Criminal Minds 7 Seconds

“You’ve come to kill me detective?” He whispered against her skin as he gently grasped her arm and turned her to him. Jude swallowed a gulp and looked up at him. His eyes were a cobalt shade of blue behind the mask, daring, cold and terrifying. “And you’ve come to me to be killed?” She replied in a hushed tone, gathering a lot of nerve and taking a step closer to him. Detective Jude Laurent should arrest Cassien, the deadly Maestro who now controls The Black Rose syndicate. Instead, she finds herself drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, risking everything to uncover the truth about the organization that has haunted her since childhood. The same organization she believes holds the answers to her parents’ death in what everyone called a tragic house fire. But Jude has no idea she’s been walking straight into a trap years in the making. The real mastermind behind The Black Rose has been watching her every move, orchestrating her pain from the shadows. Someone who shaped her into the perfect weapon for revenge. And they’ve been waiting for this moment since the night her world burned. Now, as Jude hunts the man who’s becoming her obsession, and Cassien finds himself equally captivated by the detective who should be his enemy, neither realizes they’re both pawns in a much deadlier game. Because the person who destroyed Jude’s world isn’t the criminal she’s chasing. It’s someone far closer than she could ever imagine. And their final move is about to destroy everything she’s ever believed about her past, her purpose, and the man she can’t stop wanting. Some obsessions are worth dying for. Others are designed to kill you.

By day, Carlotta spins stories. By night, she serves drinks. Her life was simple. Until her good-for-nothing brother offered her as collateral to pay off a massive gambling debt to a ruthless underground casino. Now she's the reluctant fiancée of a powerful mafioso rumored to have a cruel streak... and a bedroom secret that's the talk of the criminal underworld: erectile dysfunction. Carlotta would've found it funny if it weren't her life on the line. To make things worse, fate throws in another complication: her dangerously attractive new driver-slash-bodyguard. With abs worthy of a thirst trap and a face that screams "Asgardian demigod". He's the kind of temptation a woman in her situation absolutely does not need. Just when she thinks it couldn't get more absurd, her cold, mysterious fiancé summons her to his penthouse suite with one chilling demand: He wants a taste of what's been promised. Her.

Aurelio Bertram, 24, a dangerously handsome billionaire with a legacy drenched in power and shadows. Grandson of a notorious mob boss. Son of one of the city’s most respected businessmen. Aurelio was a perfect storm—charming, ruthless, and reckless. But at the moment, he was temporarily nothing. Until he fulfilled their one condition. Just as he was plotting revenge on a childhood rival and preparing to attend one of the biggest underground events of the year, the unexpected hit—his family wouldn’t grant him the reins to their empire unless he produced an heir. Easy enough, right? After all, Aurelio Bertram was known in his circle as the king of flings—a man who could charm a woman in seconds and leave her breathless. Getting someone pregnant? A walk in the park. Except… it wasn’t. Weeks turned into months. Not one woman came back with a positive test. Not a single one. Until Erica James. A simple, middle-class hotel waitress with curves that could stop time and a heart hardened by abandonment. Her parents had written her off in high school, convinced she’d never amount to anything. But Erica didn’t need their approval. One night. That’s all it took. Aurelio never expected it. Neither did she. And when the test turned positive, Erica wanted nothing more than to disappear—run far away from the shame, the chaos, and the power that surrounded Aurelio Bertram. But how do you run from a man who owns the city? From the father of your unborn child? From a man who refuses to let go? "Even in the woods, I’d find you, babycakes," Aurelio whispered into her ear, his voice low and possessive. "From now on, you belong to me. You, and everything that has to do with my baby."

Antonio 'Tony' Santa De Leones. The CIA's black sheep. Foul mouthed. Rude. Known for his penchant for pretty little things. A weakness, they said. But Tony beg to differ. Suspended and very bitter. He flies to Italy. Spends one night drowning his regrets in the arms of a beautiful stranger. A man. A mistake? No. Not a mistake. Then, Tony's past comes knocking. His real past. The CIA found out, that he came from a long line of Mafia royalty. Also a black sheep to that family. The CIA wants him to go undercover in the very mafia he was born into—the family that disowned him. The legacy he buried. And their bait? Reinstate his rank. Reclaim his pride. And what will he get in turn? A chance to burn his bloodline from the inside. But nothing could prepare him for what he finds out. The mysterious one night stand? His name was Angel. The prized possession of a rival mafia leader. And the key to everything. Tony should just act. Use Angel how he see fit. Then discard him. But he's already addicted. Obsessed. And in the criminal underworld where loyalty is a lie and love is a weakness? Obsession can be deadly.

