Salsa (Sultry Nights 1)

By Melanie Munton

Salsa (n): a sultry, dynamic dance with smooth, fluid movements; usually an introduction to other Latin dances

All Sophie Fuentes wants to do is lead a normal life and take care of her family. That’s kind of hard to do, though, when she’s forced to work for a drug cartel and the boss is Satan himself.

Undercover DEA agent Max Romano doesn’t see Sophie coming. His assignment is to bring down Miami’s most dangerous drug lord...not to become obsessed with the feisty dancer at the cartel's underground nightclub.

She’s in danger. He vows to protect her.
The only problem is...he’s been lying to her from the beginning.
She doesn’t have a clue who he really is, and he can’t tell her because she’s the key to his investigation. But he’ll do anything to keep her safe.

Even hold her hostage.

**This is a SHORT story series. Each volume is a short story serial and is an average of 30,000 words. This is NOT a full-length novel series.**

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melanie Munton
• Release date: Jul 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463271759

Melanie Munton

Traveler. Reader. Beach-goer. St. Louis Cardinals fan. Pasta-obsessed. North Carolina resident. Sarcastic. Bit of a nerd.Author of the Cruz Brothers, Possession and Politics, and Timid Souls series, Melanie loves all things romance, comedies and suspense in particular because it's boring to only stick to one sub-genre! From light-hearted comedies to sexy thrillers, she likes to mix it up, but loves her some strong alpha males and sassy heroines.Go visit Melanie's website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!http://www.melaniemunton.com/You can also follow Melanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Goodreads.

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Salsa

Sultry Nights

Melanie Munton

Copyright © 2019 Melanie Munton

Salsa

Sultry Nights, Volume One

Copyright © 2019 Melanie Munton

All rights reserved

Cover Design by L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations

www.mayhemcovercreations.com

eBook Edition

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This is a work of fiction and any similarities to persons, living or dead, or places, actual events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters and names are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Bonus Scene

Sneak Peek of The Divorce Attorney

More books by Melanie Munton

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Melanie Munton:

Brooklyn Brothers:

Lace & Lies

Scars & Sins

Sultry Nights:

Salsa (Sultry Nights 1)

Tango (Sultry Nights 2)

Rumba (Sultry Nights 3)

Samba (Sultry Nights 4)

Mambo (Sultry Nights 5)

Standalone romance:

King of the Court

The Unforgettable Kind

Slow Seductions series:

Casual Affair (Slow Seductions #1)

Sweet Attraction (Slow Seductions #2)

Cruz Brothers series:

Playing for Kinley (Cruz Brothers #1)

The Art of Sage (Cruz Brothers #2)

Always Mickie (Cruz Brothers #3)

Timid Souls novellas:

Stubborn Hearts

Unexpected Love

Possession and Politics Trilogy:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Prologue

Sophie

I can’t believe it.

It’s snowing.

In Miami.

I’ve never even seen snow before and now I’m watching it blanket one of the most southern cities in the continental United States, following a summer that saw some of the highest temperatures on record.

It’s a Christmas miracle.

I can’t help but glance behind me at the footsteps I leave on the pristine white canvas along the sidewalk of my familiar street. It’s dark out but the streetlamps guide my way as I skip along my usual path toward my home. I told my mamá I was leaving our neighbor’s Christmas party because I was tired and bored. But really, I just wanted to walk in the snow and catch snowflakes on my tongue like the kids at school talk about.

Who knows when the next time this will come around again?

Mamá doesn’t like me walking alone, but my family knows everyone in this neighborhood. We’re all friends with each other. This area isn’t like the dangerous boroughs of Bogotá, Colombia, my family’s homeland. This is a safe neighborhood, and nothing bad ever happens here.

Plus, my papá stayed home because he wasn’t feeling well and I want to see him. Maybe I can make him some of Mamá’s ajiaco santafeñoto—a chicken and vegetable soup—to help him feel better.

I so badly want to make snow angels in our meager front yard or build a quick snowman, but I tell myself to be patient and check on Papá first. I skip down our walkway and push through our front door after I find it already unlocked.

"Papá?" I say to our empty living room.

Assuming he must be asleep in his and Mamá’s bedroom, I quietly tip-toe to the back of the house. Instead of silence, I hear a flurry of activity just as I reach their closed door. Confused, I ease open the door to see him frantically throwing clothes and toiletries into Mamá’s big green suitcase with no thought of organization.

"Papá, what are you doing?"

His head whips around to me, his eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them. "Sophia? Mi princesa, what are you doing home? You’re supposed to be at the Christmas party with your mamá and Manuela."

Manuela—or Manny, as I’ve come to call her—is my sixth-month-old baby sister who already looks exactly like our mamá. She’s our little angel.

"There weren’t very many other kids there, so I told Mamá I’d come home to check on you. I dash to the window and pull back the curtain, bursting with excitement. Did you see, Papá? It’s snowing! Isn’t it pretty?"

Sophia, no!

Papá lunges for me and yanks my arm back, moving me toward the door.

Stay away from the windows, he says gravely, his voice sounding strange.

What’s wrong? I ask, taking in the sight of the disheveled bedroom. Are we going on a trip?

He leans down and takes me by the shoulders. That’s when I notice how badly he’s sweating and…shaking. The hands he’s holding me with are trembling.

"Yes, princesa. We are going on a trip. We’re going to leave as soon as Manuela and your mamá get back from the party. So, I’m going to need your help to make sure we’re ready, okay? Can you do that?"

I nod eagerly, always ready to help out Papá. Where are we going?

To the farm in Colombia, he says as he goes back to throwing things into the suitcase.

A huge smile spreads across my face. "We’re going to visit Tía Christina and Tío Miguel?"

My aunt and uncle still live in Guasimal, Colombia on my family’s farm, along with my many cousins that I’ve missed so much since we moved to Miami years ago. Guasimal is more of a territory than a town and in such a rural area that it’s essentially secluded away from most of the surrounding towns. Moving to a larger metropolitan area like Miami was a big adjustment for us. But Papá thought there would be more opportunities for him here, so we packed up our entire lives and left the only place familiar to us.

Yes, he says, shooing me. Hurry now.

I sprint across the hall to the room I share with Manny and grab my Bratz backpack out of my closet. Mamá will probably help me pack when she gets back, but I can at least pick out my favorite shirts and books I want to take.

All of a sudden, Papá bursts through my doorway and wraps his arms around me, dragging me out into the hallway.

"Papá! What’s going on?" I screech.

His behavior is so odd, I’m no longer excited. I’m scared.

Sophia, you have to hide. He opens the hall closet doors and shoves me inside. Crawl into your favorite hiding place back there and don’t come out until I tell you to.

He means the crawl space in the back of the closet—my favorite place to go when he plays escondidas with me. It’s similar to the American game of hide-and-seek.

"But why, Papá? You’re scaring me."

He cups my face, tipping my head to look at him. "Everything’s going to be all right, mi princesa. I just want you to do as I say. Stay hidden and don’t make a sound. Do you understand?"

Tears gathering in my eyes, I nod. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that look on his face tells me it’s bad. He pulls me close and hugs me so hard I can barely breathe. I hug him back just as fiercely.

You’re a big girl now, Sophia, he whispers. "My big eleven-year-old. I want you to take care of your mamá and sister, okay? No matter what happens, you be strong for them."

What do you mean? I say, my