Helen Hardt – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Helen Hardt – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Wed, 13 May 2026 18:50:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Helen Hardt – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Crossed Lines (Steel Legends #5) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/crossed-lines-steel-legends-5-read-online-helen-hardt Wed, 13 May 2026 18:50:11 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/crossed-lines-steel-legends-5-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Steel Legends Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)

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He did the right thing.

Now he doesn’t know how to live with it.

Six months ago, Henry Simpson killed a man to save his sister and her fiancé.

His family sees a hero. He sees someone he doesn’t recognize.

Tabitha Haynes isn’t looking for complications. Medical school has taught her discipline and focus. But when she arrives for her best friend’s wedding and encounters Henry, her restraint snaps.

Their chemistry is instant and explosive. Henry wants her with a hunger that’s all heat and no promises. She meets him with an intensity that frightens her. But neither knows how to stop once the line is crossed.

Because some decisions are made in seconds. And some goodbyes arrive without warning

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Henry

I don’t regret it.

Not for a second.

People think there’s this moment—after you take a life—where you’re supposed to crumble. Fall to your knees. Question everything.

But I don’t.

I remember the look on his face, the way his mouth curled in that half smile like he thought he still had the upper hand.

He thought I wouldn’t do it.

He was wrong.

I pulled the trigger. Simple as that.

My sister was safe. That’s all that mattered.

I believe in what I did. I’d do it again. Hell, I’d do worse if I had to.

But the nightmares don’t know that.

They don’t care.

They come anyway. They rewind the scene, slow it down, and stretch it out until I wake up with my heart racing and my lungs screaming for air.

It’s not guilt. I know guilt.

This is something else. Something meaner. Something quieter.

It’s memory, maybe. Or the cost of doing the right thing.

Because there’s always a price.

And I’m paying it.

One

Tabitha

The road unwinds in front of me as I leave Boulder behind.

I’m a Colorado native, and I’ve made this trip many times, but each time I’m amazed at the splendor of it.

The world seems to shift the farther west I go.

Back in Boulder, everything’s neat and green. Cyclists in packs, electric vehicles driving past organic grocers and yoga studios. The gorgeous Flatirons watching over the town.

But out here…

It’s…wilder somehow.

The foothills give way to the majestic Rockies, and after that the sky opens wider. The air feels cleaner.

I pass through tiny towns. Silos, grain elevators, a few stray cattle grazing. A diner’s neon sign flashes, except it says iner because the D is burned out.

The Rockies shift too. They’re less pine covered, more jagged and exposed. The red and terra-cotta rocks hide figures and faces.

And then the light.

It’s different here. Thinner and sharper. I roll down the window, let the air hit my face. It smells like pine and dust and wildflowers. Nothing like Boulder’s patchouli-scented breeze.

I pass a rusted-out truck half buried in a field and a small herd of black cattle near a split-rail fence. No yoga pants or cold brew in sight.

It’s humbling.

Every time I come out this way, I feel like I’m stepping into another version of Colorado. Remnants of the old west. Of the gold rush. It’s different. More real.

And even though I’ve seen it before, it still catches in my throat.

Like the first time.

Every time.

Especially since I’m headed into the largest ranch in Colorado, Steel Acres.

You don’t forget a place like that. Not after the first time. Probably not after the tenth, either, though I’ve only been here once before. The land just keeps going. It’s not just big. It’s staggering.

I turn onto a narrow road framed by a wooden arch that reads Steel Acres Ranch in wrought-iron letters. Dust kicks up behind my car. The cattle guard rattles under my tires as I cross it, and then it’s just the land.

Fields stretch out in every direction, lush in some spots, dry and sun-cracked in others. Fences run across the hillsides, and I spot a few cattle grazing near a line of cottonwoods. A hawk circles in the distance.

Everything feels slower out here.

I’m not an envious person by nature, but in this moment, I covet Angie Simpson, my bestie at medical school. She grew up in this ethereal place, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. I grew up in a suburb of Denver, in a suburban house with a suburban middle-class family. I had a grassy yard with a swing set when I was younger, a volleyball net when I was older. My own room in a midsize two-story home, and a dog and a cat. The quintessential American family life.

Nice.

No complaints.

My parents stayed married, and my older sister, Samantha, and I fought like siblings do.

Basic normal.

But this?

Angie and her three siblings, along with myriad cousins, grew up in the most amazing place on earth.

I pass a row of outbuildings—barns, grain silos, a bunkhouse. A ranch hand rides horseback, guiding a few strays toward a far gate. A truck loaded with fencing supplies pulls off toward one of the pastures.

The main house appears, perched on a rise like it’s watching over the entirety of the property. It’s not ostentatious—at least not in the Boulder sense—but it’s commanding. Big wraparound porch, stone chimney, rust ceramic shingles. It’s gorgeous and huge.

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Captivating Curse (Bellamy Brothers #9) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/captivating-curse-bellamy-brothers-9-read-online-helen-hardt Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:10:08 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/captivating-curse-bellamy-brothers-9-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Chick Lit, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Bellamy Brothers Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 71949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >70

Enter a world of mystery, suspense, sin, and heart-wrenching emotion with Helen Hardt's Bellamy Brothers series!

She chooses sacrifice over survival.

He will damn himself to bring her back.

Daniela Agudelo has spent her life paying for the sins of men who believed they owned her. This time, the choice is hers, and it’s the most dangerous one yet. To save an innocent child she loves, Daniela offers the one thing she swore no one would ever take from her again.

Hawk Bellamy refuses to let her disappear.

As Daniela vanishes into the jaws of her past, Hawk risks his fortune, his freedom, and the carefully controlled life he’s built to find her. Every secret he uncovers drags him deeper into a truth he’s spent his life denying—his father’s legacy isn’t clean, and the darkness threatening Daniela may be rooted in his own blood.

Daniela already knows what she’s willing to sacrifice. Now Hawk must choose what he’s willing to destroy to save her

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

HAWK

Eagle nods once, heavy, as the sedative crawls up his veins. “Outside your door,” he whispers. “The night I…went down.” His lashes flutter. “Somebody didn’t want me telling you what I found out about Dad…”

Everything inside me goes still. “What about Dad?”

“Dad and…” His tongue trips. “D—D—D…” The syllables stumble, break apart. His eyes roll, slow as tide. He tries again. “D⁠—”

The last consonant dies on his lips. His mouth softens. The sedative wins.

I turn to the nurse. “Is he okay?”

The nurse is already smoothing the line, already changing the monitor range. “He’s fine,” she says. “He needs sleep. His body’s been through a lot. He’ll likely be out the rest of the night.” She lifts her gaze to mine. “You can come back in the morning.”

