Emily Stevens (27)—Heroine in the series. She is Brandon Senior’s newly appointed secretary. Learned after landing her new job that the one-night stand she had the night before turns out to be her boss’s son Shane Brandon. Emily has secrets and she’s running. But Shane will not let her run from him. During Hard Rules, the two had a lot of push and pull about their relationship, his family, and her secrets.
Shane Brandon (32)—Hero of the series. Shane Brandon is the only one with a moral compass in his family. The good one. The one willing to risk everything to play this game on the up-and-up and keep his brother from ruining the family empire, Brandon Enterprises, by getting in bed with the Martina family drug cartel. But Shane is treading on thin ice as he brings his legacy back from the brink of corruption. He is also dealing with Emily Stevens. A woman who breaks through his defenses and brings an innocence to his life that he can’t have as a distraction. He wants and needs to protect her, possess her, and be worthy of her. She is already making him a better man and keeping him grounded. But she has secrets, and she could be the one to ultimately send his world crumbling harder than he ever anticipated.
Derek Brandon (37)—The older brother. While he’s brilliant and good-looking, his greed for power drives him to make rash decisions. He and Shane were close as kids, but once they became adults and Shane joined Brandon Enterprises, that shifted. Everything became about who would control the empire. Derek has gotten the family corporation into bed with the Martina drug cartel, and Shane will do everything in his power to stop his brother.
Maggie Brandon—Shane and Derek’s mother. Seemingly befriending Emily, yet we are uncertain about her ultimate motives concerning the current struggle between her sons for control over Brandon Enterprises. Married to David Brandon (Brandon Senior). Maggie is having an affair with Mike Rogers, a shareholder in Brandon Enterprises.
David Brandon—The head of Brandon Enterprises and the Brandon family. Father to Derek and Shane. Husband to Maggie. He is dying of cancer but wants to leave a legacy and hold on to control of Brandon Enterprises as long as possible. He’s a bastard and pushes Shane and Derek in all the wrong ways. He is gruff, cold, and hard at every turn. He enjoys watching his sons battle for power. It entertains him.
Seth Cage (35)—Shane’s right-hand man. Ex-CIA. Shane hired Seth, away from their firm in New York to help clean up a mess for his family, and from there Seth remained on Shane’s personal payroll, as well as taking up the role of head of security at Brandon Enterprises.
Jessica (29)—Shane’s assistant. Ever the loyal employee, she followed him from New York and becomes friends with Emily as Emily starts to work as Brandon Senior’s assistant. Jessica’s job knows no bounds, she helps Shane with everything from securing a new apartment to keeping an eye on Brandon Senior and Derek when Shane is not in the office to relaying any curious goings-on.
Eric Knight—A friend of Shane’s from college who is a brilliant surgeon and has squeaky-clean morals. Eric is the doctor of the patient who was running her mouth about Brandon Pharmaceuticals (BP, part of Brandon Enterprises) being the distributor for an undetectable performance-enhancing drug that her Major League Baseball–player husband is taking. Eric brings this news to Shane, causing Shane to take action.
Adrian Martina—The son of the Mexican cartel leader Roberto Martina. Runs the US side of the operations. He has some sort of relationship with Derek Brandon, the extent of which is not fully known yet. Brother to Teresa Martina, who is sleeping with Derek.
Teresa Martina—Sister to Adrian. Sleeping with Derek. Bartender at Martina’s Casa.
Randy—Security guard of the building where the Brandon Enterprises offices are located. Emily and Shane have a conversation with him over her missing cell phone. Keeps Shane updated on his father’s activities.
Mike Rogers—Sits on the board of Brandon Enterprises. Holds 20 percent of its stock and owns a professional basketball team. Key player in the hedge fund as well. Has a lot to lose if Brandon Enterprises were to shut down their investment division. His company, Rogers Athletics, is one of the proposed investments for the hedge fund. When Seth and Shane try to pull dirt on the board members so they will swing their way in a vote for power of the company, Seth cannot find anything substantial on Mike. Mike is having an affair with Maggie Brandon.
Rick Morgan—Emily’s brother. Is aware of her secrets and why she is hiding. He’s very hard to get in touch with, and his silence and evasiveness make Emily nervous.
Lana Smith—A brilliant scientist and businessperson at Brandon Pharmaceuticals. She wants Shane and has caused him trouble in the past. She hid weed in his car and almost cost him his attendance at Harvard. She is still trying to get close to him now, and caused a slight rift between him and Emily in Hard Rules.
Nick Snyder—Knows Seth from their CIA/FBI days. Saved Seth’s life, and now Seth has brought him to Shane so Nick can help get to the bottom of the true involvement of the Martina cartel in Brandon Enterprises. Confirms that Brandon Enterprises’ trucking division is already distributing cocaine. Is going to help Shane and Seth figure out how to maneuver a takedown and extricate the company out of the hold of the Martina cartel.