Criminal Epidemiology

I'm Caleb Jennings. When I announce my early retirement, everyone in the city cheers. Only Nathan Sloan, my junior from the police academy, who claims to be able to see things from the criminal's perspective, panics at the news. During the party organized in his honor, he openly states his intention to find me. "I owe my success to the guidance Caleb Jennings has provided me all along. I hope everyone can help me find him and bring him back into the police force." Scoffing, I choose to ignore that. … In my previous life, I was the celebrated captain of a criminal investigation team. Yet, whenever I uncovered a clue, Nathan, a rookie in the city police department, would announce it first, beating me to it. After multiple incidents like this, everyone started saying that I was past my prime. To prove myself, I worked myself to the bone for three months before finally locating the hideout of a human trafficking ring. However, when I arrived on the scene with my team, Nathan had already swept through the place. He was launched into stardom, becoming the rising star detective that everyone adored. As for me, the public mercilessly tore me apart, labeling me as incompetent and shaming me. Due to the pressure from work and the negative public opinion directed at me, my mind was distracted. I ended up getting killed while hunting down the remnants of the trafficking ring. When I open my eyes again, I find that I'd gone back in time—to the day we launch a raid on the human traffickers' hideout.

**One girl. One mission. One deadly secret coursing through her veins.** Hilda Alegre thought escaping her abusive father was the hardest thing she'd ever do. She was wrong. Sold to a powerful criminal organization, the naive Filipino girl becomes their perfect weapon—not through training, but through a single injection that turns her blood into poison. One remote command, and she becomes a walking death sentence. Her target? Aron Nicastro, the crime boss's own son who dared to defy his father and disappeared into the shadows. But infiltrating the world of exclusive art galleries and elite criminals isn't easy when you've never left your rural village. Disguised as a street vendor, Hilda must get close to a man dangerous enough that his own father wants him dead—all while hiding the lethal secret pumping through her heart. **The rules are simple: Complete the mission. Don't get caught. Don't fall in love.** **Because in her world, one wrong touch could kill them both.** As mysterious protector Art watches over her and handler Gabriel struggles with his conscience, Hilda discovers that the deadliest weapon isn't the poison in her veins—it's the growing connection she feels to the very man she's supposed to destroy and the who need to protect. In the criminal underworld, trust is fatal, love is a luxury, and innocence is the most dangerous weapon of all. **Some missions are worth dying for. Some people are worth killing to protect.** **But when you're literally toxic to love, how do you choose between your heart and your life?**

Emilia was married off to a mafia billionaire, William, by her wicked mother, Isabella, after falling victim to fraud. Marriage is supposed to be a place full of peace of mind but, for Emilia, it was a living hell. She realized that her husband only wanted her to satisfy his urge and he didn't love her. Just as she was about to request a divorce, she discovered that her husband was the demon that initiated the fraud and ruined her mother's investing business to lure her back into the criminal squad. Now, she's ready to take revenge. But how will she do so when her wicked husband is a mafia boss who does everything in his capacity to achieve his aim?

Amanda has easily become the most dangerous woman in the dark world of society. Although there is no actual evidence of her birth and existence, everyone fears for their life when they see or even hear about the cruel things she does to her victims. Jason Hill on the other hand has always been known to be a very skilled assassin when accompanied by his team of professionals. Although his criminal name is known worldwide, every day he fears for his family's lives when he's forced to kill innocent people. Read along to see how these two accidentally meet and end up learning how to let down their walls and trust each other, despite having completely different views on the life they each lead.

She swore she’d never touch a hockey stick again. Not after the boy she loved humiliated her on the ice in front of the whole school. But when Ryder Hayes, the new goalie with a criminal record, a reckless grin, and a habit of getting under her skin, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend, she says yes… for one reason. He’ll help her win a scholarship that could change her life. The deal is simple: she teaches him how to handle the pressure of big games, and he pretends to be the perfect boyfriend in front of the cameras. But the closer they get, the harder it is to tell what’s fake and what’s not. And the more she learns about the secrets behind his smirk, the more dangerous this game becomes.

