The Associates

Series · 4 books · 2013-2015

By Carolyn Crane, Annika Martin

Books in series

Against the Dark

2013

She's an ex-safecracker forced into one last heist. Angel Ramirez left the safecracking game five years ago, and she’s worked hard to make amends and build an honest life. But when a beloved aunt is kidnapped, she must reunite with her girl gang to acquire the unique ransom: Walter Borgola’s prized diamonds. It’s a simple job that turns into a nightmare, thanks to a surprisingly clever—and searingly sexy—security guard named Cole Hawkins. He's an undercover agent with big plans for his gorgeous thief. Cole is one of the Association’s most brilliant agents, under deep cover investigating a ruthless killer. He’s also running out of time: hundreds will die if he doesn’t stop the plan Borgola’s set into motion. Catching Angel is the break he needed—he promises not to turn her in if she poses as his lover and uses her unique talents to unlock the sociopath’s dungeon vaults. But as pretend passions turn real, Cole regrets drawing Angel into his deadly game…and danger is closer than either of them could ever imagine.

Off the Edge

2013

She may be his worse enemy... For deadly secret agent Peter Macmillan, language is a weapon-one he uses to hunt criminals, destroy plots, and charm enemies. Seducing information out of a beautiful singer in a Bangkok hotel should be easy...except this particular singer has the power to destroy his cool facade, and with it, his last defense against a dark past. He may be her only hope... He tricked her. He helped himself to her body and her secrets. He has enemies everywhere. Laney Lancaster should hate Peter, but when she discovers him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel's dungeon, all she can think about is freeing him. Because she knows what it's like to be trapped and alone. And she could use a dangerous friend. They may be wrong for each other, but the instant they join forces, Laney and Peter are plunged into an odyssey of hot sex and dark danger. To survive, they must trust each other with their lives-and their hearts.

Into the Shadows

2014

He’s working undercover for the good guys. That doesn’t mean he’s one of them. HE’S A KILLER. Thorne McKelvey knows exactly how Nadia sees him—as a brute and a killer just kinky enough to play her sexy games. And that’s how it has to stay. Leaving her was the hardest thing he ever did, but his undercover mission could blow up at any second. No way will he drag Nadia down with him. SHE CAN’T RISK HER HEART. Maybe it was foolish to fall in love with her late father’s deadliest henchman, but Nadia Volkov’s not sorry; without Thorne she wouldn’t have their beautiful little boy. There’s nothing she won’t do to protect Benny, which means she must hide his identity—especially from his father. Now Thorne has burst back into her home, searching for clues to a gangland mystery…and stirring a hunger Nadia hasn’t felt in two years. But Benny’s identity isn’t the only secret she’s keeping, and things are turning deadly. Can Thorne and Nadia trust each other long enough to stay alive and have a chance at happiness?

Behind the Mask

2015

To save her twin sister she must switch places with her... When her long lost sister—a prostitute—is won in a card game by a brutal drug cartel, Zelda knows what she has to do: take her place. Save her. Focus on infiltrating the shadowy group on behalf of the Associates, and try not to think about why she left the spying game years ago. She’s slept with dangerous criminals before; she can do it again. Hugo Martinez is one of South America’s most lethal and wanted men, a legendary mercenary living on a windswept mountain. Even at the height of the war he wasn’t in the habit of taking women captive, but the American whore has seen his face. And he and the orphan boy need a cook. He shouldn’t want this woman, but there’s something so unusual about her… Little by little, Zelda finds herself falling for her captor…but is he the killer she’s been hunting all these years?

Authors

Carolyn Crane

Author · 9 books

After spending her youth thoroughly obsessed with Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy and convinced that her suburban neighborhood was awash in dangerous secrets, Carolyn Crane grew up to become a RITA-nominated author of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and other tales of adventure and love; she also writes erotic romance about bank robbers as Annika Martin. Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.

Annika Martin

Author · 38 books

I’m a NYT bestselling author who sometimes writes as RITA®-award-winning Carolyn Crane. I live in Minneapolis with my husband and enjoy taking pictures of my cats, consuming boatloads of chocolate suckers, and tending my wild, bee-friendly garden. Amazon books https://amzn.to/2UIYzeA Apple Books: https://apple.co/2PkneA7 Annika on Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2KNwRJe Instagram: http://bit.ly/2vbEeQ4 Kobo: http://bit.ly/2UH02SC Google Play http://bit.ly/2UKJ45O Nook: http://bit.ly/2Gt304m Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2Um5MMF