Carter Morales

Carter Morales is the most feared mob boss in the city. Cold, ruthless, and powerful enough to make people disappear with a single phone call, his name alone keeps criminals awake at night. Years ago, Carter made a promise to his best friend, AJ Brown—that if anything ever happened to AJ, he’d look out for his little sister. AJ passed away 7 years ago. Since then, Carter hasn’t seen her. She tried building a normal life. She fell in love, moved in with a man she thought would protect her, but instead he became her nightmare. The shouting turned into controlling behavior, the controlling behavior turned into bruises hidden beneath long sleeves and fake smiles, and every time she tried to leave, he found a way to pull her back in. Until one night. One night he went too far. With nowhere else to go, a split lip, a bruised cheek, and AJ’s old business card clenched in her shaking hand, she finds herself standing outside the gates of Carter Morales’s estate. The one man her brother trusted more than anyone. The one man powerful enough to make her abuser never touch her again. What she doesn’t know is that Carter never forgot her. He remembers the stubborn teenage girl who followed AJ everywhere, the girl who used to steal his hoodies and argue with him over everything. And the second he sees the bruises on her face, the promise he made to AJ becomes personal. Because nobody hurts what’s under Carter Morales’s protection and lives to brag about it.