“Yeah,” I say, though morning feels a lifetime away. “I’ll do that.”

Falcon watches me from the door.

“I’ve got something to attend to,” I tell him.

“Reyes.”

I nod.

The hallway feels too bright.

I take the elevator down, grab my car from the valet.

The night outside feels wrong, air thick and wet. I drive with my knuckles raw from earlier, the bandage already spotted through.

The drive is slow and dark, but I finally make it.

The old barn crouches on the edge of our land. No lights. No sounds but crickets.

I kill the engine and listen. Nothing. Good. I want quiet.

Gravel crunches under my boots. The barn door gives with a long, complaining groan.

My eyes adjust quickly.

The chair.

My skin crawls with tiny invisible feet.

What the fuck?

The chair waits where I left it.

Empty.

For a second my brain refuses to believe what my eyes are seeing. The shape is wrong. That’s all. Reyes is slumped. Head down. I step closer.

The rope is cut. The rag I used to gag him in a heap on the ground.

I go cold and hot at once.

“Reyes,” I say into the dark.

Silence answers.

I cross to the stool where I left the plate. The fork sits on top and the plate is licked clean. He ate every bite.

Something glints at the base of the post. I crouch. A sliver of metal.

Fuck. It’s half a hacksaw blade. Where the hell did he get that?

I follow the scrape marks to the side door. Outside, weeds bend in two lines to the service path. Not footsteps. Knees. He crawled, or someone dragged him. The tracks vanish in the gravel.

My skin prickles.

I scan the rafters. The beams.

Nothing.

Motherfucker.

I pull my phone out of my pocket. No bars. I step toward the big doors. One bar. Then none.

He was tied. He was gagged. He was mine. And now he’s air.

Eagle’s voice punches through my head, slurred and stubborn. Outside your door. Didn’t want me telling you what I found about Dad… D-D-D…

Dad and what. Dad and who. Dad and D.

The barn tilts.

If Reyes is out, he’s either running or hunting. Maybe both. If he’s running, he goes home, grabs the diary, burns the pictures, resets the board before I can move. If he’s hunting⁠—

No.

I replay every knot I tied. Every check. Every lock. There’s a gap I didn’t see. There has to be.

I walk the perimeter again, slow this time, eyes on small things. I inhale.

Something hits me.

Motor oil?

No. Almost like soap, but stronger.

Fuck.

Cheap aftershave.

The same ghost Eagle muttered about through meds. Aftershave in a garage somewhere. A smell that doesn’t belong to my barn or to Reyes.

He didn’t get out alone.

My mouth goes dry.

My phone vibrates. I yank it out. One bar now.

A new text from a number I don’t recognize.

It’s a photo. Grainy. It’s the barn. Two figures. One slumped, one upright. A third shape in the foreground—just the hint of a shoulder. Whoever took it is almost in the frame.

Under it is a message.

Nice knots, Bellamy. Try harder.

My pulse goes flat. I lift my head into the dark and grin without humor.

“You want to play?” I say to the ghost of cheap aftershave riding the night air. “Okay.”

A second buzz. Another photo pops up. Close-up this time. Reyes’s wrist, chafed and bleeding, hand giving the camera a lazy thumbs-up. On his ring finger, a smear of something darker than dirt.

And then a third—a shot of a safe keypad. Not mine. Not his. Looks like a stock image. Just numbers lit in cold blue. The code fields blank. The caption under it:

Tick-tock.

The screen goes black.

I stand in the doorway of the barn, fists opening and closing, knuckles burning under old blood and new.

Eagle’s last stuttered syllable scrapes through me again. D—D—D⁠—

Dad and who?

Reyes is gone.

Then I see them.

More texts.

From Daniela, sent hours ago.

Belinda is missing. DHS revoked her temporary protected status.

This quickly? What the fuck?

My breath catches in my throat.

I stopped being the good son. I embraced chaos, did what felt right in the moment.

Pandora’s box has been opened, and that same chaos has now cursed everything I touch.

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Hearts (Aces Underground #4) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/hearts-aces-underground-4-read-online-helen-hardt Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:33:36 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/hearts-aces-underground-4-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Aces Underground Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >80

Don't miss the gripping conclusion!

They followed the truth down the rabbit hole.

Now escape comes at a deadly cost.

Bianca Montrose always knew her sister’s world was built on secrets. What she didn’t know was just how far that darkness went or how much evil it hid beneath the surface. When Bianca finally uncovers the truth behind Aces Underground, it shatters everything she thought she understood about loyalty, ambition, and family.

Harrison O’Rourke has already risked his life chasing answers. Now the stakes are higher than ever. What began as a search for missing friends has turned into a fight against a powerful network that thrives on control and eliminates anyone who threatens to expose it. He’s determined to protect Bianca, the woman he loves, from all of it.

With danger closing in from every side, Bianca and Harrison form an uneasy alliance with a man who plays no one’s game but his own. But trusting him may be as deadly as going it by themselvesDon't miss the gripping conclusion!

They followed the truth down the rabbit hole.

Now escape comes at a deadly cost.

Bianca Montrose always knew her sister’s world was built on secrets. What she didn’t know was just how far that darkness went or how much evil it hid beneath the surface. When Bianca finally uncovers the truth behind Aces Underground, it shatters everything she thought she understood about loyalty, ambition, and family.

Harrison O’Rourke has already risked his life chasing answers. Now the stakes are higher than ever. What began as a search for missing friends has turned into a fight against a powerful network that thrives on control and eliminates anyone who threatens to expose it. He’s determined to protect Bianca, the woman he loves, from all of it.

With danger closing in from every side, Bianca and Harrison form an uneasy alliance with a man who plays no one’s game but his own. But trusting him may be as deadly as going it by themselves

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

BIANCA

Rouge saved me when I hit rock bottom.

But that doesn’t excuse what she’s done.

And I won’t allow her to get away with this.

“Bianca!”

A harsh whisper from behind me nearly makes me jump out of my skin as I enter my dressing room. I turn with a start.

It’s Harrison.

“Oh, thank God. You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He exhales. “I just saw you slip in here and wanted to talk to you. I think I might know where we’ll find this writing raven.”

I widen my eyes. “Really? Where?”

“The women’s restroom.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why there?”

“I don’t know for sure. But it’s the only place I haven’t looked yet, besides the places I’m not allowed to go.” I pace back and forth. “But it makes sense for a place to hide something, right? Easy access from the secret entrance and all.”

