Shattered. Broken beyond repair. I’m the shell of the woman I used to be. The deeper I fall from reality, the worse things get. Only there’s one person who refuses to let me derail. Romero Pierce. Calloused. Sinister. Lethal. He’s my father's second in command, and so goddamn handsome it’s disgusting. Assigned the duty of being my babysitter, aka personal bodyguard, he thinks he can protect me, but I don’t want his protection. What I want is security, safety, freedom.
Everything changes when I choose to leave and find myself in the very town where my father grew up. Trying to heal is hard enough but it's nearly impossible with icy Romero watching my every move.
Overtime he starts to make me feel things I thought I'd never feel again, reminding me I'm not broken, but in my journey to heal I also realize I'm helping him heal as well. It doesn't take long to discover Romero has deep, ugly secrets he's trying to keep, but nothing can remain a secret forever.
When the truth's revealed will the man I consider my enemy become the only man who can save me?
Empire Of Pain, an all-new dark mafia romance, and final in The Torrio Empire Trilogy from USA Today bestselling author J.L. Beck is available now!
Lies. Betrayal. Pain.
Notorious arms dealer Callum Torrio will do whatever he has to do to get the woman he loves back.
A war between the crime families is brewing, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll end up right in the middle of it.
Forced into hiding, Callum knows he must do whatever he can to keep Bianca and their unborn baby safe. Loving her makes him vulnerable, but letting her go… isn’t an option.
When the truths to all their secrets are revealed, will they find happiness, or will the pain of their pasts destroy them?
I can hardly hear Romero's voice over the thundering beat of my own heart. My fingers grip the edge of the box for dear life as I stare down at the contents.
Words refuse to come.
My brain short circuits. I can't comprehend what I'm seeing.
Images come to me in flashes, one piece at a time.
Green eyes that once flashed dangerously, that used to burn with contempt. Now they see nothing, their vacant stare looking right into the deep confines of my soul. A bullet hole is directly between them. I force myself to look away from Amanda's face, and down to the body in her arms. In her arms is my daughter—our daughter. Her head rests against her mother's bloody shoulder, appearing as if Amanda had rocked her to sleep.
It's a grotesque parody of motherhood that only a truly sick, heartless cretin could put together. Amanda is seated with her back against the inside of the crate, with her head tilted backwards and her eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling. A trickle of blood trails from the hole in her forehead and down her nose before drying there.
I've seen many terrible things in my life. Images that have haunted me for days after, robbing me of sleep. The result of violence brought on by greed. The aftermath of explosions, gun battles, death. But this? This is unfathomable.
I can't accept it. Something inside me refuses to accept what I'm seeing as one precious second after another passes by. I can't move. I can't breathe. It's real, even if I don't want it to be. Amanda is dead. It's only when Romero jostles me and reaches into the crate that I snap back to reality. Every ounce of information comes rushing in, assaulting me from all sides.
Tatum.
They might have killed her too.
Romero's choked cry rings in my ears. “No!!” He reaches into the crate, taking Tatum's limp body into his arms. Her skin is pale, a drop of dried blood trails down her temple from a patch of blood-matted hair on the side of her head. The ugly bruises circling her arms portray someone bigger and stronger holding her tight. I have no doubt she would've fought.
“No, Tatum, wake up. Wake up.” I manage to rouse myself in time to take her legs and lift them over the edge of the crate before Romero lowers her to the floor.
I take a knee beside them and press an ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat or any sign to let me know she is still alive. Everything moves in slow motion. Countless moments flash before my eyes, as fresh and clear as if it was only yesterday they took place.
Her first steps, toddling across the floor with her chubby arms extended outward, reaching for me. She knew I would catch her and hold her when she fell.
Her first dance recital, wearing a pair of angel wings with glitter in her hair, and the way she smiled at me that day was like I meant the world to her.
There was glitter stuck to her skin for days afterwards.
The one year for Halloween when she insisted on dressing as a pirate even though all the little girls her age wanted to be princesses.
My daughter wanted me to black out her teeth and draw stubble on her cheeks, and I did it. I did it even though I had a hundred other things to handle. I did it because even then, I was all she had and because she captured my heart the second we locked eyes for the first time, and as her daddy, it was my job. I would have done anything for her.
