Deceptive truce bay ridg.., p.1
Deceptive Truce (Bay Ridge Royals Book 3), page 1
Deceptive Truce
BAY RIDGE ROYALS
BOOK THREE
HEATHER LONG
Contents
Deceptive Truce
Series so Far
Foreword
Bay Ridge Royals
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Afterword
Wicked Surrender
Benedict Family
Hardigan Family
Reed Family
Graham Family
Cavendish Family
Marlowe Family
About Heather Long
Also by Heather Long
Deceptive Truce
BAY RIDGE ROYALS BOOK 3
Deceptive Truce
Bay Ridge Royals Book 3
Life has been a series of exquisite disasters…
Do you ever lie to yourself? I do. Making friends has been the cruelest choice I ever inflicted upon myself. I like to say I don’t regret it, and for the most part, that’s true.
I resent it.
I despise him because he left me behind, following another battle in this war we’ve been waging. I thought we were partners, best friends, allies, and that he would always have my back as I’ve fought to have his.
I hate her because she’s perfection and everything he’s ever wanted: untouchable, brilliant, and capable. Yet, I want her too. Need her. Still, she gave herself to someone else.
Telling myself one taste would have to be enough even when I knew it never could be is just another deception I sold myself on this trail of disaster.
No matter what I do, I’m not enough for them, for my family, for this world we inhabit. Now—alliances are shifting, and our enemies are closing in.
I know the difference, and I know I need to leave them to face it all on their own. That’s the choice I should make. That’s the choice I have to make.
Or at least, that’s the newest lie I tell myself.
Copyright © 2024 by Heather Long
Cover: Vicious Desires Design
Photography: Michelle Lancaster
Model: Mitchell Wick
Editing: Leavens Editing
Line Edits & Proofing by Lunar Rose Editing Services
All rights reserved.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Deceptive Truce/Heather Long – 1st ed.
To my coffeemaker.
Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do this.
Literally.
Series so Far
Shamelessly Loyal (Novella)
Battle Lines
Deceptive Truce
Wicked Surrender
Foreword
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Deceptive Truce, this is officially book 3 of the Bay Ridge Royals. If you have not read Shamelessly Loyal or Battle Lines, please set this aside and go grab those two. This series is best read in order.
All of that said, what do you need to know? Let’s talk, previously, for the Bay Ridge Royals…
Milo Hardigan has more or less relocated to Manhattan to live with Lainey. Though they have not put any labels on their relationship, they are definitely lovers and working together to investigate King, his shell companies, and exactly what he is up to.
In the meanwhile, Lainey continues to do work for her grandfather as well as gather information on the other families. Ezra keeps intruding on her actions, particularly when she is at odds with what King wants. Late one night, Ezra shows up at her apartment and they hookup and it’s revealed that after she left Milo in Shamelessly Loyal, she and Ezra had a brief affair on Ezra’s family island.
Like that affair, their night ends with him leaving abruptly and calling it a mistake. Lainey tells Milo about it, confessing she doesn’t know how she feels about it all and he accepts it, with some reservations. Mostly, he doesn’t want Ezra to hurt her.
Ezra also arranges for a bodyguard to accompany Lainey again, as he had during a previous conflict. As irritating as she finds it, she doesn’t argue because it will make them all feel better.
Adam is continuing his campaign to get back into Lainey’s good graces while also working with his new employer to take down King. In and around all of this, he and Lainey coordinate looking after their younger sister Andrea. Meanwhile, Bodhi pursues his own hunt, but finds himself drawn back to Lainey again and again.
During a masquerade at the Reed estate, a lot of truths are spilled including Adam learning about Lainey and Ezra’s affair and Milo making it clear that Ezra doesn’t get to hurt her. Adam keeps trying to stake his claim but Lainey refuses to yield to his controlling tendencies.
During a fencing session for Lainey to burn off some steam, she comes face to face with Adam. He knows so many of her secrets and this is just another one that he knows. Infuriated and frustrated, she focuses on Milo’s birthday and arranges a special surprise for him. Unfortunately, King crashes their date with the threat of recruiting Andrea and Milo throws himself on the fire to protect her.
Probably what King planned for all along, but Milo is forced to leave Lainey behind and he goes to work for his “father.”
This brings us to Deceptive Truce. Whew. For a second there, I was like wait, what happened in which book? While there are ties back to the 82nd Street Vandals (both familial and friendship), you do not have to read that series.
