Kingpin (An Italian Mafia Romance) (30 page)

“They would if he starts to ruin things. They would if he starts changing traditions put in place by The Commission. I bet they wouldn’t be happy about that, and you know how it would go if he did something that rubbed them the wrong way.”

“You say that like you already got some information about his plans as boss. Do you?”

“No, I just have a hunch. Look, I love Dominic, and my loyalty to him is unbreakable. I just don’t want him to be the boss of The Family, and I know you can help me come up with a way to change things.”

“Wow. I didn’t expect this from you. It’d break his heart into a million fucking pieces if he knew you were doing this.”

“It’s for his own good.”

“Alright, you called me because you thought I’d help you with this. But like I said, we don’t put a hit out on our own bosses.”

“Jesus Christ, is that what you think this is about? I don’t want him dead, I just don’t want him to be the boss. I’d never try to have him killed. I just said I loved him, didn’t I?”

“Okay then, what are you suggesting?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I called you.”

“Well, I don’t know either. He’s only been the boss for a couple of weeks. If anything suspicious happens now, it’ll be bad for everybody. It’s too soon.”

“Okay, so we wait.”

“Yeah. Whatever we come up with will have to wait. If you really want him removed from power, it’s gonna take some time. It’ll have to be a slow process over a stretch of time. And we’ll have to be careful, because like I said, if he finds out we’re doing this, it’ll destroy him. Especially with you being involved. Who knows what the fuck he might do?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Don’t look so sad. If you’re patient, you’re gonna get exactly what you want. I’ll take some time to think on this, and we can meet up again in later. For now, just relax, alright? It’s gonna take some time and some patience, but we’ll figure something out.”

T
here’s so many reason why this book is special to me. I feel like the road to
Kingpin
was very long, and it had a lot of bumps and potholes to get over and maneuver around for me to make it to my destination. I’ve been trying to get to this place for a long time, and I kept getting lost along the way. It’s so easy to get distracted and sidetracked in this game. It’s easy to get pulled away from what you want to do when you’re doing something different from what’s popular, and I’ve fallen victim to this . . . well, five times before this. I didn’t want to get pulled away from the story I wanted to tell this time, becasue Dominic Collazo is too awesome to be watered-down.

Kingpin
is my seventh novel, and those who know me best know my favorite number is seven, so I had to make this one special. I wanted a story that would have a subject that I love, with characters I’d want to read about. So, when I decided that book number seven was going to be one hundred percent WS Greer, three things popped into my head: Dominic, Alannah, and the title. Dominic and Alannah’s story had to start in the fifth grade so their love could be indestructible by the time they were in their twenties, and no other title could fit this novel. Even when I found out some news that made me change a character name and almost made me change the title, I decided I wasn’t going to give in this time. This was my seventh book, and I absolutely had to write everything exactly the way I wanted to write it. And with just those three things in mind—Dominic, Alannah, and the title—I knew I couldn’t go wrong.

I also took the time to think about my fans who’ve been my fans since the beginning. I thought all the way back to
Frozen Secrets
, and I realized that fans of
Frozen Secrets
are probably pissed because after I wrote that book, I never went back to that genre.
Kingpin
is my first full-on romantic suspense since
Frozen Secrets
. It took me six books to get back to doing this the way I wanted to when I first started, but now that I’m back on track, I feel more confident and comfortable than ever. I can’t go wrong now. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be, and I know it’s true because
Kingpin
is not only my best book, it’s also my favorite of the seven I’ve published. That’s a big deal, because my first book had always been my favorite until now. I finally beat it!

So, on to the acknowledging, huh?

There isn’t anyone I’d thank before I’d thank my wife. So, give me a minute while I speak directly to her . . .

Baby, thank you so much for sticking by me through this long process. I’m seven books into this thing now and I know I’ve nagged and complained, and I’ve said one thing and done another, but you’ve had my back. You’ve supported me and let me work all this shit out, and you’ve helped to guide me as well. We’ve been partners in this from day one, and there isn’t a hair on my body that would want to do it without you. Thank you for always being there for me when the going got tough, and thank you for putting me back on the right path when I felt like I was getting pulled off of it again. Dominic ends this novel with the same mentality he had when it started because you made sure of it, and I’m very thankful for that. Dominic and I thank you! I love you, baby!