I scratch the side of my head. “Okay…”

He holds up a hand. “You’re not convinced. Neither am I. But it’s the only place I haven’t looked. Obviously I can’t go in and look without a woman going in first to make sure the coast is clear.”

I’m about to tell him that what he’s saying makes no sense, but then I feel the familiar twitch above my eyebrow. It could just be nerves—this is a high-stakes situation, after all—but it hasn’t led me astray yet.

Maybe Harrison is right. There could be something in the ladies’ restroom hiding in plain sight.

“Let’s try it out.” I check my phone. “I have fifteen minutes until my next set. Rouge sometimes comes in and checks on me during my breaks, but there are a lot of extra people here for the holiday. They should keep her busy.”

He nods. “Great. Thanks for trying this out for me, babe.”

I get on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. “I have a feeling you might be right about this.” I open my dressing room door and peek through. Rouge is all the way across in Spades, and no one seems to be paying much attention to the area surrounding the ladies’ restroom. I gesture Harrison to follow behind me.

We cross quickly toward the restroom. I go inside first, and the coast is clear. The three stalls are empty, and there’s no one sitting on the fainting couch at the entrance or adjusting their makeup in the mirror.

I open the door. “It’s empty. Come in.”

He enters, and together we push the fainting couch against the door to keep people from coming inside while we look around.

“Let’s be quick,” I say. “You never know when my sister might have to heed nature’s call.”

Harrison chuckles. “I didn’t think Rouge would ever be caught doing something so human as taking a shit.”

I let out a short laugh. It’s a funny thing to say. Unfortunately, I have seen the human side of Rouge, and it might be even more terrifying than her Queen side.

“Let’s look around. See if anything looks out of place.”

He nods.

I check the mirror behind the sink—since mirrors seem to be important to this section of the club—but find nothing. No secret cabinet or anything. I run my hands along the upholstery of the fainting couch. It’s all original stitching.

“That’s weird,” Harrison mutters from the stalls.

“What’s weird?” I walk over to him.

“The stalls in this bathroom. They have writing on the locks. Like in an airplane bathroom. When you switch the lock”—he demonstrates—“it goes from ‘vacant’ to ‘occupied.’”

I purse my lips. “So? That’s not exactly uncommon.”

He shakes his head. “I was in the men’s room before I met you in the dressing room. I looked up and down the doors of those toilet stalls, seeing if there was a picture of a raven or something, and they don’t have that feature.”

“So? There probably isn’t a fainting couch either. Sometimes ladies’ restrooms are a little fancier than men’s.” But then I gasp. “My God! It’s writing!”

“Yeah. As in the writing raven.”

“I thought it meant that the raven was doing the act of writing. Not the writing itself.”

He nods. “I was thinking about this earlier. The river of tears in the riddle wasn’t referring to an actual river, or actual tears. So we have to think outside the box on the other half of the riddle as well.”

“Okay. So what could raven mean?”

“I was thinking it could be raven as in raven hair. Like the color black.” He gestures to the stall doors. “But the writing on all these locks is pink, just like everything else in this bathroom.”

“Right.” I grab my phone. “Let’s see if there are other definitions of the word.” I pull up Google and search for the definition of “raven.” Several results pull up, and I pull up a dictionary website. “Well, the first definition is the bird, obviously. Then there’s the adjective, like ‘raven black hair.’ And then…” I widen my eyes.

“Then what?”

“It’s a verb, too. ‘To raven’ means ‘to devour voraciously.’ It must be where the word ‘ravenous’ comes from.”

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Clubs (Aces Underground #3) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/clubs-aces-underground-3-read-online-helen-hardt Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:40:57 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/clubs-aces-underground-3-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Chick Lit, Erotic Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Aces Underground Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >85

The deeper they dig, the darker the rabbit hole becomes.

Renowned surgeon Harrison O’Rourke is starting to panic. His two friends said they were going on a trip, but a month has passed with no word and no trace of them anywhere. When the trail leads him to Chicago’s shadowy Aces Underground, Harrison forces his way inside, determined to look for clues.

Bianca Montrose once chased Broadway dreams, but New York chewed her up and spit her out. Now she sings in the smoky corners of her sister’s exclusive underground club, a place built on secrets and silence. When handsome Harrison O’Rourke slips inside looking for answers, Bianca smuggles him in…and one charged moment between them sparks a chemistry neither can ignore.

Their attraction is instant. Their connection is dangerous.

And the club is watching.

As Harrison and Bianca begin peeling back the layers of Aces Underground, they uncover whispers, lies, and a network of power that doesn’t tolerate curiosity. Every step pulls them toward the truth as secrets sharpen, danger rises, and the fire between them blazes hotter.

Together, they might expose Aces Underground…or be swallowed by it

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

HARRISON

I fucking hate March.

The worst month of the year by far.

But Harrison, you might say, it’s the first month of spring. The month of the first blossoms of the trees. The snow is beginning to melt, the sun beginning to peek through the skies of gray.

Big fucking deal.

The city of Chicago goes all out for March. Every damned window is covered with four-leaf clovers, pots of gold, and mischievous leprechauns. Then of course there’s the drinking. My hospital, St. Charles General, is always swamped with patients suffering from alcohol poisoning or brawl-related injuries this time of year.

The city’s gravest sin, though, is the millions of gallons of green dye that it pours into the Chicago River to mark the occasion. Makes the whole thing look like a runoff of toxic sewage. I have to cross it on my commute from my home in Oak Park every time I come into the city, holding my breath against any noxious fumes.

Of course, these are merely symptoms of my disdain for the month.

The real reason—well, one of the reasons—is because my birthday is the seventeenth.

Yep. You heard that right.

St. Patrick’s Day.

My parents were thrilled. The firstborn son of two second-generation Irish-Americans, born on the day when the Yanks celebrate our culture by drinking more whiskey and Guinness than their livers could ever hope to process. They dressed me up in leprechaun onesies the first several years of my life and then always made sure my wardrobe had plenty of green in it.

I never wear green anymore. It’s my favorite color, but I consciously stopped wearing it in middle school.

Fuck… Middle school.

Those years are rough on anyone, but for me…

Damn.

I don’t like to think about it.

Because not only was I born on the Irish people’s answer to Christmas, not only did my parents dress me in an all-green wardrobe until I started sprouting armpit hair…

But as luck would have it, I was born with abnormally large ears.

And the school bullies had their way with me about them for years.

Any name you can think of, they called me. A lot of rabbit-inspired options, of course. And once they realized that the first syllable of my name was a synonym for our cotton-tailed friends, they were unstoppable.

I grew into my ears eventually.

