His cell phone rang.
He answered, pressing it to his ear.
“We have Leeza and the boy.”
Jozef grunted and hung up, his eyes still on Shaun. The final piece of their puzzle was in place. His cousin was coming back home where she belonged.
THE END
Coming Soon…
Gangster’s Empire Trilogy
Thank you so much for reading Goodnight, Sinners. I’ve had such an amazing time building the Empire world that I’ve decided to write a trilogy for Havel and Leeza. Watch for the Gangster’s Empire Series next year!
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Excerpt: Loving Vincent
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Vince snarled.
He stood slowly from behind his desk and shot Jared the type of glare he reserved for people that knew they truly screwed up. Usually the life expectancy that followed was extremely short. Of course, he wasn’t going to off his business partner and best friend just because his plan wasn’t going smoothly, but he was going to make the other man deeply uncomfortable for a few minutes.
Cracking his tattooed, scarred hands he placed his knuckles on the top of his desk, which was littered with papers, and growled, "How exactly did things not go according to your plan? You told me to trust you with this. That you would make sure Enrico would get the information he needed to make the hit. Now you’re telling me it won’t go down as planned? Am I getting this right?"
Jared nodded his big, shaggy head and looked grim. "That about sums it up. There were unforeseen circumstances."
Vince breathed in through his nose, trying to call up some patience, a quality he wasn’t known for. "Tell me."
"The girl refuses to cooperate."
He frowned, trying to recall a girl. He hadn’t actually been briefed on many of the details. It hadn’t been necessary. That’s what he had people for. He just needed the hit done, so the fucker that cut off one of Vince’s suppliers was taken out and used as a message for anyone else that thought prison was a safe haven from his wrath.
"What girl?" he asked impatiently.
"The health nurse that oversees Enrico's insulin shots," Jared explained. "We’re using her to get a message to him. Enrico’s gang-affiliated, same as the rest of us. The prison locks them down tighter than a nun’s ass. No visitors, no calls. She's the only one he sees regularly."
Vince nodded absently. He knew how the prison dealt with gang; he'd had the displeasure of experiencing their local penal system himself. It’d been a risky move putting any of them back in the pen for that reason. It had been Enrico’s idea to go in because he had a minor outstanding warrant, meaning he wouldn't be in the prison long. And Enrico’s need for health care gave Vince a way to send messages. Except apparently their nurse wasn’t bribable.
"How much did you offer her?" Vince asked. Fuck, anyone could be bought. Jared hadn’t gone high enough.
"I ended around five hundred large, just because she was pissing me off."
"Jesus fuck," Vince exploded. "Half a million! Who the fuck does this bitch think she is? A trust fund baby?"
Jared smiled grimly. "That’s just it, she lives like a damn beggar in a shack in the old army barracks on the edge of town. Place should be condemned."
"I assume you went to plan B when bribery didn’t work?"
Jared didn’t say anything, refusing to make eye contact. Vince swore the giant enforcer would’ve rubbed the toe of his booted foot on the carpet if he thought he could get away with it. What the fuck?
"You didn’t force her compliance? Rough her up a little?" Vince assumed.
"Not exactly."
Vince rubbed a hand over his face, flexing his tattooed fingers over his eyes. "Why exactly am I paying you?"
"I couldn’t do it, man. As soon I threatened her, she begged me not to hurt her. She said she has a little girl. You know how I feel about kids!"
It was almost laughable that Jared, who was the size of a bear, could be brought to his knees by small children and mothers. Both men were ex-bikers. After decimating their own club for betraying them by setting them up after a drug pick up went wrong, they'd moved onto greener pastures and created their own opportunities. They both still looked the part with large, ruthless physiques, tattoos and take-no-prisoner attitudes. Most of the guys on Vince’s payroll fell into a similar category. Except for the Accountant. That guy was beyond fucked up.
"Okay, fine. Where's the kid? Just threaten the little urchin. You don’t have to mean it, just shake mom up a little, get her compliance. I don’t care what you do, just do your fucking job."
"Apparently Lola’s dad has custody. Jenna lost the custody battle because he has shit tons of money and lied about her mental health in court. He even made it so she only gets supervised visits so she has to see him four times a month, the fucker," Jared growled, popping his knuckles.
Vince raised his eyebrows. "Did you have a nice cozy tea and chat with our little nurse who you’re supposed to be turning into an informant? Jesus man. So why didn’t you mess her up after you found out the kid wasn’t around?"
Jared stared at him in disgust, like he had no heart, which was probably true. "She’s still a mom," he said, like that explained everything.
Vince slammed his fist on the desk. "I own this fucking city and one little nurse thinks she can fuck up my plan? If we don’t get Enrico the time and place for the hit we’re going to miss our opportunity to send the fucking Ghosts a message," Vince said, an unholy light gleaming in his eyes. "I assume you have a file on her, with her complete schedule?"
Jared handed it over without another word. There would be no arguing with Vince, even if Jared liked the health nurse. There's no way she'd be getting her daughter back now, she was about to become collateral damage in a war she didn't even know about.
