The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3)
Read The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3) Online
Authors: Kele Moon
Tags: #Contemporary, #Multicultural, #Suspense
Valentino Moretti’s Guide to Italian, Sicilian, and Cosa Nostra Terminology, Version 2.0
Cosa Nostra Terminology and Street Slang
Untamed Hearts 3:
THE ENFORCER
Kele Moon
www.loose-id.com
Untamed Hearts 3: The Enforcer
Copyright © March 2016 by Kele Moon
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
eISBN 9781623008802
Editor: Maryam Salim
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Published in the United States of America
Loose Id LLC
PO Box 170549
San Francisco CA 94117-0549
www.loose-id.com
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning
This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
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Dedication
To the millions of young people trapped in the horrific world of human trafficking…you matter.
And there’s help.
https://polarisproject.org/
Acknowledgment
An extra special thanks to:
My husband—I love you. This one took a year to write. I cried a lot of tears you didn’t always understand, but were there for me anyway. Your support is what lets me do what I love, and I adore you completely.
My children—For inspiring me to try harder and never give up even when it seems impossible. I love you so much! You’re the lights of my life! THANK YOU!
Wanda Prezeau—For the countless hours you spent on this journey with me. For reading and editing every scene first. For being my sounding board every day and most of all for being one of my very best friends! I don’t know what I would do without you!
Ira Rozzini—For going on this journey with me and being there at any time, day or night, when I had an Italian question. This book wouldn’t be what it was without you, and I’ll be grateful to you forever!
To Vik from Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe—My resident Brooklynite who made sure I had Tino and Nova taking the correct trains and getting off at the right stops. Your feedback was amazing, and the lights exist in this book because of you!
Laurann Dohner—For being so much more than the best crit partner I could ever hope for over the past five years. You’re my sister, and I love you! This journey hasn’t always been easy for either of us, but I’m so glad you came into my life, and we have each other to lean on!
Lori Toland—Thank you for listening to me rattle on about this book. Thank you for all the days you let me crash in Orlando to work on it! Thank you so much for being one of my oldest and dearest friends!
Karen M—For being my friend. For always caring so deeply about my career. For always asking, “How’s the book coming?” whenever you call. You’ve been a true friend to me in every single way, and I’m so very grateful I have you in my life.
Maryam—For being the most amazing editor an author could hope to have. Thank you for putting up with my perfectionism, even when it makes my edits a day or two late. Most of all, thank you for believing in me and believing in the stories these characters have to tell!
To everyone at Loose Id—Thank you for making these books the best they could be and for being so incredibly enthusiastic about this wild, untamed journey the Moretti boys and their crew are taking us on!
And to the readers—Thank you SO MUCH for all your excitement! Your passion for these characters is what lets me keep writing them. Enjoy the ride!
Chapter One
Broadway, New York
November 2014
The lights reflected off the rain-drenched streets, blurring out in a haze as Brianna stood there, blinking heavy-lidded eyes, and fought the exhaustion.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come out with us? You never have fun anymore.”
Brianna turned to her friend Aaron, who was lithe, fit, and good-looking in a blond, Iowa-farm-boy type of way. He’d landed a solid gig in
Chicago
, working as swing and understudy, largely because Brianna had put in a good word after landing one of the title roles as Roxie. They’d been on a run for the past year and a half, and Aaron didn’t look nearly as tired as Brianna felt.
Maybe she was getting old.
Though, at twenty-five, she was supposed to be on top of her game.
“I love you, baby,” she said rather than answer as the rain beat against her umbrella. “Have fun for me.”
Aaron sighed and looked to the young, handsome black man standing next to him. Darren was twenty at most, still excited with the bright lights of the city and likely enthusiastic in bed if Aaron’s general happiness with life over the past several months was anything to judge by.
The two of them kindly offered to walk her out, despite the rain, though they didn’t seem to mind getting wet.
