the girls cook inside. Once everything is finished cooking, we sit down in the formal dining room and eat until we all have to waddle out of the room.
I never thought this would be my life—living with a King. But I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I don’t know what brought Grave into Roses that morning, but I like to think that fate knew what it was doing because it brought me the man that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.
THE END
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Thank you for taking the time to read Grave. Did you enjoy the Dark Kings? Want to see where it all started? Grab Code of Silence and Titan. Continue on to read the prologue of Code of Silence. The rest of the Dark Kings are coming 2021. Make sure to add them to your TBR list. Links below.
Cross
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If you’re a member of my reader group on Facebook, then you know I made an announcement in July that I had a surprise series coming 2021. Well, the cat is out of the bag. That series is The Mason Brothers. Make sure to add them to you TBR list.
TMB #1
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CODE OF SILENCE
PROLOGUE
LUCA
Ten years old
“WHO DID YOU fucking talk to?” my father demands.
“No one, John,” Uncle Marco snaps. “You know that—”
“I know what I’ve been told and what you are saying doesn’t add up!” He pokes his brother in the chest. “And you.” He points at my aunt who stands in the corner of the living room with her back against the window that overlooks their backyard. “You’ve been running your fucking mouth too much.”
Tears fill her brown eyes as she stares at my father. Her shoulders shake, and she bites her bottom lip, trying to swallow a sob.
John Bianchi puts the fear of God in you. Because he is god. As the Don—the ringleader of the Italian-American Mafia—he decides when your time is up and how you pay for your sins. He was born in New York, but he and my uncle moved to Las Vegas when my father was fourteen. Uncle Marco was twelve. The laws in Sin City were more fluid back then, so my father was able to get his hands dirtier. He likes life messy.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Marco shoves my father.
“I’ll talk to the bitch however I fucking please!” He punches my uncle, knocking him to his knees.
Aunt Ava cries out as blood runs down his chin, but she doesn’t dare go to her husband. No, she stays in her corner, knowing damn well there’s nothing she can do. At this point, all she can hope is that my father spares her life.
“You son of a bitch,” Marco growls, wiping the blood off.
My father pulls the gun from the waistband of his dress slacks and points it down at his brother.
“John!” He throws up his hands, eyes so dark they’re almost black, pleading with my father to spare his life. “Come on. We’ll figure this out. I swear it wasn’t me …”
My father pulls the trigger.
I jump, momentarily deafened by the sound except for the ringing in my ears. Ava cries out, falling to the floor. Bringing her knees to her chest, she openly sobs.
I look back at my uncle. He never did live up to the expectations of the Bianchi family. My father was born in the mafia, and he will die in it, but his younger brother always played a role. Marco has wanted out for years, and this was the only way he was going to get it. Putting a bullet in his head was John Bianchi’s way of sparing him. He could have made my uncle suffer.
He turns to face my aunt. “No!” she screams. “Please …” She shakes violently as tears run down her face, smearing the makeup she put on earlier. It’s their anniversary. We caught them on their way out to dinner to celebrate fifteen years of marriage.
“Strip,” my father orders.
“Please …!” She sobs, shaking her head.
“Remove your dress. Now!” he shouts.
Using the window for support, she slowly gets to her feet. With shaky hands, she undoes the hook that holds her dress around her neck. It falls down her chest, stomach, and hips before pooling around her black heels. Her frail body shakes as she covers her bare breasts with her arms.
My father smiles at her, obviously happy with what he sees. Or what he doesn’t see. A wire. Someone has been feeding information to the feds, and he suspects it’s her. But the things that have gotten back to my father were spot-on, so if she wasn’t the snitch, then her husband was.
He walks over to her, grips her auburn hair, and jerks her head back. Placing the gun under her chin, he shows no emotion as she closes her eyes and sobs uncontrollably. “You keep your goddamn mouth shut; do you understand me?”
She begins to nod, but he shoves her head back farther with the barrel of the gun.
“Fucking say it, Ava!” he growls in her face.
“Keep … my ... mouth … shut,” she chokes out.
He releases her, and she cries out when he shoves her to the floor once again. Turning to face me, he places his gun back in his waistband. Coming over to me, he says, “Never let anyone stand in your way, son. Not even fucking blood. They’ll be the first to undercut you, and they should be the first to die for it.”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First I would like to thank my assistants, Christina Santos, Heather Brown, and Melissa Cunningham. These ladies are amazing. Without them, I would be lost.
I would like to thank Jenny Sims, my wonderful editor. I’ve been working with her for seven years now and she’s awesome!
And a big thank you to my proofreaders, Amanda Rash, Elizabeth Clinton, Heather Brown, Brenda Parsons, Shaley Clements, Michelle Mclellan, and Rita Rees. Thank you to these amazing ladies who took their time to read over my story with very little notice.
To my cover designer, Shannoff Reads. Thank you for making me all those gorgeous covers for the Dark Kings.
A big thank you to my formatter and friend, CP Smith. Thanks so much for your help! You always make my words look so pretty.
I want to thank Danielle Sanchez from Wildfire Marketing Solutions and all the blogs that signed up to help promote Grave. You guys are amazing.
I want to thank my lovely betas, Rita Rees, Fay Moore, Melissa Cunningham, and Heather Brown. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me tell Grave and April’s story. And for all of your suggestions. I truly appreciate it.
I want to thank my Sinners. They are amazing! Christina Santos, Fay Moore, Lauren Lascola-Lesczynksi, Karen McVino, Sarah Piechuta, Sophie Ruthven, Heather Brown, Tara Hartnett, Rita Rees, Brandi Zelenka, Michelle McLellan, Amanda Marie, Brenda Parsons, Ashley Estep, Tiffany Johnson Mauer, Mary Dbo, Elizabeth Clinton, Catherine J Lawrence, Book Bre, Luetta Lyons, Elaine Turner, Shonna Mccabe, Whitney West, Melinda Benn, Eliette Alonso, Kerri Elizabeth, Amanda Anderson, Wendy Leach Charron, Aundi Marie, Mary Hernandez, Rhiannon King, Zsuszana F Gerhardt, Liz Parker, Jenifer Weber, Megan Smith, Katie Friend, Mercedez Potts, Natasha Bartholomew, Laura Peterson, Heather Hopkins-Kerby, Lindsey Davis, and Clare Harrison.
And last but not least, my readers. Thank you for taking a chance and wanting to read my books. I hope that you all love them as much as I do.
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OTHER BOOKS BY SHANTEL TESSIER
The UN Series
Undescribable
Unbearable
Uncontrollable
Unchangeable
Unforgettable
Unforeseen
Unpredictable
Unimaginable
Seven Deadly Sins Series
Addiction
Obsession
Confession- Coming soon
The Selfish Series
Selfish
Myself
Selfless
Dare Series
I Dare You
I Promise You
If You Dare
DASH- standalone
Slaughter- standalone
Code of Silence- standalone
The Dark Kings Series
Titan
Grave
Cross- coming soon
Bones- coming soon
Just A Kiss- NYE collaboration
Donut Overthink It- National Donut Day collaboration
Champagne Wishes- Wild in the Windy City anthology