and Eva’s silhouette
through the glass. “Other things, I’m not so sure.”
“One day at a time, Si.”
I nodded, and tugged her to my chest. “Will we tell them about Ronan?”
“Yes. They should be on alert and take precautions. You heard what he
said.”
“I want his head.”
She clapped my shoulder. “Get in line.”
Despite everything going on around us and all of the emotions I was
trying to process, I couldn’t take my eyes off her ass.
“Ready to go home?” she asked with a wink.
 I was already home.

THE END

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Epilogue

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 LENI

B aby giggles.
The sweetest noise. Valentina’s little belly laughs became louder
every time her Uncle Silas lifted her above his head. Chubby fists to
her mouth, legs kicking—the two were quite a sight. Apart from her
parents, he was her favorite person. Wednesdays were Uncle Silas days. It
was a day of the week we both treasured.
There were days when I’d see how great he was with her, and guilt for
my choices gnawed at my heart. But Silas always assured me he didn’t need
a child of his own. That I would always be enough. And baby Vali had
captured his whole heart.
And mine.
I watched them from the kitchen, smiling at the man I’d learned to trust
and love, and I knew he was right. I’d never felt happier. With the chaotic
events of nearly a year ago behind us, Silas and I had grown closer than I
had ever thought possible. Together, we’d made a life in Philly, with plans
to eventually sever our ties to the organization. But until the threat of Ronan
was dealt with, his head at our feet, we’d use the necessary resources at our
disposal. Derek and I had a small competition about who’d get the honors.
But I was practically foaming at the mouth for the opportunity to own his
soul.
“I just received a text from Eva. She’s stuck at work. Derek’s on his
way.” I slid into the spot beside them on the couch, baby V’s eyes lighting
up the moment she met mine. My heart always melted whenever she
reached for me. “Your papa is not my favorite person, but he helped make
you, so I have to learn to like him a little bit, huh?”
 She squealed as I bounced her in my arms, big brown eyes alight with
happiness. My favorite eyes were now on this little person who looked so
much like her dad, and I just knew that was on purpose.
“Derek’s not that bad, love,” Silas said with a laugh.
“You’re just saying that because he’s your new bestie.”
He laughed outright. “My bestie, huh?” The back of his fingers caressed
my face. “He’s good to my sister. And I’m glad he’s been there for her,
protecting her when I couldn’t.”
“Of course, the villain gets the girl, and now he’s a new man. Maybe
someone will write a book about his harrowing story of redemption.”
Silas leaned over and kissed Valentina on the forehead. “Don’t listen to
her, nugget. She’ll come around.” His warm eyes were on me now. “She
always does.”
I raked his nape with my fingernails, pulling him in for a kiss, and
whispered in his ear. “Thank you for almost killing me and fucking me with
my own knife. It’s been one hell of a ride… many of them. I love you.”
He exhaled a long breath, eyes still closed. “How soon did you say
Derek would be here?”
I smiled against his lips as little hands gently patted the sides of our
faces. “Soon,” I said, my attention back on the baby. “And please stop
calling my niece that horrendous nickname.”
“She loves it.”
“She’s eight months old and eats pureed peas. She doesn’t know what
she loves.” The alert on our phones went off just as Silas got to his feet.
“Speak of the devil himself.”
“Behave,” Silas said as he approached the front door.
“Or else what?” I teased.
“Just wait.” His voice was husky and promised a satisfying Wednesday
night.
Derek Cain stood at our door with a broad smile as he greeted Silas.
Anyone who loved Eva was an automatic friend and ally. And while he and
I bickered and feigned hatred, I’d be lying if I said our relationship hadn’t
improved over the last several months.
But what was the fun in playing nice?
When Valentina’s eyes found her father, she squealed and bounced
frantically, reaching for him as if he’d disappear any second. He scooped
his little girl in his arms, nearly melting into a puddle and raining down
kisses on her cheek and forehead.
He was in so much trouble.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he said, eyes still fixed on his baby. “I had to stop by
Kai’s.”
“More time with Vali is always great.” I pulled her face toward me and
popped a kiss on the top of her head. “Keep him up for me tonight, okay?”
Derek shook his head and actually smiled at my joke. An apology and a
crack on that stony face of his. I’d call that progress.
If someone had told me three years ago that Derek Cain would be in my
living room, baby bag slung on one shoulder, his infant daughter on the
opposite hip, pulling at his ear, I would have laughed and slapped them. Yet
here we were.
Silas said goodbye to his nugget and walked the pair to the door. “I’ll
see you all this weekend at Franco’s.”
While Silas still had no memory of his life before Hades, he’d
integrated back into his family, though his relationship with Franco
remained somewhat rocky. With the circumstances surrounding his
supposed death and his father’s involvement, it was difficult for them to
reconcile, especially because of what transpired in his life, who he became,
and everything he’d done as a result. It was one of the reasons Silas decided
to keep his name as it was. Despite having lived through his attempted
murder, Frankie Cruz had, in fact, died that day.
As Derek crossed the threshold, he turned and reached inside his jacket
pocket, pulling out a black envelope sealed with gold wax. “From Kai.”
With nothing else but a nod, Derek and Vali were gone.
“What is it?” I asked, taking the squared piece of mail. “Looks like an
invitation.” As I slipped a finger under the sealed flap, Silas tore it from my
hands, tossed it on the entryway table, and chucked me over his shoulder.
“Whatever it is can wait. I need you, love.”
I laughed and pinched his ass. “Si, our dinner will be here any minute
—” Like clockwork, the chime went off again.
“Fuck.”

