Three hitmen who’ll stop at nothing to get revenge—until they meet a sweet barista none of them can resist. But can they keep her—and each other—safe from their enemies? Readers who enjoy touch him/her and die vibes and morally grey characters will devour Ruthless Desires Volume One & Volume Two by Elira Firethorn, steamy, organized crime, dark, why choose romance.
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Volume One
Three hitmen who'll stop at nothing to get revenge—until they meet her.
Wren is the sweet barista who always lights up with Elliot, Rhett, and Oliver walk into her shop. All three of the guys are drawn to her, but they know getting closer to Wren would put her life at risk. But after a chance encounter at a masquerade ball and one night together, these men are all forced to face one undeniable fact:
None of them can resist her. And now, they may not have to.
But can they keep her—and each other—safe from their enemies?
Volume Two
A single mistake could have deadly consequences.
Being in their enemyʼs inner circle has never been easier for Elliot, Rhett, and Oliver. Theyʼve fooled Ludo Holloway into trusting them, which means theyʼre one step closer to getting revenge.
But as their plan unfolds, they realize that not everything is as it seems. Sometimes, allies are found in the most unexpected of places—as long as itʼs not yet another trap.
This close to the end, getting what they want means taking risks.
But will they go too far—or not far enough?
Excerpt
Copyright 2025 Elira Firethorn
“I asked for butter toffee,ˮ a middle-aged man at the counter snaps. Heʼs holding a to-go cup in his hand, and heʼs glaring at Wren like she just murdered someone. “This is vanilla.ˮ
“Oh, shoot.ˮ Wren reaches for a new cup. “Iʼm so sorry. I can make you a new one, shouldnʼt take more than a minute or two.ˮ
“Why couldnʼt you just get it right the first damn time?ˮ he demands.
Wren falters. “I—um. It was an accident. The vanilla and butter toffee syrups are right next to each other, and theyʼre a similar color, so I mustʼve mixed them—ˮ
“Seriously?ˮ he spits out, causing Ava to glance over from where sheʼs working through a long line of cars in the drive-thru.
“Accidents happen,ˮ Wren says gently as she works on his new drink. “But Iʼm putting together—ˮ
“Oh, donʼt give me that bullshit. Youʼve got one of the easiest jobs on the fucking planet. How hard can it be to make a coffee right?ˮ
“This guy is a piece of work,ˮ Oliver mutters. Heʼs watching the man carefully, his hands clenched into fists. No doubt, he wants to go up there and deck this guy.
I know I do.
Wren sets the half-finished drink on the counter and crosses her arms. “You wanna try that again?ˮ
The man jerks his head back. “Excuse me?ˮ
“Iʼm not making you another drink if this is how youʼre going to treat me. You can either calm down, apologize, and accept the fact that Iʼm human and make mistakes, or I can give you a refund, and you can leave.ˮ
Oliver and I exchange a quick glance, and his expression reflects exactly what Iʼm feeling: pride.
Weʼve seen Wren handle her fair share of rude customers over the past few months, but she normally takes it instead of standing up for herself.
I get it—itʼs easier to just do what the customer wants and get them out of your hair. But this isnʼt the first customer Iʼve wanted to throw out.
The man scoffs. “Uh-uh, you donʼt call the shots around here.ˮ
Wren smiles brightly—too brightly—her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Refund it is.ˮ
“Excuse me?ˮ He stands straighter, taking a step toward the counter, and it sets off a million alarms in my head.
“Hey.ˮ Iʼm standing before I can stop myself. “Back off, man. Itʼs just a coffee.ˮ
Wrenʼs eyes widen, and I hope Iʼm not making this worse for her. This guy has made a whole scene out of a wrong drink, and now everyone in the shop is watching.
“Why donʼt you mind your fucking business?ˮ he spits out at me. “This is none of your concern.ˮ
“Donʼt care. Say one more rude thing to her, and Iʼm throwing you out of here.ˮ
Wren ducks her head as she taps away at the register, probably issuing the guyʼs refund.
“You donʼt have any authority here,ˮ he tells me smugly as he turns back to Wren. “And, quite frankly, you donʼt even deserve the minimum wage youʼre making. I mean what are you, stu—ˮ
“Thatʼs enough.ˮ I take his arm and yank him toward the front.
“Have your shitty drink back,ˮ the guy snarls, and before I realize what heʼs doing, he flings the to-go cup at Wren.
Shit.
Wren jumps back with a yelp. The lid pops off, and some of the coffee lands on her torso and arms, but most of it falls onto the floor.
In the corner of my eye, I see Rhett and Oliver jump to their feet. In a flash, Rhett is in front of me, meeting us halfway to the door. He grabs the guy by the back of his neck and hauls him toward the front.
“Hey! What the hell do you think youʼre doing?ˮ the man shouts. “This is assault! I have an excellent lawyer. Iʼll press charges against you if you donʼt—ˮ
Rhett throws him out the door before he can finish the sentence. The guy stumbles and almost falls, but he catches himself and straightens. He whips around, and it looks like heʼs about to barrel right past Rhett to get back inside, but then he freezes.
Rhettʼs frame is taking up most of the doorway, and I can only imagine the glare on his face.
Knowing Rhettʼs handling that, I turn to face Wren.
Oliver is already behind the counter, grabbing paper towels from the hand-washing sink. “Are you hurt? Did he burn you?ˮ
Fuck. This is all my fault.
I donʼt think Oliverʼs words register in Wrenʼs mind.
Sheʼs staring after Rhett, a mixture of shock and awe shining in her eyes.
“Hey. Wren.ˮ Oliver brushes his fingers across her cheek, the light touch making her blink rapidly.
When she finally meets his gaze, her eyes widen with realization. “Iʼm—Iʼm okay. It was just drip
coffee with flavored syrup. He asked for a lot of cream, so it cooled it down a lot.ˮ
“Thatʼs something, at least,ˮ he mutters.
Wrenʼs gaze falls to Oliverʼs hands as he continues cleaning her up. She tracks his every movement as he moves to her apron, trying to soak up the liquid.
“You donʼt... I can do this,ˮ she mumbles.
“Let me help you. Youʼre shaking.ˮ
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Extras from the Author
Want more?
Click the link below to download all the available deleted scenes from Ruthless Desires!
And check out this gorgeous character art, which was created based on Elira’s readers’ perception of what they think Wren, Elliot, Rhett, and Oliver look like!
About Elira Firethorn
Elira Firethorn is a dark romance author who enjoys writing books full of suspenseful plots, plenty of spice, and characters who'll sweep you off your feet. She also writes erotic short stories under the pen name E. Firethorn.
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