Release Day : May 13,
2014
From #1 New York Times Bestselling
author Rachel Van Dyken comes the third book in the bestselling Eagle Elite
Series...
“As burns this saint, so burns my soul. I enter alive, and I will have to get out dead.”
Chase Winter let the love of his life
slip through his fingers and into the hands of his best friend and mafia boss
of the Abandanato family. Now that he's been given a second chance to right a
wrong--he refuses to let his own selfishness stand in the way. The only
problem? He's not fully in possession of his heart, so when Mil De Lange, the
girl who's innocence he stole, and heir to the worst of the worst mafia
families in the US, asks him for a favor. He actually says yes, not realizing
that that one yes has the power to destroy them all.
Mil's been in love with Chase as long
as she can remember, but as the years went by, the love turned to hate, and now
that he's agreed to help her, she's wondering if she made a fatal error.
Because Chase isn't a teenager anymore. He's a hot blooded male, bent on owning
every part of her body and soul, and willing to kill anyone in his path who
dares stand in the way.
It's time for secrets to finally be
revealed...but make no mistake, it's going to take a lot of bloodshed for those
truths to be discovered.
You've never read a New Adult Mafia
story like this before...loyalties will be tested, lovers reunited, and
friendships obliterated. Welcome to the Family. Blood in--No out.
*About the Author*
Rachel Van Dyken is the New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency
and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking
coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The
Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their
snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can
follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken
Nixon
I checked the time on my cell and
leaned against the wall. The desert heat was not in any way helping my
already-tense mood and irritated disposition. A guy walked by, flicking his
cigarette into the dirt. Note to self: you know you're tense as hell when
you’re halfway tempted to grab said cigarette and suck the nicotine dry from
the remains.
And I didn’t even
smoke.
Shhhit.
My head hurt, my muscles were
sore, and Trace was pissed. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the
building.
“Hey there.” A flirty voice
interrupted my self-inflicted torture session. I opened one eye, then two. A
blond-haired girl in six-inch heels and something I can only assume at one
point use to be a shirt, hanging over her shoulder, walked into my personal
space. Her shirt-dress thing barely met her thighs.
“Yes?” I kept my sunglasses on.
If I took them off and glared, she’d probably run screaming down the street,
and I wasn’t into scaring females… at least not in that way.
I knew I looked downright pissed as hell.
“Just thought you looked lonely.”
She lifted her shoulder and offered a teasing smile. Did that really work on
other guys?
“You thought wrong,” I said
simply. “I’m holding the wall up — like
Samson.”
“Samson?” She looked around as if
waiting for another man to appear.
“From the Bible,” I
clarified.
“The
what?”
“Gotta love Vegas,” I muttered
under my breath. “Look, I don’t want any.”
“Any what?” She ran a manicured
nail down my chest, biting down on her lip at the same time. I could only
imagine her point was to get me to stare at her lips, but all I felt was
irritation. Damn Chase and Mil. I just wanted to go to bed, but I needed to
talk with him before tomorrow.
“Sex.” My voice clipped. “I.
Don’t. Want. Any.”
“But—” She twirled a piece of blond-
hair in her fingers.
“I’m
gay.”
“Right.” She
snorted.
“I’m into
men.”
“Oh really?” She closed the
distance between us. Just as I was ready to seriously put my hands on her and
push, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder.
“Hey there, hot stuff.” Tex said
in a low voice as his hand grabbed my ass, cupping it with a little too much
enthusiasm. “You ready?”
I ground my teeth together and
forced a smile. “Yup.”
“Oh…” The girl stepped back. “Um,
sorry, you guys, uh, enjoy your night.” She pushed past Tex so fast I was
afraid she was going to teeter off her heels and get hit by a
taxi.
“Tex.” I
seethed.
“Hmm?” He took off his sunglasses
and tilted his head as the girl hurried away.
“You can take your hand off my
ass now.”
“Why? Afraid you like it too
much?”
I pushed against
him.
“Just embrace your feelings!” He shouted,
earning the attention of a family walking by with their two little
kids.
I grabbed him by the front of his
shirt and threw him few feet away from me, trying my damnedest not to
smile.
“Admit it. You keep me around for
comic relief.” Tex nodded with a smirk.
“I admit nothing.” I lost the war
against smiling and started laughing. “But I do keep your ass away from
Campisi, so remember that next time you start yelling about me being your
lover.”
“True.” Tex grinned. “Oh, and
P.S., don’t knock it till you try it.”
“P.S.,” I repeated in the same
voice. “Still pissed at you for screwing over my
sister.”
“Yeah well.” Tex sobered. “It’s
for the best.”
“Breaking her heart and bringing
in whores is what’s best for her?”
Tex lifted his hands into the
air. “Look, I didn’t say my methods were sound or that they were intelligent,
just let us deal with it, okay? We’re big kids.”
“Kids.” I snorted. “That about
sums it up.”
A town car pulled up next to the
curb. Chase got out and then held out his hand to Mil. My eyes narrowed; she
looked different. Happier.
Her mom had just died, and she'd
survived a bombing.
And she was smiling like the
Taliban had just declared world peace.
Chase gripped her so tight that I
saw the white of his knuckles.
I tilted my head, still watching
them when Tex said. “Dude, you get laid?”
“Tex,” I snapped. “Go get
something for their luggage.”
“But—”
“Go.”
Tex flipped me off, but ended up
jogging over to the main entrance while I inspected both Mil and Chase. “I’m
not saying this to be an ass—”
“Here we go.” Mil crossed her
arms.
Chase
waited.
I licked my lips and tried to
appear indifferent. “But if you guys start screwing each other
now, I may have to shoot one or both
of you. It’s not the time to play house, got it?”
“Play house,” Chase repeated in a
deadpan voice as he dipped his free hand into his back pocket, most likely
clenching a pair of brass knuckles.
“I know it’s your honeymoon,” I
continued. “But this [P1] little
scenario you’ve got going on with the whole hot and cold is going to have to
wait until everyone’s safe. So Chase, keep it in your pants for once in your
life, and Mil, stop trying to seduce the poor kid, alright? It’s like dangling
a damn fry in front of a seagull.”
“Who’s a fry?” Tex asked, pulling
the luggage cart with him.
“Mil.”
“Are we eating dinner or
something? Because I have to admit,” Tex leaned against the cart, “I’m freaking
starving.” He eyed Chase and Mil. “Then again, I’m sure you both are too. All
those extracurricular really take it out of ya.”
Chase took off his sunglasses,
his face twisting in irritation and annoyance, no smile. Nothing. He was
pissed.
“Chase,” I said slowly. “You know
I’m right. You’re the best I have. I need your focus to be on The Family. Your
family. Then you can screw all you want, okay?”
Mil looked like she wanted to
punch me in the face. Chase took a step forward, but she stopped
him.
“Good talk.” I exhaled. “Chase,
I’ll see you down in the bar in a half-hour, okay? We have business to discuss.
Mil, you can go find the girls. They’re having dinner out by the
pool.”
Nobody
moved.
After a few seconds of tense
silence where I was pretty sure Chase was trying to convince himself not to
strangle me to death, Tex cleared his throat and pointed to the luggage. “You
guys need help, then?”
“Yeah,” Chase croaked.
“Thanks.”
We loaded them up and sent them on
their way.
“Tell me,” Tex asked once we were
walking back toward the bar. “Is your only goal to see how far you can push
Chase before he kills you in your sleep?”
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