The Grey Ledger

By Shanna B. Talley

Augustin Fortier is a powerful and dangerous man. His criminal empire affords anything and anyone he wants. Money, power, favors and women. Its all for the taking but Augustin wants what slipped through his fingers after a car bomb scarred him and left his associates dead in the center of New Orleans.
The woman.
She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and they shared but a moment together. Augustin fell hard for her the moment their eyes locked but in the chaotic aftermath, she was gone.
She vanished without a trace for three years and Augustin is determined to hunt her down and make her his. He finds her in New Orleans once again and takes what belongs to him. No matter how much she fights his advances and her growing passion for Augustin everyday she is held captive and he will not stop until she gives into him and his dark desires.
However, their passion may be short-lived with enemies coming from all directions threaten to take and destroy everything he has built and possesses. Including Delilah.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shanna B. Talley
• Release date: Dec 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005272876

Shanna B. Talley

I love books and have been writing for 13 years. I have found that some things in the world are best in fictional print and love bringing that to life. I make myself the main character to experience things I haven't in my real-world life. It's more fun that way. I love animals and magic and spend a great deal of time hiking and writing and finding inspiration for new series.

Book preview

The Gray Ledger

A French Dark Mafia Romance

By Shanna B. Talley

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Text Copyright 2022 Shanna B. Talley

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system.

This e book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase a copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite e book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Sir, the package is nearly here. A man in a black suit and aviators leaned into the side of the ebony SUV as the man in the backseat nodded and looked out to the street. It was a quiet afternoon, hot, muggy and the sounds of jazz wafted through the French Quarter.

He had waited three years to get a glimpse of the woman again.

He had just concluded a meeting with an associate and gotten in his vehicle when he saw her walking in the Vieux Carré, purple dress hugging all of her ample curves and fluttering in the breeze. Their eyes locked for a moment, then out of nowhere, BOOM! A massive explosion took out his associate’s car next to them and she was thrown back into a wall. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and nearly paid the price with her life.

The aftermath of the explosion rocked the entire neighborhood and he was able to drag his mangled body from the car before it exploded as well. She was bleeding from debris hitting her and as he reached her, the woman’s eyes fluttered open and looked directly into his own.

My hero, she whispered.

He couldn’t speak as he looked deep in her eyes and saw the beautiful hazel green staring back at him. Her irises were shaped in such a way they looked like the tree of life encircling her pupils. The ambulances arrived soon after and they were separated before he could discover who she was. After he was stitched up at the hospital, he sent his guards to find her but she had vanished.

He was left with a vicious scar down his perfect square face but it seemed to give him a more menacing quality that helped when dealing with other bosses in his territories.

She gave a false name at the desk and disappeared for years. Tracking her down was nearly impossible, but he was Augustin Fortier. Nothing was out of his reach.

A call came in to his chateau in the South of France three years later, the woman had been spotted in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Augustin immediately got on his private jet and flew directly out to find her.

Now, he sat in his SUV, waiting to see her again. She haunted his dreams, his waking life and his every carnal activity. Any woman he found to fuck, looked like her, but they weren’t her. Just place holders until she could be found.

Sir, look over there. His man pointed to a small group of tourists and as they split apart, the woman walked between them. Augustin’s breath caught in his throat as she walked lightly on the sidewalk, bags in hand, her champagne-colored hair pinned up with a few tendrils sticking to her neck in the oppressive heat.

Her sunglasses covered her eyes but Augustin knew it was her. She walked down the sidewalk and waited for traffic to subside to cross North Rampart and into Louis Armstrong Park as he watched and waited.

She disappeared into the park as he got out and took a deep breath. He would not allow her to get away again.

Taking a seat on a bench near the water, she stared out at the small lake in blissful silence until a figure walked over to her and his shadow blocked out the sun next to her face.

Hello again, his thick French accent startled her as she looked up at him and took off her sunglasses.

Hello, first time meeting you, are you lost?

He was taken aback by her curtness but it did not stop him from sitting next to her.

I am surprised you don’t remember, Cherie. You haven’t changed at all. Maybe a few scars left from the explosion a few years ago but otherwise, delectable.

The woman stared at him incredulously and stood up abruptly.

I don’t know what the hell you are talking about. I have never been in an explosion of any kind. Now excuse me, oh and by the way, it is entirely too hot for a custom Armani suit in the middle of the New Orleans heat.

She leaned down to pick up her bags as his arm shot out. He stood up, towering over her, her head level with his chest and she glared up into his eyes. He leaned into her ear; his breath hot on her neck as her pulse quickened at his words.

I know you remember me, Cherie, you called me your hero. Now, tell me, have you been thinking of me these past three years? When you are alone, in bed or even in public? That small tingle in between your thighs that turns into a raging fire that your fingers can’t quite satisfy? That is all I have thought of these past three years, you, open for me to fuck and defile over and over as you scream my name.

