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  No Greater Loyalty © Copyright 2014 SK

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means without the written permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is entirely coincidental.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, thank you to God for blessing me with the gift to express myself through written word and to be able to share it with others.

  Many thanks and much love to my family for always being there to show love and support no matter what!

  As always, I thank the online book clubs that embrace and support authors so readily. The encouragement and exposure you provide is immeasurable and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart:

  *President SHARON BLOUNT (BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AROUND BOOKS, BRAB) and Admins Denise Stokes and Prissy Parker.

  *Admins and founders RESHEMAH WRIGHT, AMBER NICKENS, TORI DORSETT, SHAQUAILA ‘QUAY’ BURKETT, and MIMI SMITH (REAL READERS REAL WORDS, 3RW)

  *Admin MONIQUE BRADY (ROMANCE NOVEL JUNKIES)

  Thank you to the members of my Facebook pages, SK ~ SWEETKARAMEL and The ECLIPSE ROOM. Special thanks to my admin team for running both rooms so smoothly, NASI AL-MAHI, VICTORIA NIECEY ROBERTS, QUANITA JONES, DELORIS HARPER, AND SARAH J. BELK.

  Thank you to my editor who is absolutely da bomb, DANIELLE HARDEN!Thank you to my beta readers, SARAH J. BELK, ANITA TANN, QUANITA JONES, DELORIS HARPER, NASI AL-MAHI, and VICTORIA NIECEY ROBERTS. Their honest opinions and feedback is truly appreciated!

  Last, but not least, THANK YOU TO #TEAM SK!! I also appreciate everyone who changed their profile picture on Facebook to my book cover!! You all make this process so much easier and continue to push me to put out my best work! Shout out to my time keepers, Renee and Andrea, who keep me abreast of the countdown for my books! Also, big thanks to everyone who visits the Amazon Discussion pages!

  Hugz & Kisses, Peace, Blessings, and Love! MUAH!!

  OTHER BOOKS BY SK

  The Honey Trap

  Sins & Betrayals

  BARRON TRILOGY

  Being Barron

  Being Barron 2: Reed & Skye

  SIN CITY HEAT SERIES

  Buried Secrets ~ Book 1

  Twisted Obsessions ~ Book 2

  Beginning of an Eclipse ~ Prequel

  No Secrets No Lies ~ Book 3

  Angel’s Wrath ~ Book 4

  Shadows of Deceit ~ Book 5

  Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

  Also, you can find SK on Facebook under ‘Author SK’ or follow me on Twitter, S_Karamel!

  NO GREATER LOYALTY

  SK’s SIN CITY HEAT SERIES

  CHAPTER 1

  "Dominick, Angel's on the phone."

  Lying on the couch in his office still half asleep, Dom frowned. But when Keisha called his name again with a slight edge to her voice, his thick lashes slowly lifted. Stifling a yawn, he blinked a couple of times to bring her into focus.

  His frown deepened when Keisha sliced her eyes away in irritation. "I'm sorry, what?"

  "I said Angel's on the phone. He called your cell, but you didn't answer. Here."

  Keisha thrust the receiver towards him, leaving Dominick no other choice but to take it before she dropped it on his chest. She pivoted on her heel to leave, but Dom curled the fingers of his other hand around her wrist and pulled her back.

  Out of habit, Dom's eyes skimmed appreciatively over her 5'4" frame. She'd dyed her hair a lighter brown for the summer and wore it in a high ponytail. One of those scrunchie things that he saw lying all over the house held it securely in place.

  His eyes lingered on the yellow sports bra, damp with perspiration, and the black running shorts. The fitted Lycra fabric clung lovingly to her toned legs and firm backside. Dom had to admit he loved those shorts. Or better yet, he loved watching her walk away when she was wearing them. They cupped her heart shaped behind as if she’d been poured into them and showed it off to perfection.

  Like any other red-blooded man, when confronted with visual stimulation like what he was looking at, it never failed to captivate his attention and elicit nasty thoughts in his mind. The fantasy always started out with him pinning her against the wall while he took his time peeling those shorts down her sexy thighs, exploring every dip, nook, and crevice along the way.

  Hearing her sigh in irritation, Dom let his eyes travel back up the curvy path he'd taken to meet her frigid gaze. The look on her face effectively cooled him off and brought him back to reality. Damn. She was still mad.

  "You went running already?" he asked.

  Attitude exuded from every inch of her body at the rhetorical nature of his question. Keisha shifted and settled her weight on one leg. Placing her free hand on a rounded hip, she glanced down at her attire then back at him. Her expression clearly screamed how unnecessary she thought the question was.

  "What do you think?"

  Dominick's square chin instantly resembled an unyielding block of granite. Her sarcasm acted as a bucket of ice water, effectively obliterating the fantasy and cooling his raging libido. His tongue readied itself to reply in kind, but before he could, he heard his brother call his name from the phone.

  With his eyes still on Keisha, Dom brought the receiver to his ear. "Hey. I'm here, hold on. No, wait," he added. "On second thought, I'll call you back in five minutes." He nodded in response to something Angel said on the other end. "Yeah...alright."

