Richard's POVA sharp beep cut through the silence.I exhaled slowly, blinking at my phone as it vibrated on the nightstand. An unknown number.My gut tightened.I reached for it, swiping the screen open, and a single audio file appeared. No message. No sender name. Just the recording.I hesitated for a second before pressing play.The moment the voices filled the room, my grip on the phone tightened.“Adam Mich killed my parents. I was eighteen and had just paid them a visit in a long time. Then it happened. My dad got a call, and it wasn't looking nice. Then he hid me in the closet, and somehow, I must have pressed a button and got out through the back door…”I knew that voice. That sounded exactly like…Elizabeth.“I heard the gunshots, Lily.”“I'm so sorry,” another voice followed.“The police couldn't do anything. By the time I found Lance, as my dad had said, The house was in flames. They found my dad's body, but my mom's…”“Hey,” the other lady spoke.“I'm fine. I'm just a littl
Richard’s POVI glared at Lance, my eyes boring into him, daring him to say something stupid. He didn’t. Smart choice.With a snap of my fingers, my bodyguards moved instantly. One opened the car door while another shielded me, scanning the surroundings like good little soldiers. I slid into the backseat smoothly, the familiar scent of leather and my cologne wrapping around me.I left the door open.Lance stood there like a lost dog, his hands buried in his pockets, hesitating.I exhaled sharply. “Get in and stop looking like an idiot.”He blinked, then climbed inside, shutting the door behind him.The car remained still, the streetlights outside flickering against the tinted windows, casting shadows over Lance’s tense face. I didn’t look at him.I sighed, controlling my temper and removed my phone from my coat pocket and tossed it on his lap."Why are you giving me this?" He asked.I looked at him and shook my head. "The recording. I need to know who sent it."Lance glanced at the un
General POVLily groaned, waking up and sat up in her bed, running the sleep from her eyes. She checked her phone, sighing as she read the time. It was 7:02 AM.“Too damn early,” Lily hissed and fell back in bed.She had spent half the night tossing happily, thinking about Elizabeth. “Oh, Lizzy. I want to see how far you can go,” she said laughing.She sighed and climbed out of bed stretching like a car and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed a pan, ready to fry some eggs, when the doorbell rang.“Huh? Who the hell is that?” Her mind sang and the doorbell rang again.Ding-dong.Lily walked to the door, angry that her breakfast was going to be delayed.She wasn't expecting anyone. Especially not this early. Not ever.Her mind raced. “Maybe, it's Elizabeth.”A wicked smirk appeared on her face and she halted.“So, the princess had finally cracked, huh? Probably here to beg for my help,” Lily said, smiling.She loved it when people begged for her help. It made her feel powerful.She ran
Richard's POV:“I got the tape,” I said and she turned pale.Her mouth opened and I smiled.“But… I…” she stammered.I leaned closer and introduced myself. “I’m Richard. Adam's older brother.”She didn't move.Was this the lady who wanted to make a deal with Elizabeth? She wasn't as tough as I expected. She probably did it out of jealousy.“Y…you're Richard?” Shs asked and I nodded.“The Richard Mich,” she repeated.“You seem to have a hearing problem,” I answered.“Oh my God,” she said. “I'm so sorry. That shouldn't have ever gotten to y…”I interrupted, tired of her blabbering. “I appreciate that you did. Which is why I want to make you an offer?”“Are you ready for it?” I asked.Her eyes became teary and she looked funny as she struggled to keep the tears from flowing.“I…I'm sorry,” she whispered. “Please don't hurt me.”“Oh, don't worry. I won't. If you do what I want,” I answered.She started pleading. “I swear I'll do anything.”“Funnyz you sounded much bolder on the tape,” I s
Adam's POVMy phone buzzed. Another call from a contact in the cartel. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to ease my tiredness.There was always something urgent. Always someone wanting a piece of something they couldn’t afford.I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any fights and money issues tonight. Not after today's bloody fight and everything that had already been spilled. But that’s how it worked. You deal with the devil, you don’t get to turn your back when he calls.“Yeah?” I answered coldly, my eyes scanning the paperwork on the desk. I didn’t even care what he was saying. I already knew the answer. More products. More deals. I’d send my guys to handle it.That’s when the knock came.I frowned, my eyes snapping to the door. My men knew better. No one should be bothering me right now.But they did.One of my guys came in, holding a plain brown package. No return address. Just a stamp.I raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question. The man hesitated.“You gonna open it, boss?” he
Elizabeth’s POVI got out of the cab at the side of the street. Lily's house was just ten steps away. I paid the driver and walked down to her house.I should leave.My entire being wasn't against it. I wasn't supposed to be here.Maybe Lily had changed her mind. But...she had never gone that far before. I wanted to talk to her. If someone Was threatening her, I could help her out.She had no idea what being in the Mich’s life would be like. I noticed the porch light flicker and I raised my hand to knock. Only it was open.Before I could push it open, Lily appeared looking pale and tense.“Are you okay?” I asked, staring at her brown eyes. She pulled me inside and checked the area before slamming and bolting the door shut.“What's going on?” I asked but she remained quiet.“Lily!” I called.“Shh,” she said, placing a finger on her lip. “Don't say anything. Follow me.”My spirit didn't want to, but I listened to her. She had been acting differently lately. First was the blackmail at th
