Novels by Toyosi Alibaba

The red dot on Elle’s forehead was like a tiny, burning coal. My heart stopped. I didn't care about the FBI agents or the smoking gas station anymore. I didn't care about the billions of dollars or the keys to a kingdom. I only cared about the tiny life in my arms."Get down!" Bryan roared.He didn't wait for me to move. He threw his body over mine, pinning me and the baby to the wet asphalt. A split second later, a bullet hissed through the air, shattering the window of the police car behind us. Glass rained down like diamond dust."Sniper! East side, on the water tower!" Agent Miller screamed into her radio.The gas station erupted into chaos. FBI agents scrambled for cover, returning fire toward the darkness. I was pressed against the cold ground, smelling the s

The wind howled around the empty gas station. I stood there, clutching Elle to my chest, staring at the golden key in the briefcase. It looked beautiful, but I knew it was made of blood. The man in the suit bowed again, waiting for my answer.Behind him, in the black car, my father sat like a trapped animal. Henry Williams, the man who had faked his death and ruined my life, was now begging me with his eyes."Hazel, please," my father whispered through the open window. "I’m your blood. You can’t let them take me to the Black Site. You know what they do to failures."I felt a cold shiver go down my spine. The "Black Site" was a place people went when the Syndicate was finished with them. No one ever came back.Bryan stepped up beside me. He was leaning heavily

The air in the nursery was thick with dust. I stared into the eyes of the man I called Grandpa Walton. But the kind old man was gone. His eyes were cold and sharp, like two pieces of flint. He held me off the ground by my throat with one hand, his strength impossible for his age."You... you lied to me," I gasped, clawing at his iron grip. I clutched Elle to my chest, shielding her with my body."I didn't lie, Hazel. I just waited," Rex whispered. His voice was deep and steady. "Your father was a thief. He stole the Crown from me twenty years ago. He thought a car crash would end me. He was wrong.""He's dead now!" I choked out. "The helicopter... it blew up!"Rex laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl. "Henry is a coward. He’s hiding in a hole somewhere. But yo

The camera flashes felt like lightning in the room. I stood at the podium, staring at the giant screen behind me. Julian Walton. The man who had tried to burn me alive was standing in a dark room, holding a lighter over my daughter’s crib."Julian," I whispered. My voice was amplified by the microphone, echoing through the hall. "How? I saw the boathouse explode. I saw you fall."Julian’s face appeared on the screen, scarred and twisted by burns. He looked like a nightmare. "Fire is an old friend, Hazel. It takes, but it also gives. It gave me a reason to stay alive. It gave me the drive to find where Jane was hiding your little prize."The reporters in the room began to panic. Security guards rushed toward me, but I didn't move. My soul was screaming. Every breath I took felt like I was inhaling glass.

The silver pistol felt heavy in my hand. It was cold, like the heart I was supposed to have now. I looked at Bryan. He didn’t move. He didn’t beg. He just stood there, his chest rising and falling slowly. The red laser from the camera tracked his every move.On the screen, Jane’s face was twisted with joy. She was holding the gun to Grandpa Walton’s head. My father sat next to him, his eyes filled with a dark, hungry hope. He wanted to see me become a killer. He wanted to see his daughter finally lose her soul."Do it, Hazel!" Jane screamed through the speakers. "One bullet, and the old man lives! One bullet, and you are the true Queen!""Hazel, don't," Bryan whispered. He took a step toward me, despite the gun in my hand. "If you do this, there is no coming back. You become exactly what they

The red dot on Bryan’s chest looked like a drop of blood. My heart hammered against my ribs. After everything the explosions, the betrayal, the jump from the helicopter, it was still not over. The Syndicate didn't die with my father. It just needed a new head."Bryan, don't move," I whispered, my voice trembling.I was still soaking wet from the Hudson River. Elle was shivering in my arms, her small cries muffled by my chest. Bryan looked down at the laser on his heart and then looked at me. He didn't look afraid. He looked tired."They won't kill me yet, Hazel," Bryan said softly. "They need me to make sure you follow the script.""I'm not following any script!" I shouted at the dark trees. "You killed my father! You killed the Matriarch! Leave us alone!"