For years, Loreto has been at the mercy of waring cartels. It’s location across the Gulf of California and a ship-ride away from the Mexico’s infamous Golden Triangle—a region notorious for cultivating heroine and other drugs—places Loreto in a precarious position. Sure, the bridge connecting the Baja Peninsula to Mexico’s mainland lay north in Santa Rosalia. And the ferry from Sinaloa disembarks in La Paz, which is located south of here. But the lack of direct access hasn’t stopped the cartels from filtering through Loreto. A few, the Cobras, Z-Veintidós, Sureños, and now the Bastard’s Lobos, have more of a foothold than the others.
Survival tip number one is knowing who to avoid at all costs. I stick to sections of Loreto that are safe—though no place truly is. These days, even a simple trip to the bank can turn into a huge fiasco.
Which is exactly why I can’t seek help from Ignacio Acosta, the leader of the Sureños and a man most people go to when they get caught up in cartel business.
I grimace at the mere thought of him.
Ignacio has a strong love for the opposite sex. He’s notorious for always being surrounded by beautiful women. Young women. Willing or coerced—though with Ignacio the phrase is more like “willingly coerced,” the attractiveness of his power and his money overshadowing the unattractiveness of the man himself. Only an act of God can shake off his possessiveness. Fortunately, God blessed me with quick wits, a wry sense of humor, and passion for tamales that enabled me to dodge the cartel leader’s attention during our brief albeit memorable encounter.
It happened several months ago at the bank. I had the misfortune of walking in the door as Ignacio and his men were exiting, carrying bags of cash and the acrid smell of death on their clothing. Ignacio stopped short on the steps to stare at me. I’d spun on my heels and fled, disturbed by the sight of the blood covering his pot-bellied frame. Except I wasn’t fast enough and his men stopped me a block away. I remember thinking, “Witnesses can’t talk from the grave,” and that my life was over. To my surprised horror, instead of a bullet in my head, I was asked for my phone number.
“You’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen,” I was told. “Ignacio will call you with a time to meet. Don’t disappoint him.”
I scribbled down the number for my favorite tamales stand and bid his men adios. Nothing soothes the bitter taste of disappointment better than the sweet deliciousness of homemade tamales. Or at least I hoped that’d be the case with Ignacio.
I can’t risk another encounter with the deplorable man, even if it’s so.
Rumor is the only women he won’t pursue are married ones. Evidently, he has this twisted sense of morality. He won’t touch a married woman whose been blessed by the holy sanctity of the church.
Perhaps it’s this show of respect for something that has many people asking the Sureños for protection.
Or is it simple desperation?
Dios, I can relate.
Ignacio won’t do, and I scratch him off my short list of people who might help me.
The police are useless, and in the cartels’ pockets.
Asking help from another cartel leader would be the equivalent of spitting on my parents’ graves. One of them is responsible for my parents being gunned down, part of a vicious wave of violence that bright summer’s day. They were innocent victims. Kind, decent, loving people who treated everyone with dignity and respect. We don’t know which cartel is responsible. Except for Los Lobos who hadn’t yet made their presence known, all of them were active that day. All of them are guilty. My guess is the Z-Veintidós—the Z22 for short—is responsible. Witnesses say they were seen near the Superama that day. A weaker, less powerful cartel that was new to town and had something to prove.
But the Cobras? Until now, I had no idea Diego thought Arturo ordered the bloodbath. And how long has my brother been planning to do something about it?
Because that’s what this is about, right? Diego getting revenge?
I swallow hard. What if he tries to kill Arturo?
I’ve no time and no options left.
Except one.
The Bastard.
The Lobos have taken up residence in the south end of town. I’ve never seen their leader, our paths have never crossed.
My cynical brother—who rarely compliments anyone or anything—has often commented about the newest addition to Loreto’s cartel problem.
Intelligent. Unpredictable. A complete wild card.
Diego admires him. A foreigner who showed up in town a few months ago and who, with little difficulty, established himself as a man not to be fucked with. It’s a rare day my brother is awestruck by anything or anyone.
Yet, he is.
And despite a strong sense of Catholic decency whispering how wrong it is to idolize a man in charge of murdering people, I find my curiosity is piqued—something Diego belatedly picked up on. Leave it to my brother to stir my interest then change his tune entirely.
“Stay far away from him, just like the others. Got it?”
“I don’t even know what he looks like.”
“A bastard, Luciana. An ugly, old bastard with ice in his veins.” Diego had pinned me with that stern, overprotective look of his.
I can’t lose him. My heart won’t survive another bout of grief.
There’s no other choice but a man I know by reputation only, someone my brother respects.