But the scars of those formative years will never heal.

The bullying was just the beginning of it.

But I shake the thought from my head.

Look at me now, Mom! I’m an attending physician at one of Chicago’s leading hospitals. I make a shit ton of money, bought my first home—an actual house, with a yard and everything—in a good part of Oak Park, and I have a prime reserved parking spot right in the Loop. St. Charles treats its doctors well.

The nurses don’t get parking, but whatever. Most of them live right off the L, so their commutes are pretty straightforward anyway. And if they’re not driving, they’re doing their part to save the whales or the pandas or whatever cause we’re all tacitly agreeing to support this week.

I, on the other hand, am driving my car, a vintage 1972 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, into work today. I’m the envy of all my colleagues except for my best friend, Maddox Hathaway, whose gorgeous 1967 Rolls-Royce makes my vehicle look like a bumper car. Of course, Maddox got his car from his father, and I worked tooth and nail to be able to buy my little beauty and get her fixed up like new. And yes, I’m already holding my breath as I pass over the river, even though the city isn’t scheduled to dye it until tomorrow. It’s probably good sense no matter what time of year it is. God knows what—or even who—might be interred in that waterway.

Jesus, where did that thought come from?

I mean, it is Chicago. I’m sure the mob has dumped a body or two in the river over the years. And those poor bastards’ eternal home is about to be stained the most violent shade of emerald imaginable.

Oh, well. I guess it’s more interesting than being worm food.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. Attending physician. Leading Chicago hospital. I rub elbows with lots of city elites, date lots of beautiful women, and even go to one of the city’s most exclusive clubs, Aces Underground, as Maddox’s guest. He comes from Chicago royalty. The Hathaways are a local political dynasty. The Kennedys of Chicago.

The O’Rourkes aren’t the Kennedys of anything, except perhaps for binge drinking and baby making, often at the same time.

I was born into nothing. Less than nothing. And I built a damned life for myself. Worked three separate jobs to get myself through medical school. Survived off ramen and Easy Mac for the years of my internship and residency to scrounge up enough money to pay off my remaining student loans.

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Chaotic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #8) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/chaotic-curse-bellamy-brothers-8-read-online-helen-hardt Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:11:44 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/chaotic-curse-bellamy-brothers-8-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Bellamy Brothers Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >72

Enter a world of mystery, suspense, sin, and heart-wrenching emotion with Helen Hardt's Bellamy Brothers series

He thought the worst was over.

He was wrong.

Hawk Bellamy has always been the calm in the storm—the one who cleans up the wreckage his family leaves behind. But even he can’t control the chaos closing in now. His younger brother is fighting for his life, and Daniela Agudelo, the woman Hawk loves, is caught in a deadly game that began long before she escaped Colombia.

Daniela wants to believe she’s free. But someone out there remembers her face. Her name. The taste of her fear.

While Daniela fights to stay ahead of a predator who knows her every secret, Hawk is haunted by his own. Each revelation tears at the fragile peace he’s built, each choice pulling him closer to the morally gray line he swore he’d never cross.

Now the world around them is unraveling—his brother is fighting for his life, the Bellamy empire is cracking under the weight of its secrets, and Daniela’s predator is closing in.

Hawk will do anything to protect her. But in a world built on lies, obsession, and revenge, saving her might cost him his soul

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

DANIELA

For a moment when I wake up, I’m not sure where I am.

Then I know.

Hawk’s place. Hawk’s bed.

I jerk upright.

Vinnie and Raven will be worried sick.

I grab my phone from my purse on the floor. Sure enough, there’s a text from Raven.

I’m fine, I text back. I’m at Hawk’s.

Then the three dots.

We figured you were. I tried to call you both but they went to voicemail.

Yeah, we were busy, but I don’t say this.

I’m sorry to worry you.

It’s okay. Love you.

Love you too.

Hawk isn’t in the bed next to me. Where is he? I walk to the bathroom. He’s not there. I turn on the shower and get in, letting the warm water pelt over me. After I wash my hair and then dry off, I put on my dress I wore to court yesterday without the underwear. Commando for now, until I get a change of clean undies.

Then I leave the bedroom.

I find Hawk in the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee.

I inhale. It smells so good, almost as good as the coffee I had back in Colombia.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he says. “Did you shower without me?”

“Guilty,” I say. “But I’m always up for another.”

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

He hands me a cup, and I take a long sip of the strong brew. “I had some calls from Raven,” I tell him.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I didn’t even hear it ring. My phone was buried in my purse. She and Vinnie were concerned when I didn’t come home.”

He cocks his head. “Didn’t you tell Raven you were spending the night with me?”

I shrug. “I did, but she probably wanted to check in. She knows about my history. But I’m an adult.” I sigh. “I should have let them know I’d be staying over, so I feel bad. I don’t want to cause them any pain.”

He gives my shoulders a squeeze. “Ray will get over it. So will Vinnie. Which reminds me, I haven’t looked at my phone in a while either.” He leaves the kitchen.

When he doesn’t return after ten minutes, I pour myself another cup of coffee.

I could get used to waking up in Hawk’s house.

I could get used to a lot of things.

1

HAWK

Five missed calls from Eagle, all from last night. A few from Robin this morning.

A bunch of texts from Eagle, too.

Asking for help.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The last one just says I’m coming over.

The doorbell last night. That was Eagle.

He needed my help, and I ignored him.

But I was with Daniela… I couldn’t just leave⁠—

Then my phone buzzes.

It’s Robin.

“Robbie?” I say.

“Damn, Hawk, I’ve been trying to get you for over an hour.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Eagle,” she says. “Something triggered him. Fuck, he’s been clean for so long.”

My heart sinks. He’s relapsed. And I wasn’t there to cover for him this time, so the whole family is going to know.

It’s going to kill Mom.

And again I need to pick up the pieces.

“Where is he?” I ask. “I… I know where I can take him to get him help. It’s…not the first time this has happened.”

“What the hell do you mean? Eagle hasn’t relapsed, Hawk. He’s in the hospital,” Robin says. “He OD’d. And it’s bad, Hawk. It’s bad.”

A wave of terror seizes me and wraps around my heart like a boa constrictor. My breath is shallow, my pulse erratic.

“What?” The word comes out as a choked whisper, barely audible, even to me.

“OD’d, Hawk. Overdosed.” Robin’s words are hard and cold.

I feel numb. Shocked. Denial creeps in.

No, that can’t be. Eagle would never OD. Relapse, maybe, but…

Except not denial.

