When Heroes Fall

by Giana Darling

  “And you are in no position to tell me what to do or think,” I retorted.

  Just when I thought I had a lock on the anger, he had to do something to break those chains. I hated the taste of fury in my throat, and the metallic bite of it on my tongue. I wasn’t a senseless, angry woman. I was passionate, but to a point.

  Elena had taught me from a young age that if you could understand something, its motivation or context, you held power over it and over your reaction to it.

  I tried to channel that now as I sat in a car with my father on the way to my new master with little to no assurances for the people I was even doing this for.

  As the car pulled farther away from the spidery tendrils, I could feel the throbbing pulse of the city recede at my back. It wasn’t beautiful like the rest of the country, though it rested on the ocean. The harbor was industrial, and though it was only an hour away from Roma, unemployment plagued Neapolitans like the Black Death, and it showed in the dirty faces of adolescent pickpockets and garbage strewn across the walkways in place of pretty flower boxes. People were tired in my hometown, and it showed. But I wondered how people couldn’t find a certain beauty in that?

  I didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t my choice, yet I had accepted the pain of its inevitability easily, my body absorbing the shock without consequence. My love for crumbling, beautiful Napoli was a drop in the bucket compared to my love for my crumbling, beautiful family. I was doing this, selling my body and maybe my soul, for them. I’d get them some of the money they were due or else the sale was dead in the water. The mafia would kill my father; we would still be haunted by the looming shadow of their influence, and we might never get out of that godforsaken city alive, but at least we’d be together.

  I drew up their beloved faces in my mind’s eyes, etching them into the black screens of my lids so that every time I blinked, I would be reminded of the reason for my sacrifice.

  I knew all too well the realities of our situation. If Sebastian didn’t leave soon, no matter our economic status, he would be forced into the Camorra, who had been nipping none too gently at his tender heels for the past two years. He was now eighteen, old for recruitment when the average age of youth inducement into the mafia was as young as eleven.

  I squeezed my eyes shut to distort the vivid image of my male self with a gun in one hand, blood on the other, and money, stacks of it, in his mouth. Sebastian was smart and able, afflicted with a beauty so striking it often brought him unwanted attention. I hoped that he would use some of the money to leave, maybe for Roma, and use his beauty to pull himself out of the stinking hole of poverty we had been born into. Even though I knew he wouldn’t—couldn’t—bring himself to leave our sisters and mother alone, I chose to believe my fantasy.

  Just as I hoped that the money would continue to go toward the education of my prodigal younger sister, Giselle, so gifted with a pencil or brush that she could render whole people on a page with their emotions and blood trapped beneath the surface of her painted strokes. I’d been practically living in Milano and Roma for the past year working any gig I could get in order to send back money for Giselle’s education at L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She was too talented to be held back by our poverty, and too pretty and soft at heart to deal with the shark-infested waters of Napoli. I knew last year when Elena’s older boyfriend began to take undue notice of our shy sister that she had to leave. Her education was funded on my ability to provide for it with my modelling, and now that I was being sold, I needed to assure she would have the means to continue without me.

  Ideally, funds would be left over for my smartest sibling, Elena, so she could attend a real school and earn a real degree. For Mama, a new home with a kitchen well equipped to deal with her delicious fare. And for my father—the man who just then was driving me towards my future as a bought woman? Well, for Seamus Moore, I could only wish for the best his soul would buy him in this life. A quick death.

  One-click Enthralled now!

  I’ve been waiting to write Elena’s story since I first conceived of The Evolution of Sin Trilogy when I was sixteen years old. Interesting fun fact, though Elena’s personality was apparent to me from the beginning, her career went through many iterations. First, she was a photographer then a journalist before finally becoming a lawyer. It was the perfect job for a woman who was scarred from a young age by villainy and who was driven by her insecurities to be revered by many.

  Dante came later, exploding on the scene randomly while I was writing about Cosima’s mysterious past. He appeared in The Secret as a black-eyed mafioso with a bullet wound and untold swagger. He was hotly passionate, dangerously charming, and hellacious when crossed.

  The perfect foil for my ice queen, Elena.

  I couldn’t wait to write their story and I hope you love them as much as I do. I hesitate to call this an opposites-attract love story, because at the end of the day, Elena and Dante are very similar. They are both whip smart, ruthless when crossed, and in possession of incredibly tender hearts they protect at all costs. Simply, they were made for each other, the other’s perfect foil and other half.

  Writing this story was so much fun. I did incredible amounts of research so almost everything that happens in the story is based loosely around a real mafia story or act in the past. Dennis O’Malley is loosely based on Rudy Guiliani, the heroic mafia prosecutor who went on to be a powerful and successful politician only to have his credibility questioned in later years because of his protentional connection to the mob and other shady characters. Dante’s court case is a compilation of hundreds of similar mafia trials that have taken place since the 80s, with millions of government dollars spent trying to take down an organization that is structured like a hydra, one head cut off never destroys the whole beast. I could talk for hours about how fascinating the mafia is in all its iterations and why I made the decision in this book that I did, but at the end, all that matters is whether or not you loved their action packed story, and I very much hope you did.

  Now, on to the people who make everything possible for me.

  Annette, if Elena had a presence like yours in her life, she would never doubt herself again. You are my sunlight and my anchor, the positive voice in my ear whenever I doubt myself at work or need love in my personal life. You mean so much to me, I refuse to ever imagine my life without you.

