The sixth book in the internationally bestselling Eagle
Elite Series.
*Interconnected Stand Alone*
Twenty-Four hours before we were to be married--I offered to
shoot her.
Ten hours before our wedding--I made a mockery of her dying
wish.
Five hours before we were going to say our vows--I promised
I'd never love her.
One hour before I said I do--I vowed I'd never shed a tear
over her death.
But the minute we were pronounced man and wife--I knew.
I'd only use my gun to protect her.
I'd give my life for hers.
I'd cry.
And I would, most definitely, lose my heart, to a dying
girl---a girl who by all accounts should have never been mine in the first
place.
I always believed the mafia would be my end game--where I'd
lose my heart, while it claimed my soul. I could have never imagined. It would
be my redemption.
Or the beginning of something beautiful.
The beginning of her.
The end of us.
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TRAILER:
Excerpt
Loneliness
tasted like hell. It also, lucky for me, tasted like a fifth of whiskey
and what would most likely be a throbbing headache
come tomorrow morning.
I
brought the bottle to my lips and tilted it back, my eyes trained on the fire
in front of me, the flames licking higher and higher, reminding me that I
wasn't exactly in any position to ask God for any favors…it may as well have
been hell waving back at me and confirming my suspicions.
I'd
killed too much.
I'd
lied even more.
And
I was officially out of favor within my family — within my world.
I
hissed as a drip of whiskey landed on my blood-caked knuckles. Beating the shit
out of the wall hadn't even stopped the anger.
Ah
anger, that was something I could talk about, something I could tangibly feel
as it pulsed through my body. It had been my mistress for so long that I knew
if I actually let it go — I'd be even more lonely than I already was.
I
tried to take a deep breath, to calm myself down, but air wouldn't go into my
lungs, I felt paralyzed and on an adrenaline high all at once.
Maybe
that was another part of my punishment. I had exactly twenty-four hours before
I had to marry a Russian.
And
not just any Russian.
An
enemy, a double agent who had worked for both the FBI and, apparently, the
Nicolasi family. She had sold out her own crime family, the Petrovs, and now…
she was under the protection of the Italians.
How
messed up was that?
I
took another swig of whiskey and eyed the clock. Make that twenty-three hours
and fifty-eight minutes.
I
wasn't drunk enough.
I
wasn't even close.
Marrying
someone for protection I could do. Marrying someone and even killing them
afterwards? Piece of cake. After all, that was my MO. I was a killer, a ghost,
whatever the family wanted me to be.
But
marrying someone, keeping them safe, only to watch them die within six months?
No.
Hell no.
She
had leukemia.
So
why keep her alive this long?
I
snorted and took another sip of whiskey. "I'd be doing her a favor by
killing her."
"Ouch,"
a light airy voice said from somewhere in the room, causing all my hair to
stand on end. "So as far as pep talks go, yours officially needs
work."
I
carefully set down the whiskey, not trusting myself not to throw it in her
direction in an anger-filled rage. "I was talking to myself."
"Another
sign you need to get laid." She laughed.
I
didn't.
"Go
away, Arabella."
"My
name's Andi."
"Your
legal name is Arabella Anderson Petrov. Care to know your social security
number and credit score as well?"
"Romance
is lost on you." I felt her move around the room. The air seized with
electricity; she'd always had a presence about her, and right now I was five
seconds away from losing my shit and ramming my head into the fireplace just so
I could escape it all.
"Don't
I know it," I huffed and reached for the bottle again.
Small
warm hands clasped around mine before I could get there. I jerked away, causing
her to stumble in front of me.
White-blond
hair covered her soft features. Big brown eyes blinked back at me. I hissed in
a breath and cursed. "You should go."
"We
need to talk."
"Oh
goody. Is this the part where you tell me I have to give up my virginity on my
wedding night?"
"What?"
She blinked like a startled deer, then a weak smile pulled her lips upward.
I
ignored the way my body reacted and rolled my eyes in irritation.
"Aw,
he has jokes now. At least, I hope it's a joke. You're not, are you? A virgin,
I mean."
I
snorted and eyed the bottle, calculating my odds on reaching it before she
stopped me, then gave up. "Fine." I huffed. "Hurry up and get to
talking so I can get drunk."
Andi
sat opposite me in the leather chair and tucked her feet under her body. She
was small, around five-one, but she packed a punch, knew how to use every
automatic weapon on the market, and I was pretty sure I had once overheard that
she was well-versed in torture. Looking at her, you'd think she was just
graduating high school and getting ready to go shopping for her favorite pair
of shoes with Daddy's credit card.
"You're
upset," she finally said.
"No."
I licked my lips and leaned forward. "I'm enraged. There's a
difference."
Her
eyes narrowed. "You know you can talk to me — since you're stuck with me
for the next… while. That is, unless you kill me first… like you did that FBI
agent."
My
blood ran cold. No one knew about what I'd done last week. When I'd gained
intel from another agent. "Her cover was blown. I did her a favor."
"Did
you?" Her eyebrows arched.
