The Dragon's Enforcer by P. Stormcrow
Part of the Bleeding Souls, Saved by Love! Fabled Wars Collection
Format: Ebook, Print
ASIN: B08TRQV8SX
Book Length: Novella
Word Count: 35,150
Genre: Mafia romance, contemporary, suspense, action
Read more about the book at https://pstormcrow.com/TheDragonsEnforcer
Purchase link (Amazon): https://mybook.to/TheDragonsEnforcer
Summary Tagline:
A Triad heiress who wants nothing to do with her father's legacy.
A rival gang enforcer who abhors violence.
Together, they must figure out who they are before each of their roles swallows them whole.
Blurb:
Charlotte Leung’s father, nicknamed Dragon Brother within the Hong Kong Triad, sent her overseas long ago to escape an underground life. But when he passes away, she returns to Hong Kong only to find that she is now the grand prize of a succession war. So before blood and violence can decide her future, she runs away, straight into the enemy faction’s territory.
Samuel Chan had made three major mistakes in his life. The first was running away from home to join the Ming Hain Tong Triad faction. The second was agreeing to let Big Brother train him to become an enforcer. The third was taking in the mysterious girl who stumbled into Big Brother’s training hall where he teaches. He should ditch her but something about his latest student brings out all his protective instincts. Now a world of trouble is heading for them both, and he must decide if he should be listening to his brain or his heart.
Because training the heir to the Dragon’s throne is only the beginning.
Excerpt:
Another blast of frigid air hit Charlotte in the face as she stepped past the immigration gate into the general arrival area. With a black jacket folded over her left arm, she toted her suitcase forward, scanning for familiar faces. Faces she had hoped to avoid.
No such luck.
“Ms. Leung.” One of the three men in suits, with crisp white shirts and sunglasses, pulled away from the line to step up to her. “Welcome home.” He dipped his head low in recognition of her status, and she recognized him as Jackie Lee. Like many others, her father had groomed him from youth. By the way the other two hung back, it appeared that he had risen in rank since she last saw him.
God, she hated everything about Hong Kong, her birthplace, and the seat of her father’s powers. But her training kicked in, and she only nodded in return.
Another man swung around to take her suitcase from her, because heaven forbid she did anything herself. This guy was identical to Jackie except for the bleached tips of his spiked hair, a common hairstyle amongst the lower ranks of the Triad.
The last of the trio turned to lead the way, and she walked with a brisk pace, leaving Jackie to match her strides.
“How are the funeral arrangements coming along?”
“The cremation ceremony is set two days from now. We have sent out invitations to the other organizations and many have already replied that they would come to pay their respects beforehand. There will be an open casket viewing.”
A full-on dog and pony show then. It was no surprise she wouldn’t be able to mourn her father in peace, but resentment still welled up inside.
“Tell me who is on the guest list.”
That proved to be a mistake. As Jackie rattled off an impressive number of names, Charlotte struggled to focus on his words. It had been a long thirteen hours on the plane and she had not slept well. It was a relief when they walked through the parkade, at last, to the black Bentley, her father’s favorite car.
He opened the door for Charlotte, and she entered, sinking into the backseat and closing her eyes. Blessed silence reigned until her three escorts also got inside. Jackie slid next to her, careful to keep distance.
“Yen Lok Fong has requested your company for dinner tonight at the Five Fortunes restaurant,” he said as the driver pulled away.
The mere mention of the place dredged up so many memories. Her father held court there so often that even she, at a young age, had memorized the menu despite not understanding what happened there until she was older. She could almost taste the mix of sweet and savory of cheung fun from the place’s dim sum cuisine. She had sampled the same dish all over North America but no one ever quite made it the same as the chefs there.
But her heart dropped to her stomach. David Yen, her father’s much younger right-hand man, had joined later and had risen in ranks in just three short years. Her father always spoke well of him in their video chats, but the few times she had met him on previous visits, this man’s presence chilled her to her bone.
How should she play this one out?
Charlotte opened her eyes and pushed herself up, her mind still racing as she fought for calm.
“Ms. Leung, if I may?”
She nodded once but said nothing.
“Yen Lok Fong has taken up temporary leadership after your father’s passing, with the uncles’ blessings. Since the start of Mr. Leung’s decline, he has been garnering more loyalty and respect with his work.”
Not a single regrettable word. She tilted her head to one side, watching the scenery give way to streets and high-rises. “You are saying I should pay my respects.”
She watched Jackie confirm with another nod in the reflection and resisted the urge to sigh. Chinese superstition dictated that sighing was only meant for those that thought their life was full of suffering.
“You should have three hours to rest and refresh before we go to the restaurant.”
This was what she didn’t miss when she lived abroad, where no one knew who she was. “Jackie, did he assign you to look after me?”
“Yes, Ms.”
Charlotte clenched her jaws and counted to ten silently. “Fine, tell him I will join him for dinner tonight.”
“Thank you, Ms.”
Why did he thank her? She rolled her head back to rest her eyes as the car slowed to weave its way across the busy streets. From what she’d glimpsed up until now, the city had changed so much from her last visit just three years ago.
“We’re here, Ms. Leung.”
Charlotte snapped her eyelids open. When had she fallen asleep? Disoriented for a moment, she looked around the carriage of the vehicle until her sleep fog cleared and she recalled where she was.
“Thanks,” she muttered as she stepped out and gazed up at the mansion that had been her home the latter part of her teenage years.
With dread weighing like lead at the bottom of her stomach, she walked up the steps and through the door Jackie opened for her.
“I’ll leave the keys here,” he offered, but did not follow Charlotte beyond the foyer.
The eerie silence struck her before she came to terms with how empty the entire house felt. “Where’s Ayi?” she asked, recalling the small wiry woman who served both as nanny and housekeeper. Ayi was one of the few people Charlotte had been looking forward to seeing.
“Ah.” Jackie cleared his throat.
Charlotte sensed hesitation radiating from Jackie and spun around to face him.
“Mr. Yen dismissed her after your father passed.”
She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. “I see.” To control the surge of anger, she turned her back to him. “You may leave now.”
“I can have the men take your lug—”
“You may leave now,” Charlotte re-emphasized, lowering her voice.
“Yes, Ms. I will come pick you up at five thirty.”
About the Author:
P. Stormcrow grew up with a love for love and somehow that turned into authoring contemporary and paranormal BDSM romances. Fierce women and sensitive men fill her stories while she examines social norms and challenges conventional tropes of the genre through her craft. She is the recipient of the 2021 inaugural Good Sex Awards in the category of Erotic Touch. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, she enjoys writing about both cultures.
In addition to being an author, she is also a techie, a graphic designer, a mother, a lover, a fighter and a little of everything else in between. When she's not typing away madly on her phone and running into poles, she enjoys copious amounts of tea, way too many sugary treats and as many sci-fi / fantasy / paranormal TV shows as she can sneak in time to watch.
You can find out more about P. Stormcrow at https://pstormcrow.com
