“Even in the darkest, most horrible times in our lives, we can find light that is both warmer and brighter than anything we’ve experienced before it.”
Adalene
My tombstone will read: here lies the girl who was always happy, always available, always easy going—liked by all, known by none.
I want more.
I’ve learned that hiding behind a smile is the best mask for crippling anxiety, self-loathing, and total burn-out.
But here, in the darkness, and the voices of my past louder than ever, there’s no one to save me but myself.
If I don’t survive, I’ll never get a chance to tell my friends theyre...
“Even in the darkest, most horrible times in our lives, we can find light that is both warmer and brighter than anything we’ve experienced before it.”
Adalene
My tombstone will read: here lies the girl who was always happy, always available, always easy going—liked by all, known by none.
I want more.
I’ve learned that hiding behind a smile is the best mask for crippling anxiety, self-loathing, and total burn-out.
But here, in the darkness, and the voices of my past louder than ever, there’s no one to save me but myself.
If I don’t survive, I’ll never get a chance to tell my friends theyre the best family I’ve ever had, crawl out from beneath the weight of my oppressive past, and confess to my childhood best friend that he’s the only man I’ve ever truly wanted.
A smile isn’t going to save me now—now it’s time to see what lies within.
I will not die…but where’s the light?
Mateo
She’s gone.
I’ve never been a violent man, but from the moment they stole my best friend, I’ve realized my power’s a tool—one I’ll use to get her back, by any means necessary.
My entire life I’ve allowed job expectations, family obligations and societal perceptions dictate who I am.
But with Dale, I’ve been given a vision of who I want to be.
Mateo: the man with the simple life, a happy home and a wife to call my own.
But I’m not just Mateo—Reyes is a legacy, an empire, and I’m its king.
It’s not a crown, but a chain and I must decide which man will make it out of this darkness alive.
I don’t know where Ill go from here, but one thing is certain—walking tall, or crawling on my knees, I will get her back.
Adalene Mendes is my priority—I think she always has been.
“How can so much darkness bring out so much light, so much pain bring out so much love?”
As Dale and Mateo fight for their lives, they must also decide if it’s worth braving the darkness within themselves to fight for the life they truly want—the one where they end up happy, whole, and surrounded by those they love.
With their hands tied behind their backs, and the weight of unimaginable trauma, Dale and Mateo will need to learn to follow their inner light and the love of those around them to free themselves from the shackles of the darkness pressing down around them.
Will the darkness smother Dale and Mateo completely, or can they find the spark that can not only save their lives but their hearts, too?
This is book two, in the gothic cowboy, Trauma Bonded series.
It is a heavily interconnected series, please plan to read in order and expect cliff-hanger style endings.