A half-eaten box of pepperoni pizza sat in the middle of the table, Si and I
on opposite ends. He knocked back a beer, leaning against the seat, his eyes
on me and looking so damn good I was suddenly ravenous.
The bottom of my wineglass hit the table with a loud clank.
Silas held his beer, frozen mid-sip, his expression one of shock and
amusement. “Leni, love…are you okay?”
“No, I’m not. And I won’t be until your cock is inside me. I don’t care
where, just make it happen.”
It was his turn to slam the bottle of beer on the table, tongue running
sensuously across his bottom lip as he pinned me with a predatory gaze.
“Crawl.”
It took a few moments for the word to register. “What?”
“Crawl. To. Me.”
With a quick sweeping motion, I swiped at the pizza and drinks, the
contents clattering to the floor, and climbed onto the table.
“Crawl to you? I’ll get on my knees for you any day.”
I stalked forward on all fours, our eyes locked, as the air around us
seemed to ignite.
“Fuck, baby…”
My fingers curled around the table's edge, and I leaned forward and
brushed my lips over his before he pulled me in for a kiss. Melting against
his mouth, the taste of him, the aggressive way he ravaged me, wrecked
every inch of my underwear.
I rested my forehead on his when oxygen became a necessity. Both
panting, we smiled.
“I love you,” he said, hand tightening at my nape.
“I love you.”
The words on my tongue were new; the first time happened about six
months ago, after my last day at work and a particularly draining therapy
session. He was there for me, always, as I was for him. The love and
passion between us were undeniable…but also completely exceptional.
“I want to see how pretty you bleed,” I whispered into his ear, sharp
steel to the throat. They were words he’d said to me once.
“Woman, I fucking love you.” Silas put pressure on the blade and didn’t
so much as flinch when it pierced his skin.
I reached out, fingers to the beads of blood on his neck, and smeared
them when I pulled him in for another heated kiss.
“As much as I want to sink into this sweet cunt of yours, I haven’t had
dessert.”
 Without warning, he swept my knees forward so fast I landed on my
ass, legs on either side of him. Bunching up my skirt, he ripped my thong at
the crotch. “Lie back.”
“Right down to it, huh?”
Silas said nothing and simply hauled me forward, tongue on my clit,
before I could utter another word. My fingers tangled in his hair, the other
hand in a fist, banging on the table as he rendered me speechless.
He lifted his gaze, looking up at me from between quivering thighs, and
chuckled. “You look so beautiful when I’m eating your pussy, love.” His
breath against me and the two fingers hooking inside had my back arching
off the table, his name in staggered moans on repeat. “More,” he growled,
pushing to his feet and working the buckle on his pants.
I started to protest when he grabbed my hips and flipped me, bending
me over the table.
“I’m going to kill you.”
Leaning over my back, he kissed up the tattoo and whispered, “You
know exactly what I love to hear.”
Silas’s words crooned into my ear and set me on fire.
I pushed my ass back, needing to get fucked before I cut him some
more. “Silas, if you don’t…”
His cock spread me open so deliciously as he reached around my pelvis
and thrummed my clit. My mouth parted against the surface of the table
with every agonizing thrust. The moment his hand left my pussy and
wrapped tight around my throat, I knew I was gone. The climax barreled
into me, causing spots to form behind my eyelids as I cried out and my legs
weakened.
The closer Silas got to his own release, the tighter he squeezed my neck
until I knew I was seconds from passing out. The euphoria of it all was
unrivaled.
He bucked hard, the table shifting forward until he had nothing to give.
Crumpling over my back, he kissed my dampened skin and pulled me close.
“I love you.”
“Me too, but you’re fucking heavy.”
Our laughter shook the already compromised table, so he pulled me
toward him, and I turned in his arms. “Let’s save a little water.”
He slid his hands down my hips and under my ass, hoisting me onto his
waist as he moved through the dining room. “Absolutely.”
 My eyes caught sight of Kai’s black envelope. “Silas, wait. The letter.”
I broke the seal, revealing a beautiful laser-cut invitation with gold
foiling.

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 When a debt is owed, sacrifices must be made.

Kai and Amalia

Cordially invite you to their Marriage of Convenience in the steamy
Enemies to Lovers

Book three of The Severed Signet Series

Bound by Betrayal
April 2024

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 About Elle Maldonado

Elle Maldonado writes dark, contemporary romance. She lives in the U.S. with her husband and three
kids and enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, and reading.
Subscribe to her newsletter for all upcoming releases, sneak peeks, giveaways, teasers, and extra
scenes.
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 Acknowledgments

Publishing a second book is surreal. As always, I could not have done it

without the support of my husband. Thank you for taking care of things
while I was busy hammering this story together. For being my number one
fan and believing in me, even when I doubted myself. And I’m still sorry
about the laundry baskets.
A special thank you to my sister. Thank you for not getting tired of me
and my links. I love you!
Jan, Lucy, and Melissa, I would be so lost without you ladies. Thank
you!
Margie, you’re the best. Thank you for making this process so much
easier and less stressful.
Mackenzie, thank you for helping me polish this book and for your
words of encouragement.
I’ve met so many amazing people along this journey. I’m so grateful for
your support and love. It means the world. You all motivate me to keep
writing!

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