My husband and I adopted a girl from the slums. I taught her how to shoot, how to fight, how to read people. I molded her into one of the most capable operators in our organization. Cole said she had my fire, the same untamed spirit I’d had when we first met. He spoiled her rotten. But at the victory dinner tonight, Maya, our adopted daughter, knew I had a severe shellfish allergy. Still, she placed a grilled shrimp in my bowl, her smile all sugar. "Cassie, you know, if you just eat it a few times, the allergy might go away," she said, her voice light. "Besides, my dog loves to copy people." She gestured to the massive Cane Corso lying at her feet. "If you don't eat it, he'll learn not to eat it. And I can't stand picky eaters." The table, filled with our top lieutenants, erupted in sycophantic laughter. Cole just reached over and tweaked her nose playfully. "You're just as bossy as your mother was," he said, turning to me. "Come on, Cassie. Eat the shrimp. Set a good example for the dog." A cold smile touched my lips. I'd been too soft for too long if he thought he could say something like that to me. 1 This wasn't the first time Maya had tested my boundaries. The girl's wings had grown strong. It was time they were clipped. I took a slow, deliberate sip of my iced tea. "Bring me the young lady's dog," I said to my guard, my voice quiet but carrying across the suddenly silent room. My men dragged the Cane Corso, a beast larger than a full-grown man, to the center of the floor. It took four of them to hold him down. At an auction last year, Maya had merely glanced at the dog. Cole, in a grand gesture to delight his "darling daughter," dropped three million dollars on it without a second thought. The animal snarled at me, baring a row of yellowed teeth. One of my men kicked it squarely in the jaw, and a tooth went flying across the polished marble. Cole extinguished his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. He walked over and cupped my face, his tone laced with a condescending playfulness. "Cassandra. Are you angry? We were just teasing you." I brushed his hand away, my eyes like chips of ice. I nodded to my men. "Beat it," I ordered. "If you kill it, it's on my tab." I turned to watch the color drain from Maya's face. "Someone filed a complaint with me yesterday," I said conversationally. "They said your dog snatched a steak right out of their bowl. Then, it ran over to the neighbor's kennel and screwed the dog next door's husband." I paused, letting the words hang in the air. "Maya, darling. It seems your dog really does love to copy people. The only question is… who is it learning from?" Her face went from white to a blotchy, furious red. She dropped to her knees in front of me. "Mom, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'll train General better, I promise." Her voice was a desperate plea. "They're going to kill him. Please, Mom, make them stop." Cole, who had been listening to my thinly veiled insults, remained silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "Cassie. Tell your men to stop. Don't make this ugly." I've never responded well to threats. I pulled the sleek pistol from the holster at my back, aimed it at the dog, and pulled the trigger. "No!" Maya screamed, lunging forward. The bullet grazed her cheek, leaving a thin red line. A second later, a neat, dark hole appeared in the center of the Cane Corso's skull. It collapsed without another sound. That dog had bitten me on more than one occasion, always tearing a piece of flesh from my arm or leg. It always happened when I got too close to Cole, a low growl serving as its only warning. And every time, Maya would cover her mouth with her hand to hide a small smile, nestle into Cole's arms, and then reward the beast with a piece of expensive jerky. It had gotten to the point where the dog would lunge for my throat on sight. If she wouldn't discipline it, I would handle it for her. Maya cradled the dog's lifeless head, her body shaking with sobs. Cole grabbed my wrist, his eyes blazing with a fury I hadn't seen in years. His grip was crushing; I felt the delicate bones grind together. "She's our daughter, Cassie! Why did you have to make such a scene?" he hissed. "She's young, she makes mistakes! What is wrong with you, picking a fight with your own child?" When we brought Maya back from that forgotten corner of the city, she was so small and thin we thought she was thirteen, maybe fourteen. We showered her with affection. We only found out later that she was just two years younger than me, far from the innocent child we'd imagined. I extricated my wrist from his grip, my voice dangerously calm. "She's young? You know better than anyone that isn't true." I leaned in closer. "To those who know, it looks like you're raising a daughter. To everyone else, it looks like you're keeping a mistress. What do you think, Cole?" His handsome features tightened into a knot, his eyes darkening to pools of ink. "Cassie, if it weren't for me, you'd still be selling yourself on a street corner." A familiar, cold spike of pain shot through my chest, but I forced a laugh. I met his gaze, my voice light and dismissive. "And Cole, if it weren't for me, you'd still be a helpless wreck, unable to even control your own bladder." 