She jerked her arm back and slapped him hard across his face, his scar turning red with the blow and scoffed at him.

Are you fucking mad? Who says things like that to a random woman in the park? Are you a fucking human trafficker or pimp or something? Get the fuck away from me and stay away or I swear I will shred that suit and give you a matching scar on the other side of your face.

She grabbed her bags and hurried away as he rubbed his jaw, grinning at the prospect of hunting her through the city and taking her over and over.

Augustin walked back to the waiting SUV and pointed at her to be followed by his guards. He would not leave New Orleans without her.

Chapter 2

The woman rushed back to her hotel as he followed her and saw that she was staying at the Hotel Monteleone. That posed a bit of a problem, but nothing that couldn’t be solved with a little money and the staff looking the other way.

His man quickly found the manager, had a few words and a few moments later, the entire Carousel Bar was emptied and locked down. According to the staff and bartender, she had spent a few evenings at the bar and he waited patiently until she came back down again.

Hours passed but it wasn’t for naught, the woman appeared in a purple dress and silver heels, gracefully walking into the bar and realizing that it was all a set up. She tried to escape but the guards Augustin had posted were not going to let her leave so easily.

He stepped out from the shadows and took her hand in his. She tried to yank it back but his grip was strong and there was an electric jolt that shot through her body as he pulled her close and inhaled her scent.

Lovely. Now, have a drink with me, Cherie.

Her eyes darted around the bar but the escape routes were all blocked. He pulled her to a seat under the carousel as a bartender set out two elderflower cocktails next to them. She tossed hers into his face but he grinned and pulled out a handkerchief to blot away the mess and signaled for another drink.

She glared at Augustin, the fire in her eyes making it clear she wanted to slap him again.

That wasn’t very polite Cherie, I saved your life all those years ago and just want to get to know you. That’s all. Maybe have a little fun in the process.

His hand caressed the side of her thigh and wound its way under her skirt. She smacked his hand as he chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

Tell me your name, he demanded.

Fuck off you creepy bastard. I don’t give a fuck how handsome and powerful you are, I don’t answer to you.

He smiled again and replied, So you think I am handsome, at least those gorgeous hazel eyes can do more than glare at me. His voice dripped with dark seduction and the woman felt chills run up her back at the sound.

I won’t ask again, Cherie.

The coldness in her eyes returned as she answered him in a clipped tone.

Delilah.

There, that wasn’t so difficult, was it? He grinned as she stood up and cocked her head towards his security at the entrance.

Tell them to move. Now.

He shook his head and stood up, his muscular frame towering over her as he leaned into her ear and whispered No Cherie. I give the orders and you are coming with me.

His vice grip around her wrist caused her to wince slightly as he dragged her to the back entrance of the bar and Delilah tried in vain to claw him off with her other hand but it was no use, he was entirely too strong for her.

A black SUV waited for them behind the hotel and Delilah was dragged out to it and tossed into the back seat. She attempted to escape out the other side but the door was locked and Augustin slid in next to her.

Airport. He barked at the driver as they sped off and Delilah had no escape.

They stopped thirty minutes later on a private airstrip behind the airport. He turned to Delilah and stared at her for a moment. His intense focus was enough to make anyone uncomfortable and she was in that boat.

You can either get out of your own accord or I will carry you over my shoulder. Take your pick, Cherie.

Delilah looked out to the tarmac and saw her luggage being brought aboard the private jet and whipped her head to him.

If you are insinuating that I am getting on that fucking plane, essentially being kidnapped by you, then fuck all the way off.

Augustin moved to grab her but she was quicker and kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and got out of the door before security could grab her. Delilah pulled off her shoes and ran as fast as she could towards the main terminal of the airport. She rushed inside and ran smack into a security guard.

Miss, are you alright? He grabbed her arm and held her steady as she started to explain the situation but a cold sensation ran up her back as she saw the man’s guards quickly descend on the terminal. She just shook her head and took off into the drop off zone. A cab had its doors open so she jumped in and the driver looked back at her with a bit of shock.

French Quarter please, she choked out, her breath labored. He nodded and pulled out into the main thoroughfare. She saw the guards running behind the cab but they were unable to catch up to her. Delilah expelled a sigh of relief as they headed back into the city and she pulled out her phone from the secret pocket of her dress and paid the cab driver the moment they got into the city center.

Thanks, you literally saved my life, she smiled at him as he nodded and left her standing on the sidewalk in front of the French Market. Delilah found an empty bench and collapsed into it as her breath returned to normal and she looked around to assure the man and his guards were nowhere to be found.

He had taken most of her clothes and personal items, but thankfully, she had an extra room key hidden in her phone case and her purse and cash were still locked in the room safe at the Monteleone. The man may have had an in with the manager and some employees but there were always ways around that.

Delilah hurried out of the market and back to the hotel to see the main lobby bustling with people. She slipped past the front desk and up