Alex Drakos: House on Fire

ALEX DRAKOS HOUSE ON FIRE BY MALLORY MONROE Copyright©2023 Mallory Monroe All rights reserved. Any use of the materials contained in this book without the expressed written consent of the author and/or her affiliates, including scanning, uploading and downloading at file sharing and other sites, and distribution of this book by way of the Internet or any other means, is illegal and strictly prohibited. AUSTIN BROOK PUBLISHING THIS NOVEL IS NOT LEGALLY AVAILABLE FOR FREE ANYWHERE IN THIS WORLD. IT IS ILLEGAL TO UPLOAD THIS BOOK TO ANY FILE SHARING SITE. IT IS ILLEGAL TO READ THIS BOOK AT ANY WEBSITE. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK FROM ANY FILE SHARING SITE. IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL OR GIVE THIS eBOOK TO ANYBODY ELSE ONLINE OR OTHERWISE, OR TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE ONLINE IN ANY FORM. THE AUTHOR AND AUSTIN BROOK PUBLISHING DOES NOT GIVE THEIR CONSENT. This novel is a work of fiction. All characters are fictitious. Any similarities to anyone living or dead are completely accidental. The specific mention of known places or venues are not meant to be exact replicas of those places, but they are purposely embellished or imagined for the story’s sake. The cover art are models. They are not actual characters. THE RAGS TO ROMANCE SERIES STANDALONE BOOKS IN PUBLICATION ORDER: 1. BOBBY SINATRA: IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES 2. BOONE & CHARLY: SECOND CHANCE LOVE 3. PLAIN JANE EVANS AND THE BILLIONAIRE 4. GENTLEMAN JAMES AND GINA 5. MONTY & LaSHAY: RESCUE ME 6. TONY SINATRA: IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG 7. WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN 8. THE DUKE AND THE MAID 9. BOONE AND CHARLY: UPSIDE DOWN LOVE 10. HOOD RILEY AND THE ICE MAN 11. RECRUITED BY THE BILLIONAIRE 12. ABANDONED HEARTS 13. HOOD RILEY AND THE ICE MAN 2: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST MALLORY MONROE SERIES: THE RENO GABRINI/MOB BOSS SERIES (22 BOOKS) THE SAL GABRINI SERIES (12 BOOKS) THE TOMMY GABRINI SERIES (11 BOOKS) THE MICK SINATRA SERIES (15 BOOKS) THE BIG DADDY SINATRA SERIES (7 BOOKS) THE TEDDY SINATRA SERIES (5 BOOKS) THE TREVOR REESE SERIES (3 BOOKS) THE AMELIA SINATRA SERIES (2 BOOKS) THE BRENT SINATRA SERIES (1 BOOK) THE ALEX DRAKOS SERIES (10 BOOKS) THE OZ DRAKOS SERIES (2 BOOKS) THE MONK PALETTI SERIES (2 BOOKS) THE PRESIDENT’S GIRLFRIEND SERIES (8 BOOKS) THE PRESIDENT’S BOYFRIEND SERIES (1 BOOK) THE RAGS TO ROMANCE SERIES (12 BOOKS) GIRLS ON THE RUN: A GABRINI VALENTINE STANDALONE BOOKS: DANIEL’S GIRL (Brand new version updated and expanded) ROMANCING MO RYAN MAEBELLE MARIE LOVING HER SOUL MATE LOVING THE HEAD MAN TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE CHAPTER FORTY EPILOGUE CHAPTER ONE “Oh this is lovely.” Lucinda was nodding her approval as Kari pulled a super-short bodycon dress from the dress rack. “It will look so cute on you.” “If you wanna look like a ho,” said Faye, “then that’ll do the trick.” Lucinda gave Faye a hard glare. “You would know my darling,” she said, as she jerked her blonde hair backwards. Kari ignored her two closest friends and pulled another dress off the rack. They were all supposed to be out shopping that day, but for some reason both of them were following Kari all around the store. And neither one of them were hesitating to give her their opinions on everything she so much as glanced. “That’s cute too,” Lucinda said as she saw the latest dress Kari was eyeing. “Or do you have a complaint about this one too?” Lucinda was talking to Faye, but a good-looking man was looking Faye up and down as men usually did, and Faye was giving him a once-over too. With her flawless dark skin, beautiful face, and smoking-hot body, Faye was always considered the most beautiful girl in any room she entered. And she played to her strengths. “Faye? Faye? Can you stop looking at some man for two seconds and help Kari.” “Why would you think I need her help? I know how to pick out my own clothes.” Lucinda looked doubtfully at Kari. “When was the last time you bought anything approximately resembling clothes, Karena?” “What are you talking about? I just got this I have on,” Kari said, glancing down at the form-fitting dress she wore. “Did you go out and buy it yourself personally, or did Alex have it flown in from Paris or Milan or wherever he gets your clothes from?” Kari realized it had been a while since she last went shopping for herself. Or even wore an off-the-rack outfit. But she quickly dismissed it. “I’ve never been into clothes like that anyway,” she said. When the wife of Faye’s admirer grabbed her husband by the arm, glowered at Faye, and then dragged him away from her, she smiled. And looked at Lucinda. “Now what were you saying?” “I was saying that dress Kari’s looking at is cute.” “It’s cute,” said Faye, “if you’re going to your fiftieth class reunion. Or maybe to church.” “Church,” said Lucinda. “Now where did I hear that name before?” “Ah fuck you, Lou!” Kari and Lucinda both were shocked by Faye’s change in tone. Kari especially was surprise. “Really, Faye? Is that what we’re doing? Talking that disrespectfully to our friends?” “She’s always pulling that bullshit,” Faye responded. “She knows my divorce just became final. She knows it’s still a sore spot for me. But yet in still she twists that knife every chance she gets.” “I was just joking Faye, my goodness. You mentioned church. Your last name