  Hanging the phone up, he tossed it on the couch. Still lying on his back, he stared up at Keisha, giving her his undivided attention. "Okay, let's talk."

  Keisha tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp. "So now you want to talk? Last night when I wanted to talk, all you were in the mood to do was yell and accuse me of messing around on you with Elena."

  Remembering the argument, Dominick's lips pressed together, hinting at his annoyance. The last person he wanted to discuss right now was Elena Ford. "I didn't accuse you of..."

  The rest of the sentence drifted off unfinished. They had more important issues to iron out, and he refused to let Keisha bait him into a discussion that would no doubt turn into another screaming match.

  Clamping down on his rising anger, Dom extended an olive branch. "I'm sorry for losing my temper. I don't want to fight about this."

  Keisha let out a disbelieving snort and averted her eyes, but not before Dom saw deep hurt reflected in their depths. Studying her closer, he took notice of the strain and fatigue on her face. She'd probably gotten as little sleep as he had after she'd stormed up the stairs last night. Knowing he was responsible for all of this, his own irritation dimmed. Against her protests, he tugged on her wrist until she lost her balance and fell on top of him.

  Placing both hands on his chest, Keisha tried to push away. "Dominick, stop. Let me up, I'm sweaty and I need a shower."

  "Since when have I not liked you hot, wet, and sweaty?" Dom teased, his white teeth flashing against his skin. When her expression remained unchanged, his smile slipped a notch. "Alright, alright. I admit I could have handled things better last night, it's just that..."

  His playfulness leaving him, Dom stared up at the ceiling, suddenly at a loss for words. He'd finally fallen into a fitful sleep a couple of hours ago. After the argument with Keisha, his head had been consumed with thoughts of his son. It was still so hard to believe. He had another child out there somewhere and he'd known nothing about him, but the proof was undeniable. That photo Angel had shown him erased any doubt he may have had that Isabel
la Cruz had given birth to his child almost thirteen years ago.

  "This is crazy," Dom whispered, briefly closing eyes that burned from lack of sleep. "Keisha, I gotta call Angel back. When I finish, we'll sit down and talk about all of this. I promise."

  Some of the stiffness left Keisha's body. She swallowed and nodded cautiously but didn't immediately get up. Picking at the t-shirt he had on, she met his gaze. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to sound so callous and unfeeling. It was just such a shock."

  "Tell me about it."

  "Dom, I'm scared. If this woman, Isabella's sister, if she's as dangerous as you say she is..."

  "Keisha, you know I'd never do anything to put you and our kids in harm’s way. You gotta trust me on that. I won’t let Melania Cruz near you or our family, but I have to find my son and bring him home. I wouldn't be the man you married if I simply forgot about him and acted like I never knew he existed."

  Keisha wanted to say more, but refrained from doing so. She would wait until they could discuss everything without being interrupted. When she tried to get up, Dom held her in place.

  "I love you, Keisha."

  "I love you too, and I do trust you, Dominick."

  Some of the tightly wound tension that had worked itself through his body uncoiled, but Keisha's next words caused him to bunch up again.

  "Can you say the same, though? Does your love for me come with absolute trust, Dominick? Because after some of the accusations you tossed out at me last night, I'm beginning to doubt it."

  A deep furrow formed on Dom's forehead. Elena again. Why did their conversation keep coming back to her? Even when she wasn't around, that bitch was trouble. "Of course I trust you."

  "Then..."

  "Keisha, stop!" His own fatigue and stress over the situation made his temper snap. "What is this, some manipulation tactic or something? You soften me up in order to make me admit everything is my fault? Don't try to play me, sweetheart, because it's not going to work."

  Her momentary vulnerability gone, Keisha's guard went back up. She flattened her hands on his chest, and this time when she pushed away from him, Dominick let her go. He sat up, watching her leave out of the room without a backwards glance. Mumbling a curse, he knew whatever truce they'd tentatively been on their way to reaching was out the window.

  Hissing in growing frustration, Dom snatched the phone off the couch. Forcing himself to switch gears and focus on the matter at hand, he called Angel back on his private line. Dominick wasn't surprised when his brother answered on the first ring.

  "That was a long five minutes, Nick," Angel snapped.

  "Sorry about that."

  Recognizing the gruff tone in Dominick's voice, some of the impatience left him. He knew Dom was going through a lot, but things would only get rougher before this was over with. "Everything okay?"

  "Not really."

  Angel released a drawn out sigh. "Keisha?"

  "Yeah. Let's just say she and I aren't on the same page right now." He grimaced at the extreme understatement. "Hell, to be honest, we're not even reading the same got damn book, but she'll come around."

  "She'll have to." Angel’s tone clearly said Keisha didn't have a choice. "Did you explain everything to her?"

  "Pretty much. You already know we’ve been arguing a lot lately. My delivery could've been a little smoother when I told her about our conversation, but damn, I was still in a state of shock and wasn't prepared to talk to her right then. Things went left with a quickness."

  "I figured as much, but this is about more than getting your son, Dominick. You know that. Melania is coming after you because she thinks you're responsible for her sister's death. I knew something was up the moment I found out she was involved with Jaxon," Angel commented, referencing his half-brother from his biological father's side. "Once I confronted her at the hotel, her intent was clear. I know Melania. She's not going to let this go until she feels she has her vengeance. That's why we have to strike first."

