Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I’ve spent years trying to prove I’m more than the spoiled playboy my family expects. With a Russian trafficker seeking revenge on us, I need control—not temptation. But Zach awakens desires I’ve buried for too long. Risk. Danger. Submission.
The closer we get, the harder it is to ignore the truth: Zach isn’t just a grifter. When he saves my life and exposes himself as a government agent, our alliance becomes a deadly secret. He needs me to complete his mission. I need him to survive my world—and to finally claim my place in it.
For Zach, I may be just another mark—a role he’s played a dozen times before. He’s a master at faking attraction for the sake of the mission, but even when I learn he’s questioning everything he thought he knew about himself, I can’t walk away.
Protecting him could destroy me. Falling for him already has.
In a world of blood, power, and betrayal, loving the wrong man might be the most dangerous gamble of all
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
ZACH
“The Theriots have to be involved. Look at the patterns we’re seeing.”
Maria, my special agent in charge, shook her head. “You’re going in the wrong direction. Yes, this is Bratva business, and we know the Theriots alternate between alliances and all-out war with them, but the Koslovs have put out a hit on Ivanov. He has few allies left in the crime world. If we try to bring in some of the Theriots or the Koslovs, we’ll never get charges to stick, and we’ll get no support from DC. Ivanov is the focus. We can bring him in and leave the Theriots out of this.”
“Did they pay you to say that?”
Maria glared at me, eyes hard and cold. “Because I respect you as an agent, I’m going to let that comment slide this one time. Never accuse me again unless you’re serious about it.”
I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. “Sorry.” Maria was an amazing agent. She’d had my back through a hell of a lot. This wouldn’t be the first time I’d refused to confine myself to an assignment. I tended to go off the rails during most investigations, but my hunches were usually right, and I had a gut feeling the Theriots were involved. “They know something. I’m sure of it. They could lead us right to Ivanov.”
“Hell, yes, they know something. They know something about everything that goes on in New Orleans a hell of a lot more than we do, unfortunately.”
“Exactly. They’re the key to this.”
Maria closed her eyes and blew out a long breath. “What are you suggesting? Do you want to march up, ring the bell at Remington Theriot’s house, and ask him how he’s involved with a man who’s been trafficking teenage boys?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’d kill you instantly, and we’d never find a single piece of your body.”
Maria was right, but— “There’s a younger cousin, Rafael. He runs their casino. He’s barely managed to keep himself out of police custody. If it wasn’t for his family, he’d be in prison.”
“As much as I’d like to worry about everything that goes on in this city, money laundering at a casino is far down the list of importance.”
“That’s not what I’m interested in. Though it’s always good for leverage.”
“With the Theriots’ power here, I don’t think you can count that as leverage.”
I huffed. “Maybe not, but I want to get in with him. I want to join one of his backroom, high-roller games. There are rumors of a connection to the casino. Ivanov’s been sniffing around there.”
Maria frowned. “What have you found?”
I handed her a thumb drive. “Check this out.”
She took it from me and accessed the pertinent files.
“Read what I’ve highlighted, and you’ll see.”
Maria hummed as she read. “I see the potential connection, but there’s no indication here that Rafael’s involved directly. Do you think he’s part of Ivanov’s organization?”
“Possibly. Either he’s in on it, or Ivanov is taking advantage of him. Either way, I need to look into him. Rafael is very selective about who’s allowed to participate in these games. They put offers on the table that aren’t just money. It’s definitely a place Ivanov could be moving some inventory.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How do you propose to get involved?”
“I want to go in as a player. I need to be on the inside to learn more.”
She sighed. “I guess you’re going to need identification and a whole undercover setup.”
“Yes, and you can get me that.”
“I could, but—”
“Let me do this. Even if it’s a dead end, the undercover persona will be useful as I look for other connections.”
“All right. You’ll have the documentation you need in forty-eight hours. Be careful. You know the Theriots aren’t people to play with.”
I didn’t need Maria thinking too much about that. “This guy is just a kid. He’s a loose cannon.”
“And if he’s involved with Ivanov, I want us to bring him down, but Ivanov is our ultimate target. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t, but we’ve got to strike where we can. That’s the name of the game, especially in New Orleans.”
I left Maria’s office before she could change her mind and headed back to my desk to lay out what I knew about the case.
Andrei Ivanov had been trafficking in boys as young as thirteen as well as college students. There was evidence going back years. Maria refused to tell me how we’d gotten hold of all that evidence, but it was clear Ivanov was not only the leader of the organization, but he’d also kept some of the boys for himself, hiring them as household staff, luring some in with promises of money, and kidnapping others. The boys and young men he forced to stay with him usually died in unexplained accidents or simply disappeared.