The Heist
A Tainted Blood Novel
Book 1
RT Lucas and LJ Halkett
Genre: Urban PNR (erotic)
Publisher: Dark Hollows Press
Date of Publication: 6/2/14
ISBN: 978-1-940756-44-8
Number of pages: 207
Word Count: 75542
Cover Artist: Three Rusted Spoons
Book Description:
Commander Xavier Raige, ex-Special Forces and now a leader of an elite team of mercenaries. At 6’7” he is as lethal as he is handsome. Xavier doesn’t have time to sugar the pill - he is abrupt, direct and demanding. He accepts a new mission - to stop a skilled thief that has been plaguing the notorious Belcastro mafia family. Xavier is unaware that this job will change the course of his life forever and threatens to awaken the wolf he has kept at bay all his life.
Alicia Carberletti is a small woman with a BIG attitude! She is feisty, sexy, independent and smart - she also admires people who know their manners! Alicia has been all alone ever since her beloved family were brutally murdered. Trying to find peace, she embarks on a holiday of a lifetime which takes a sinister turn.
Tainted blood, wicked lies, deception and cruel fate: when Alicia and Xavier collide with one another, will events spiral out of control - or can they hold onto one another and face the dark consequences of their actions?
Together they will entice you into their world - and this new book series comes with a WARNING - once you enter, you won't want to leave!
In a world of humans; vampires; werewolves and set in murky mafia underworld, is it so easy to tell who are the real monsters and who still holds their humanity?
Excerpt Two
For the past three hours, the two men had been discussing the latest job
that Xavier had just been offered. Xavier Raige was ex-Special Ops and had an
unrivalled record in mercenary work around the world which had earned him the
reputation of being the best that money could buy. Ruthless, direct and
focussed - he was practically married to his work. No family, no ties.
The only responsibility he had was to himself and to his Unit of specially
trained, handpicked soldiers. He had skills that those with money and
connections who had ‘interests’ that were outside of the law were more than
happy to pay a premium price to hire.
The Belcastros were a notorious Mafia family who had relocated to the
heart of Mexico. Legend had it they were exiled from Sicily back in the
day after what had been considered dodgy dealings - even within the Mafia
world. Xavier knew that if they were having problems dealing with their
latest situation in-house, then it had to be some major shit that was going
down. His best guess was that if word got out they couldn’t deal with it
themselves, it would be a sign of weakness. The other families might take that
as a green light to go against them and claw back some of the territory and
business that the Belcastros had ‘relieved’ them of through the years.
“Ah dinnae trust them, Commander. How’d they get yer name anyway? If ye
asked me fur ma opinion, it’s no a coincidence that we were in Mexico when the
call wis made. The Belcastros kin deal wi’ their ain shite. We dinnae
need the job, and it’s meant tae be oor downtime after the last mission.”
Shuggie chugged back on his bottle of beer, unhappily. The hint of
red behind his blue contact lenses glinted as the strobe lights lit up their
corner of the club. He had learned through the Centuries to mask his true
nature when amongst the humans. That was something that Xavier understood
- although it still amused him to see the huge warrior fiddle like a female
trying to put the damn things in his eyes every day.
“I didn’t ask for your hairy highlander’s ass opinion,” Xavier thought
wryly to himself as Shuggie lifted his hand to beckon the waitress over to
order another round of drinks. Xavier knew that Shuggie was like a dog
with a bone and wouldn’t let the subject drop. Scrubbing a hand over his
face, he grimaced as he realised the stubble scratching his face was more hobo
than designer - he might be a hardened soldier, but he was fuck handsome and
prided himself on his looks. Xavier leaned forward, jutting his jaw as he
was forced to address Shuggie’s concerns.
“You really think that I’d be dumbass enough not to have researched the
Belcastros before I agreed to the job?” Xavier’s tone was gruff as he regarded
his friend with a steely look that would have had lesser men losing control of
bodily functions and whimpering like a baby.
“Aye, ah dae, Commander,” Shuggie leaned back, spreading his arms along
the back of the seats, a small smirk starting to form on his lips. “That’s why
ah already done ma ain investigation into them.” Shuggie’s broad Scottish
accent was almost indecipherable to most, but Xavier had known him for longer
than he cared to admit and could often translate for the uninitiated - if he
could be bothered, that was. Shuggie was armed with the knowledge that
he’d just scored a point over the Commander, and yet he still owned just about enough
self-preservation instinct left to know not to blatantly crow about it.
His smug expression was all that was needed between the two friends to
know who had the upper hand.
Xavier was irked by Shuggie’s comment but kept his facial features
impassive.
“Well are you going to sit on it
like a whore on a cock or are you going to actually tell me what your
investigations found out?” Giving a derisive snort as he drew his eyes off of
Shuggie and reached over to take the fresh drink the pretty young waitress with
the perky smile and perkier tits had just brought over for him. She
smiled and winked as he tipped her well, but the smile faltered when he turned
his head away to continue his conversation. The waitress hovered about
their table, trying to look seductive and was completely unaware that she had
in reality been blanked by both men. Shuggie reached into the inside
pocket of his biker jacket and handed Xavier a flash drive with all the Intel
he had on the Belcastros.
The dilemma for Xavier sat heavy on his broad shoulders - did he take
Shuggie’s advice and leave well alone, or did he drag his Unit into Mafia
business? It wasn’t like they needed the money – they didn’t do it for
the financial gain. Well, that’s not true. In the early days that was the only
motivating factor, but nowadays they had more than enough money banked and
invested to keep them for the end of their days. No, nowadays it was all about
the adrenalin, the challenge, the rush.
About the Authors:
Both Scottish Authors are best friends and for years they have been developing these amazing and complex characters. Having both suffered strokes at a young age, within months of each other they decided that life was too short and now was the time for Xavier and Alicia to be unleashed onto the waiting public! That was when the world of Tainted Blood and #XAli was born!
L J Halkett is 35 years of age, Mother, Wife and Housing Officer for Local Government. She is a smart, sassy and superbly imaginative woman who devours books - especially in the paranormal genre! She is the master at multi-tasking and she is always thinking ten steps ahead. With her passion for creativity, she brings to life her imagination with vivid detail. Family is the cornerstone of LJ’s life, and her greatest achievement is her wonderful son.
Left Partially sighted after her Stroke, LJ has to write in what the Authors call ‘Nasa’ font and can only detect the colour red, which can be difficult when reading print on a daily basis - her determination is testament to her personality - as she says.... "Where's there's a will? There's a way!"
RT Lucas is 41 years of age, soon to be Divorced [Hurrah!] and had a very successful career in Recruitment and Business Development until it was cut short through illness. Having worked in the Health Sector, Human Resources and Ministry of Defense, she has a myriad of experiences to draw from - and says that sometimes life can be stranger than Fiction! RT is an avid reader of the paranormal/romance genres but her first love will always be Science Fiction. She says that she has far superior music taste to that of her Best Friend and Co-Author - and uses every available opportunity to tell her so! RT lives alone with her #XavCat who faithfully lies by her computer whenever she wanders into the world of Tainted Blood.
@_TaintedBlood_
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