“Are you okay?” Darren narrowed dark eyes at her. “Brianna—”
“Just tired,” she answered before he could go on, because Darren was suspicious in a way Aaron wasn’t. “So tired.”
“We have a couch,” Darren said slowly. “I mean, it’s a shitty couch, but it’s still a safe place.”
“Thanks,” she said with a grin and then held up her hand when she spotted the cab. “I’m serious. Have fun without me.”
“We only get one dark day a week, Bri.” Aaron’s voice was whiny. “At least have a few drinks.”
“My bed and I, we have a date.” She used her best acting skills to flash him a dazzling smile as the cab pulled to a stop and splashed water onto her sneakers and jeans. It didn’t matter. They were just clothes she’d slipped on after her last show. “I’ll text you.”
“Don’t forget.” Aaron opened the door for her, and Darren took her umbrella as she crawled in.
“Many texts,” she promised and accepted the umbrella Darren closed for her. “Don’t get into too much trouble without me.”
“Darling, we plan to get into loads of trouble,” Darren assured her. “Why do you think Aaron wants you to come out so badly? To keep us honest.”
She laughed. “I gave up on that long ago.”
They both kissed her cheek, and Darren reminded her once more about the couch before she closed the cab door and gave the driver her address. On good days she lived close enough to walk to work, so the cab ride was short. It gave her just enough time to text her best friend Carina.
Last show went well. Good audience. Tired. No galas tomorrow. I’m sleeping the dark day away.
Carina texted her back almost instantly.
Tired too. Late lunch tomorrow?
Brianna stared at the text, and knowing her best friend wasn’t one to take no for an answer, she typed back.
Late. Late.
Okay, sweetheart. Text me when you wake up. Give Broccoli my love.
Brianna snorted at that.
Really?
No, not really. Pezzo di merda. That was sarcasm. Look it up. Got to run. Next set.
Brianna laughed again, staring at the texts, knowing Italian for
piece of shit
when she saw it because Carina often used that term when referring to Brianna’s husband. Either that or Broccoli, which wasn’t any more endearing, because the two of them had decided when Brianna first got involved with David that he was like human broccoli, not very exciting, but good for her.
Boy, had they been way off with that.
Brianna wished she could’ve stuck with her hot-fudge sundae, even if he was the epitome of bad for her. Not that she’d had a whole lot of choice in the matter.
She shoved that thought down as quickly as it formed, thankful when the cab pulled to a stop, and she had the distraction of paying the driver. She left a big tip, a habit she’d picked up from Carina, despite lacking the deep pockets to support the generosity like Carina did.
She made the run to her apartment building without opening the umbrella and then stood wiping her shoes on the mat, dripping and probably looking like a drenched rat.
“Evening, Ms. Darcy,” the doorman, Greg, greeted her.
Brianna pushed her hair back, wishing she had tied it up after she washed her face in her dressing room. “Evening.”
“How was the show tonight?”
“Great,” she said with a smile. “Good audience.”
“Dark day tomorrow.”
“I know.” She sighed longingly as she fished her keys out of her pocket. “And I’m ready for the day off.”
“Is the foot still bothering you?”
Brianna stood on her toes as she opened her mailbox, testing the strain on her right foot, wondering if the injury from last month was contributing to her uncharacteristic bout with exhaustion. It hurt a bit from the lingering tendonitis, but that could just be shelved into ordinary dancer aches and pains.
“I think I may just be a little burned out.” She shrugged as she put the mail under her arm and gave Greg another smile. “Have a good night.”
“You too.”
It wasn’t until she was in the elevator and she felt the dark, familiar pit opening up in her stomach that she knew her exhaustion didn’t have anything to do with work and everything to do with the absolute mess of her life outside the theater.
But she hadn’t become a headliner by shrinking back from the unpleasant things in life. Perhaps to her detriment, Brianna could suck it up and make sure the show went on better than just about anyone.