Vince flipped the file open and stopped cold, dark eyes on the contents. He picked up the picture in his long fingers and held it up taking in her sweet, pretty features and shoulder length red hair. Lifting his other hand he pointed at her, marking her with a finger tattooed with the word ‘hell’.
Keep Reading Loving Vincent!
Excerpt: Driven by Desire
“You’re clear, Reaper. Shift now and take the inside,” Wendell’s voice buzzed in her ear.
Riley felt the vibrations of the car, the blood pumping through her veins and the music blasting all around her. She placed her fingertips against the gearshift, let the car drift a few extra seconds and then moving her feet in tandem with her hand, switched gears. The car screamed around the cliff edge, biting through grass and dirt as it left the road for a few seconds before regaining the asphalt and overtaking the lead car.
“Fuck, Riley!” Wendell’s voice shouted in her ear. “That was a fucking stupid move. You could’ve gone over. Goddamnit woman, are you trying to die?! And my fucking tires are toast, aren’t they?”
Grinning, Riley turned the music up and ignored Wendell’s tirade. That’s why they called her the Reaper. She flew in like an angel of death to take out her competitors. He knew as well as her that she wouldn’t’ve beat out Roadkill for the lead if she hadn’t pulled that last stunt on the cliff edge. Of course, Wendell didn’t care where she placed in the race. All he cared about was seeing their cars in action, watching their sleek lines eat up the road under her skilled hands. All this from his safely staked out spot high up on the cliff with a pair of binoculars.
Riley cared about this race. She needed it if she wanted to get noticed for the big bi-annual race that was worth two million dollars, possibly a sponsor or two, and a shit ton of prestige. The Sparrow Hawk Cup was an invitation only race and she intended to get an invitation this time. She felt Roadkill tight on her ass, ready to retake his lead the second she gave him the opportunity. Yeah, no fucking way.
Sh
e swerved to block him when he would’ve passed on a curve, bumping his left front fender with her right bumper. She winced as they collided and sent him into the guardrail for a few precious seconds before he regained control. She had enough lead time on him now that he wouldn’t be catching up. Wendell was going to kill her for messing up his car.
“I’m going to kill you for fucking up my car!” Wendell shouted in her ear.
She grinned and tapped the brakes as she reached the set of lights at the bottom of Old Bay Road, they’re unofficial finish line, then spun her tires and headed to the all-night diner up the road the crew had agreed to meet at. A crowd of people were already gathered to greet them.
Riley went to one of the outdoor windows of the diner and ordered two cups of coffee and two pieces of pie to go. She turned her back on the window while she waited and crowd watched. Rita Flannigan, bubblegum pink hair like a beacon in the night, was striding toward her. At over six feet tall and wearing leather from head to foot she was impossible to miss.
She greeted Riley with a grin and slapped the $2,000 prize money into Riley’s palm. Giving her a wink she said, “That was ballsy, Reaper. Let’s hope you caught the right eyes tonight. Let me know if you hear anything from the Sparrow, kay? We’re all dying of curiosity. Been a long time since a lady’s gotten into that circle. The boys think its too dangerous and that’s why women can’t get near it. I call bullshit. If anyone can do it, you can. You killed it on that cliff tonight and made all the little babies at the top pee a little.”
“Amen to that,” Riley said through a mouthful of pie and gave Rita a high five. “I’ll call if I hear anything.”
“You got a car?” she asked curiously.
“Uh huh,” Riley nodded, gazing into the darkness. Her eyes narrowed a little. Wendell joined them just then with a tirade about safety and expensive tires. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before. She held up her peace offering of pie and coffee, which shut him up for a minute as he immediately filled his mouth with delicious lemon merengue.
Riley’s phone rang. Glancing down, she saw that Scott was calling her. She rolled her eyes, grabbed her phone and slid off the table. Wandering toward the street, she took the call. “Hey Scott.”
He laughed, “I knew you’d be up. You’re such a night hawk, baby.”
She smiled tightly. They’d only dated a few times, but something about this guy rubbed her the wrong way. This was probably some kind of booty call, which made her want to accept just so she could knee him in the junk and explain to Scott in detail how to treat women with respect before walking away from his ass. Dude wasn’t worth her time or her breath though.
She was about to tell him to go fuck himself when a shiver of apprehension slithered down her spine. Scott was busy waxing eloquent on all of her amazing body parts and trying to convince her to come over to his place when Riley lifted her eyes and saw the one person she was hoping to never see again. Soloman Hart stood next to a sleek, black Audi S7. As soon as she caught sight of him, he began crossing toward her, like a predator stalking its prey.
Her heart stuttered in her chest as he neared. It was like the shadows shifted around him, accommodating the menacing presence surrounding the man. Riley could hear a hush from behind her as the crowd of people began to recognize him. Men of Soloman’s wealth and caliber did not hang out around the likes of the racing circles. He wore another expensive suit that did nothing to distract from his musculature and height. He didn’t wear a tie tonight though, as though it had been pulled off and tossed aside. The buttons of his white shirt were open at his tanned throat, displaying a wealth of skin and tattoos.
