Mateo Rodriguez was something of an anomaly. The majority of the world viewed him as a ruthless criminal with no respect for life or law. However, the man I knew was gentle and caring, catering to my every desire. He would have been the perfect man, if only he would have left his life of crime behind and chosen me. So there we were—for five years—in love and at a stalemate. When three armed men dragged me out of my bed in the middle of the night, I realized just how right I’d been to fear his lifestyle. Or, maybe I’d been wrong. Because Mateo was the only man powerful enough to save me.