That said, this series contains some spoilers for 82nd Street Vandals, there’s no way to get around that. If you do decide to check out 82nd Street Vandals, be sure to start with Savage Vandal.
For a little housekeeping. Bay Ridge Royals is a why choose romance with characters exploring and coming to terms with their evolving sexuality, identities, and relationships.
TWs: Mentions of SA. Kidnapping. Intimidation. Car accidents. Threats of violence. Discussion of trafficking. Smuggling. Be kind to yourself, this is a dark romance series.
Thanks for checking out Deceptive Truce, I can’t wait for you to get to know them.
Happy reading.
xoxo
Heather
Bay Ridge Royals
The Families
Benedict
Reed
Graham
Adley
Clifton
Marlowe
Cavendish
Main Characters
Elaine “Lainey” Benedict
Milo Hardigan
Adam Reed
Ezra Graham
Bohdi Cavendish
Prologue
EZRA
MORE THAN A YEAR PRIOR…
“When does Andrea go back to school?” I’d shown up at Der Sonne at first light, hangover intact, and thank fuck the Benedict cook had the best morning-after remedies ever. She’d sat me down, fed me breakfast, then given me the hair of the dog in my coffee. It was definitely hitting the spot.
Instead of answering me, though, Lainey spared a glance up from her phone to the maid, who was clearing away plates from the breakfast table before refilling her coffee. I didn’t say anything; I was just waiting it out. Once we were alone however, she cut her gaze in my direction and gave me the most baleful look.
“The maid doesn’t give a shit,” I reminded her. “None of them do. You’re the one who cares. Not them.”
“That’s not the point.”
I fucking loved it when she’d scold me, more for the tone of voice and the attitude than anything else. She made prim sound so damn sexy. “It is the point,” I continued, soaki
And as long as she was here, she was going to have me permanently at her side. I didn’t trust the king, or whatever the hell Adam was doing. He was alive—that was something—but the king had tried to have him killed. So he’d made a deal with O’Connell, and they were letting Adam “play dead” though the family hadn’t acted like they knew anything.
Made sense. Lainey didn’t know anything except that Adam wasn’t returning her calls or messages. A complaint she’d shared with me because Andrea had asked, but she didn’t have any answers for her sister.
“Tomorrow,” Lainey finally relented, and I nodded. That was what I thought. “She leaves first thing in the morning. I will take her out this afternoon, then dinner tonight at Waltham Corners.” She made a face. “I suppose you’re going to want to come to that?”
“Yes.”
“Adam’s not there, so how do we explain you?” She flicked another look at me from beneath her lashes. “Unless you can reach out to him…”
As fishing attempts went, it was an excellent one.
“I spent more time at Adam’s place growing up than I did at my own. I don’t need an excuse to be there. Besides, Harper likes sticking it to my dad when I’m around and seeing if I’ll leak any info on their latest acquisitions.”
It amused me. They were supposed to be business allies, but I didn’t doubt they’d knife each other in the back in a red-hot second. It also worked for me and Adam to play them off each other, so I’d keep doing it now.
Her nose wrinkled, and I leaned over to cover her hand on her coffee cup with mine. “I can’t tell you where he is.”
I couldn’t even if I knew. He didn’t want her to know, or he would have told her himself. The fact he confided in me rather than her—well, I’d always kind of reveled in that. But I wasn’t in the loop this time. So I had one job, and she was sitting right next to me.
“It’s fine,” she said after a long moment. Her gaze held on mine for another second before she cut it away. It was so not okay. “He is old enough to make his own choices. So, dinner tonight at Waltham Corners and I’ll say goodbye to her there. She will probably message me in the morning when she’s on her way.”
“Sounds good. Do you have anywhere else you need to be today?” Because I’d kill for a shower and a nap.
Eyebrows lifted, she shrugged. “I thought about getting together with Tally, but she messaged yesterday saying she was off to the Cayman Islands. Impulse trip.”
Probably with her latest conquest. Though I rather doubted her ex would care to know she’d hooked up with his father. Wasn’t sure how much Lainey knew on that, so I left it alone. Tally Marlowe was Rockston’s younger sister and his problem. Not mine.
“Then take the day and pack your bags.” If she didn’t have other plans, we could make our own.
“Excuse me?”
