Sure as Hell

By Julie Kenner

They were the baddest of the bad, the illegitimate sons and daughters of Satan, who had managed to make love, raise hell, and milk life in a manner worthy of their heritage. Until the day the devil himself needs to name his heir apparent. So who will the next ruler of Sin City be?

From New York Times, USA Today & International bestselling author Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner)

Sure as Hell – Devil May Care book 3

As the eldest child of Satan, Lucia is used to being Daddy’s princess. And she’s played that role faithfully throughout the years, being the only one of the devil’s children who has worked full-time in the family’s devilish business.

As an assassin, Lucia is top-notch, but lately she’s been faltering, and when her father comes to her with a proposition—pull off one last job and move up the corporate ladder to take over all of Hell ... well, that’s an offer that Lucia can’t refuse.

More than that, how can she fail? Because even despite her declining enthusiasm, Lucia is the best of the best.

But when Lucia meets Dante Moreau, the deliciously sexy son of her intended target, things get a bit more complicated. Now Lucia has to decide between dancing with the devil ... or following her heart.

The third book in the Devil May Care Series by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis.

Look for the other novels in the series:

Raising Hell by Julie Kenner

Hell Fire by Dee Davis

Hell's Fury by Dee Davis

A note from Julie

Dear reader,

I love writing fantasy and paranormal romance ... not to mention writing kickass heroines! So of course I had tons of fun writing and brainstorming this series with Dee Davis.

It all started with a casual conversation – bad boy heroes are fun to write and fun to read. But just who would the baddest bad boys be? Well, you can’t get much badder than a son of Satan ...

And if the boys don’t live up to their devilish dad’s expectations? Well, there’s always the daughters to turn to ...

Enjoy!

JK

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie Kenner
• Release date: Apr 24, 2014

Julie Kenner

Julie Kenner's books have hit bestseller lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine; have won numerous awards and have been lauded in industry publications such as Publisher's Weekly and Booksense.  Julie writes a broad range of fiction, including sexy and quirky romances, young adult novels, chick lit suspense thrillers and paranormal mommy lit.  Visit her online at http://www.juliekenner.com

Book preview

Sure as Hell

By Julie Kenner

Copyright © 2007, 2014 Julie Kenner

Smashwords Edition

Originally published in trade paper format by The Penguin Group

Excerpts from Hell’s Fury by Dee Davis, Copyright © 2007, 2014 by Dee Oberwetter. All rights reserved. Reprint only with permission from author. Please contact [e-mail].

[e-mail]

http://www.juliekenner.com

Julie on Twitter

Julie on Facebook

Julie on Facebook (as J. Kenner)

Sign up for Julie’s Newsletter

They were the baddest of the bad, the illegitimate sons and daughters of Satan, who had managed to make love, raise hell, and milk life in a manner worthy of their heritage. Until the day the devil himself needs to name his heir apparent. So who will the next ruler of Sin City be?

As the eldest child of Satan, Lucia is used to being Daddy’s princess. And she’s played that role faithfully throughout the years, being the only one of the devil’s children who has worked full-time in the family’s devilish business. As an assassin, Lucia is top-notch, but lately she’s been faltering, and when her father comes to her with a proposition—pull off one last job and move up the corporate ladder to take over all of Hell … well, that’s an offer that Lucia can’t refuse. More than that, how can she fail? Because even despite her declining enthusiasm, Lucia is the best of the best.

But when Lucia meets Dante Moreau, the deliciously sexy son of her intended target, things get a bit more complicated. Now Lucia has to decide between dancing with the devil … or following her heart.

Table of Contents

Title Page

About Sure as Hell

Dear Reader

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Excerpt from Hell’s Fury

Julie’s Booklist

About Julie

Dear Reader,

We began critiquing together in early 1999, back when we were young (sort of), naive (not really), and unpublished (that part’s true). Since we were both determined to do something about the unpublished part of the equation, we committed to brutally and honestly reviewing and commenting on each others’ work (the brutality and honesty softened by the presence of coffee, tea, chocolate … and often wine).