All this time, I knew he wasn’t keeping clean. I hid his problems from the rest of the family. He asked me to, and I did it.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >72

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Princess Redeemed – Vampire Princess Diaries Duet Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/princess-redeemed-vampire-princess-diaries-duet-read-online-helen-hardt Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:27:03 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/princess-redeemed-vampire-princess-diaries-duet-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Vampires Authors: Helen Hardt Advertisement

Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 65167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >64

Betrayed by blood. Abandoned by love. Cheated by fate.

Hannah Bates thought she belonged with Victor Rogan…until she learned her vampire king father had manipulated them both, twisting fate itself to bind them together. Pregnant and in danger, she flees to protect her child…and to discover who she truly is.

Guided by the oldest living vampire, Hannah begins to uncover the heritage and powers she never knew she possessed—truths that reveal a destiny far greater and far darker than she ever imagined. But danger shadows every step. Rogan’s true fated mate is determined to destroy both Hannah and her unborn child, and the demon king, Hannah’s ruthless stepfather, carries a hatred for her that burns hotter than ever.

Hannah must summon all her strength, even as her bond with Rogan—a dangerous flame that could consume them both—refuses to die. But in the end, it may not be love that saves her

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

I’m numb.

So very numb. Surprised. Even a little happy. And numb.

I arrive back at my place and look for something—anything—that seems familiar to me.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

This is no longer home.

Home is where Rogan is…and right now? I don’t even know if he’s alive.

We’re mates, right? If he were truly gone, I’d feel it. Right?

“I don’t fucking know,” I say out loud.

All I know is the results of my blood tests threw me for a fucking loop.

You’d better be alive, Rogan.

What will I do? What will I do without the man I love? How will I deal with what’s to come?

My thoughts are cut off when I remember the file folders. There they still sit on the coffee table, where I threw them before I went to the hospital.

I plunk down on my couch and open the one marked Victor Rogan.

And I drop my jaw.

Medical files. My father has Rogan’s medical files. How? He must have hacked them somehow—or rather, hired someone to hack them.

Or—

Fuck. He used mind control to get them. Such a damned hypocrite! Always telling me there’s no excuse for misusing mind control.

Of course, he’d get around that by telling me this wasn’t a misuse. That he needed these records. But why?

I’m too curious not to look. He’s my mate, so his health is certainly my business.

Height, weight, basic physical characteristics.

And blood work. A lot of blood work.

The usual stuff, of course. Blood counts. Metabolic panel. Lipid panel. Liver count. Thyroid. Cardiac biomarkers…

Testosterone? Rogan had a blood test for the male hormone? Odd in a healthy young male.

And androstenedione. Dehydroepiandrosterone. DHEA sulfate. Dihydrotestosterone. All androgens. Male hormones.

But more confusing?

Rogan has blood panels measuring his female hormones as well. Estrogen and Progesterone, plus cortisol.

All within normal limits for a healthy male. A healthy male wolf? I guess so.

But why?

Then more tests that I don’t recognize…

Until—

Oh. My. God.

I push the folder aside and open the one marked “Hannah.”

Medical records. Almost identical to what I found in Rogan’s folder. All my hormone counts, as well as…

Fuck.

Both of us were tested regarding pheromone reaction.

Androstadienol, androstadienone, androstenone, androstenol, and androsterone. Plus some I don’t recognize that I assume are more prevalent in wolves. Or vampires. Or both. Hell, I don’t know.

Then—

An injection. My record indicates I was given an injection three days before I left for Las Vegas—what my father told me was a mixture of yarrow and gingko biloba that would help quell my hunger for blood.

It didn’t.

Because it was never meant to.

It wasn’t yarrow and gingko biloba. It was a mixture of pheromones blended specifically to attract Victor Rogan and for me to be attracted to him.

All planned. All perfectly executed by my father.

He made this happen. He made Rogan into my mate.

I lean back into the couch.

He’ll jump through all kinds of hoops to get to you.

You’re controlled by nature. Nature has led you to Rogan. But the laws of nature also tell us that what controls us can also be controlled.

My father knew. He’s a good actor. His surprise when I accused him of knowing fooled me.

And my stepfather knew. He knew nature could be controlled, and that it was controlled in my case.

I’m not Rogan’s mate. And he’s not mine.

It’s all an illusion. An illusion orchestrated for⁠—

For what?

I don’t know, but I’ll find out.

“This will never be over. Never. Do you hear me, Hannah? This will never fucking be over.”

God, I miss him. I love him. But it is over.

Rogan hasn’t come for me. Perhaps the injection has worn off. Perhaps…

God…

Dad knew.

He knew it was wearing off. That’s why he brought me back here. The sharp pain must have been a sign that the injection was weakening. He knew I’d go to the ER—how? I’m not sure—and he made sure the nurse gave me…

The shot.

That shot I received wasn’t a tetanus booster.

It was…

I rub my arm.

He’ll come for me now. Rogan will be sure to come for me.

So I can’t be here.

I love him too much to condemn him to a life with someone he’s not meant to be with.

I rise, pack a quick bag, and then rub my abdomen as I stand at my open door, ready to leave.

The test results. Results I wasn’t expecting. Results I didn’t know could even occur.

The results that surprised me. Made me happy. Made me numb.

A child.

I’m carrying Rogan’s child.

Birth control pills don’t work when you don’t take them, and you don’t take them when you’re being dragged in and out of parallel worlds so often that you don’t know what day it is or how much time has passed.

“At least I won’t be alone,” I say to my belly. “Your father isn’t mine. He was never mine. But you are. You’re mine, little one. We’ll always have each other. And if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll figure out why this all happened. I’ll find the truth.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >64

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Healed Heart (Steel Legends #4) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/healed-heart-steel-legends-4-read-online-helen-hardt Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:15:01 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/healed-heart-steel-legends-4-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Suspense, Young Adult Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Steel Legends Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >76

They crossed a line.

And someone’s been watching.

Angie Simpson never meant to fall for her anatomy lab professor, Dr. Jason Lansing, but how could she not? He’s brilliant, magnetic, and their chemistry is off the charts. She’s ready to fly off to Europe with him, but fate has other plans. When Jason is accused of a violent crime, Angie begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Jason has already lost the people he loved most. Falling for Angie feels like a betrayal of his deceased wife—as well as a threat to his teaching career—but he can’t stay away. When he uncovers a chilling detail about his wife’s death—one that calls everything into question—he knows he’ll do whatever it takes to find the truth.

As trust unravels and secrets rise to the surface, Angie must choose whether to stay by Jason’s side.
As for Jason?

He wants answers. He wants vengeance.

