Thorns And Roses [Rewriting]

The night her father loses a drunken bet, Lizbeth Ariana Robin is handed over like collateral. One reckless choice is all it takes to turn her from a daughter with a future into the price of his mistake.

Handed over to settle a lost bet, Lizbeth is dragged into the orbit of Pablo Ramos, an Italian mafia boss whose name is spoken carefully and whose patience is measured in bullets.

Then she meets Dwayne Hickman.

At twenty-one, Dwayne keeps his distance like a locked door. He watches, he withholds, and whatever happened before Lizbeth met him has left its mark in the way he carries himself-tight-jawed, guarded, and always one step away from disappearing.

She is caught in a bargain she never agreed to.
He is still living with the aftermath of a past he won't name.

When their paths collide, will they be able to pull each other out-or will the lives closing in around them drag them both under?