Chapter 1 - THE SILICON AND THE STEEL
The moon hung low over the dark estate,
casting long,
jagged shadows across the velvet curtains of the bridal suite.
The air was thick with the scent of lilies and the metallic tang of fresh blood.
Adrian stood in the center of the room,
his chest heaving slightly,
looking down at the unconscious assassin at his feet.
The silicone mask,
which had transformed him into a septuagenarian,
lay on the mahogany floor like a shed skin.
He looked up at me,
his blue eyes no longer cloudy with age,
but sharp and piercing like polished sapphire.
He expected me to scream,
to faint,
or perhaps to beg for my life.
Instead,
I stood my ground,
my fingers still touching the cold,
hard surface of the vanity.
"Your brother's man was sloppy,"
Adrian remarked,
his voice a deep,
resonant baritone that vibrated in my chest.
He wiped a smear of blood from his jaw,
revealing a scar that ran from his ear to his chin.
"He thought he was killing a dying old man,"
he added,
a grim smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I looked at the discarded diamond necklace,
the symbol of my family's greed,
sparkling uselessly on the glass.
"Marcus never was good at checking the fine print,"
I replied,
my voice steadier than I felt.
Adrian took a step toward me,
his presence filling the room with an overwhelming intensity.
He was taller than he had seemed in the wheelchair,
with broad shoulders and the lean muscles of a predator.
"You’re an accountant,
Evelyn,"
he said,
his eyes narrowing.
"You should know that when a deal is too good to be true,
someone is being fleeced."
"I knew the moment I saw your hands at the altar,"
I admitted,
straightening my spine.
"Old men have thin skin,
but yours was thick with calluses from a sword or a gun."
He laughed,
a short,
bitter sound that lacked any real mirth.
"Then why did you say 'I do'?"
"Because I wanted out,"
I said,
stepping toward him until we were only inches apart.
"Out of that house,
out of that debt,
and out of the shadows of a brother who gambles with lives."
I reached into the hidden pocket of my silk robe,
pulling out a small,
encrypted flash drive.
"You want to burn them down,
Adrian?"
"I have the matches and the gasoline."
He stared at the drive,
his hand hovering over mine.
The silence between us was like a taut wire,
ready to snap at the slightest touch.
He hadn't expected an ally;
he had expected a victim.
"They destroyed my father,"
he whispered,
his voice dropping to a dangerous level.
"They took his company,
his reputation,
and eventually his life."
"I know,"
I whispered back.
"I was fifteen when it happened,
and I heard my father laughing about the Vale liquidation."
"The guilt has been a debt I've carried for a decade."
Adrian’s fingers closed around mine,
his grip firm and surprisingly warm.
"This isn't a marriage of love,
Evelyn."
"It's a covenant of vengeance."
"Good,"
I said,
looking him directly in the eye.
"I never much cared for fairy tales anyway."
"Tell me your plan,"
May you like
I commanded.
"And I will show you where the bodies are buried in their ledgers."