And he’ll stop at nothing to get them

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Jason

My office looks like a storm went through it. Papers are scattered across my desk’s surface and onto the floor, some crumpled. My computer monitor is tilted, and drawers hang open, their contents dumped out. On the bookshelves, textbooks and journals have been pulled out and tossed aside. The locks on my filing cabinet have been forced open. I look inside to see that several file folders are ripped.

Someone in here was looking for something, and they were doing it quickly.

What the hell could I possibly be keeping in here that would be worth ransacking my office so crudely?

I close the door behind me, locking it. I walk over to my desk, looking through the papers. It’s mostly copies of old syllabi, lecture notes, even some old patient-related files from when I was still a surgeon. I couldn’t bear to part with them when I stopped cutting. I needed some sort of connection to the past.

Speaking of connections to the past…

A single envelope, slightly wrinkled, is strewn to the side carelessly by whoever searched my office.

To Jason…

Christ. It’s the note that Lindsay left behind the day she killed herself.

I’ve never read it.

The day she died, I stuffed it in my pocket. I gave it to one of the cops who eventually came over. He gave it one look and then returned it to me. It was pretty easy to tell what had happened.

That night, I came into the hospital and placed this envelope at the bottom of my lowest desk drawer. Far away from my everyday files and documents, but a small lifeline to the woman who was once the love of my life if I ever needed it.

I don’t know why—I really should be focusing on more important things right now—but I pull the note out of the envelope. Maybe now that I’m about to get some of my life back, I can handle the letter’s contents.

Then a knock on my door. “Dr. Lansing?”

“One second.” I look at the first words.

Jason, I’m sorry, but I can’t carry this weight any longer.

I feel a sting in my gut. But there’s another feeling, one I can’t quite place. Is it…wariness?

Another knock on my door, louder this time. “Dr. Lansing! Please open the door.”

“Be there in a minute,” I say.

Probably some student trying to get extra office hours, despite the fact that mine are by appointment only. I return to the note.

Losing her shattered me in ways I can’t put into words. I’ve tried to be strong—for you, for us—but the pain is relentless, and I can’t see a way forward.

* * *

Please know this isn’t your fault. You gave me everything, but I’ve lost myself in the void she left behind. I hope you find peace someday, even if I couldn’t.

I squint at the note. Something is wrong here. Lindsay did blame me. She could never say it out loud, but I could tell every moment of the rest of her short life that she harbored resentment toward me for the death of our daughter.

I’ll love you forever. See you on the other side, babe.

* * *

Lindsay

Three more sharp knocks. “Open the door now, Dr. Lansing.”

I whip my head back to the door. “Christ! I’ll be there in a second. I’m…changing.”

“You have thirty seconds, or I’ll knock the door down.”

Knock the door down? Definitely not a student, then. Maybe it’s Peter. He probably heard about how my meeting with Dr. Steel went, and he’s concerned I’ve gone off the deep end.

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a sec.”

I look back at the letter, read over it again. Once, twice, three times.

And an anvil drops in my gut as I realize…

This isn’t my wife’s handwriting.

Chapter One

Angie

It’s been an hour since Jason came to my house, and I’ve been sitting on the floor on the other side of my front door, thinking about what to do. I should get to campus, but I can’t get myself to move.

He wants me to go away with him. To Switzerland. For God knows how long. Long enough for me to have to take a semester off school.

Aunt Melanie will disapprove, that’s for sure.

My whole family will.

But Jason’s right about one thing. I can come back. It’s not like I’m moving to Switzerland.

But…we haven’t even been on a date. All we’ve done is sleep together.

I laugh at that. There was no sleeping involved. And we’ve only done it in a bed once.

I rub at my forehead. Tillie scampers up to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, girl,” I say to her.

I can’t take Tillie overseas, either. I’d have to drive her out to the Western Slope, leave her with my family. I just adopted her. It would break my heart to leave her so soon.

But then there’s Jason.

The chemistry we share is undeniable. I’ve heard my own mom and dad talk about how they fell in love. My aunts, my uncles, my cousins, too. The Steels in particular tend to fall hard and fall fast.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >76

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Broken Dream (Steel Legends #3) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/broken-dream-steel-legends-3-read-online-helen-hardt Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:04:44 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/broken-dream-steel-legends-3-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Erotic Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Steel Legends Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >76

He’s a man hollowed by loss.

She’s his student…and the first spark he’s felt in years.

Angie Simpson has always been the quiet one in the “awesome foursome”—the youngest women in the Steel family. But now, miles from her ranching roots in Western Colorado, Angie is finally stepping into her own life. Medical school is grueling, but it’s her path. Her purpose.

Dr. Jason Lansing was once a rising star in the world of surgery, but a devastating car accident ended more than just his career. It took something far more precious. Now he’s exiled to teaching first-year anatomy lab, surrounded by eager students with two good hands who have everything ahead of them.

When beautiful Angie Simpson walks into his lab, she flinches at the cadaver table and reveals her interest in psychiatry—the one medical discipline Jason has no faith in. Still, Angie gets under his skin, and a stolen kiss in the lab awakens something inside him that he thought was gone forever.

But some boundaries aren’t meant to be crossed.

And some pasts refuse to stay buried

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

If I can’t have you, I’ll make sure no one else ever does.

She never heard me say the words out loud.

But they live inside my mind.

I watch.

And I wait.

Chapter One

Angie

Today’s the day.

Anatomy lab begins.

And I’m feeling a little…nauseated.

This is a huge part of a medical student’s education, and I knew it was coming. Still…

The room is chilly. It has to be, so the cadavers won’t rot.

Yeah, more nausea.

“How can you not be more excited?” Tabitha Haynes, a bubbly blonde and my assigned lab partner, asks me.

She and I met briefly at the mixer at the beginning of the first semester, but we haven’t been friendly. I haven’t been very friendly with any of my fellow students, to be honest. I’m kind of an introvert. I was popular in high school and college simply by being one of the “awesome foursome,” which consisted of my twin sister, Sage, and my cousins Brianna and Gina. We’re the youngest in our large family, so we’ve always hung out together. Sage, Bree, and Gina are all extroverts, so I tagged along, and they brought me out of my shell.

But I’m alone here in Boulder, Colorado, as I begin my second semester of my first year of medical school.

“I’m going into psychiatry,” I tell Tabitha. “The thought of dissecting an actual human being kind of makes me want to barf.”

My comment doesn’t seem to faze her. “I’m going into surgery, so this is huge for me,” she says.

I wrinkle my nose. “Don’t you ever think about the ethics of it? Like, what if we recognize him? Or her?”