  Allaa, I love you endlessly. There has never been anyone I feel comfortable discussing my ideas with before I met you so many years ago and I’m so grateful for the way you let me use you as a sounding board and also give me positive feedback.

  Michelle, what can I say that I haven’t said before? There a few people in this world with a heart as big as yours and I’m honoured to have a place in it.

  Ella, my ride or die, my hilarious and steadfast best friend. Just hearing your voice brings me joy. Thank you for punctuating my days with your loveliness.

  Candi, thank you for being not only an amazing PR boss lady, but for also being a steadfast, fun, and loving friend.

  Jenny, I will always and forever be grateful for you putting up with my messy manuscripts and short turnaround times. Thank you for turning my dirty words into gold.

  Sarah Plocher, thank you for being such a sweet friend and support while also being incredibly proficient and professional when proofreading for me. I value you so much.

  My girl Ramzi who swooped in to make the paperback absolutely extraordinarily beautiful! Love you and so happy to have a friend like you.

  Giana’s Poppies Street Team! Ladies, what can I say, but that I love you endlessly for the support and love you give me constantly. Thank you for being the best hype women an author could ever dream of.

  My ARC team, I am honored you love my words enough to read them no matter the subject matter. Your confidence in my storytelling buoys me when I doubt myself.

  Giana’s Darlings, my gorgeous corner of the internet with nearly 8k of you (*gasp*). Thank you for being excited about my books, spreading the word
about them, and always being down for new content.

  Najla Qamber, you are the queen of graphiclandia and I am so blessed to have found you at the very beginning of my author journey. You bring my visions for book covers and aesthetics to life so brilliantly, I am in awe of your talent.

  Thank Veronica for providing invaluable perspective on Italian language and culture. I would have been lost without your expertise!

  There are, as always, countless bloggers, Tiktokers, and Instagrammers to thank for their support of this release, but I can’t possibly name them all so please know, I am grateful for every post and share about my work. In addition, a special thanks goes out to Tish from @booktheif28, Mary from @makeupandmary, Jess from @peacelovebooksxo, Weroinca @littlesteamyreads for her love and graphics, Pang @shereads_pang for her support and gorgeous edits, and last but never least, Emilie from @fansofgianadarling who is CEO of my fandom and one of the sweetest souls ever.

  Fiona and Lauren, you are the most loyal and generous best friends a girl could ever dream of having. No matter what is going on in my life, good or bad, you are always there for me and it means more than words can every say.

  Armie, my love, without you I really don’t think I would have pushed so hard to make writing my viable career so I am endlessly indebted to you for putting up with the taping of my keyboard while you slept and drove us around the United Kingdom for three months. Because of your support, I was able to make my dreams come true.

  Albie, you’ve been my best friend since middle school and since then, we’ve seen a lot together. You always enrich my life and make me feel loved.

  To my fur babies, Romeo and Persephone. For those who don’t know, the week before release, both of them were suffering. Persephone has congestive heart failure and we discovered she won’t be with us much longer. Romeo was attacked by another dog. Loving a creature is a special kind of bond because it is utterly unconditional love, they never betray you or lie to you or treat you poorly. They love you with their whole souls and only want the same in return. I am so grateful for the supreme light and job they bring to my life and I only hope they will me for as long as possible.

  Last as usual, but never in a million years least, the love of my life, H. Like Dante with Elena, you taught me everything I know about the enormous capacity for love to change and better our lives and ourselves. I am endlessly grateful to the universe for throwing us together at eleven years old with your blond mullet and my brace filled mouth and proud of us for evolving together from fifteen-year-old kids in love with no idea about life to grown adults with a healthy and extremely happy relationship. You are the dream that feels too good to be true every single day.

  The Evolution of Sin Trilogy

  Giselle Moore is running away from her past in France for a new life in America, but before she moves to New York City, she takes a holiday on the beaches of Mexico and meets a sinful, enigmatic French businessman, Sinclair, who awakens submissive desires and changes her life forever.

  The Affair

  The Secret

  The Consequence

  The Evolution Of Sin Trilogy Boxset

  The Fallen Men Series

  The Fallen Men are a series of interconnected, standalone, erotic MC romances that each feature age gap love stories between dirty-talking, Alpha males and the strong, sassy women who win their hearts.

  Lessons in Corruption

  Welcome to the Dark Side

  Good Gone Bad

  After the Fall

  Inked in Lies

  Dead Man Walking

  A Fallen Men Companion Book of Poetry:

  King of Iron Hearts

  The Enslaved Duet

  The Enslaved Duet is a dark romance duology about an eighteen-year old Italian fashion model, Cosima Lombardi, who is sold by her indebted father to a British Earl who’s nefarious plans for her include more than just sexual slavery… Their epic tale spans across Italy, England, Scotland, and the USA across a five-year period that sees them endure murder, separation, and a web of infinite lies.

  Enthralled (The Enslaved Duet #1)

  Enamoured (The Enslaved Duet, #2)

  The Elite Seven Series

  Sloth (The Elite Seven Series, #7)

  Coming Soon

  Fallen King (A Fallen Men Short Story)

  When Villains Rise (Anti-Heroes in Love, #2)

  Giana Darling is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Top 40 Best Selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man’s bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her cat, Persephone, and dog, Romeo.

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