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Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him.
Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family's sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend... But Trace isn't ready to give up on a future with Nix--and if he won't fight for them, she will.
In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .
(REPOSTED)
Can you watch the one you love in the arms of another man? Can you watch her kiss him, hold him, fall in love with him?
It’s heart-wrenching. I can feel my heart being squeezed in pain, and I wanted to smack Nixon for being noble. He did exactly what was needed to save her life, and to save his family – but at the expense of his heart, and hers along the way.
Nixon and Tracey had been to hell and back – but this time, he needed her to trust him. And he needed all the control he can find to allow Chase to come near her, more so touch her. He knew his cousin loves his girl, there was no question about that because Chase wears his heart on his sleeves. Trace may love him, but not as much and as intense as she loves Nixon.
See, it’s all complicated! What makes it more complicated is when the family’s security has been breached, and Phoenix isn’t talking about the important things he knows. The next thing Nixon knew was that he decided to pair off his cousin to his girl. It wasn’t a wise decision, he might lose Trace. But he’d rather see her alive with Chase than dead.
I wanted to hate, at the same time, love Nixon. At a young age, he was forced to lead one of the most powerful mob families. He was too responsible and too noble for his own good. Everything was perfect – he has the girl, the men, the money, but all of a sudden, everything is about to be snatched away, when a rat starts to infest in their family. All that he knew since he was young is about to be refuted, as a secret, old and dark is about to unfold. And he’s going to die first to find out what it is…
I don’t know whether to hate or pity Chase. He had loved her like he loved no one else. Yes, he may have taken advantage of the situation – he may have made her choose between the two of them, but it’s only because he was taking his chances. He loves Tracey so much, and he would do everything for her. Too bad, Tracy doesn’t love him the way she loves him. I hope Tracey left enough piece of his heart unbroken – for this guy deserves to be given the same love as he gave. I think we will see more of him in the next book – OMG. I can’t wait to read what is in store for the feisty Mil and him.
My heart goes to Trace – I wished they could have told her rather had her figuratively blindfolded. I hated that she was being ‘played’ – her emotions are not toys. Thank goodness she has a kind heart and is able to forgive both men after they have broken her heart.
“And how does she look at Chase?”
“Like he’s her savior.” Phoenix said softly.
“And me?”
“Like you’re her oxygen.”
Set in an alternating POV between Nixon, Chase and Phoenix – we are treated inside the complicated world of the mob. The suspense is killing me – I swore my heart stopped beating, I may have a little inclination about the twist, nevertheless, the whole package still brought a surprise. You will fall in love, you will break your hearts, and you will love the heart-pounding search for truth. Rachel Van Dyken had made a heart-stopping novel. I can’t wait for the next one in the series. (And I’m sorry, I’m just about to read the first one!)
“Trace, we can’t be seen together right now.”
She jerked her hands away from mine and glared. “Oh no you don’t, Nixon Anthony Abandonato!”
Wasn’t expecting that. I laughed without really thinking, and then she slapped me across the face. It stung like hell. “What was that for?”
“You aren’t leaving me!”
“Did I say I was?” Although my cheek was throbbing I couldn’t help but keep laughing at her response. And this was why I would never walk away. Who would walk away from such a little pistol?
“Oh.” Trace tugged her lower lip between her teeth and sheepishly looked up at my cheek. “You should probably put some ice on that.” I winced as she touched my cheek.
Covering her hand with mine, I winked. “Yeah, well, I’ve had worse. Promise.”
Her eyes welled with tears, but to her credit she kept them all in. If anything I fell in love with her a little bit more. Her strength was so damn sexy, I couldn’t even put into words what she did to me.
I kissed her softly and sighed against her still chocolate-tasting mouth. “Sweetheart, Chase was . . . well, today he was gifted with a stroke of brilliance. The head of the Nicolosi family talked with us this evening, and he had Phoenix with him.”
I quickly explained to her what had happened, leaving out all the violence, guns, and threats. So basically I censored everything and then dropped the bomb. “You and Chase need to pretend to be together. People will be watching you, they’ll be following you.
” Tracey swallowed and licked her lips. “And you’ll what? Pretend you hate me again?”
“Hell no!” I snapped, grabbing her ass and lifting her until her body was firmly pressed against mine midair. “I’ll just be the friend. Basically, Chase and I are switching parts. He gets to play the boyfriend, I get to play the jackass.”
That earned an eye roll and a laugh from her. I dropped her to the ground and kissed her nose. “If they find out how much you mean to me, they’ll use that against our family and against your grandfather.”
She was silent for a moment. Her hands traced circles around the tattoo peeking out from underneath my white t‑shirt. The writing was in Sicilian, but it said, “Every Saint has a past, every sinner has a future.” I had always wondered which I was. The saint or the sinner?
It was Trace’s favorite tattoo, even though I had several down my left arm and a few on my stomach and back. Her favorite had always been that one, on the left side of my chest. She said it gave her comfort. I guess she was using it for comfort right now.
“Okay,” she whispered, “I’ll do it.”
I was waiting to feel relieved, but all I felt was tense. My muscles literally tightened underneath her touch the minute the word “okay” had fallen from her perfectly pouted lips.
“I’m going to apologize in advance, though.” Tracey sniffed as a tear ran down her cheek.
“Why are you apologizing?”
Her eyes met mine. “Because I’m going to break your heart.”
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
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