“Now you’re just being gross,” Tabitha says. “Besides, we’ve only been in medical school for a couple of months so far. You may really enjoy this lab. You may decide you don’t want to focus on psychiatry after all.”

I shake my head. “My aunt is a renowned psychiatrist. She’s retired now, but she’s amazing. If I can be half the psychiatrist she is, I know I’ll contribute something wonderful to the world.”

Tabitha rolls her eyes at me. “Dr. Melanie Carmichael Steel. We all know who you are, Angie.”

Yeah, everyone knows I’m a member of the Steel family. I may not carry their last name, but my mother, Marjorie Steel Simpson, is sister—and the only female sibling—to the three Steel brothers.

“I don’t flaunt my family ties,” I say.

“Did I say you did?” She purses her lips. “There’s been talk, of course. I’m not saying I’ve been talking, but there’s been talk.”

I should be surprised, but I’m not. There’s always talk.

“About what?” I ask.

“About you and your hefty Steel trust fund. About why you’re even bothering with medical school when you have enough money to last your entire lifetime and more.”

“God.” I let out a huff. “I’m so sick of this kind of shit. I got it all through college, too. Maybe I should’ve gone to medical school somewhere on the East Coast where no one has ever heard of the Steels.”

“Calm down,” Tabitha says. “I haven’t been talking. That I promise you. Frankly, I think anyone who has the drive and perseverance to get into medical school—which is not easy, as you know—and the desire to heal should be here.”

I nod. “I have that. I’ve learned so much from my aunt over the years. I want to help people the way she does.”

“Then you totally should.” She crosses her arms. “But I’m just saying, don’t count out surgery, because once we cut into this cadaver, you may find you like it.”

I force a smile at Tabitha. Maybe we could be friends. She’s cute, with her blond hair and light-brown eyes. She’s half a head shorter than I am, but I come from tall stock.

“So what should we name him?” Tabitha asks, looking down at our cadaver covered with a thick white sheet.

I drop my jaw. “You want to name the dead guy? I’m still on ‘what if we recognize him?’”

She smirks. “Are you kidding me? These bodies have been soaking in formaldehyde for years. Have you had anyone you know die and leave their body to science in that time?”

Ugh. I don’t want to think about that. “We don’t know whether we’re going to get a male or female,” I say.

“So we choose an androgynous name, then. Like Jordan or Morgan.”

Is she kidding me? “Don’t you think we should see what he or she looks like first?”

God. Soon we’ll have to look at it.

She lets out a laugh. “You are too funny! You don’t want to do any of this, but you want to wait until we see the cadaver before we give it a name?”

I grimace. “Hey, if I had it my way, there would be no name. There would be no anatomy lab.”

“Then why didn’t you just pursue a doctorate in psychology? Why bother with med school at all?”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >76

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Diamonds (Aces Underground #2) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/diamonds-aces-underground-2-read-online-helen-hardt Sat, 30 Aug 2025 08:42:20 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/diamonds-aces-underground-2-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Aces Underground Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >78

The deeper you go down the rabbit hole, the darker it gets…

Alissa Maravilla thought she was ready for Maddox Hathaway's world—the intensity, the heat, the exquisite chaos. Their passion is electric and undeniable, but so are the secrets they've uncovered beneath the surface of Aces Underground.

The club that awakened her deepest desires is hiding something far more sinister than velvet ropes and whispered fantasies. And Alissa can't look away. Not when people are begging for help.

Not when the dead are piling up—and she may be next.

Not when the truth is bleeding through the cracks.

The two lovers vow to stop the madness.

But Maddox has secrets of his own, memories buried deep inside his subconscious that he's tried hard to forget.

Because some doors should never be opened.

And some rabbit holes lead straight to hell

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

MADDOX

Where the fuck am I?

First I have to check in with this creepy-ass guy in purple pinstripes at the front door, and then I have to go down this staircase lined with mirrors, and now this.

Four sections, one each for spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. Jazz music coming from the Hearts section, a cloud of tobacco and marijuana smoke hovering over the Clubs, the clinking of poker chips echoing through the Diamonds, and people gathering around the bar in Spades.

I was freaked out going down that staircase. I thought for sure I was about to fall victim to some elaborate prank to embarrass the son of Henry Hathaway. I had absolutely nothing to do with the stunts my old man pulled in the last year of his mayorship, but I still get sneers from people on the streets. I thought they might go easier on me after he died, but if anything, the news of his demise brought all the emotions from his term back to the surface, and the treatment got worse. I actually had to board up the windows of the haberdashery to keep people from throwing bricks through them.

For several weeks, I questioned my father’s decision to leave me his membership at this club. I’m still at a complete loss as to why he left me this and the Rolls-Royce, but not a penny of his millions.

Well, I guess there are several pennies in that damned trust, but I’m never seeing a single cent from there. I’m not abandoning the haberdashery for anything. It’s the only thing that is completely mine.

I didn’t even abandon it when Laurie threatened to break up with me. I loved her, thought she was end-game material, but she turned out to be like every other girlfriend I’ve had. Just in it for the potential of power and prestige.

So, after several weeks of jacking off on my couch, I decided I’d rather find a good piece of ass to ease the blue balls Laurie left in her wake.

I could have gone to one of my regular haunts, but I decided to finally check this place out. Aces Underground, where my dad went when he was “at the club.”

I wasn’t anticipating this. The colored lights, the unlabeled liquor bottles, the tattooed waitstaff wearing next to nothing. This doesn’t match my dad’s vibe at all.

But I kind of like it.

I spent the first year working at the haberdashery trying to cultivate a particular aesthetic. I went up and down the streets of Chicago, checking inside every antique store, haggling with the owners for a good price on certain items. I got that old gramophone for a steal, same for the awesome set of wingback chairs and the vintage register. Most of the time, the people running the shops were just happy to make a sale at all.

But all the work I did on the shop pales in comparison to what the owners have done with this place. The theming is next level.

There’s a small empty table by the bar, so I take a seat. Almost immediately, a young lady with porcelain skin and dark-brown hair approaches me. I instinctively look right at her tits, which are spectacular. I then notice that the pattern on her bikini top is tiny white spades over a black background. She has a tattoo of a spade on her left shoulder, and the number three on her right.

She closes her eyes and bows her head.

I blink. “Are you here to take my order?”

She nods.

I cock my head, confused. “Cat got your tongue?”

She wrinkles her forehead.

“You can talk to me, you know.”

She widens her eyes and then shakes her head.

“You can’t speak?”

She presses her lips together and gazes around.

“You can speak, but you won’t?”

“Correct, Mr. Hathaway.”

