“I need to make sure Yara’s really for me. She’s seen the good, had my back through the bad, and I need to know if she’ll stick around for the ugly.” Still reeling from Quade’s near-death experience, Yara handles being the girlfriend of a savage with kid gloves. She showers Quade with the affection he’s been missing while in exchange he gives her the loyalty she’s always craved. Fair exchange quickly becomes robbery when Quade demands more from Yara than she’s able to give, and sends her straight back to the dark times of her childhood. The monsters that haunted Yara’s childhood have nothing on Quade’s wild side, a side of him he’s always been able to suppress but never tame. When their relationship takes a devastating turn, Yara has to decide whether or not love will be enough to salvage a relationship that’s falling apart by the seams. Quade has always lived life recklessly, with his acceptance and encouragement of death a rare trait, but in the eye of the very thing he’s always welcomed with open arms, he finds a new reason to live for: Yara. Her beauty, kind heart, and smart mouth have given him a new reason to live, and only as he accepts it his life is put on the line. Yara helps nurse him back to health, which proves to be a high point in their relationship until they reach the ultimate low. Quade’s inner demons come out to play, demons that he hasn’t relived since he lost the first woman to ever love him unconditionally—his mother. With his actions speaking louder than his words, Quade has to fight one of the toughest battles of his life with an enemy equally as lethal as he is. If he loses, he stands to lose the very woman to make him breathe again. Known jokingly to everyone as an aspiring Griselda Blanco, Cash starts making serious money moves. She’s got a distributor in her pocket, her clientele is expanding, and the styling business she’s been dreaming of is nearly ready to launch. Cash goes from being a kept woman to keeping up with the Joneses, and for everything she has, only one thing is missing: a relationship with Savion Townsend. In order to keep their situationship thriving, Cash piles one lie on top of the other to the point where she doesn’t know what the truth is anymore. And once those money moves turn bloody, Cash finds out exactly how ruthless the game can be when she goes from being the one holding the gun to the one staring down the barrel of it. The second installment of When a Heartless Thug Holds Me Close weaves a story of being stuck on the wrong side of love. Will Quade be able to mend his relationship with Yara? Can Cash command the game and Savion’s heart? And most importantly, when given the opportunity to start over with a man that offers everything Quade has without the baggage will Yara accept, or does her love for Quade run deeper than she imagined?

"After watching my mother be beaten in the name of love, I always dreamed of having my own perfect love story void of pain. One where my very own Prince Charming would sweep me off of my feet. And then I met Quade, who showed me that love should be everything but perfect.” Yara Samuels has experienced her fair share of hurt in life. Growing up in a home ridden with domestic violence, Yara was taught at a young age that if it isn’t painful, then it isn’t love. It takes watching her mother be beaten to death by her stepfather for young Yara to learn that love taps shouldn’t send you to the grave. All grown up, she searches for a man who knows how to love a woman with his heart and not his fists. After years of looking, Yara believes that she finds the embodiment of this philosophy in her boyfriend, Amir, until she discovers that while he may provide physical peace, the mental isn’t there. With her sense of self-worth challenged, Yara is content with loving Amir when Quade comes hurtling into her life. The youngest of the infamous Townsend Brothers, Quade isn’t your run-of-the-mill hustler. A walking oxymoron, Quade has a baby face with a heart bred cold courtesy of the streets. Quade has been given the gift of sticky fingers, a trap king philosophy, and a trigger finger that hasn’t missed a target yet. When his aim leads him straight into the path of Yara while in the midst of a hit, Quade's heart melts and he's drawn to the mysterious Yara, who for some reason unbeknownst to him, can't stand him. Never one to back down from a challenge, Quade pursues Yara with the same recklessness that he handles business, and it makes for the start of a memorable love affair. Beneath her expensive clothing and designer handbags, Yara's best friend, Cashmere, is a woman tired of being kept at the expense of her sanity. While putting on a brave face for the world, Cash hides her frustration with her boyfriend behind her Chanel sunglasses. There's nothing picture perfect about the couple, and with each of Vito’s antics worse than the last, Cash finds herself seeking a backup plan in the event that her days of being a hustler’s princess are cut short. When Cash is greeted with an opportunity to secure the bag, she jumps at it immediately and finds herself on the path to becoming the queenpin that the streets have been begging for. What's standing in her way? Savion Townsend. Cash has got it bad for one of the Townsend Brothers, but between forming her own empire and her complicated relationship with Vito, Cash has to decide if she's willing to risk it all in the name of love.

