pte

es of th

n his hand, though she was long gone from the room. The candle had burned to a stub. Its w

tability. Rules had been altered by Isa. She'd stopped seducing him and started confessing, in fragments. Every whis

r Isa nev

, almost royal but almost forgotten. Not part of any known intelligence network. Not government. Not mercenary. Older. Secret. The kind of organization that is feared by whispers. His communication was still working. With a single word, the room would be filled with agents. He had not, however, called them

ow. No movement. Still,

d survival. She was more than just a product. She embodied its legacy. He couldn't protect her from what was coming. But

his jacket's lining. Not for t

r h

as ageless in that dangerous way beautiful women grow when they trade warmth for power. Second-in-command to Isa, the legendary founder of Maison Rouge, Celi

g into Isa's orbit like a summer storm. Before Celine's ambition split them apart, they were once pas

ooks, the threats, the blackmail contracts, and when necessary, the bodies. Maison Rouge was a house of secrets dressed in lac

ne but by what she had not done, and there were nights when she stayed awake in her penthouse suite above the maison. She told herself that control was at stake. that someone like her was necessary for Isa's rise. That jealousy was simply a too

sess

lient-a senator with a taste for humiliation-the private salon was dimly lit, and laughter

ticed even the most stingy customers to give tips. Isa was smiling-really smiling. The crooked, intimate grin s

fice, closed the door, and poured herself a drink she didn't

came knocking. "She's promising," Isa said, leaning against th

hen you'd be wise to remem

e dramatic, Celine. She's tale

rming. She was already performing in the VIP lounges, already catching

slowly but dangerously increased. Files that used to come to Celine's desk were now delivered to Ar

poise, jealousy

tairs hallway landed on her desk. Arielle, on the arm of a known operative

ould be nothing. Or it could be the kind of

screen long after

dn't go

, Arielle found a handwritten

t. East Garden. Be

came. The girl w

he darkness as Celine waited in the shadows. At first, she

u're doing," Cel

her head. "I'm

practiced. "Is this about Isa? Or is this related to you? Celine came up close enough to smell her perfume as

sound

ispered. "I'm just no longer

held, sharp

hurt me," I said. Celine smiled faintly. "You don

at. After that, select who will be playing. Then she turn

r, wars in Maison Rouge we