Some people find fortune… while some people find a dying criminal on a random Tuesday. "Is this the part where you kill me?" she asks. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.” He traced her jaw with the blade of the knife. “I’m still mulling it over.” Clover lives a very unlucky life. Getting fired job after job, it’s hard to make ends meet. And as if fate is playing with her, she saves an unconscious man who ends up to be the most dangerous person in town: Phoenix Volkov, the rising don of the underground world. Bad luck got her helping the wrong stranger—worse luck got her accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss. Just like that, their lives became entangled in a mess of bullets and danger.

Marina Russo has always lived a quiet life—graduated top of her class in culinary school, pays her bills on time, and avoids drama at all costs. When she lands a private chef position in a sprawling mansion on the edge of the city, it seems like a dream job. But nothing in that house is as simple as it seems. The brothers who own the estate are powerful, dangerous, and deeply tied to the criminal underworld. Domenico is gentle, perceptive, and blind—but he commands an empire with deadly precision and an almost eerie calm. Alessandro is sharp-edged, cold, and calculating—the kind of man whose presence is both intoxicating and terrifying. Marina is caught in their storm.But in a world where loyalty is currency and trust is a liability, love could be the one move that ruins them all.

I was raised with the criminal underground’s most notorious crew turned government-sanctioned mercenaries in Texas and Colorado, known as the Death Kings. My uncle is one of them known as the Gator King. Now I walk in his footsteps, leading a crew of my own with his backing. To my family, my nickname is Seraphim, but in my kingdom, I’m the Viper King. Now the boys who left me, who swore they would stay by my side to protect me, are back in town. They are attempting to become like C.H.A.O.S. who run Palomino Bay, Texas. That will not happen because Grêle, Louisiana, is my stronghold. The person they need to protect is themselves because it isn’t me. …They don’t know my secret, but I know theirs…

Jason Derrick, a 27-year old man. Cold, dreadful and callous criminal feared by others. A high- ranked individual in his confraternity. One whose identity is hidden by all except for three people. He's known as "Black Moon" because of his unique dress code featuring the black colour throughout. His heart is hardened because of the hurtful events he has encountered. He hardly gets sentimental over anything and has nothing to do with girls. A handsome billionaire. Skilled and highly qualified in the professional field. He has two lives. A deadly killer at night and a Hardworking CEO on a blissful day. The day and night have their specific duties. He lives in an isolated region, never been traced. Having lost his family in the most traumatic way and his fiancée, Rose, in the hands of a deadly nefarious man- Stone, He has not been better. However, Stone manipulates him by blackmailing him into doing his criminal activities because of a secret which is to be concealed till death, but his life encounters a change when he met a lady known as Stacy. Stacy Torres is a 24 year old lady. A workaholic, dedicated to her job. She has won many rewards for being the best in her department and company. She lives alone and the daughter of the once-successful business man, Mr Richmond Torres. Despite being very rich, she stooped low to work in a company other than hers. She's a kind soul and naive about some essential parts of life . Everything hovering around her life made her a target for Stone. Her life is in total danger as many thugs and gangs are after her. With happenings around, Jason and Stacy had to live together. Will Stacy be of help to Jason or not? Will Jason be free of Stone?

Camiela, the Rodriguez Princess, feared the dark, living a life in the spotlight while turning a blind eye to the twisted world of the wicked. Stefano, a morally gray criminal lawyer, ruled the dark, charming yet deadly. Despite knowing the dangers, Camiela found herself entangled with Stefano, a puzzle she couldn't solve. Fate had other plans, leading to an unexpected marriage. Stefano, entrenched in the dark world of corruption, danger, and betrayal, encountered Camiela, the chaos that disrupted his life. Despite the danger, he couldn't erase her after a single night. Camiela became the fire he feared, yet when she became the key to unraveling his life's secrets, Stefano, against expectations, found himself married to the bright and passionate woman.