2 Cole’s pupils contracted. My words seemed to sober him up instantly. His gaze fell to the angry red marks on my wrist, and a flicker of regret crossed his face. When he spoke again, his voice was a raw, hoarse whisper. "Take the dog's body outside. Feed it to the strays," he commanded his men. "From now on, anything that upsets my wife is to be disposed of." The harshness of his tone startled Maya. She flinched, pulling her hands back as my men unceremoniously dragged the massive corpse away. She fought to hold back her tears, and I saw Cole's own eyes redden with sympathy for her. I was tired of watching them. I picked up my cane and turned to leave. This leg… this was from the ambush years ago. Cole had been cornered. I crashed the enemy's compound, found him, and carried him on my back for seven days and seven nights while we fled. A bullet shattered my kneecap. I'd walked with a limp ever since. That night, after we'd finally made it to safety, he'd whispered in my ear, "Cassie, you're the bravest woman I've ever known." Usually, if I walked off like this, Cole would rush to my side, offering his arm for support. This time, he stayed right where he was, standing guard over Maya. By the time I reached the villa, a thin layer of sweat coated my skin. That evening, Maria, our housekeeper, stormed into my study, her face flushed with anger. "Ma'am, Mr. Harrison just signed over all your Bayview properties to Miss Maya." She wrung her hands. "He knows your mother left those to you…" I said nothing. I was looking at my phone, at a video Maya had sent me. They were having dinner at the main Bayview villa. In the video, one of Cole’s business partners was suggesting a marriage alliance with Maya. Even as an adopted daughter, we treated her as our own and had already given her control of several business arms. And since I couldn't have children, there would be no biological heir to challenge her inheritance. Maya refused the offer with a smile. "No, a matter like that can't be taken lightly." She looked at Cole, her eyes full of a disturbing adoration. The next moment, she leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to his cheek. "The only one I'm interested in is my father," she announced to the table. "I'm officially going to start pursuing him." Amid the ensuing laughter, Maya leaned in closer, aiming for Cole’s lips. I counted silently in my head. Three, two, one. He didn't pull away. I closed the phone, fighting the bile rising in my throat. I turned to Maria. "Arrange a car for me to Bayview," I said. "And a small team from the Ravens." The weather outside was turning, a heavy gloom settling over the estate. My knee began to throb with a dull, familiar ache. I had my men position themselves out of sight, with orders to move only on my command. The dinner party was still in full swing when I arrived. Through a window, I watched as Maya carelessly popped a piece of piping hot baked cheese into her mouth. She yelped, tears instantly springing to her eyes. Without a word, Cole held his hand out in front of her, palm up. "Spit it out," he said simply. Maya’s eyes went wide as she stared at him, stunned. Cole sighed, then used two fingers to pry open her mouth, retrieving the scalding food himself. I watched the entire exchange, and the block of ice in my chest grew heavier. There was probably only one woman in the world he would do that for, and it was Maya. I pushed the door open and stared them down, my face a cold mask. Cole’s face went pale. His voice was unsteady. "Cassie… what are you doing here? Didn't I schedule a physical therapist to work on your leg tonight?" Maya, however, met my gaze without flinching, a defiant challenge in her eyes. It was the same look I used to have, back in the day. A predator's glare. No wonder Cole was so fond of her. "You should have just given him to me a long time ago, Mom," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. Before the last word left her mouth, a flash of silver cut through the air. 3 A sharp, piercing pain erupted in my shoulder. The short blade was buried deep in my flesh. It was a beautiful, jade-handled dagger I had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Who knew I was raising a viper? Blood began to soak through the fabric of my blouse. Cole’s eyes widened in horror, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Cassie, why didn't you move? Your leg is bad, but you could have dodged that. You know you could have!" he stammered. "Everyone in the organization knows the legend of 'Nightshade.' Maya was just sparring with you. How have you gotten so slow?" He was right. How had I gotten so slow? The year I turned twenty-five, I was pregnant with Cole’s child. I was nearly full-term when I was kidnapped. Cole nearly lost his mind. He threw away all caution, storming the enemy compound alone to rescue me. They’d captured me only to lure him in. They injected him with a cocktail of neurotoxins and threw us both in a damp basement to die. He was curled up behind a pile of crates, his eyes vacant, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth as he mumbled, "scared… so scared…" My heart seized in my chest; I could barely breathe. Ignoring the