Blurb
Kidnapping a reluctant bride is easy. Staying off her jilted fiancé’s radar is tough.
As the second-in-command of the Lozano Cartel, Enrique Briceño always gets what he wants. So when Lourdes’s father demands she marry another man, Enrique makes his move—abduction. Vowing to corrupt his sweet little captive in every wicked way imaginable, he doesn’t expect her to fight him with fire.
Cartel princess Lourdes Villegas longs for peace. Freedom. A chance to let her artist soul breathe. Yet once again, a man is pulling her strings. In Enrique’s arms, she trades one ruthless capo for another. His touch sets her ablaze, but she’s already plotting her escape.
As political alliances crumble and the streets run red, Enrique must prove he’s more than just another monster in Lourdes’s life. Because this time, love might be the most dangerous thing of all.
– Book three in the dark romance series, the Lozano Cartel. All the books can be read as a standalone, but are part of an interconnected series.
– Scenes featuring kidnapping, violence, child endangerment (discussed), and miscarriage (discussed) may be uncomfortable for some readers.
– No cheating. HEA guaranteed!
Excerpt
“I’m not sure about this,” Lourdes murmured as she stepped out of the SUV into the side parking lot of La Paradoja, one of the hottest clubs in the city. The three-story brick-and-steel building with its flickering red and purple neon lights towered before her like a nightclub cathedral, and she hadn’t even seen the front of it yet.
Quit being so naïve, she silently hissed at herself. You belong here.
She so did not belong here. Not at the club. Not in her dress. Lourdes rubbed her goose-pimpled arms and tugged at the hem of her slinky, sapphire-blue halter ensemble. The warm breeze teased her wild curls across her face, carrying the scent of perfume and something spicy she couldn’t identify. What a difference a change of elevation could make? Where the mountains were frigid, the desert capital of Sonora radiated heat. The chaos of the night pulsated around her. Or was it sizzling directly in her veins?
A swarm of glittering bodies stretched down the block. The strangers’ good-natured shouts and a woman’s high-pitched laughter mingled with the thumping beats that escaped the club and the open windows of passing vehicles.
Carlota Lozano slid out beside her. A Cheshire cat grin spread across her crimson lips. From her bold makeup to the plunging neckline of her flashy dress, the cartel princess was everything Lourdes wanted to be—secured in her sexuality.
“You got this, Lulu,” Carlota said, using the shortened form of Lourdes’s name while she squeezed her shoulder. “No bride should get married without a bachelorette party. Even if we have to bring your man, my brother, and a small army of guards.”
Two more black SUVs pulled into the reserved spots beside Rubén’s armored vehicle.
Carlota rolled her eyes. “At least Enrique gets a bachelor party, too.”
“I’m okay with skipping mine.” Enrique shut the front passenger door behind him.
“Forget it,” Drina called out, rounding the side of the vehicle in a strapless green maternity dress that concealed her baby bump. “I haven’t left the hacienda in ages, except to go to the doctor. Pascha is happy to watch Sera, so I’m not leaving until my feet hurt from dancing.”
Lourdes laughed. “You’re lucky to have a sweet woman like Pascha as your housekeeper. My father’s is the sternest woman I’ve ever met.”
Rubén joined them and stuffed the car key into his slacks pocket. “Remember, ladies, no wandering off alone. If you need something, tell Ricky or me. One screw-up and we leave.”
“Relax.” Drina brushed invisible lint off his shiny red dress shirt. “You’ve given us the rules three times already.”
Once Rascón, five of Rubén’s enforcers, and Carlota’s bodyguard, Sancho, who had driven her in from Navojoa, strode over, Rubén led the way through the crowded parking lot for the sidewalk and bypassed the line for the club entrance.
The heat of curious, envious stares trailed Lourdes like streams of smoke.
Conversations faltered. Whispers started.
Boxed in by Enrique on her left and Carlota on her right, Lourdes kept her gaze straight ahead.
Smirking, Carlota nudged her arm. “After all these years, I should be used to this. But no. The overzealous, he-man escort routine still sucks.”
“Agreed.” Lourdes bit her bottom lip, tasting her peach-flavored gloss.
Drina snorted ahead of them. “It’s all new to me. I never had bodyguards or bulletproof SUVs growing up. My nights were spent at my mom’s restaurant. The only clubbing I ever did was watching it in movies.”
“You were lucky to have a normal family. Unlike us princesses,” Carlota added, a melancholy note dropping her voice an octave.
Lourdes looped her arm with Carlota’s, offering what support she could. Despite her horrible marriage to Jacobo, she adored his sister, the youngest Lozano sibling.
Again, Lourdes tugged on her dress. Drina had given it to her since Rubén had a weird penchant for stocking the unused bedrooms in his home with clothes for his guests. Not that Lourdes was his guest. Enrique had left her there while he met with her father and later her father’s men for her belongings, and he returned dressed to kill in a midnight-blue silk shirt and black slacks with his hair gelled back.
Had they been alone, she would’ve ravaged him on the spot.
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Release Day: April 7, 2026
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About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the Lozano Cartel, the Arresting Onyx, the Embracing You, and the Ramseys in Time series, as well as several standalone novellas. Her books are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Find her here: https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton
“Had they been alone, she would’ve ravaged him on the spot.”
Nice – you had me at ‘ravaged’, Amber. 🙂
This is a fascinating glimpse into life within a cartel family.
Hope the new release does really well, Amber.
Overzealous he-man routine. Love it! That’s a great line.