I turn around to the cool female voice behind me and widen my eyes. A gorgeous woman, late thirties, wearing an outfit that makes the waitstaff’s look normal. Big poofy collar, and a crimson ballgown that looks like something straight out of Bridgerton. Her hair is bright red and styled in an elegant—if not slightly stuffy—updo, and she is bedecked from head to toe in rubies. She extends a hand to me, and the gem-studded bracelet around her wrist tinkles.

“Rouge Montrose. I’m the owner of Aces Underground.” She looks me over. “We’ve been expecting you for a few weeks now, Mr. Hathaway. We were beginning to think you weren’t going to show up.”

I swallow. “Well, my father left me his membership here. I wasn’t even aware that was something someone could do.”

She crinkles her eyes. “My grandfather insisted on that policy when he started the club. It was during Prohibition, you know, and people would disappear from time to time. We decided that members could bequeath their membership to their next of kin in the event that they died of something other than old age.” She lays a hand on my shoulder. “My condolences on the loss of your father, by the way.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >78

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Cryptic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #7) Read Online Helen Hardt http://www.ilovenovels.com/cryptic-curse-bellamy-brothers-7-read-online-helen-hardt Sat, 16 Aug 2025 22:26:16 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/cryptic-curse-bellamy-brothers-7-read-online-helen-hardt Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Dark Authors: Helen Hardt Series: Bellamy Brothers Series by Helen Hardt
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Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >72

Enter a world of mystery, suspense, sin, and heart-wrenching emotion with Helen Hardt's Bellamy Brothers series!

She escaped hell. Now it wants her back.

At just eighteen, Daniela Agudelo has already lived through more than anyone should. After fleeing Colombia and the men who stole her childhood, she lands in Texas with a dream of becoming a gourmet chef and a desperate need to stay invisible. But everything shifts when she meets Hawk Bellamy.

The middle son of the Bellamy billionaire ranching family, Hawk is used to being overlooked. Trapped between a hero brother and a reckless one, he’s the family fixer, the one who follows the rules—until Daniela crashes into his life with her intense beauty and haunted eyes.

Their connection is magnetic. Dangerous. She’s too young. He’s too jaded. Too bound to secrets and responsibilities he never asked for. But need has a way of ignoring the rules.

Until the first cryptic message arrives—and the hell Daniela thought she left behind doesn’t feel so far away.

And Hawk? He’ll break every rule in the book to protect her

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

HAWK

Fifteen Years Ago…

There is nothing more important than family. Remember that, Hawk.

I swear to God, if my father bludgeons those words into my brain one more time, I’m really going to become unhinged.

But at age twelve, I’ve been trained to say, “Yes, I understand, Dad.”

“It’s important that you always understand—he clears his throat, hiding his mouth—“that what I did was necessary.”

I nod. “Yes, I understand that.”

Even though I don’t.

Even though what he did lacks all understanding. All compassion. All goodness.

I look around my father’s home office in our sprawling house on Bellamy ranch. His massive mahogany desk, his leather reclining chair, his four giant computer monitors. Bookshelves are lined with tomes I’m sure he’s never read but look good. They smell good too. I inhale the crisp scent of parchment and leather.

It does nothing to soothe me.

What happened wasn’t right.

I don’t like when things aren’t right.

My brother Falcon tells me I need to be more realistic and less idealistic. The world is a complicated, messy place.

But why should I sacrifice my own standards? Why should I just accept injustice in the world?

My father drones on. “It was necessary to protect your mother. She could’ve been violated. Or even killed. Same for your sisters.”

I gulp down the lump in my throat. If that’s truly the case—though I don’t believe it is—then I do understand. My twin sisters are only thirteen, a year older than I am. And my mother…

She and I have a complicated relationship. I love her, and I certainly wouldn’t want to see her raped or murdered. The thought of it makes me want to puke.

Suffice it to say that I’m pretty sure I’m her least favorite child of the five of us. Her favorite is my younger brother Eagle, the baby. Followed by Raven, my sister who is the most like her. The other, Robin, prefers to hang out with my brothers and me, doing boy stuff.

“It was necessary to keep you and your brothers from being killed in your sleep,” Dad says.

I nod for the third time. And I repeat myself. “Yes, Dad, I understand.”

My father threads his fingers through his blond hair. It’s beginning to gray—just a touch of silver around his temples. Then he looks at me with those blue eyes that are so like my own. I’m the only one of five who inherited them. My brothers and sisters all have dark-brown eyes, like our mother. We all share her darker skin from her Mexican heritage.

So as I stand, looking at my fair-skinned father, I focus on his eyes. The eyes he gave me.

Only me.

And I try to find something in common with him other than the one feature we share.

Something.

Anything.

But I can’t.

How could he do what he did?

Though I’ve repeated the mantra—Yes, Dad, I understand—I don’t understand. No rational person could.

“I’m sorry, Hawk,” he finally says.

My eyes go wide.

Did I truly hear the words?

I’m sorry, Hawk.

I didn’t know Austin Bellamy was ever sorry about anything.

Of course, when you shoot one of your own children, you probably should be fucking sorry.

1

HAWK

Present Day…

“What’s up, Fal?” I say into my phone.

“Hawk. Thank God you answered,” my older brother, Falcon, says.

My brothers and sisters always give me shit about not answering my phone. Texting is easier for me, and it’s the method I prefer. That way I can answer at my leisure.

“It finally happened,” Falcon says. “Dad’s awake.”

His words rattle around my head like loose ping-pong balls before they register.

I should probably feel happy about the news. Our father has been in a coma for the past several months after a botched suicide attempt.

The whole thing makes no sense. Austin Bellamy is a great shot. If he’d truly wanted to kill himself, he probably could have. But he only grazed his skull, which doesn’t explain the coma.

The doctors can’t find any medical explanation for it, and though I hate myself for thinking it, I’ve wondered if he could be faking.

Austin Bellamy couldn’t fake a coma by himself, of course. But he could with help. Someone could easily be on the inside at the hospital dosing him up with drugs to keep him unconscious.

Why would he fucking do that?

Why would he try to kill himself in the first place?

And why would he botch it so badly?

I have no answers, but when it comes to my father, nothing should surprise me.

I hold back a scoff. My relationship with my parents is fucked up to the nth degree. I’m actually closer to my father than I am to my mother.

“I’ll get there as soon as I can,” I say to Falcon.

“Great. Thank God. This is such awesome news.”

“Yeah, sure is.” I end the call.

I walk outside, get into my truck, put it in gear, and start the drive to the hospital that has been my father’s home since his suicide attempt.

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