sharp, contracting pains in my abdomen, I gritted my teeth and knelt beside him, taking his trembling hand in mine. "Cole, we're leaving." I shielded my stomach with one arm and turned, letting my back take the brunt of the bullets as his captors found us. The searing pain dropped me to my knees. The last thing I remember was shoving him into a service elevator and hitting the button for the roof, where I knew our evac team was waiting. When I woke up, he had no memory of the event. He couldn't even control his own body, no better than a broken invalid. And I… I was no longer pregnant. My body was weak from the blood loss and the miscarriage. But he remembered nothing, didn't even know we had lost a child. There was a time we would have died for each other. I never imagined a love like that could be so fleeting. I suppressed my rage. "The Bayview properties are my line in the sand," I said, my voice tight. "And Maya is old enough now. It’s not appropriate for her to live with us anymore. She has her own assets. It's time to send her away." He rubbed his temples, a look of weary frustration on his face. Ignoring my demands, he waved his hand. "Someone take my wife downstairs, have a doctor look at that wound, and then send her home to rest." I frowned, staring at him as if he were a complete stranger. Cole, I don't even recognize you anymore. The men who escorted me out had been bought by Maya. They had no intention of taking me home. They sealed my mouth with duct tape, bound my hands, and threw me into a small storage closet. Maya appeared in the doorway, a triumphant smile on her face as she looked down at me. "You once taught me, Mom, that the strong don't rely on weapons. They rely on being ruthless and knowing the right moment to strike." She pressed the jade-handled dagger to my neck. "How am I doing so far?" "You also taught me to go after what I want," she purred. "So I slipped Dad a little something in his drink. You just stay in here and have a good listen." The sharp edge of the blade broke my skin. The scent of my own blood seemed to excite her. My Ravens, my personal guards, were ready to move in, but I held them back with a look. Cole, I want to see just how far you've fallen. 4 A few minutes later, I heard the main door open. Cole strode in, looking confused when he saw Maya in his room. "Maya, what are you doing here? Go back to your own room." Maya wrapped her arms around his neck. "Dad, I miss General so much. He always sleeps with me. Don't make me leave tonight, please?" She kissed the hollow of his throat. "Dad, your skin is so hot." Her hands slid under his shirt, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. Cole's eyes clouded over with a haze of lust. His voice was like sandpaper, rough and strained. "Maya, what am I going to do with you? You shouldn't be tempting me like this." He lifted her chin, his mouth crashing down on hers. I listened to the sounds from the closet, and my heart turned to stone. I raised a hand to my cheek and felt the cold dampness of tears I hadn't even realized I'd shed. Maya grew bolder, her hands fumbling with his belt. The moment the buckle sprang open, a deafening crack of thunder shook the villa. Cole froze. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. "It's storming," he gasped. "Cassie's terrified of storms. And you stabbed her today… I have to go check on her." He bent down, scooping up his clothes and wrapping them around Maya. "You should get some sleep." Then, without another glance, he turned and left. Maya's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white with fury. She wrenched open the closet door. "Happy now? He still cares about you." I had already worked my hands free. I was calmly massaging the red welts the ropes had left on my wrists, a cold, mocking smile on my face. "Why would I be happy? Because I realized I picked a venomous snake for a daughter? Or because Cole didn't go all the way with you? He had his pants off, Maya. Does the final step really matter at that point?" The scales of his heart had already tipped. They would never be balanced in my favor again. What I wanted was his unwavering choice, his absolute devotion, not the guilt and sense of responsibility he tossed my way after weighing his options. I stared at her, my eyes frigid. "Maya, do you remember what I told you when I first took you in? Betrayal has a price. And the price is death." My men had already surrounded the entire estate. The main doors burst open with explosive force, and dozens of my Ravens, clad in black tactical gear, flooded the villa like a dark tide. They had Maya restrained in seconds. Her face was ashen, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How… how are you connected to the Ravens?" I ignored her, giving a single command to my captain. "Take the young lady back to the main house." I had a score to settle with both of them. And I was going to do it together. We hadn't even reached the house when I heard shouting from inside. It was Cole, roaring with a rage I had rarely witnessed. "Get out! Who the hell let you in here?" Then, a clear, lazily arrogant voice replied, "But Cassie promised she'd make me her boy-toy."
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