Page 99 of Dirty Dancer

“Thank you, dear boy.”

He nodded then Mom looked at Emersyn and my hellspawn matched her grin for grin. “Come along with me young lady.” She held out her hand. “You are officially my favorite person.”

“Hey,” I protested as Hellspawn took her hand easily.

“Hush, she made sure I got to see both of you today and that you didn’t find an excuse to duck out. So she is going to sit next to me and we’re going to have a wonderful lunch.”

Dad laughed as Mom tugged Hellspawn away and Rome followed like a magnet. I got it. I wanted to go too. But Dad clasped my shoulder before shaking my hand. “Go with it, son.”

“It’s going to make her happy, isn’t it?”

“It already has. Family, it’s all she’s ever wanted to give you too. A nice, normal family.”

Normal was weird.

Nice…but weird.

BURN SNEAK PEEK

What lines wouldn’t you cross for the people you love?

My name is Grace Degas Black.

Years ago, I made a splash during a charity fashion show where an agent “discovered” me. My work led to the glitzy world of haute couture, perfume ads, and more. I was living my best life, traveled the world, and the only thing that would have made it better was if my twin would have come along for the ride.

My other half. My best friend. Then one day, she disappeared.

No one believed me, but I couldn’t escape that sinking feeling of something being terribly wrong. Then the nightmare came for me. I woke up in the back of a truck.

Chained.

Taken.

Moved from one location to another, I could only struggle to survive amidst the suffocating fear. Then just as abruptly,salvation came from the most unexpected place. Salvation and retribution.

I wanted my sister back.

But my saviors had no intention of letting me go—not when someone continued to hunt me.

Was it me they were hunting? Or my sister?

I didn’t care what I had to do, but to find her, I would make the world burn. These men were going to help me, they just didn’t know it yet.

PROLOGUE

GRACE

The hand wrapped around my throat tightened, threatening to squeeze off what little air I could inhale through my nose thanks to the meaty hand plastered against my mouth. The only thing I could smell was the stench of sweat, feces, and urine. The room reeked. My eyes watered as I fought to keep my breathing shallow. An impossible task with my heart desperately sprinting as if it would get us to freedom.

“Gracie!” Alphabet’s voice rang out of the darkness. “Come on, Gracie. I know you’re pissed. I’d be pissed too. But this isn’t the time to play these games.”

A whimper of sound scrabbled in my throat and the hand fastened over my mouth went even tighter. The pressure dug his fingers into my cheeks, as if burning their imprint into my face. I jerked my gaze up to the dark eyes of the man holding me.

He was a giant. Bigger than Voodoo and Bones. I twisted, trying to kick him again. The fact he held me off the ground with only his hand on my throat gave me desperate little in the way of purchase. Twice I connected with his leg, but he barely even flinched.

“Gracie,” Alphabet called again, the coaxing note in his voice almost sweet. “C’mon, I promise, I’ll pin the dickhead down for you and you can pummel him.”

The tears spilling out of my eyes redoubled at the kindness in that offer.

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