Her chest is barely moving, but I hear the soft intake of air in and out of her lungs. That's all I need to know to keep me motivated.
“She's breathing,” I announce, and the touch of my fingers to the inside of her wrist reveals a shuddering pulse. All the air leaves my lungs, the pressure in my head making me light-headed. Relief floods my veins. She has a pulse, but that doesn't mean anything. “We need to get her to the hospital now.”
I couldn't keep her safe, could I? The one thing she needed most, it was beyond me. I let her down. Failed her. What kind of father was I if I couldn't even protect my own daughter?
Romero's gaze collides with mine, eyes wild, his features frantic. Placing his trembling hands on both sides of her face, he peers down at her. There isn't so much as a fluttering of her eyelids to show she feels his touch. My thoughts are everywhere, my mind an endless fishbowl. There's something missing. Something that bangs like a gong, vibrating at the back of my skull.
Bianca.
“Where's Bianca?” I yell into the vast space. My head swings back and forth, my eyes searching in vain for her. The sick fucks who did this cleaned out the warehouse, taking everything besides the bloody crate and the bodies of a few of my men who are now being gathered, together, and dragged across the floor.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I bellow, making them all stand at attention. “Where is Bianca?”
Their expressions all mirror confusion. “We did a perimeter check, Sir. There's no one else here, at least that's alive.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. Lower and lower, it falls until I swear it feels like it's going to jump out of my chest.
“Find her!! Look again!! I want you to search every inch of the property,” I order, my voice frantic, my mind racing.
Romero meets my gaze. “She's not here. If she were, they would've told you by now.”
“She has to be. Where else could she be?” I can't breathe. I can barely speak. First Tatum. Now Bianca.
It's not possible. They didn't take her.
“Find her!”
Start from the beginning with Empire Of Lust, the start of Callum and Bianca’s story!
Empire Of Pain, an all-new dark mafia romance, and final in The Torrio Empire Trilogy from USA Today bestselling author J.L. Beck is available now!
Lies. Betrayal. Pain.
Notorious arms dealer Callum Torrio will do whatever he has to do to get the woman he loves back.
A war between the crime families is brewing, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll end up right in the middle of it.
Forced into hiding, Callum knows he must do whatever he can to keep Bianca and their unborn baby safe. Loving her makes him vulnerable, but letting her go… isn’t an option.
When the truths to all their secrets are revealed, will they find happiness, or will the pain of their pasts destroy them?
I'm caged. My heart and soul locked away, and he holds the single key.
"We'll be together again, and when that time comes, I'll make it so she can never escape me."
Our gazes collide. It's a cosmic affair. I forget how to breathe, and that he is the villain in my fairytale.
I want him to teach me a lesson.
"You'll crawl to me while I hold onto the belt."
"I don't know how you could never deny what we have or share. Not when the evidence is dripping down your thighs, and you're mewling like a cat in heat for me to take you harder."
His need to claim me is just as strong as my need to be claimed.
"Love me or hate me, it doesn't matter. We belong together."
"Are you trying to convince me that what we have isn't real or are you trying to convince yourself?"
I stiffen at the touch of his free hand against my thigh. Oh, yes, this is what I need. This is what I've missed most. His touch--skillful, knowing, like my body was made to bend for him.
There isn't enough coffee in the world to make me feel human this morning, yet something tells me we are both going to need it.
I always did like getting a gold star, which is probably why I would be drawn to a man like Callum.
For as long as I can remember, before I knew the specifics of his life and work, I sensed an aura of danger around him. Even now, I can't put a finger on it. The particular light in his eyes; the way he carries himself. He could change the temperature in the room with a single look. He has the power with just the lift of an eyebrow or the tip of his head to the side, and everyone around him falls in line. There's something sexy about that. It draws me to him.
Callum never does anything without a motive.
If I want answers, there might be only one way to get them.
I might have to dig for the truth on my own.
There's the option of taking her anyway and keeping her tied to my bed until she promises she'll never leave.
Pre-order Empire Of Pain now, the stunning conclusion to Callum and Bianca’s story!
Empire of Lust, an all-new dark and steamy age-gap billionaire romance and first book in the Torrio Empire Trilogy from USA Today bestselling author J.L. Beck is coming April 7th!
I made a mistake.
