“Rachel, sweetheart.” His smile faded when an orderly followed Rachel into the room pushing a hospital gurney in front of him. Luca’s gaze narrowed on the sleeping woman in the bed. Her thick, blonde hair was strewn across the pillow, gleaming gold like the first autumn leaves. Her skin was pale in the harsh light, and her hospital gown gaped open at the collar, revealing a thin frame.
Rachel gave him an apologetic smile, and he watched as they settled the woman near the window—attaching wires to the monitors, adjusting the bed and checking her vital signs.
After the orderly left, Rachel leaned down and brushed a soft kiss over Luca’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Mr. Rizzoli. I know you like your privacy, but there was a big shootout in the Naked City, and the ER is swamped. We don’t have enough staff or rooms to accommodate everyone so the head nurse ordered us to double every one up. I suggested putting you two together because you’ve got the same type of injury.”
Despite his irritation at losing his privacy, he graced her with a smile. He liked Rachel. She was a sweet girl, willing and compliant, and very skilled with her mouth. There was no point taking out his frustration on her. The Toscani crime family had friends everywhere. No doubt a couple of bills and a word in the right ear in the morning would restore the status quo with a minimum of fuss. In the meantime, he’d have company in the form of a beautiful woman who had, curiously, been shot in the chest.
After Rachel left, he canted his head and allowed his gaze to drift over his new companion. She had turned to face him in her sleep and the thin blanket dipped into her narrow waist and up over the curve of her hip. Her features were delicate, with high cheekbones and a slightly turned-up nose. She was the opposite of everything that attracted him to a woman: blonde instead of brunette, thin instead of curvy, frail instead of robust. Gina had been a big, loud, gregarious woman with an infectious laugh and a truckload of friends. She was the life of the party, talking non-stop even when the guests were gone.
“You’re staring.”
Her warm, rich voice slid through him like a smooth Canadian whiskey that finished the palate with a whisper of heat.
“I was just wondering, bella.” He lifted his gaze to soft blue eyes framed in thick golden lashes. “Who would shoot an angel?”
Also by
SARAH CASTILLE
Rough Justice
Beyond the Cut
Sinner’s Steel
Chaos Bound
Available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Praise for Sarah Castille’s Sinner’s Tribe series
“The exploration of the hardcore society of a motorcycle club (MC) is fascinating and chilling. Strong personalities populate this world and take no prisoners. Crafting a love story out of this combination is admirable.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars) on Rough Justice
“A sexy and dangerous ride! If you like your bad boys bad and your heroines kicking butt, Rough Justice will rev your engine. A great start to a new series!”
—Roni Loren, New York Times bestselling author
“Put your helmet on and hold tight for the ride of your life!”
—Romance Reviews Today on Beyond the Cut
“Castille continues to raise the stakes in her visceral, violent series, offering her biker heroes plenty of pulse-pounding action, and giving readers the compelling romance they crave.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars) on Beyond the Cut
—Julie Ann Walker, New York Times bestselling author
“Castille emphasizes the darkest aspects of motorcycle gangs in the gritty Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club [series] … for the reader who doesn’t believe bad boys need redemption and hungers for the story of a couple whose love survives despite dangerous times.”
—Publishers Weekly on Sinner’s Steel
“Raw, rugged and romantic … you’ll feel the vibration of the motorcycle engines in the pit of your stomach, smell the leather, and fall in love…”
—Eden Bradley, New York Times bestselling author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Castille is an award-winning author who writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them. Her books have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Teaser
Also by Sarah Castille
Praise for Sarah Castille’s Sinner’s Tribe series
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
NICO
Copyright © 2016 by Sarah Castille.
Excerpt from Luca © 2017 by Sarah Castille.
Jacket Photograph: Shutterstock
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 978-1-250-10404-5
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2016
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.