To all the bloggers and reviewers, I love each and every one of you. I love chatting with you, reading your reviews, and can’t thank you enough for your support. In particular, I’d like to thank Becs Glass from Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews for just being incredible and so lovely, and Milasy from Rock Stars of Romance for being so incredibly supportive of my work and welcoming me onto their website of hugely successful authors.
I’m indebted to Ing Cruz from As the Pages Turn for all her extraordinary help arranging a kick ass blog tour and for putting up with me while I delayed the release of Destroyed to make sure it was perfect. She’s an amazing woman, friend, and I don’t know what I’d do without her.
To Natalie from Love Between The Sheets for putting up with me changing my release day and always being around to answer my questions. To Jenny from Editing for Indies for an amazing proofreading job. I love your work and your awesome feedback. You went above and beyond and I can’t thank you enough.
I want to thank Skye Callahan for being around for our daily chats and putting up with my breakdowns every day while writing this book. Love our sticker wars and aimless chats.
To Chantal Fernando for being so like me and freaking out about the signings we’ve agreed to this year.
To Lyra Parish for our ridiculous conversations about randomness and our joy of insomnia.
To Rachel Brookes for being so sweet, generous, and a massive cheerleader despite having so much else going on in her life.
To Ker Dukey for being strong, awesome, and impassioned about all things writing. Love your talent.
To Kristi Webster for talking me through every plot hole in Destroyed and calming me down when I was ready to self-combust.
To Kristina Amit for being an amazing beta reader. I can’t thank you enough for being so dedicated and loyal. You’re amazing and I value your time so much.
To Helena Reviews for pointing out plot holes with gentleness and such an infectious love of my work. I can’t thank you enough for all your support.
To Ella Fox for becoming a friend and reading Destroyed in a few hours so I could stop biting my nails and freaking out. You really gave me the push I needed to finish.
To all the ladies in the SSIRACG. You’re amazing and I’m so glad I met you all. Your truly are a lifesaver.
And last but definitely not least, I have to thank my beta readers. Destroyed turned out to be the hardest book I’ve ever had to write, and instead of the select few I use to beta read, I had to ask a ton of people for their opinion while rocking in the corner. I owe these ladies every thanks for talking me off the ‘delete button’ and for keeping me going when I wanted to throw this book away. In no particular order:
Astrid Knowles, Vicki Ryan, Sarah Griffen, Celeste Harrington, Katrina Sincek, NJ Frost, and Tamicka Birch. You ladies were a total godsend and I know without your input Destroyed would’ve remained on my hard drive destined never to see the light of a kindle. I owe everything to you and all the amazing beta readers and friends I’ve mentioned above.
I could go on and on but I think I’ll wrap this up and finish with a HUGE thank you to you, the reader. Thank you for your trust in me, your kind words, and amazing encouragement. I hope you enjoyed Destroyed and all my other work coming soon.
To anyone I forgot, you mean the world to me and I’m blowing kisses. I love each and every one of you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know it’s cheesy but I honestly could never have done it without the amazing support network offered by you amazing people, and I’ll always appreciate you, more than you know.
xxxxxxx Thank you xxxxxxx
Also by Pepper Winters
Twisted Together (Monsters in the Dark #3)
Goodreads HERE
Tears of Tess (Book one of Monsters in the Dark)
Book two: Quintessentially Q, and Book Three: Twisted Together, are available now
6 Holy Wow This Author Took Me On A Ride I Never Saw Coming and Left Me Speechless Stars. I’ve never rated a book 6 stars before so this gives you an idea of just how good I believe this book to be. This story will take you by the hand and show you how both darkness and light exist within all of us. It will ultimately take you by the heart and you will be so glad that you read it.
—Hook Me Up Book Blog
DARK AND HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL….IT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS!!!! Pepper Winters is a standout! An absolutely stunning debut!
—Lorie, Goodreads
* * *
A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.
“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”
Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.
For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.
But lusty paradise is shattered.
Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.
Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.
Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?
* * *
Debt Inheritance (Indebted Series)
Goodreads HERE
Out Now
A modern day Dark Erotic Romance
“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”
Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave.
She has no choice in the matter. She is no longer free.
Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-seventh birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.
There are no rules. Only payments.
Trust in Me
New York Times Bestselling Author
Skye Warren
Author’s Foreword
Dear Reader,
I must warn you that this is a disturbing tale, one that starts dark and gets darker. If you are looking for a straight-laced BDSM book, this is not for you. It’s intended as a fantasy for those who are as fascinated by erotic pain and consent as I am. The only balm I can offer is that I’m a romantic at heart, and I think that surfaces by the very end.
