Chicago Underground (Warren)

Survival doesn't come easy… I'm a cautionary tale. A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I'm too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn't come easy. I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need. Men who aren't afraid to take what they want. Men like Colin. But he takes more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul-my happily ever after. I never thought I'd be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.

What Colin doesn't know, can't hurt him. At least that's what I tell myself about the secrets I keep. I don't have a choice, not if I want to keep my daughter safe. And, keep him Colin safe too. There are enemies in the shadows waiting to strike from all sides. I'm holding them out with my bare hands, but it's hard not to get crushed in the process. And, the truth has a way of coming out. If I'm not careful, the past I've been working so hard to hide, the pain I've been fighting so long to outrun, will wipe out the man I love.

I'm torn between what I want and what I need. Between the men in my past and the man by my side. Colin has tried to control me, to use me. But, he also guards me so fiercely my heart aches. Raincheck. Business. Don't wait up. -C That's the note he leaves for me, as if I could sit around while he fights my dragons. As if I could let himself get killed in some vain attempt to protect me. There's no protection left for me. No redemption either. This is my battle, and I've already lost.

Once upon a time, I was the girl who had everything, the clothes, the car. The rich dad who spoiled me. But, the truth was, the only thing I had was my body. I used it to buy my way out. I took a bite of the apple knowing-full-well what would happen. That's how I became a call girl. That's the story of how I ended up in hell. There's only one man who makes me wish things had been different. One man who could never be with a girl like me. Luke is a cop. Untouchable. Unbreakable. And, dangerous in his own way. When I end up on the run, he's the only one I can turn to. And, he just might be my downfall.

There's no escape for me. I'm tied to some of the scariest men in Chicago. Bound so tight I'll never get free. Sin and pleasure. Crime and power. They give as much as they take. They mark me as one of their own. I'll do anything to survive, except bring Luke down with me. I won't taint him. I won't ruin the one good man I've ever met. I won't turn him into a dirty cop. Except he refuses to let me go.

I'm the one with the dark past, the scarlet letter, the soul so black there's no hope of redemption. At least, that's what I always believed... Luke has secrets of his own, and the more I search, the more I'm afraid of what I'll find. But, I have to know. My survival depends on it. He's the man I love. The man who can destroy me. He's the only one who can save me.

My brother is both powerful and cruel, which means I have a lot of enemies I've never met. He swears he'll keep me safe, but what I want most is to break free. I especially want to break free with Drew, my brother's lawyer. I've spent my life under glass. We shouldn't be together, but everything about him draws me. His intensity, his kindness. And the way he looks in those custom tailored suits. One night when he's outside my bedroom, I give him a sexy show. And in doing so, unlock pandora's box. Drew shows me everything I've been missing. He touches my body and my heart, but when the truth comes to light, we're both in danger. The cost of my freedom may be the man I've come to love.

Dark. Powerful. Dangerous. Philip Murphy has all of Chicago under his thumb. Except me. We met in a perfect storm of violence and lust. He saved me and then disappeared from my life. Now I pretend I never knew that kind of darkness. I focus on midterms and campus parties, as if they can wipe the slate clean. Then he turns up outside my dorm room, wounded and barely conscious. He's the head of a criminal empire, a powerful man, but he needs me now. There are traitors in his midst. I can help him, but I can't fall for him. Not again.