Our standard ritual was to share a chapter of an ongoing work each week by email, then take turns critiquing the pages at the weekly in-person meeting. And it wasn’t long after this process began that we realized how successful the collaboration was, both on a professional and a personal level. Not only did we soon see our books bought by publishers (and then on the shelves!), but our friendship grew as well, eventually matching and overshadowing the ritual of critiquing (cue heartwarming music).

For years, we thought it would be fun to work on a book together, but we never had the opportunity or the idea. And then, one day …

We were sitting at a table during a conference talking about bad boy heroes. And who better to be the ultimate bad boy than a son of Satan? And if there were brothers … then maybe there were sisters, too, because writing wild child women is just as fun.

Needless to say we were excited about the idea. And, so Nick, Marcus, Lucia and Jezebel were born and, as such, gave us the chance to work together on a project, just like we’d been wanting to do for years!

We hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as we enjoyed writing them.

XXOO

Julie & Dee

Chapter One

She was off her game.

Lucia Faucheaux sighed, and slipped the syringe back into her cleavage. Its weight was negligible, but the press of the cylinder against her skin fortified her.

And she sure as hell needed fortification at the moment.

Around her, women in ornate ball gowns swirled in the arms of men in perfectly pressed tuxedoes. The music of Strauss filled the room and the mouth-watering scent of exotic appetizers seemed to dance on the gentle breeze kicked up by the open patio doors. Across the marble dance floor, her gray-haired quarry sipped scotch and traded political stories with the ambassador to Spain.

The opportunity had been right there. They’d been alone on the side balcony. The better, he’d said, to see the view of the Rhine. She’d thought that she had engaged him, that he was taking her outside for an amorous interlude despite his new wife back home in Vienna. And why wouldn’t she think that? That was her special talent, after all. Getting close to men.

As a child, her father had taught her how to make the most of her dark, aristocratic good looks. She’d inherited her father’s midnight black hair, but her mother’s violet eyes were what really drew the men in. Under her father’s tutelage, she’d learned how to move through the world with the grace and skill of royalty. She’d always been a bit of an actress, and that had helped. She’d adapted to her environment, easily picking up manners of speech, turns of phrase, and nuances of etiquette.

Even now, she was moving gracefully, gliding through the ballroom with a smile and a nod, though her mind was anywhere but the festivities.

She had her father to thank for that skill. He had ensured that she easily mingled with kings, princes, pharaohs, and the like. She could make small talk in twenty-three languages, interpret political conversations, and insert herself into the most touchy of diplomatic situations.

All with a single goal: getting close enough for the kill.

Because from the day he’d come to claim her, her father had raised her to be his own personal assassin. An assassin who could get close to any victim. Be it a lowly country preacher or a politician having a crisis of conscience and considering doing a little good for the country.

Lucia was, quite simply, the best. And she had been for an eternity, it seemed.

Not tonight.

Frustrated, she reached out and snagged a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. She swallowed it in one gulp, then turned away from the baron, unable to look at him and the failure that he represented.

It had all been so easy. So run-of-the-mill. So . . . dull.

Just another one of her father’s targets. A politically connected Austrian baron with ties to significant social welfare programs. A straightforward elimination request, complete with the perfect event for the assassination: a private party thrown by a wealthy American entrepreneur who had purchased and renovated a dilapidated German castle. All of society had been invited to ooh and aah over the excellent restoration. And Lucia’s name was, of course, at the top of the guest list. Simple. Straightforward.

Just get in, nail the guy, and get out. She’d done the same thing countless times over the centuries. So why in Hades was the job suddenly so difficult? Why had she dragged her feet preparing for this kill? Why had she not experienced that tingle of anticipation as her driver had chauffeured her to the party? Why had she lost her focus?

It was a question she hated to pose because she feared the answer. Self-analysis had never been one of her strong suits for exactly this reason: look too closely at yourself and you’ll surely find a flaw.

Flawed. She fought a shudder. The very word disgusted her. She’d been raised to be perfect, and to now find herself at such loose ends . . . well, to say the situation was unnerving would be one hell of an understatement.

She thought back over the evening with the baron. Yes, she’d been less than enthusiastic about the assignment, but she’d never doubted that she would ultimately pull it off. No doubt, that is, until they’d been on the balcony.

He’d leaned in toward her, and she’d been so certain