Elizabeth's POVHe hit the floor hard, groaning. Blood dripped from his temple, soaking into his torn shirt. His fingers twitched against the cold ground. My pulse pounded as his eyes fluttered open, first unfocused, then sharp, locking onto mine.“Adam,” I called softly.Lance grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked it backward.“Ugh,” I groaned.Pain shot through my scalp. I gasped, my body jerking forward, but the chains held me back.Adam remained still, slowly coming to his senses and then he realized what was happening. His entire body tensed like a predator about to strike. His dark eyes, heavy with blood and fury, locked onto Lance.“Let...Her...Go.” He said slowly. The anger was strong in his voice.Lance chuckled. “What’s wrong, Sly bastard?” He yanked my hair harder. “Didn’t think I’d get my hands dirty?”Adam spat blood onto the floor. “You talk too much.”Lance smirked but didn’t let go. My scalp burned, but I refused to cry out. “You've been quite hard to get,” Lance res
Elizabeth’s POVI moved, pushing Richard off balance and the gun fired, brushing past Adam's shoulder and piercing into the wall.Adam fell to the floor. The stench of blood clung to the air. Adam swayed beside me, his shirt soaked in red. His breaths came in sharp, uneven rasps. He was barely standing.Across from us, Richard smirked, gun aimed straight at Adam’s skull. His expensive suit was slightly wrinkled, but looked untouched and composed, l, asiife had already won.“You were never meant to lead,” Richard hissed, his finger tightening on the trigger.Adam chuckled darkly, spitting blood onto the floor. “You still haven't gotten over the fact Dad picked me over you.”“Shut up!” Richard yelled.“It hurts, right?” Adam asked, taunting his brother.“The truth. You're always going to be the second best,” Adam said and coughed out blood.I watched Adam crawl. He was as stubborn as ever. He wouldn't beg and I knew if Adam didn't leave soon, Richard would kill him.Richard kicked him a
Adam’s POVI sat in the study room, tired from checking the business file and reached for the television's remote.I pressed a button and the television came on. I was watching the news and I returned to reading the documents.The second I heard the name Clayridge on the news ticker, I stopped breathing.I stood frozen, my eyes locked on the television screen like it held the keys to the next war.A riot. At Clayridge.I didn’t need to wait for confirmation.My gut knew before my brain did.Richard was gone."Confirmed reports that Mafia suspect Richard Mitch, elder brother to the notorious underworld figure Adam Mitch, escaped the facility early this morning along with six other inmates..."Notorious? Oh damn it.I never went above my own lane and I was making the news because of Richard.The voice of the news anchor turned to static in my ears. I saw the headline. I saw the flames. The chaos. The confusion on the guards’ faces. It all looked staged. Because it was.I’d know Richard’
Elizabeth’s POVThe first time I pressed the panic button in the elevator, I wasn’t panicking. I was just curious how long it would take for them to get to me.I counted slowly and when it got to none seconds, I got my answer.Eight men came charging into the hallway, guns drawn. One of them even barked my name like I was under attack.But I wasn’t.I just needed proof. Proof that this place had stopped being a house a long time ago.Now, it was a cage. Pretty curtains didn’t hide the bars. I wasn't locked up. I was free but I was sick and tired of staying put in this house.I didn’t bother apologizing. I just walked past the guards and headed toward the basement. Their footsteps followed, but I didn’t look back. I kept walking, down the staircase, past the secured corridor with fingerprint locks, straight to the cell where Corinth was held.She sat on the floor like a dead person with her head leaned back against the wall.Somehow I felt pity for her, but I was still mad she had trie
Lily's POVI didn’t talk to Lance during the whole flight. I didn’t have to. He didn’t expect me to.We sat in silence, an ocean between us despite sitting only one seat apart. In one hand he swirled a whiskey glass slowly. I had nothing. Not even sleep. I hated that I was in this position.When we landed in the States, I braced for the worst. I thought I would be taken directly to some basement then given a gun, a file and told to clean up someone else’s mess. Or even killed. But instead, Lance handed me a manila folder.Inside were fake credentials. It had given me a new name so I could not be easily tracked. New background. I was officially now Samantha Carson, federal corrections officer, Clayridge Maximum Security Prison.My stomach twisted."What is this?" I asked.Lance didn’t smile. "Your clean slate. Your one final task."I really didn't want to and I complained. "This isn’t what I do."Lance picked up and did not care. "You do now."I stared at the folder again. One of the d
