Brutal Vows

Peace has a price. Mine is marriage. As heir to the Luciano Famiglia, I was raised to become Capo. Loyalty was beaten into me. Mercy was not. My father made sure I understood that power belongs to the ruthless. Now our enemies are growing stronger, and I've proposed the unthinkable—an alliance with the Roríguez Cartel. The treaty requires blood. Or, in this case, vows. To unite two criminal empires, I'm ordered to marry Catalina Ruiz, the beautiful eldest daughter of one of the cartel's most powerful lieutenants. She believes she knows the sacrifice she's making.

As the only daughter of the Kansas City capo, at eighteen years of age, I was given to the son of my father’s consigliere, a man who was expected to accomplish great things for the famiglia. Things didn’t go the way we planned. There wasn’t love. My husband was a traitor, a part of a coup against the famiglia. My husband is dead. I’m free. Until the fateful night my brother, our new capo, informs me that I’ve once again been promised in marriage.

As consigliere to the Luciano Famiglia, I'm respected for the things most men fear—my skill with a knife, my ruthless interrogations, and my unwavering loyalty. I don't expect happiness. Men like me aren't made for it. Then I meet Camila Ruiz. The youngest daughter of one of the Roríguez Cartel’s most powerful lieutenants is everything I'm not—kind, beautiful, and untouched by the darkness that defines my life.

Mafia/cartel, arranged marriage, forbidden, possessive hero, sheltered heroine, he falls first, dangerous romance. Reinaldo Rodríguez. Emiliano Ruiz. Both are dangerous, deadly, and powerful. Both are second-generation soldiers proving themselves in the Rodríguez cartel. Both want me. Of course, I wasn’t told until it was too late. That’s the way things work in the famiglia. My fate is up to Dario Luciano, my guardian. He doesn’t care about the way the men make me feel.

The Roríguez cartel is spinning out of control, tragedy putting the alliance and our future in question. I’m Emiliano Ruiz and throughout the last few years, I’ve witnessed my sisters being doled out to members of the Luciano Mafia. The cartel has also taken famiglia women. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Luciano famiglia’s turn to take a bride. My mind is set—it’s my turn.

As a newly declared lieutenant in the Roríguez cartel, I’m told I need a wife. The cartel allegiance with the Luciano family has mandated multiple matrimonial mergers. However, I’m not looking for a wife in the true sense of the word. Liliana Ruiz has been in my life for years. I’d never before looked at her as a woman to pursue. When I first met her, she was damaged and timid. Time allowed Liliana to grow into not only a beautiful woman, but an independent soul. She doesn’t want to marry, yet the time will come when it isn’t her choice.