The cards have fallen where they may and in the final installment of When a Heartless Thug Holds Me Close, this true love story may come to a tragic ending if the Townsend Brothers are unable to dead their beef with the Assan Brothers once and for all. The confidence Yara restored in herself has come under fire after Ghetto’s vicious attack on her, leaving her body as well as her mind under duress. However, she doesn’t have to fight this uphill battle by herself because Quade is there for her, kissing her scars and healing old wounds that threatened to reopen. With the budding romance between her and Quade being placed in jeopardy, Yara returns the favor by becoming Quade’s solace throughout a war for the books. Her loyalty to Quade is enough to keep him from teetering over the edge, but when tragedy strikes the Townsend Brothers, Yara’s love might not be enough to tame Quade’s wild ways. Quade Townsend has always kissed death on the lips, played a game of tug-of-war with it, and thinks of it as a badge of honor to end his premature life. Fighting against the Assan Brothers has made him a friend of it as he gifts casualties of war over as fast as his deadly trigger finger can allow. But what happens when death stakes a claim to someone he loves and in return promises to return back for seconds after a bullseye has been planted on another? Quade finds himself trapped between guarding his life so he could have a future with Yara and sacrificing it for the sake of family. After making the decision with a heavy heart, Quade discovers that a new life is on the line and even if he manages to save it, his days with Yara will certainly be numbered. After being entangled in a bed of lies, Cash wakes up to the reality that her relationship with Savion is no longer salvageable. Her fears are confirmed after the betrayed Townsend Brother teaches her a hard lesson on the game she's never likely to forget. Cash quickly falls out of love with the game as she had once fell in love with it, vowing to go on the straight and narrow to pursue her styling business. She's finally achieved inner happiness at the thought of a life filled with normalcy when Savion returned offering her the opportunity of a lifetime. Unbeknownst to Cash, this deal comes with the return of an old flame that never quite ignited. Torn between a promising future with Mr. Right and her undeniable feelings for a heartless thug, Cash has to decide if she's going to go with her head or her heart.

Zeus Townsend has always held it together for his brothers. Being the oldest of four, Zeus was not only their older brother, but a father figure after the jailhouse murder of their father nearly fifteen years ago. However, with the Assan Brothers gone for good, Zeus is able to start building the life he sacrificed for the sake of holding his family down. Three years later, he has done exactly that: his position as connect has brought him wealth, he has the woman of his dreams by his side, and for the first time since he was younger, he's happy. Unfortunately for the eldest Townsend Brother, happiness can only be short lived. In a twist of events, Zeus’ blissful existence is ruined by a secret that was supposed to be taken to the grave. Forced to move on without the love of his life, Zeus is convinced that he’ll never love again until he meets the mysterious Quincy Burton. She's the best thing he never knew he needed, yet their connection goes deeper than between the sheets. She's an Assan Sister and while her intentions are pure, her bloodline isn’t. While Zeus focuses on starting over, his brother, Hasani, and sister-in-law, Gia, are newlyweds maneuvering marital problems made for veteran unions. When it comes to remaining faithful to his fiancée, Hasani Townsend has come a long way from the remorseless adulterer he once was. Too bad for him, his history is known to someone who threatens to not only take down his family, but ruin his marriage before it even begins. One drunken night at his bachelor party is the first nail in the coffin of their dying marriage. Two fatal gunshots change the trajectory of their entire relationship, placing a deep crack in an already shaky foundation. Three years of relationship building is destroyed at a discovery made by Hasani, causing him to wonder if he wasn’t the only one sneaking and creeping. However, for all of their marital lows, Hasani and Gia remain connected through their ability to push aside their issues and be the rock each other needs when life gets tough. But with all of their secrets and lies coming out, Hasani has to decide whether he's going to tough it out and remain with the woman he loves, or if it’s best to walk away. Born into the Luchesi Crime Family, Gianna Luchesi was raised with access to guns, money, and power. Instead of relying on her family name to create her legacy, Gia goes to medical school and uses her position as a front for her real job, which is running a lucrative arms business from New York City. While her position as an arms dealer brings her joy, Gia is constantly at odds with Hasani when it comes to her future. Hasani is supportive in every way possible, but aside from his past transgressions, he wants her to play it safe when the life she has chosen for herself is anything but. However, when an enemy targeting the Townsend Brothers places a bullseye on her back, Gia has no choice but to insert herself and everyone bearing her notorious last name into a war for the ages. Gia remains strong on the business side despite her personal life suffering. Her marriage to Hasani has taken several blows over a short amount of time due to enemies who wish to see her suffer, but when Gia discovers that the fatal blow was delivered by someone who was supposed to have her back, Gia has to save her marriage before Hasani throws in the towel. When a Heartless Thug Holds Me Close 4, a true love story, is filled with earth shattering secrets, volatile lies, and a reminder that like ghosts, real grudges never die.