"Have
you ever been shot, Andi?"
She
sighed and leaned her head back against the lush cushion. "No, why? Are
you going to educate me on what it feels like?"
I
exhaled and popped my knuckles; the sound reverberated through the empty room.
"It happens in three stages."
"What
does?"
"Getting
shot."
"You
mean you don't just pull the trigger?" she joked.
Ignoring
her, I continued. "Shock. It's always the first emotion because the human
brain hasn't yet caught up with the fact that you've been wounded. So your body
starts going into shock, and then the pain happens, but it's not the type of
pain you'd think. It burns, but it's more of an empty, hollow pain, that starts
to spread from the wound throughout the rest of your body until a slow chill
starts to descend. When the chill descends, the shock wears off and confusion
sets in. Why was I shot? Why me? What have I done? As humans, our brains aren't
meant to understand violence, so we have to logically explain it away. I had to
have done something wrong to get shot. Or maybe I was in the wrong place at the
wrong time. The minute your brain finds something that makes sense you move
onto the last stage."
Andi
barely moved a muscle. "Death?"
"Worse."
I reached for the bottle and took a long swig. "Denial."
"Why
is denial worse?"
"You
tell me."
Her
eyes closed briefly before she offered a shrug. "Because it means you
aren't ready."
"Look
who just earned an A in class," I mocked. "And you're right. Denial
happens when you realize it shouldn't be you, that even if your brain connected
the dots, it isn't yet your time. The lovely little memories of your life start
to play on repeat in your head — the moments you should have done something but
didn't, the things you'll never say, the things you'll never do. And then… you
either get lucky or, if I'm the one who pulled the trigger, your memories will
click off after about one minute, and you'll be no more."
The
fire crackled.
Andi
refused to look at me.
"I'd
make it fast, Andi."
"Are
we seriously doing this?"
"What?"
I shrugged.
"Having
a conversation in what should be a nice cozy room, about you killing me?"
"It
would be a kindness."
"Go
to hell!"
"Already
there, Andi. Already there. Don't you know? I belong nowhere. My family's
punishing me, the FBI's investigating me for the murder of my superior, and now
I have to marry a Russian whore."
"So…"
She stood. "…you'd rather kill me than marry me?"
"Was
I not clear? I thought I was… Allow me to say it slower, perhaps in Russian? If
that's all you people understand." I stood, meeting her chest to chest.
"I'd rather kill you than see you suffer… I'd offer a dog the same
kindness."
"I'm
not a dog."
"You're
Russian."
"Stop
saying that."
"What?"
I sneered. "The truth? Well, sweetheart, it doesn't get any truer than
your reality. Allow me to kill you before your family or cancer does, and at
least you can own your own death rather than fearing it."
She
reached for me, touched my shoulders, and then cupped my face. I hated it
because I liked it; my body leaned without me telling it to. She was so warm.
"And what makes you think I fear my own death?"
"Everyone
is afraid of dying. The hardest part is never admitting we're mortal, but
coming to terms with the fact that we have no control over how long we're
given. You do."
"No…
I don't… You're trying to take that control."
"Say
the word." My hand moved to the Glock strapped to my thigh.
"I'm
not afraid." Her lips trembled. "At least not of death… but I am
afraid of something."
"Oh
yeah?" I hissed. "What's that?"
"Yours."
Confused,
I stepped back, immediately looking for a weapon. "I don't
understand."
"You
wouldn't." She shrugged. "Because you, Sergio Abandonato, are already
dead." She moved gracefully across the room. "You're dead inside… and
you don't even know it. Forget cancer — and take a long hard look in the mirror
— that's what death looks like."
My Review
This book was so different than the other Elite books. Heck, Sergio was so different than I expected and in a good way. I found myself falling for his character even the times I wanted to smack him. I loved Andi too. She was funny, bubbly, and could kick ass.
This book had all the feels!!! And it also had the things you would expect in a Mafia book. A little fighting and some blood.
There is so much that went on in this book, important things,but I refuse to spoil it even a little. So for that reason this will not be a long review, even though I could go on and on about it. But I will say this book was different and full of emotions. It was unexpected and beautiful. And most of all this story needed to be told.
Thank you Rachel Van Dyken for allowing me to read this early and thank you for telling Sergio and Andi's story.
***ARC provided from the Author in exchange for an HONEST review***
This book had all the feels!!! And it also had the things you would expect in a Mafia book. A little fighting and some blood.
There is so much that went on in this book, important things,but I refuse to spoil it even a little. So for that reason this will not be a long review, even though I could go on and on about it. But I will say this book was different and full of emotions. It was unexpected and beautiful. And most of all this story needed to be told.
Thank you Rachel Van Dyken for allowing me to read this early and thank you for telling Sergio and Andi's story.
***ARC provided from the Author in exchange for an HONEST review***
5 STARS!!!!!
About Rachel Van Dyken:
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .
Links:
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Van-Dyken/e/B0054TW5AA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1407369649&sr=8-2-ent
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