  Dom asked the question that he seemed to keep coming back to no matter how much he tried to ignore it. "Did Melania mention how Bella...Isabella died?"

  "I didn't ask and to be honest, I don't care. That's not my focus and it shouldn't be yours either."

  "I know. Man, Angel, this is still so hard to believe."

  Angel paused for a moment before speaking. "Nick, there's no reason for you to get tangled up in this. I told you I would take care of everything."

  A stony silence settled between them for several long seconds. Dom knew his brother was just trying to protect him, but this was his battle to fight. He wasn't going to step back and stand on the sidelines. "I have to do this."

  Angel had expected nothing less. "If you're sure, be at my house in an hour. Lucas flew into town last night. He and his brother are on their way now. There's a lot we need to discuss."

  Taking a deep breath, Dom nodded on his end. "I'll see you then."

  CHAPTER 2

  After Dom hung up with Angel, he sat back and mentally reviewed what he knew about Melania Cruz. Angel had told him the majority of it last night, but after he got home, he'd done a little research on his own. Melania was the head of one of the largest drug cartels in Mexico. After her oldest brother was brutally assassinated by a rival family, her father groomed her to take his place.

  The Juarez Cartel flourished under Melania's leadership, becoming wealthier and more powerful than ever. Her legendary status earned her the street moniker La Princesa de Cocaína: The Cocaine Princess. Her operation became one of the United States' biggest distributors of cocaine, smuggling massive quantities of the narcotic into the country via boats and planes without being detected.

  Melania was known for her violent business practices and ice cold disregard for anyone who got in the way of her running her operation. She'd masterminded and ordered hundreds of murders, a tactic which sent a message of fear to those foolish enough to think about crossing her. Several attempts had been made on her life, and there was a price on her head by both the Mexican mafia as well as the United States government, but no one had been successful in bringing her down.

  Dom got up and walked over to his computer on the desk. Tapping a couple of keys, he pulled up a picture of Melania that he'd found on the Internet last night. He stared at it for several moments. She was an attractive woman, no doubt. No one would know that she was one of the most dangerous women in the world just by looking at her. Melania wore her long, dark hair loose, allowing it to flow to the middle of her cinched in waist. With her piercing eyes, pouty lips, and golden tawny skin, Dominick was able to easily spot the resemblance between her and Isabella.

  However, there were noticeable differences as well. Both women were undeniably striking, but whereas Bella's dark beauty was soft and feminine, Melania's was hard, calculating, and extremely deadly.

  Dom placed his hands, palms down on the desk and peered closer at the picture with chilly eyes. This was the monster that had his son. She was using him like a piece of bait to dangle in front of Dominick's nose in order to lure him out into the open. He couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from the photo. In an instant, this woman had just single handedly turned his previously perfect life upside fucking down.

  "You want me, Melania Cruz? Wanted to get my attention? Well, you got it. I'm coming soon, ma. Real soon. Bet on that."

  Straightening, he backed up a couple of steps before turning and walking out the room. Feeling a surge of adrenalin rushing through his veins, Dom took the stairs two at a time. He shifted his thoughts away from Melania for a moment so that he could concentrate on the conversation he needed to have with Keisha.

  Turning left at the top of the stairs, Dom smiled as he passed his son's room. At eleven months old, Christian was a handful, especially since he'd started walking almost two months ago. With him and Samantha in their lives, Dom and Keisha’s little family felt complete. His lips slowly lost the smile. Before last night, Dominick would've unequivocally stated without reserve that the
ir world was perfect; there hadn't been anything else he could have asked for that he didn't already have.

  But as he said, that was before last night.

  Walking into his bedroom, his steps slowed when his eyes fell on Keisha. She'd obviously just gotten out of the shower. With a towel wrapped around her body and her hair hanging in a wet curtain past her shoulders, she stood by the window staring out at something with a small frown. Curious, Dominick walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at so hard. He spied it right away.

  A shiny black Range Rover, which he knew to be bullet proof, was parked in front of their house, had been since last night. Although they couldn't see the occupants because of the dark, tinted windows, Dominick knew two men were inside, strapped and on alert. Their job was to protect his family at any cost.

  "That truck was there when I went out for my run," Keisha commented, still staring at it. "I started over to it, to try and ask if they were looking for someone, and it pulled off. I didn't think anything of it then, but now it's back."

  "I know."

  Keisha looked up at him, her frown now directed his way. "What do you mean 'you know'?"

  "Just that. There's another one parked down the street. They're fine."

  "Who is it?"

  "Angel sent them here to guard the house."

  Keisha's expression was one of disbelief. "What?"

  "They're here for our protection."

  "Protect..." Understanding crept into her eyes as she realized exactly what he was saying. Dom could tell she was trying to stay calm, but the tone of her voice belied her effort. "It's because of that Melania woman, isn't it? Angel has men posted outside of our house because we're in danger. That's it, isn't it, Dominick?"

  Dom slipped his hands in his pockets. "Keisha, it's only a precaution."