He's a man with a mask, and he's off-limits...

They call him Guy.
They say he's "loyal," "trustworthy," "solid."

Without him, Red Cage would collapse like a house of cards.

He's the man my brothers trust with their lives, and by extension, my life. The praises of his multifaceted capabilities ring louder than God's.
Somehow, it seems like I'm the only one who sees through his façade. Like I'm the only one who smells his provocative fragrance of deception, guile, and knavery.
To everyone else, he's the ever-helpful, ever-willing good guy.
To me, he's a giant prick.

Is it really just me who notices the darkness that emanates from him like tendrils of black smoke? Is it only me who sees the man behind the mask?
Determined to expose his duplicity, I follow him down a dark alley one night...
I thought uncovering the truth would validate me.
I was not prepared for it to seduce me...

He's my ex's brother...

I've spent a long time running and hiding.

Living life on the edge.

To those on the outside, my life is fabulous.

But it's all a lie.

I'm a liar. A fraud. A thief.

And now it's all catching up to me.

Trent Garza is the one Garza I could never out-run. Always showing up just in the nick of time to save me. So of course it's him who's here now, witnessing me at my lowest.

This time, though, his help isn't free.

I'm in his debt and at his mercy.

The steps were simple:

Pay off the debt.

Go back to living a life of lies.

But Trent...well, he had steps of his own.

The Right Garza is a complete standalone.

He's supposed to be the "good one"...

We met in a bar deep in the woods.

He smiled at me. I didn't smile back.

He wanted to talk. I wanted pleasure.

We clawed and writhed and moaned for seven dark evenings.

Then he left me with vibrations I would feel even a year later.

Now, I'm out of the woods and into the bright, hot sun of LA.

It's the last place I want to be. But there he is. In the light. His smile as radiant as the sun.

With the light, however, come truths we hadn't shared.

He's got a reputation. The kind that guarantees what we had in the woods is all there'll ever be.

When an unexpected opportunity arises, I do what I'm known to do—win.

I play a cutthroat game and win myself right into a job at Red Cage.

Now, he's my boss.

And we're about to play the most dangerous game yet.

...]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2022 20:41:51 +0300 https://self-help.library.land/s-ann-cole/670605-the_golden_garza.html https://self-help.library.land/s-ann-cole/670605-the_golden_garza.html

He's my best friend's brother...

Tripp Garza is the man of my dreams.
Too bad he can't stand my guts. With good reason—I'm no saint.

Over the years, I've stayed out of his way and accepted his disdain as penance for my sins.
But when my life as I know it is flipped on its head and I'm in desperate need of help, he's the one who's willing to give it.
He barely tolerates me, still he's willing to swallow fire for me. Walk the jagged edge of death for me.

Tripp Garza was the man of my dreams.
Now, he's my beautiful nightmare.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Golden Garza is a complete standalone.

He's my keeper...

He came in on a gust of cold November wind and changed the pattern of my breathing.

Even before I knew he was there for me, I was willing to bend to him.

He had a mission and he fulfilled it.

I'm saved. I'm home. I'm safe.

Until I'm not.

Now, he's my keeper.

He's cold. He's arrogant. He's rude as hell.

To him, I'm a nuisance.

To me, he's a god.

I'm a noisy house sparrow.

He's a lethal panther.

We shouldn't make sense.

But fate sure does have a wicked sense of humor.

The Bronze Garza is a complete standalone. This is a not a mafia romance.