El Bastardo, it is.
My wild card.
Also by Michele Mannon
Worth the Fight Series
Sexy contemporary sports romance
Knock Out
Tap Out
Out for The Count
Deadliest Lies Novels
Dark contemporary with a lot of suspense
Rogue
Mercenary
Hit Man
Player
Soon to be released
Liar
Bastard
Acknowledgments
Finn McDuff! I had no intention of writing his story but true to character, who would not leave me alone. And he’d come to me at the worst times, while driving, while showering, in the middle of the night.
Finn first appeared in Rogue as the prisoner locked in a cell next to Kylie Smith’s. In disguise, he was advising Kylie what not to say because earlier, when the villain asked him what letters he wanted branded on his body, Finn responded with F.U. Leaving Finn with a big F.U. branded onto his chest.
How could he not have a story?
Well, a lot has happened since the beginning of the Deadliest Lies Novels. Writing might be a passion but publishing, folks, is a business. There was only one more book in this series, Hayden’s and Luciana’s story. I wrote the book and sold it to my publisher, who sat on it for months. In the meantime, Finn was filling my head, so I backtracked to write his story. I also sold it to my publisher, with a second contract signed. Then, I moved on to begin writing a new series while waiting for publication dates. This was in 2017. Yep. A long, time ago.
Months passed, then I received an e:mail. My publisher was terminating the contracts for these books. Not because they didn’t like my books. Nope. Budget cuts. I was one of many authors who had the rug ripped out from beneath them. We even have a name for it, “Red Tuesday”.
All that time, lost. Readers had been asking me for these stories. Up until that point, with six books published and readers enjoying my work, I’d been feeling somewhat successful.
It hurt. I felt like giving up. But I love writing. My first novel, Knock Out, was written after I fell off a curb and tore the ligaments in my foot (and broke my ankle). All my angst and frustration from being laid up all summer went into that book. Logan, the heroine, used to be a ballerina until the same type of injury ruined her career. I sold it to a publisher, and guess what? It still sells and is a fan favorite. But I wrote that book for me.
I have a mug from the Broadway show, Sunday in the Park with George. It reads: Art Isn’t Easy. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that inspi
re you!
So, I picked myself up and came up with a new plan. I decided that Hayden’s and Luciana’s story was just too big for one book. (I love them that much!) There are now two books, Liar and Bastard. With Liar, readers get an inside glimpse into the early days, when TORC wasn’t yet in existence. It’s a flashback to when Diego, Luciana and Hayden were younger and to the events that shaped their lives. Bastard is set very much in the present day and ends the series.
As for Finn, he challenged me as a writer. He’ll make you smile while he breaks your heart. But I reworked his story, and am happy with how it turned out.
I wouldn’t have made it through the darkness without my support group, my amazingly talented friends, Joanna Shupe and Diana Quincy. Our Zoom Parties are something I’ll never forget. God, we had some laughs in a time the world was going apeshit.
To my extended group of peeps, J.B. Schroeder, Tina Gabrielle, M. Alexander, Anabelle Bryant, and RoseAnn DeFranco, for their friendship.
To new friends and my Beta Squad: Jessica Colamarino, Carrie Horn, Vinetia Jones, Kim Hine, Kim Ward, Amy Baker, Elizabeth Bennett, and Becky Richmond. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I’m so thankful to have a group of readers who like my work and embrace my crazy.
Thank you to my editor, Eve Arroyo. She was very patient with Finn and the constant “craic” in this novel.
A huge hug to Letitia Hasser for the covers. I mean, does it get any hotter than the Deadliest Lies Novels? I could sit and stare at Player all day!
Thanks to my mom, who buys all my books even though she prefers reading her Readers Digests. I’m her biggest fan!
Finally, THANK YOU readers. For being so patient with me while I get these books to print. For the wonderful teasers and quotes pulled from my books.
I wrote this book for you.
But I also wrote it for me.
About the Author
Michele Mannon has been writing romance since her first publication in 2012. A multiple recipient of Romantic Times Magazine’s prestigious TOP PICKS distinction, Michele’s books always pack a punch, leaving readers laughing out loud, or swooning and biting their fingernails at all the appropriate times.
To date, she’s written contemporary sports and spicy, enemies-to-lovers romances with a heavy dose of suspense. Her books have been sold in print, digitally, and on Audible.
Michele lives on a mountain overlooking the Delaware River, where she can be found with a glass of Riesling in her hand and a laptop on her lap. Find her online at: http://www.michelemannon.com
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Player: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (A Deadliest Lies Novel Book 4) Page 26