Pride

PRIDE A SINFUL EMPIRE DUET BOOK 1 EVA CHARLES QUARRY ROAD PUBLISHING Copyright © 2023 by Eva Charles All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever without express written permission from the author or publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. All other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Murphy Rae, Cover Design Dawn Alexander, Evident Ink, Content Editor James Gallagher, Castle Walls Editing, Copy and Line Editor Faith Williams, The Atwater Group, Proofreader Virginia Tesi Carey, Proofreader Created with Vellum To the girls who talked too much in class and the women who refuse to sit quietly. The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others, hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls. ELIZABETH CADY STANTON CONTENTS Author’s Note Prologue 1. Rafael 2. Rafael 3. Rafael 4. Rafael 5. Rafael 6. Alexis 7. Rafael 8. Rafael 9. Alexis 10. Rafael 11. Alexis 12. Rafael 13. Rafael 14. Rafael 15. Rafael 16. Alexis 17. Rafael 18. Rafael 19. Alexis 20. Rafael 21. Alexis 22. Rafael 23. Rafael 24. Alexis 25. Rafael 26. Alexis 27. Rafael 28. Alexis 29. Rafael 30. Rafael 31. Alexis 32. Rafael 33. Rafael 34. Rafael 35. Alexis 36. Alexis 37. Alexis 38. Rafael 39. Alexis 40. Rafael 41. Rafael 42. Alexis 43. Rafael 44. Alexis 45. Alexis 46. Rafael 47. Alexis 48. Rafael 49. Alexis 50. Alexis 51. Alexis 52. Rafael 53. Alexis 54. Alexis 55. Alexis 56. Rafael 57. Rafael About the Author More Steamy Romantic Suspense… AUTHOR’S NOTE Dear Readers, Welcome back to Porto, and thank you for taking this twisted journey with me! In Pride, Rafael is all grown up, and on the threshold of taking over the entire Huntsman empire. For those who are wondering, he is not Antonio, rather, he’s the man Antonio raised him to be. Rafael and Lexie’s chemistry leaps off the page as they blaze a modern trail through a dangerous universe with old-world customs. Their journey is fraught with challenges and peril—and not just from outside forces. The demons inside them, and even their better angels, don’t play nicely. I love these two together, and I hope you do too! The story takes place approximately eight months after Valentina’s wedding (Envy Epilogue II). While it’s not absolutely necessary to read Greed, Lust, and Envy before Pride, your enjoyment and knowledge of the setting and characters will be greatly enhanced if you read the trilogy first. For those of you who have read the trilogy, you’ll be reacquainted with some familiar characters. Along with Will, Valentina, Cristiano, Lucas, and Lexie, of course, you’ll be treated to an older, perhaps more mellow Antonio, much like he was in the second Envy Epilogue. You will also meet some new characters you’ll love, and a few you won’t like at all. (We’ll see Daniela in Wrath). Please know that the Pride prologue chronicles the events of the day Rafael’s mother disappeared. He was eight. It’s painful to read, and I caution anyone who has experienced childhood trauma to proceed cautiously. If you’re still with me, pour yourself a cold drink, grab a fan, and settle in while I take you on a steamy, heart-stopping journey, with twists and turns around every dangerous bend! xoxo Eva PROLOGUE RAFAEL I race toward the empty net, with the soccer ball well under control. I’m seconds from getting my boys a win when my brother, Tomas, shouts from across the field. “He wants to see you in his office.” I skid to a stop, tearing up the grass before my butt hits the ground. He is my father, who never wants to see me in the middle of the day unless I’m in trouble. Big trouble. The kind of trouble that calls for the strap. Tomas knows it, too. That’s why he gives me a cruel little smirk when I catch his eye. The soccer ball rests near my feet, but I don’t move to secure it. No one’s going to steal the ball. The game’s over. My friends are frozen like statues on the field, gawking at me. They know the deal, and tomorrow they’ll see the evidence. Papai will be careful to hide most of the marks, but he always leaves one nasty welt for Mamã to see every time she looks at me. My broken skin makes her so sad she cries. He loves to make her cry. “Get out of here, or I’ll sic the dogs on you,” Tomas sneers at my friends. The boys take off running. Except Zé. He scowls at my brother, then jogs over to where I’m sprawled on the field. Most of my friends are eight, and I’m eight, too, but Zé is already nine. He’s tall for his age and smart, and he’s not afraid of anything. Not even of Tomas, who’s twenty and lifts weights every morning before breakfast. “We can make a run for it,” Zé whispers. “Tomas is too lazy to chase us. You can hide in the fort behind my house until your father stops being mad.” I pull my knees up and rest my cheek against the hard ridges. Zé’s right about Tomas. He won’t bother to chase us. But it won’t end there, because there’s no plan that can help me if I did something to make Papai mad. Zé bumps my cleats with his to let me know he means business. “I’ll bring you a sleeping bag and some food. My mother is making cozido tonight. You like that, right?” I glance up at my friend. My stomach hurts