Yours,
Skye Warren
Prologue
My stomach growled. It pretty much always did that, because my corner was one of the darkest and most dangerous in the city. Not many customers came by. Good corners were run by girls who didn’t want to share—or by their pimps. The kind of men who picked me up terrified me, but not as much as pimps did, so I kept working here.
The sweet tang of pot filled the air from two streets down, where homeless guys gathered around a barrel fire. A cat cried out, sending shivers up my spine—until the sound was suddenly cut off.
An ordinary night.
Until a scuffling sound came from the alley. My alley, the one where I took my tricks.
Who’s there? And how did they get back there without passing me? But I knew. There was a narrow walkway that ran behind the buildings, connecting all the alleyways. No one ever went back there except the m
ice—and the cats who chased them.
Except now.
A grunt came from the shadows. From a man or woman? I couldn’t tell. Pain sounded the same, all ages and races. Grunts. Screams. Moans. I heard them all on the street. I’d made them all too, one time or another. Pain was a constant here. A currency.
Another grunt. A chill raced over my skin. Someone was getting beaten in that alley. My alley. My fingers gripped the block so hard I felt them bruise—I would break before the old building would. Slowly my eyes adjusted, and I could make out a figure looming over another one slumped against the wall.
Thwack. What was that? A gunshot? Oh God, a gun with a silencer. The tall figure didn’t even flinch as the person in front of him slid to the ground and fell sideways.
The man stood and walked away, toward the back walkway.
I bit my lip after he rounded the corner. What if he came back? Run, Mia. Get out of there. Except what if the person on the ground was still alive? It might be a working girl like me. Calling the cops was a surefire way to get a target on my back, but if she needed an ambulance, if she needed my help, I would do it.
Doubts ripped through me, tearing me up. I could die if I went in there. I might never come out. But what would be the point of surviving if this is what it cost me? I didn’t want to be a person that would see a person bleeding out and walk away. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.
After checking that the street was still clear, I crept down the alley and crouched by the figure. Definitely a man, I could see up close. Skinny, with needle tracks down his arms. And definitely dead. I put two fingers to his throat—clammy skin, still warm—and felt no pulse.
Gone.
I glanced up. From the back of the alley, two eyes stared back at me, unblinking in the dark. Oh God. He was there, watching me. I held my breath, bracing for the pain of a bullet. He’d seen me. Even though his face was half hidden, even though I’d never tell the cops, he’d have to kill me now. I’d seen him.
A second passed. Another.
My breath hitched. Then I was off like a shot, running toward the street, my cries strangled in my throat. I kept running down the sidewalk. I didn’t stop running until I reached the hideaway where I kept my second pair of clothes and my stash of money.
I huddled in that crack in the wall, staring at the night sky, listening to the faraway sirens whiz by.
* * *
It took me a week to gather the nerve to go back. A week of rotten garbage. A week of fighting the rats for dinner.
The body was gone. Taken away with nothing but a dark stain to mark his place. I felt dizzy looking at it and remembering the glassy stare. No one cared. Not the police. Not the other people on the street. He was just another faceless body—like me. I’d die here too, but not tonight.
Tonight I’d find food.
I stood by the street and tried to look sexy, even though, God, I mostly felt desperate. Some men liked that. A lot of men did.
Moonlight flashed off chrome and glass as a car turned the corner. It seemed to grow longer as it turned. A limo. My heart beat faster.
The shiny black car looked out of place against the crumbling, graffiti-painted concrete. Were they lost? I hoped they didn’t stop and ask me for directions. With my luck the neighborhood punks would take the opportunity to jack them and I’d get caught in the crossfire.
Was that what had happened to that guy? No, I’d been around long enough to recognize a hit when I saw one. That had been deliberate. Murder.
The limo slid to a stop right in front of me, its engine so quiet all I could hear was the crunch of gravel. I took a step back until I was pressed against the brick wall.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me I could really use the money. As in, I might not make it through the night. But the limo was too pretty. Too strange, and in my world, strange was dangerous. And I was still spooked after last week. I braced myself to run, but that would mean turning my back. I learned early not to do that.
The car window rolled down in a smooth glide, revealing a shadowy interior.
“How much?” said a low, masculine voice from inside.
I really need that money.
“Depends what you want,” I said, but I was stalling. Was I really going with him? It was always a risk, getting in some stranger’s car, but this felt more intense than a ride around the block and a blowjob in an alley. Like I might never see this street corner again.
“Everything,” he said.
That didn’t reassure me.
But it felt like there was a stampede in my stomach, hunger pains and anxiety rolling together. I couldn’t turn him down. I might not get another hit tonight. Fifty cents in my stash wouldn’t even buy a soda from the guy at the diner… not unless I sucked him off first.