Riley stumbled back a step. He kept coming at her, stepping right into her space. She would have fallen, except he reached out to steady her. His long, hard fingers wrapped around her arm and pulled her upright into the heat of his body. She struggled to breath as she stared up into his sinister face, so close to hers.
His dark eyes took in every flickering emotion as it happened. She closed her eyes and forced herself to concentrate. She knew they had an audience. That everyone in her racing circle would be talking about the Reaper and the mafia kingpin. Fuck. My. Life. This was so not going to be good for her social life. People would either be clambering to find out what was up with her or running in the other direction.
“Riley, are you still there? Are you coming over, babe?” Scott’s voice grated in her ear, snapping her to attention. She opened her eyes and looked up at Soloman, whose face was inches away from hers. She stood on top of the curb, while he stood in the street. He was still a few inches taller than her.
He was so close to her, she knew he heard every word of her conversation with Scott. She tried to jerk her arm away and step back, but his fingers tightened, threatening to bruise if she tried to get away from him. She narrowed her eyes, but stopped struggling for the moment so she wouldn’t accidentally drop her phone.
“No, I can’t come over,” she finally told Scott.
“Too bad.” He sounded disappointed. “Hey, you want to go out Friday?”
Riley was about to refuse, but looking up into Soloman’s face she read the anger and denial written there. An imp within her decided if he wanted to play games with her, then she was equal. He shook his head once in warning, a frown biting deep between his dark brows. She tilted her chin and gave him a cold stare. She would show him that she could do exactly what she wanted, date exactly who she wanted. She was her own woman. She was free to say no to Soloman Hart and yes to Scott… whatever his last name was.
She moistened her lips and said, “Sure Scott, let’s do something Friday.”
Before Scott could make any plans that Soloman might hear, Riley cut him off, “I have to run, Scott. I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye!”
She pressed the disconnect key on her phone and slid it in her pocket. Then slowly raised her eyes to Soloman’s. The glacial look there was enough to convince her that maybe she should have played things a little differently. Maybe not forgotten who she was messing around with. But dammit, she was a thirty year old business owner. More than capable of making her own decisions. She wouldn’t be bullied!
He let go of her arm and stepped away from her. Riley felt as though she would collapse to the ground without his warm, solid presence keeping her upright. He lifted his hand. She flinched, but he only touched her bottom lip with the barest hint of pressure.
“Mistake,” he said in his deep, cold voice before turning and walking away from her.
Riley stared after him, frozen in fear as he climbed into his car and drove away without a backward glance. Why was this man pursuing her so hard? He wasn’t known for being a woman chaser. A thrill rushed through her, similar to the feeling she got when her car screamed around a hairpin turn. Belated adrenaline slammed through her and her heart thumped against her chest, as though she were anticipating some kind of race. Fuck, she hoped her date didn’t turn up dead before Friday night.
Keep Reading Driven by Desire
Also by Nikita Slater
If you enjoyed this book, check out some other works by #1 International Bestselling Author, Nikita Slater. More titles are always in progress, so check back often to see what's new!
Sinner’s Empire
Book 1 - Sin of Silence
Book 2 - A Silent Reckoning
Book 3 - Goodnight, Sinners - Coming Soon!
The Queens Series
Book One – Scarred Queen
Book Two - Queen’s Move
Book Three - Born a Queen
Book Four - The Red Queen (Coming 2021)
Alejandro’s Prey (a novella)
The Queens 4 Book Box Set
Fire & Vice Series
Book One – Prisoner of Fortune
Book Two – Fight or Flight
Book Three – King’s Command
Book Four – Savage Vendetta
Savage Boss (a novella)
Book Five – Fear in Her Eyes
Book Six
– Bound by Blood
Book Seven – In His Sights
Book Eight - Burning Beauty
Book Nine - Chasing Ecstasy (Coming soon!)
Fire & Vice 6 Book Box Set
The Driven Hearts Series
Book One - Driven by Desire
Book Two - Thieving Hearts
Book Three - Capturing Victory
Novella - The Princess and Her Mercenary
Driven Hearts 4 Book Box Set
The Sanctuary Series
Book One - Sanctuary’s Warlord
Book Two - Sanctuary on Fire
Book Three - The Last Sanctuary
Book Four - The Road to Wolfe
Book Five - Skye’s Sanctuary (Coming soon!)
The Sanctuary Series 3 Book Box Set
Loving The Bad Boy Series
Loving Vincent
Loving Jared
Loving Rico (Coming Soon!)
Standalone books
The Assassin’s Wife
Because You're Mine
Mine to Keep (a novella)
Luna & Andres
Kiss of the Cartel
Stalked
After Dark
In collaboration with Jasmin Quinn
Collared: A Dark Captive Romance
Safeword: A Dark Romance
Chained: A Mafia Marriage Romance
Good Girl: A Captive BDSM Romance
Goodnight, Sinners (Sinner's Empire Book 3) Page 32