ent

lood-red rose.felt like a death sentence. Its petals, delicate as velvet, wer

knuckles white. My heart pounded like war drums against my ribs. Who

n my bedroom door

ousemaid, Lucia, called from the other sid

lf. When I opened the door, Lucia was already halfway down the corridor, not waiting for

tch the chill crawling under my skin. The table

. My mind was still on th

fortress disguised as a palace walls lined with expensive art, polished floors, armed guards in

ted exp

door guarded by two men in bla

nly," one of them said f

oldly, summoning every ounce of fir

er, unsure, until a voic

's ri

ren

shirt half buttoned, cigarette dangling from his

she pleases. Isn't

and opened the door. "C

s not what

tage of the estate, the city, and my stomach

hing my famil

rette, eyes flicking to the screen

es. Enemies. And unc

harply. "You think

're a wild card. That'

y. A figure placing a rose in fro

hat," I w

ound and fro

lender. Hooded. Mo

ff. Not

," he said quietly. "I'

snapped.

lent

pawn? Then

room, rage simmer

sealed envelope had be

e handw

re it

: a pho

si

to a

mouth. A gun

a n

were not part of the plan. Fix yo

I sat on the edge of the bed, th

was a

anted me dead.

t I was already in the battle

for