I figured out how much I’d charge for a blowjob and a fuck. Then I doubled it. “Two hundred.”
A low laugh sent chills over my skin. “I think we’re going to get along fine,” he said.
The back door opened, leaving only a gaping black hole. I was supposed to get inside now. I’d take off my clothes. I’d take off his clothes.
If that was all that happened tonight, I could live with that.
But I couldn’t stop thinking… why would a guy like this be shopping for a date on this corner? There must be something really wrong with him. What if he wanted kinky stuff?
Or worse?
“The money first,” I said. That wasn’t standard on the streets, but I wanted it from this guy. Just like the extra money I’d asked for. A little insurance, even though nothing could make this safe.
The rustle of fabric. A hand reached out. I studied that hand like my life depended on it—because it did.
Strong. Masculine. With some sort of white cuff and black jacket, like he was wearing a suit.
He was holding crisp bills, folded once. I snatched them and stared at the money. Two hundred dollar bills. I’d only glimpsed this kind of money in someone’s bankroll. I’d never held it. Never had it for myself.
“Coming?” he asked.
I bit my lip, peering inside the car. Pitch black. I couldn’t see anything. I’d gotten in a lot of cars. I’d fucked a lot of scary men. I’d survived this long by relying on my instincts, but my instincts told me he was the most dangerous man I’d met.
In the end, I needed this money more than I needed to be safe. Needed food more than I needed to be safe. Wasn’t it always that way? The human body would survive even when the mind wanted to run. I tucked the bills into my boot.
With a deep breath I stepped into the car and lost my balance for a moment. A hand took my elbow and steadied me. I landed in a seat across from him. He reached for the door handle, and for the briefest moment, the streetlamp lit his face from above, giving him a dark and demonic glow. The man from the alley! Then he closed the door and the limo started moving—with me trapped inside.
Oh God, it was him. He must have recognized me. Hadn’t he? Did he know I recognized him too?
This might be a test. He might be waiting for me to mention the murder—or not. If so, I’d never say anything. Not to him, not to the cops. We rode in a silence for seconds… minutes… It felt like forever.
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you want me to suck—”
“Have you heard of Mateo Bernard?”
My heart started beating faster. Mateo Bernard was known as Pit Bull on the streets. I’d seen him around, and mostly steered clear. He was a scary guy. “No.”
“How about Carlos Laguardia?”
Everyone had heard of him. “Why are you asking me this?”
“Information. That’s why you’re here. Why, did you think I wanted something else?”
My hands tightened into fists. “You know I did.”
A hand reached out and grabbed my wrist. I was pulled forward, falling off the seat and almost in his lap. He’d hauled me across the car, and he wasn’t even breathing hard. His voice whispered against my temple. “I may
take that too. If I want to. When I want to. But first you’ll give me the information I need. And after that…”
I whimpered, and he loosened his grip on me. But he didn’t let me go.
“After that,” he murmured, “you’ll give me everything else. Because you’re mine. I own you. I bought you for two hundred dollars, understand?”
I was trapped with him, staring at the buildings as they pass by, faster and faster. We picked up speed. I couldn’t even say I was worse off in the back of this limo, surrounded by the soft fabric of his clothes and the leather of the seat and the warm skin of his grip.
Did I want to be back on the street? Out in the cold?
My stomach clenched on itself, like it was tearing itself apart. They really might tear me apart tonight if I didn’t eat. I had the feeling this guy never went hungry. Never wanted for anything. This could be better for me. I wanted to believe it would better. As long as…
“I understand,” I whispered. He’d bought my silence, I understood that too. “But… don’t hurt me.”
He sounded almost regretful when he said, “I can’t promise you that. But I’ll promise you this. Whatever happens, I won’t let you die.”
His arms around me were an embrace, but his words—they felt like a threat.
Chapter One
“Come, slut.”
His words dragged my body across the floor, invisible chains. I hated him for calling me that way. I hated myself more for going to him. And I went the way I knew he wanted me to—crawling. A layer of grime covered the concrete floor of the warehouse, but it was only fitting to crawl through muck. This whole game was dirty, and so was I.
Carlos looked down at me from his seat with a half-smile. The guy next to him was speaking in low, urgent tones, but I had his attention.
Other whores might try coy smiles or a flash of cleavage, but if you really knew El Jefe—and, unfortunately, I did—then you knew all you had to do was drop to his feet. I knew what he wanted and how he liked it, knowledge born of years of training. As long as I behaved, he wouldn’t kill me. I craved the release of death, but I was too well trained to earn it.