Black Hearts (Sins Duet #1)

“The good news is that we have them. They’ll stay at a hotel here for a few days. They already booked it through their phone. They’ll settle in, look around. At some point, we’ll grab them.”

He eyes Luisa who is still watching him, perplexed. “You remember the rules, right?” he says to Parada. “Don’t hurt him unless you have to.”

“Javi!” Luisa exclaims but he raises his finger for her shut up.

Surprisingly, she does.

“We won’t. Figure he’ll be easier to take now that he has her. We just need to grab her first and he’ll do what we say.”

“Hopefully.”

“He will, Javier. You haven’t heard what we’ve heard, seen what we’ve seen. He’s in love with her, no doubt about it.”

“What about her, you know…parents?” Even the word is hard for him to say.

“They’ll find out she’s gone pretty soon. The funny thing is that Violet has said to Vicente that the trip is only for the weekend.”

“Then you better grab them today.”

“We’ll do what we can. But we’ll get them.”

He’s about to hang up the phone but pauses. “What about the man who attacked her? Is she still being followed?”

“That we don’t know. I thought I saw a man hanging around in front of their house the other day. He just stood there, watching. But didn’t do anything. I couldn’t get a good look without giving myself away.”

“That’s fine. Just keep your head up.”

“Will do.”

“Call me when you have them.”

“Si, patron.”

Parada hangs up.

Javier puts the phone down and a smile slowly spreads across his face, making him look maniacal and distorted. He looks up at Luisa.

“Well I have good news and not as good news,” he says brightly. “The good news is our son is coming home soon. Very soon.”

“When?”

“Maybe tomorrow? Maybe the day after? But soon, my love.”

She narrows her eyes suspiciously. “And the not as good news?”

Javier tilts his head, enjoying all of this a little too much.

“He won’t be alone.”

My dear Vicente, he thinks, nearly giddy.

Time to see what you’re really made of.



To be continued…



Thank you for reading Black Hearts. The conclusion of this duet – Dirty Souls – will release on March 17th, so please look out for that. It’s going be a very dark and wild ride!

In the meantime, if you haven’t read the backstory of the Bernals and the McQueens, while you wait for Dirty Souls to release, it would be an excellent time to get acquainted with how it all began!



Start with The Artists Trilogy

- Sins & Needles

- On Every Street (just 99 cents!)

- Shooting Scars

- Bold Tricks



And then move on to the Dirty Angels Trilogy - these books deal with Javier and Luisa, how they first met, plus the nitty gritty of the dark and depraved cartel world of Mexico (note: though a romance, these books aren’t for the faint of heart and are very violent and disturbing) - Dirty Angels

- Dirty Deeds

- Dirty Promises



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Read on for the acknowledgements (am I the only one who loves reading the acknowledgements section?)





Acknowledgments


I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I have a book full of mayhem to write and I just can’t wait (hint, it’s Dirty Souls).

The world is in some challenging times lately, so even while I live on a tiny hippie island on the west coast of Canada (it’s called Salt Spring Island and yes you should come visit) it’s not always easy to buckle down and write when things are turned upside down. But I’m grateful that I have such a large support network of people who are always rooting for me, because without them I’d still be curled up in the corner. Whether I know you from FB groups or Twitter, whether you’re readers reaching out to me or my friends and fellow authors, know that I love and appreciate you!

Thank you to my Anti-Heroes for being so excited for this book and especially to my street team for going above and beyond when it comes to, well, everything, really.

Thank you to Hang Le for her amazing (as usual) cover design as we created the perfect Vicente and of course thanks to Wander Aguilar for having just the right model.

Thanks to Jovana Shirley and Stacey Blake for their ebook and paperback formatting skills.

Thanks to my agent Taylor Haggerty at Waxman Leavell, editor extraordinaire Kara Malinczak, my publicist and fellow woman of awesomeness, Nina Bocci.

Thanks to my author friends who encourage me every step of the way (Jay Crownover, Kylie Scott, Pepper Winters, K.A. Tucker, I’m looking at you) and understand exactly how to handle my tender little heart.

Like Violet, I have hypersensitivity, which means a whole bunch of things but despite the “flaws” of this trait, it also lets me see the world in a different way and I hope that way comes across in my books. Also, if you feel like you relate to Violet in that way, I suggest you check out the book The Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron. It’s very eye-opening and comforting to know you’re not alone.

However, if you relate to Violet because you’re also running away from home with the man who may or may not be kidnapping you, I can’t help you (and I suggest you call the police).

Last but never least – thanks to Scott and Bruce for putting up with it all.

And remember…keep fighting the good fight.

Persist.