Lily's POVJosh propped back on the couch, half-squinting, with sweat beaded on his brow.He took his phone from his pocket and texted someone before returning his gaze to me.“I asked you a question,” he said. His voice went deeper.“No, I didn't,” I said. He looked relieved.“So, he's blackmailing you. Why?” He asked.“Because I shot my friend. Yes, I shot Elizabeth and ran,” I confessed.“Lily,” Josh called in disbelief. “So, it was you?”“I don't know if she's dead. I checked the news. There's no record of her death. It was selfish of me, but I didn't kill her. I know that,” I said.It didn't make sense to me, but I didn't want to cry in front of him.He stared at me. None of us broke eye contact. Then the knock came.Josh sat up and pointed to the door. "That's him. Let him in."I opened it quickly to find a lanky man with a box of supplies tucked under one arm. His scruffy beard and bleary eyes belied the crispness of the white gloves he donned as he entered.“I can’t believe yo
Lily's POVThe gun didn’t move. It remained pointed toward Josh’s head.My heart raced as I leapt between them, my arms outstretched. My voice cracked, but I pushed the words out. "What do you want?"The man laughed and cocked his head, as if I’d just asked the dumbest question in the world. His lips curled slowly in a cruel smile. "It’s easy. You should have guessed it."I gulped.“You did better than I hoped bringing him here,” the man said.“You sent that message?” I asked, and he smiled.Josh sat up, and the man ticked his fingers warning him not to move.“Lily, what in the hell is happening?” Josh asked.“You'll know soon enough,” the man answered.The soft click from the black SUV behind the man caught our attention.My heart began to race. Its headlights blinked. The doors released with a muffled thump. I froze, a chill wrapping around my back.The driver's door opened.No. Please, God, no. Don't let it be him.But it was him. The first thing that hit my eye was his polished sh
Lily's POVMy scream was loud and sharp as the closet door flew open. I didn’t think. I just reacted. I shot my fist out and into a man’s face with a sickening thud. The figure reeled back, groaning."Ow! Lily, what the hell!"Josh’s voice pierced through my mind and I opened my eyes. My heart sank the second I saw who I hit."Josh?" I asked.He held his nose with his left hand, and rubbed the spot. "Yeah, it’s me. You throw one hell of a punch. What was that?"I stumbled out of the closet, still shaking. "Jesus. Don't scare me like that. I thought you were him. I heard him. He called my name. I swear he was here.”Josh glanced around the room, his face turning a bit red. He moved fast, checking the windows, every corner, under the bed, behind the door.“There's no one here now,” he said.He glanced at me then, the concern carved deep into his face. “That’s it. I’m done playing defense.”He pulled out his phone and called someone. In less than an hour, a locksmith came and changed eve
Lily's POVJosh’s eyes were wide open; He gazed at me. It was too late, yet I turned aside."What was that?" he inquired in a low but cordial tone.I quickly got up and stuffed the phone in my pocket. "Nothing. Just an old picture."He didn’t blink. “You looked nice. Almost like a whole different person.’With trembling palms, I backed toward the sink and pretended to be occupied with a cup of water. "You need to rest. You’re not supposed to think much.”Josh sat up slowly. He moved to the side and the machines beeped next to him. "Don’t do that. Don’t deflect.""I’m not," I muttered."You are. Talk to me."I spun around and gripped the edge of the counter. My voice shook. "I can’t. Not now."He sighed and reclined back into the pillow. "Then don’t bother."I glanced at him, and swallowed. "Josh..."Gently, he looked into my eyes. “If you're not prepared to discuss it, that's fine. I’ll wait. I just want to know you’re safe. For me."I felt my knees buckle a little and moved closer to
Lily's POV"Move! Get out of the way!" I yelled.I didn’t know my own voice as I yelled at the standstill traffic, weaving in and out of cars, blowing every light.I had my fingers locked on the steering wheel. Josh lay next to me, hunched over with blood from his scalp running onto his shirt. His breathing was shallow.“ Josh, you need to stay with me. Just keep breathing. Please,” I begged as I drove.He groaned softly. That sound gave me just enough hope to bury the throttle deeper. The hospital sign eventually appeared, glowing like a beacon through my haze of panic.I parked like a lunatic, half on the sidewalk, and jumped out of the car. "Help! Somebody, please, help me!"Two nurses and a doctor ran outside. They saw the blood and got a stretcher."Head trauma. I don’t know what else,” I said, my voice trembling. "He was attacked. Outside our apartment."They loaded him in. My heart was pounding in my ears, I staggered behind, trying to catch up.The emergency room was a disaste
Lily’s POVThe scream came out of me before I even knew what I was seeing.There he was at the window.That same hooded man, lingering outside in the shadows, staring at me. Just standing there. I could feel his eyes piercing through the glass and through me, even though his face was dark.Josh leaped off the sofa as if a defibrillator had struck him by accident. "Lily! What—"I pointed, my voice breaking. "The window! He's there! Look!"Josh sprinted toward me, looking at where I pointed. But when he turned, the man had disappeared from the window.“He was just standing there,” I gasped as I retreated. My legs trembled and my skin tingled all over.Josh looked around the street below. Then he noticed something. His brow furrowed as he leaned in closer. His fingers moved deliberately toward the windowpane. "Lily... there's a crack."I rushed to his side.And there it was.A narrow, ragged line had ripped its way across the glass. Right in the center.Then I saw the note.Stuck to the