I’d also like to thank my mother for being there during the writing process for this book as well. Your excitement is always telling when you’re reading something of mine, and it lets me know I’m doing the right thing with these characters. Thank you for your support.

A huge thank you to my brother and his family, and to my father for his support as well. Thank you to all my family in E. St. Louis who’ve been in my corner, showing me love and support since I started writing. I love and miss you all!

I’d also like to thank my closest friends who I told about this book when I first started writing it. I made a point to tell guys about this book, because I wanted to see if I could write something that would draw men in, and when I saw your faces light up, I knew I had it. Every time one of you said, “That sounds like something I’d read,” knowing good and damn-well you’re not a reader, it motivated me to keep going. This book is exactly what I wanted it to be, and I have all of you to thank for helping to bring it to fruition.

Lastly, to the fans of
Frozen Secrets
. . .

I’m sorry I switched gears on you for a while. Admittedly, I got pulled into the popular thing, and I jumped on bandwagons when I knew I hated it. I compromised what I wanted to write for what I thought everybody else wanted to read. That’s always a bad idea. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out, and I’m sorry I left you hanging, wondering if I’d ever write the genre that made you like me in the first place. Well, I got it all figured out, and I’m back now!

Kingpin
is only the beginning. I feel like it’s my debut novel all over again, and I’m excited as hell to build my empire off of this. I’m back, and I’m here to stay!

Book Mode!

T
hank you for purchasing Kingpin (An Italian Mafia Romance). Please consider leaving an honest review wherever you purchased your copy. It’d be very much appreciated!

Check out these other titles from WS Greer

Frozen Secrets (A Detective Granger Novel)

Claiming Carter (The Carter Trilogy #1)

Becoming Carter (The Carter Trilogy #2)

Destroying Carter (The Carter Trilogy #3)

Defending Her

Worth Saving

Want more from WS? Follow him everywhere!

www.facebook.com/AuthorWSGreer

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wsgreer.wordpress.com/

www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044361.W_S_Greer

twitter.com/AuthorWSGreer

WS Greer is a bestselling romantic suspense author, and an active duty military member with the US Air Force. He’s been serving his country since 2004, and has been an author since his debut novel,
Frozen Secrets
, was released in 2013.

WS was born to military parents in San Antonio, Texas, and bounced around as a child, from Okinawa, Japan, to Florida, to New Mexico, where he met his high school sweetheart, who’d become his wife in 2003. Together, the two of them have two wonderful children, and are currently living overseas on the tiny island of Guam.

WS has tackled different genres throughout his writing career. From romantic suspense with his debut novel, to erotic suspense with his bestselling
Carter Trilogy
and
Defending Her
, to contemporary romance with
Worth Saving
.

WS has learned a lot about writing over the years, and his goal is to build a loyal and thriving fan base in the romantic suspense genre from here on out. His stories are deeply rooted in suspense, but WS loves the added drama of intense, emotional characters. Emotion, suspense, and drama is what WS does best.

WS loves connecting with his fans and readers, and does so whenever he gets the chance, and he would love to hear from you. You can find him on his personal blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Stay tuned, there’s more suspenseful stories coming from WS Greer!

**TURN THE PAGE FOR A SNEAK PEAK INTO CLAIMING CARTER, BY WS GREER, FEATURING ABRAM BASKOV FROM KINGPIN!**

“O
kay, seriously, this is the worst movie I have ever seen. Why the hell are we still here?”

“It’s not that bad, Abram,” Vlad said, as he laughed at the picture on the screen in the dark theater.

Abram shook his head in disgust. “Not that bad? It’s a tornado made of sharks, Vlad. This is a waste of money, man. Let’s fucking go. I could have spent my money on McDonald’s or something.”

“Alright, alright. We can go,” Vlad replied as he rose from his seat and started towards the path leading to the exit, ducking down to keep from blocking the view of the patrons who’d chosen to stay and endure the film. Abram stood and followed Vlad out, but he decided not to duck down. He figured if he blocked the screen, he’d be doing the other movie goers a favor.