A rising R&B superstar with a supportive boyfriend, wonderful friends, and the life she's always dreamed of, Myria has it all. What else does she have? A secret that could possibly unravel the life she's worked so hard to create. Just when everything couldn't get any more perfect, an old friend boards a plane to Miami to remind Myria that it's never right to forget where you came from. Will Myria be able to face her inner demons, or will they destroy her love and happiness? In a strange twist of fate, Janelle finds herself back in sunny Jamaica and embarking on a new journey with the handsome Donovan Copeland. With the idea of falling in love and living happily ever after becoming a bright possibility, Janelle has to face a few of her own demons. The biggest one? The secret that caused her to seek revenge on Dom. Will she be able to mend her broken heart, or will the Ice Queen, Janelle, decide that her throne is more important? With his mental health at 100%, the King of Miami, Dom Haveras has the loving Myria by his side and Miami in the palm of his hand. Life is sweet, but it suddenly turns sour when the Ice Queen makes a snow filled return, promising to wreak havoc on him because of a common secret they share. Knowing that no love is lost between himself and Janelle, Dom finds it hard to convince a skeptical Myria when him and Janelle find themselves in an awkward situation. After proving to Myria that Janelle is nothing but a piece of the past, Dom realizes that the problem isn't whether or not he's ready to be Myria's King. It's if she's ready to be his Queen? With secrets threatening to spill from left and right, Myria and Janelle find unsuspecting allies in one another, with each twin saving the other more times then they'll ever be able to repay. However, despite playing on the same team, each woman has her own reservations. For Janelle, it's whether or not Myria will be able to accept her for who she truly is. And what Myria wants to know is simple. Will Janelle always be Grimey?

Still battling the grief of losing her parents, Heart is one of the youngest kingpins running the streets and she uses her power to start a war with Spade. Just like her name, Heart only sees red as she tears through the streets knocking down Spade’s pawns like only a real queen would. However, with her soldiers dropping left and right, Heart is forced to take on an unlikely ally: her long lost cousin, Ace. Cunning and mysterious, Ace takes on a new identity and finds himself breaking bread with Spade, his father and enemy. The road to hell isn’t easy, but he soon discovers that in Spade’s world it’s called Headquarters, a large building in the middle of the hood holding the secrets to Spade’s organization. Forced to wear two faces, Ace teeters the blurred lines of being the faithful soldier and the scorned son. Bitter and angered by her sudden replacement, Diamond’s eyes are only set on revenge: revenge for the embarrassment of being tossed aside by Spade, revenge for being replaced with someone younger and prettier, and most importantly, revenge for her love being rejected by Spade. With a new alliance formed with King and Ace, Diamond may have the key to Spade’s undoing or possibly the last piece of her undoing. Once one of the most respected lieutenants in the hood, King has been exiled and not only has his pride been stolen from him, but a piece of him that can't be replaced. As King comes to term with this sudden life change, he wonders if his condition will ruin any chance he had of reuniting with Heart or will he be able to his queen rule the streets as her king? Once divided by separate goals, Heart, King, Diamond and Ace have now come together to right the wrongs caused by the king of the streets, Spade. Will they be able to overthrow Spade or will he defeat them again and this time have no mercy?

Heartbroken over the demise of her relationship with Savant, Moe struggles to go back to life before him, finding it easier said than done. Hovering between bouts of depression and attempts of promiscuity, Moe is convinced that she’ll never find another man to care for her the way Savant did. Until she meets the mysterious Onyx and discovers that she has a debt to settle. Forced to work off her debt, Moe discovers a new life in the drug trade that small cons never afforded her. For the first time in her life, she works for her money, and it feels good. But, as usual, with more money comes more problems. Moe has to juggle being a big sister to a difficult Roni, a shoulder to lean on for an incarcerated Damaris, and discovering a normal life with Juju. And just when she thinks she has it under control, the opportunity to reclaim the love of her life pops up with a cost larger than any dollar amount. Hailing from Jamaican royalty, Johann “Onyx” Walcott is a beast in the streets and in the boardroom. A successful connect by day and prominent club owner by night, Onyx lives the life many would envy enough to steal from it, which is what happens when Moe walks into First Continental Bank and robs him of his attaché case containing a quarter of a million dollars. It doesn’t take him long to find her, and when he does, he discovers that a beautiful face and cold heart lie behind her ski mask. Instead of killing her, Onyx turns Moe into a ruthless runner, who wreaks havoc on the streets and slowly builds a name for herself. Onyx soon learns that there is more to Moe than meets the eye and finds himself slowly falling for her, but he’s wondering in the back of his head if she was true to the game or simply playing it because the price was right. Connected by a contract to Onyx while remaining loyal to her feelings for Savant, Moe is stuck in an emotional tug of war, finding herself in a situation that money can't solve. And when an opportunity to be free of Onyx presents itself, she has to decide if she's ready to give up the fast money for love, or pledge her allegiance to the dead presidents.