Case

g my knuckles in a gesture that was once comfo

gned guilt. "I should have been paying more attention. I' ve been so di

to my forehead. "You must be terrifi

ated move in his twisted game. He wanted me broken, dependent, and grateful for his salvation. H

amiliar, derelict factory on the outskirts of the city, a

dly his own mother wouldn' t have recognized him. He w

me. I had never seen him before in my lif

s no recognition in it, only a dazed confusion. Then his gaze shi

a trickle of blood running from the

rouched down, forcing me to look at the broken man.

a deadly whisper. "You put your hands on my woman. Yo

man on the chair started to struggle, his eyes wide with terro

le as Conrad plunged the knife into his throat.

urned to me, a sickeningly gentle smile on his face. Blood was sp

had just presented me with a gift. He wiped the bloody kn

e a calm command. "Make him pay

This was insane. This was a performance, a sick, bloody pag

ded my hand, forcing the blade deep into the dying man' s chest. Once. Twice

s body

against his chest as the sun began to set, cast

t my temple. "We' re better when we' re together. Don' t ever try

g my face. His thumbs gently wiped away t

se. As long as you' re a good girl and stay by my side, I

nguage one uses with a pet, not a partner. The eight years we' d spent building an empire

fying thing I had ever seen. He let one hand drift down f

ed, his voice soft. "I hop

dy reality of the past hour, that I physically recoiled. I stumble

about

ought this... this grotesque display o

red, my voice barely a whisper. "It'

id, wrapping my arms around

pping perfectly back into place. "Of co

lancing at it, a small smile playing on his lips. When we

te meeting my eyes. "A mess I need to cle

on my cheek. He frowned slightly but didn' t push it. As he got o

ge from

ad. I miss you. C

road, covered in a stranger' s

clear my head. The city lights blurred around me. Each step was a testament to my foolishnes

ilding, my legs were aching and my soul was num

key, a sharp pain explod

ck for the third t

being sharpened. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. The

rehouse. Duller, dirtie

chair, was Eliana. Her face was p

nst his thumb. Jefferson Gonzalez. The head of the rival Gonzalez cartel. A man

ged in. Two for the price of one." He smirked, a cruel, ugly thing. "Jensen' s been a real tho

o me. His gaze dropped to our stomachs. A s

en busy." He chuckled, a low, guttural sound. "He' s

linting in the dim light. He cut her

aming down her perfect face. "Please

He reached out and ripped the front of her

he ropes that bound my wrists against a sharp piece of metal jutting out

rembling, but with an undercurrent of s

ed out. "You hav

ed, turning t

nobody! I' m just a student! She' s Alana Casey, Conrad' s COO! His right hand!

but I was frozen in place, staring at the girl who

one Conrad took last week? She' s the one who gave the order! I heard them talki

agile art student was a viper. A liar. And she had

g on me with a renewed, murderous fury. "

asn' t a distraction. She was a weapon. And sh