“Pack your bags,” I told her as I drained my coffee. It really was dialing back the pain in my head and easing the tension in my neck and back. “We’ll head to the airport in the morning.”
“Where are we going?” The question made me smile. And that’s all I did, grin at her rather than answer. “Ezra?”
“Don’t worry, Kotyonok,” I teased, giving her ponytail a gentle tug before I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re going to enjoy it.”
“What am I supposed to pack?”
Better fishing attempt. But no, I wasn’t telling her anything. The more information she had, the more likely she was to try and change things. I’d agreed to New York only because she worried about Andrea.
“Surprise me,” I told her and when she frowned, I smiled. “Or don’t. I can always surprise you. I’m gonna nap. Don’t leave without telling me.”
“Ezra…” she called, but I headed out of the dining room and outside toward the guest house on the far side of the open garden. Leopold Benedict didn’t let anyone stay in his home. He didn’t give a damn who we were. The staff had the guest house set up for us whenever anyone visited. That was where I’d slept all week.
I texted the bodyguard to let him know he was on watch until I got up. Dolion Karagiani hadn’t come cheap, though he was highly recommended, reliable, dangerous, and capable of acting with extreme prejudice in defense of his clients. All things I wanted where Lainey was concerned.
Twenty-four hours later…
The car took us directly to the plane at the airport. I’d kept an eye on my inbox and messages throughout the night and into this morning. Lainey was quiet, her distraction absolute. Her attention had been off since we left dinner the night before. She hated saying goodbye to her sister.
I didn’t have siblings, only cousins. Most of the ones I had any kind of a relationship with were nuisances. I liked maybe one or two tops. Andrea, however, meant the world to Lainey and I didn’t pretend to understand it. She was so much younger than Lainey. Almost as younger as Lainey was from me.
Me and Adam both.
So maybe I could get it. Didn’t matter whether I understood it or not. She was upset, and I didn’t like it.
Not at all.
“Are you trying to lull me into a false sense of security to try and get out of me where we’re going?” The comment pulled a flicker of a genuine, albeit brief, smile from her.
“Feeling neglected?” It wasn’t quite a tease. The drollness in the comment did entertain.
“Suspicious,” I countered, and that got me another grin. “You aren’t usually this cooperative. So I wanted to get a feel for how long it would last?”
Her snort was as inelegant as it was perfectly her. “Don’t get attached,” she informed me. “I just supposed you weren’t planning on telling me anything, so why exert the energy.”
“Because it’s fun,” I teased her. “You try to provoke me, and I tell you no and give you shit. Then you get exasperated and we go for round two.”
“That sounds terribly predictable.” She mused, tapping a perfectly manicured fingernail against her lower lip. “Not sure I care to be predictable.”
“I would call you many things, Kotyonok,” I assured her. “But I’d never say terrible.”
Her soft laugh was exactly what I was going for, so I let it go. The car pulled right up to the plane. I didn’t wait for our driver, letting myself out and scanning the area as I slid my sunglasses into place. When I held out my hand, I half-expected the battle to begin now. Not that she indulged me. Instead, she just slid her palm across mine and I helped her out of the car.
Without protest, she walked with me toward the steps leading up to the private plane. No arguments fell from her lips as she took the steps one at a time, with me a half-step behind her. The heels she wore did fantastic things for her figure, and as much as I wanted to enjoy the effect, I was more concerned by her cooperation.
On board, the flight attendants greeted us and took her jacket, as well as offered her a drink. Then me.
“Coffee would be lovely,” was all she said as she made her way over to a seat. There, she buckled herself in and crossed one leg over the other. I watched her with a kind of morbid fascination. Not a single word of disagreement, no requests for more information, and not even a dismissive look or sharp glance.
“You shouldn’t frown like that, Ezra,” she murmured, as she opened her phone again. “Your face might stick.”
“What are you up to?” I asked, dropping into the seat opposite hers. I could have taken the one next to her, but as it was, I just wanted to drink in the sight of her. I was missing something here and I didn’t know what it was, exactly.
“Me?” She blinked at me, her eyes almost too wide, too innocent. “What do you mean?”
Then, the staff was there with the requested coffee and also brought orange juice. “We’ll be serving breakfast after takeoff. Do you have any special requests?”
“No,” I told her before Lainey could answer. “I sent the requests over last night.”
“Yes, Mr. Graham,” she said with a polite smile before heading back to the galley.
