Shadows of the Dead

A traumatic childhood. A wish for happiness. A best friend left behind.MaddoxLife was perfect. My job? Loved it. Anything I wanted? Mine immediately. Except it was all a lie. Realistically speaking, work had taken complete control of my life. It was an anchor sinking me deep into troubled waters. that is, until Ana Bernardi entered the picture... and all because of a stupid birthday wish.She made me realize I wasn’t living; I was only surviving. I tossed and turned at night with the weight of nightmares I couldn’t shake. I thought I had all the answers, but one remains out of each: what can I do to make life worth living again?KylieMy best friend, Ana, and her family disappeared four months ago. Not a trace, no evidence. Nothing to go off of. Not even my art, my passion, could fill the hole their disappearances left behind.And then, the impossible happens: Ana shows back up, only now, she goes by Lilliana Bernardi. And there’s also her bodyguard. Unspeakably beautiful doesn’t begin to describe him. I can’t help but feel an irresistible pull to the man. I know it will require working through the trauma of his past. The question is, how?Tropes & other info:Contemporary mafia romanceApprox 91,000 words308 pages - paperbackThird-person multi-POVMafiaBodyguardForced proximityCaught in the rainOne hotel roomTouch her and dieDamaged goodsDark pastEmotional scarsFamily curseFound familyTeach me'Good girl''Yes, sir'Hurt/comfortAge difference (9 years)Not good enoughOrphanHe comes in his underwearSpicy, open door scenes