request of my readers. As much as this is a hobby, I am writing these books for you guys as well as myself.
Thank you, all, for turning this hobby into something exciting and magical!
Acknowledgements
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The first acknowledgement will always be my husband (unless we ever divorce, then probably not so much after that), but seeing as how I can’t imagine that day ever coming, I can’t ever put myself out there without thanking him for all his love, support and belief in me.
Second, there’s my family; my daughter, my son, my grandchildren, my sister, and my mother. They are the people who love me the most and know me the best and love me dearly, despite all they know…LOL!
And, of course, there’s Kamala. She insists that I don’t have to thank her in every book, but my love for her and gratitude for all her support and enthusiasm, claims otherwise. She’s the first person (outside my family) that I shared this dream with, and she’s been by my side every step of the way. Kam, you really are the best kind of friend and an awesome beta!
And, finally, I’d like to thank everyone who’s purchased, read, reviewed, shared and supported me and my writing. Thank you so much for helping make this dream a reality and a happy, fun one at that! There are not enough ‘Thank You’s in the world….
Dedication
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For Jamee (Panda)-
Time was too short, and your absence is undeniable. You were a great friend to my son, and just a great person in general. You will be missed and loved always.
Prologue
2013~
The scene was a quietly violent one that would change my life forever.
It would change everything.
It would take me from a young man, struggling to take care of his sister, to a man who would have the world at his fingertips. Sure, I had to sell my soul to the Devil to get it, but Frankie was worth it.
She was my only family after our parents died in a car wreck five years ago, and I had to make some hard choices about our lives; her life.
I knew she wasn’t going to be happy, but she was my sister. She couldn’t hate me forever.
This was my choice, though.
No one was forcing me to be here.
No one was forcing me to do this.
And as much as I promised Frankie that I’d never leave her, I knew choosing this life might make a liar out of me some day, but what else could I do?
No matter where Frankie goes in life, it’ll always be my job to ultimately see to her safety. She worried and I understood her concerns; Phoenix, Luca, and I were all she had in this world. I knew she worried about us, especially Luca.
And I got it.
I really did.
We’d already lost our parents, so me doing anything that could put me in harm’s way was not something Frankie would ever accept. What she didn’t know, though, was that my life had already been heading in this direction years before our parents passed. If I’m being completely honest, it was heading in this direction the day I befriended Luca Benetti.
I stood in the center of the abandoned warehouse next to my other best friend, Phoenix Fiore, and he was doing the same thing I was. He was pointing a gun at one of the two men strapped to the chairs in front of us while I had my gun on the second guy.
Two pedophiles
Two pedophiles who haven’t been tortured enough if you ask me.
Behind us stood Luca with his father, Giovanni Benetti, Morgan City’s Mob Boss. Around us were four additional Made Men, waiting to see if Phoenix and I would go through with the killings. The only person in this room who didn’t doubt us was Luca. He knew what we were made of as he’s the one who groomed us. He’s the one who invited us into this life when he was too young to even have the authority to do so.
Phoenix looked over at me and, with more confidence than I’ve ever felt before in my life, I gave him a tight nod. We both looked back the two pieces of shit before us, raised our arms, aimed, and fired a true shot into our targets.
The room was silent for a few seconds and I wondered why there wasn’t more blood. It seemed like there should be more blood spilled before sending these two monsters to Hell.