**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?**

"How could you conspire with them. I trusted you Layla!" He was really mad. "I didn't give them the code Damon, okay? I don't know how they got it?" She said. She strangely felt no nervousness or fear. Only the guilty felt fear. "Why didn't you tell me the truth about him? God! We've been dating for almost a year and you never told me he was a ex-convict", he said a shade quieter. He watched Layla look down for a minute and stare back up at him, tears gathering in her deep blue eyes. "If I did tell you, would you still have fallen for me...?" Working in a coffee shop wasn't Layla's dream. She has a degree in Business Administration but getting a got job in America was difficult for minority groups like her. But her boss, William Grey was wonderful, plus, she did get some pretty awesome customers like Damon Prince, the billionaire businessman and New York's most eligible bachelor and some pretty awful ones as well like Logan West, Damon's annoying and stuck-up assistant. After a brief argument with Logan, Damon comes to the coffee shop to make an apology to Layla on behalf of Logan and offers her a check. She turns both down and demands that Logan apologizes or they can forget about their coffee orders. She wasn't going to be pushed around by some rich folks. This intrigues Damon and he gradually falls in love with her. They begin a beautiful relationship but it's not all roses. They soon meet Damon's ex, Yasmin Kyle and Layla's criminal and terrible father, Dario Hernandez. Their trust and love for each other is tested as well as family ties but will they pull through or are something's just not meant to be?

Now everything is changing...with everyone of us sweeping under the carpet the scars of yesterday's sins. Those scars are what kept me alive until you are all born to hear the story. The world government was powerful and taking advantage of the human colonial minds, they buried our freedom and equity. But now that we the Elites whom they educated and rose to revolts against the fingers that had fed us... What do you call it? Oh! yes they had termed it Rebellion. They did call us rebels, for seeking a small ration part of the best that nature has given to mankind. Al-sural-tu-Nas. This for mankind, tell ye that the beast you trained in the dark had turned to an angel in the day. We are filled from the pot of lies now that our bellies cannot contain what they obtain, the promises that were compromised, treaties that were breached, least they covered the black mails and lies with a blanket of Diplomacy. But now is the snatch of the gallon beer from the drunkard because now there is what when diplomacy fails.....is war. "Now we are free." Later in the future a seed germinates bearing fruits of the YESTERDAYS as she possess the abilities to time travel and set broken pieces together but this has consequences in the future of mankind. Read along

Amy Crash became the most hated wolf in her pack after she killed Colt, the Alpha’s brother. She acted in self-defense, but no one believed her. They treated her like a criminal—beating her, overworking her, and ignoring her pain. Alone and broken, Amy still hoped her true mate would save her. But Flint, the Alpha, and her supposed mate rejected her. Just when it felt like her life was over, she met Charles—the Lycan King. He took her in and gave her a chance to heal. For the first time in years, things finally started to change for the better. But peace didn’t last. Amy discovered a dark truth about her bloodline and a group of vampire nobles tied to Charles. She got caught in a war that could destroy the world. Can she survive and protect the love she found? Or will the evil hidden inside her win and bring chaos to everything?

An aspiring artist used to a "normal" life, Sophia Bennett finds herself in grave danger when her latent magical abilities are reawakened by a pack of renegade werewolves. Jonathan Davenport, a strong billionaire who believes she is his destined mate, whisks her away before she has a chance to come to terms with her new life. She is thrown into a realm of supernatural struggle and intricate relationships by this unexpected turn of events. When Sophia's magical skills start to come into play, she becomes caught up in a violent fight between Jonathan Davenport and Damien Westin, who are both attracted to her because they can sense her developing bloodlust. Three vicious alpha werewolves demand that she form an eternal link with them alone, adding to the mayhem and asserting their exclusive rights over her. This enormous pressure pushes Sophia to confront her fate and the choice of joining with all three alphas to restore balance or giving up her shot at a regular existence. Sophia must swiftly master her Moon Maiden talents to survive, as the vengeful Russian criminal Mikhail pursues her to capture her promised power and control the wolves. Sophia is divided between the overwhelming demands of three alpha werewolves who insist she connect with them alone for eternity. She must decide whether to pursue the prohibited road of taking all three as mates to potentially bring the werewolf groups together or to forego that possibility in exchange for a regular life.

Inaya, a law student, the queen bee of her privileged world, where champagne toasts and designer heels are the norm but when her sister runs away on her wedding day, Inaya's life gets a major reality check. Suddenly, she is forced to marry her sister’s groom, a complete stranger and that stranger just happens to be her criminal law professor, the man she hated the most, Professor Marcel!!! They both wonder what this marriage built on hatred has in store for them.