Between Lies and Love
by @kinkycortMaya Cardenas has her father’s reputation but none of his power—until her crew of misfits, including a paranoid hacker and a debt-ridden street racer, accidentally steals from the most dangerous crime syndicate in the city. Instead of running, Maya decides to take over, climbing the underworld one heist at a time. But as secrets about her father’s disappearance surface, a relentless detective closes in, and the one person she shouldn’t trust starts becoming impossible to ignore, Maya must decide whether she’s building an empire or walking into the same trap that destroyed him.
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Maya Cardenas
Maya is the leader of the crew, sharp-minded, ambitious, and impossible to ignore. She grew up in the shadow of her father’s criminal reputation and spends most of her life trying to prove she’s more than his legacy. She’s brave, strategic, and charismatic, but her biggest weakness is that she hates feeling powerless. That need to stay in control makes her dangerous in the best moments and reckless in the worst.
Riley Kwanw
Riley is the crew’s hacker and tech expert, brilliant enough to crack systems most people wouldn’t even know how to approach. She is quiet, observant, and hard to read, with a dry sense of humor and a habit of saying exactly what everyone else is thinking. She rarely trusts people quickly, but once she does, she’s fiercely loyal. Riley is the one most likely to notice when something doesn’t add up.
Lucian Vale
Lucian is the one who complicates everything. He’s calm, polished, and unnervingly good at reading people, which makes him valuable to the crew and suspicious at the same time. He has ties to the syndicate, though the exact nature of those ties stays unclear for a long time. Lucian’s connection to Maya becomes dangerous because he genuinely cares about her, even while hiding the truth.
Jax Moreno
Jax is the getaway driver, the one who thrives under pressure and treats danger like a game until it gets too real. He’s cocky, fast-talking, and usually the first to crack a joke when the situation gets tense. Under that easy confidence, though, he’s carrying debt and fear he doesn’t talk about. Jax keeps the crew moving, both literally and emotionally.
Detective Elara Quinn
Elara is the relentless investigator closing in on the crew. She is smart, methodical, and difficult to manipulate because she trusts evidence more than charm. Unlike many law enforcement characters, she isn’t just hunting them for the sake of power—she genuinely believes something bigger is going on. That makes her a serious threat, because she can see patterns others miss.
Victor Sorrento
Victor is the powerful head of the syndicate the crew keeps colliding with. He’s calculated, patient, and far more dangerous than the loud kind of villain because he never wastes energy on threats he doesn’t need to make. He knows how to buy loyalty, break it, and weaponize secrets. Victor represents the world Maya is trying to rise through, but he expects everyone in it to eventually become corrupt.
Seren Knox
Seren is the former elite academy student turned crew muscle. She was trained in structure, discipline, and control, but something happened that got her thrown out, and she refuses to explain it fully. Seren is intense, loyal in her own way, and highly suspicious of anyone who seems too comfortable with chaos. She often clashes with Maya because both of them want to lead, just in very different ways.
Roman Cardenas
Roman is Maya’s father, the legendary thief whose disappearance still shapes the entire story. His legacy is everywhere: in the crew’s reputation, in the city’s underworld, and in the questions nobody wants to answer. Whether he vanished, betrayed someone, or was forced into hiding becomes one of the biggest mysteries in the book. He should feel like a ghost haunting every major choice Maya makes.
Tess Harrow
Tess is the crew’s lookout and logistics person, the one who keeps track of safe houses, routes, contacts, and timing. She doesn’t need the spotlight, but without her, nothing works. Tess is practical, calm, and observant, with a very grounded way of seeing the world. She often acts as the moral center of the group, even when she doesn’t say much.
Nico Serrin
Nico is a useful wildcard: charming, useful, and just a little too good at being where he’s needed. He can be a fence, informant, or secondary fixer depending on how you want the plot to go. The crew never fully knows whether Nico is helping them for money, friendship, or a larger hidden agenda. That uncertainty makes him perfect for betrayal or redemption.
Mara DeLuca
Mara is the crew’s connection to the inside world of the syndicate or upper criminal network. She’s intelligent, elegant, and dangerous in a subtle way, the kind of person who can smile while shifting the balance of power in a room. Mara should feel like someone who knows everyone’s secrets and uses them carefully. She works especially well if you want more intrigue and layered alliances.
EXPLORE CHAPTERS
The Wrong Ledger
Maya pries the safe door open in the back room of a dingy accountant’s office, the crew silent behind her except for the soft, uneven sounds of breathing. She expects cash, maybe documents, maybe some
The Man with the Spade
Maya’s boots hit the third-floor landing just as a door slams somewhere below, the sound cracking through the stairwell like a gunshot. Jax freezes mid-step, one hand braced against the railing, his e
The Wait
Maya’s thumb is still pressed to the serpent crest when the man below speaks again—not a threat, but her father’s name, said like he expects an answer. Jax’s hand goes to his belt. Riley goes perfectl
The Garage
Maya steps through the garage bay door, the smell of grease and gasoline thick in the air, and finds Dante wiping his hands on a rag like he's been expecting her. Riley hangs back near the tool bench,
The Disturbed Room
Maya steps through the safehouse door and stops before the lock clicks shut—the chair by the window is turned toward the door instead of the street, and the drawer where she keeps the burner phones si