At sixteen years old I fell for the wrong man.
Callum Torrio.
Ruthless billionaire. Dangerous villain. My best friend's father.
At twenty one I gave up hope that he would ever notice me.
He’s twenty years older than me, and an arms dealer for the mob.
The smart choice would be to forget he ever existed.
But that’s not possible.
His icy blue gaze, sculpted physique, and huge rough hands play a vivid part in my dreams.
Then one night everything changes
Every fantasy I ever had he brings to life.
Dominant and possessive he praises and worships me.
He makes me feel like a woman when all my life I’ve felt sheltered and controlled.
But Callum has dark secrets, and a past that refuses to let go.
I knew he was a bad man but I never would have anticipated this…
Empire of Lust, an all-new deliciously-hot age-gap billionaire romance and first book in the Torrio Empire Trilogy from USA Today bestselling author J.L. Beck is coming April 2nd, and we have your FIRST look at the stunning cover!
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Some heroes want to save the world. Some will burn it down for the one they love. Call them villains, anti-heroes, criminals, and monsters. But these dark men love deeply and fiercely, and are ready to go to the ends of the earth to save their soulmate.
They will tempt you. Captivate you. Drag you into darkness, and leave you breathless. They’ll show you how good love can be in the dark.
There’s a spark between these pages, and these Heartless Heroes will set your world on fire.
Morally grey is the favorite color of these twenty new and bestselling authors. Grab your copy now to read all the dark shades of love painted by these Heartless Heroes.
Authors in this set include:
J.L. Beck & C. Hallman, H. D. Carlton, Sahara Roberts & Dori Pulitano, Sonya Jesus, Lola West, D.S. Wrights, Elizabeth Miller, Lily Wildhart, Morgan James, A.R. Breck, Brynn Ford, Indie Black & Sienna Cousins, Isabella Phoenix & Victoria Pauley, Suki Williams, Ashley Gee, D.W. Marshall, and M.L. Philpitt
From the story Unseen by Brynn Ford in the Heartless Heroes Anthology
The fragile thing beside me whimpers as she stirs, her head rolling on her shoulders before she slowly lifts it. I grab hold of the strand of hair I was playing with and tug, jerking her head sideways, causing her to hiss as her hands fly to her hair.
“Don’t start screaming,” I warn her.
She startles more at the sound of my voice than the tug on her hair. She tries to lift her head away, but I keep my hold firm on the tangled tuft of brown hair.
She drops her hands and presses her palms harshly to the leather seat at either side of her hips, pushing down to slowly raise her body from a slumped position to sitting. I allow enough slack for her to straighten, but not enough for her to pull away from me.
“Do you know who I am?”
I hate that I can’t see her eyes behind the damn sunglasses. I’m tempted to pluck them from her pretty face, but then I’d just be met by her squinting and looking away. I prefer the sunglasses to that.
She shakes her head against my grip.
“Have you heard of the Senseless?”
She nods.
“Tell me what you know.”
She clears her throat. “The Senseless make and sell numb.”
“That’s right.” I release her and stroke my hand down her tangled hair as she pulls her head upright, leaning away from me toward the window. “And do you know who the Grave Digger is?”
Her head turns with a snap to look at me, and though it’s hard to see her eyes behind the shades, I sense her looking me up and down with fear.
“Are you—”
“No,” I chuckle, “I’m not the Grave Digger. But I do work for him, and everyone else works for me. I’m Merrick Shaw.”
“Merrick Shaw…” My name slips from her lips as her forehead wrinkles with recognition.
Everyone in the tri-state area knows my name as well as they know Benji Baker’s—the Grave Digger himself.
My eyes fall to her chest to see the heavy rise and fall of her quickening breaths. A smile twists the corner of my lips as the recognition and fear of my name strikes her.
“I take it you’ve heard of me?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
She nods as she leans away from me.
“Tell me what you know.”
She speaks in whispers, “You’re not to be crossed.”
The meekness of her voice should annoy me. Part of me wants to snap at her and demand she speak the hell up when I ask her a question. But the rest of me enjoys seeing her squirm, hearing the fear in the quietness of her whispered words.
“Do you intend to cross me, Willa?”
“No.” The word shoots out of her mouth with speed and intensity.
She’s frightened, good. It means she’ll do what she’s told.
