Chapter 3

Simon's expression darkened.

But he raised a hand to stop the men who wanted to drag me away.

"Take Alana upstairs."

Simon's tone was icy, and no one dared say another word. They hurried the sobbing Alana away.

Only the two of us were left in the courtyard.

He gripped my wrist, scooped up all the documents on the table, and dragged me to the study on the top floor.

"Lily, I hope you know what you're doing.

"Are you using these documents to threaten me into breaking off the engagement, or to make me go public with us?"

He rubbed his brow and sighed.

"Stop it. Weren't we fine the way we were? Do you have any idea how those people looked at you when you showed up today? It made me want to kill every one of them.

"I know you could never bring yourself to use these documents against me.

"You're just jealous, so you're throwing a little tantrum.

"I told you, Alana and I are just putting on a show.

"Her father's an old fox. He needs to believe I'm serious. The estate is only in her name for now. Once the routes belong to the Anderson family, I'll get the estate and the ring back for you."

He pulled me into his arms.

"But now that you've made all this public, those people are suspicious.

"Alana's making a huge fuss, and her father's asking why the Anderson family's money is in an outsider's hands."

Simon gathered up the documents and locked them in the safe. His expression left no room for argument.

"You can't keep these documents with you.

"Those people want you dead now. Lily, I'll arrange a fake death and move you somewhere else to keep you safe.

"Be good. This is the safest way.

"Lily, I swear, give me two more years. Once I've taken the family completely legit, we'll get married, okay?"

Even now, he actually thought I'd accept it without a word and live in the shadows forever.

I'd have to watch him propose to another woman, marry her, and sleep with her.

"For Alana and the others to believe it, your fake death has to look real. I'll pull the trigger myself. I've gotten you the best bulletproof vest there is.

"Lily, I'm sorry you have to go through this."

I stroked his cheek. Just as he thought I'd finally accepted his plan, I slapped him hard across the face.

"Simon, you want it both ways. Don't you realize how disgusting that is? You can't have everything.

"Why bother with a fake death?"

I set off the tear gas grenade in my hand.

While Simon stood frozen, I leaped out the window.

"Lily!"

I heard Simon's panicked roar.

Of course I wasn't trying to kill myself.

I landed in the speedboat my adoptive father had waiting below, and it raced away.

By the time Simon could see again and rushed to the window, all he saw were ripples on the sea.

He was completely stunned.

For a moment, the uncrowned king of the underworld looked like a child who'd done something wrong.

"These waters... are full of sharks...

"Lily, my Lily—"

Meanwhile, out in the speedboat, I got a text from my adoptive father.

"The private jet's waiting on runway three. The family's heavily armed escort is in position. Come home, kiddo."

As I read those words, my eyes finally stung.

My fingers flew across the keys of my small laptop, stripping away the last layer of protection on the Anderson family's money-laundering network.

At the same time, I sent my adoptive father a voice message.

"Tomorrow morning, the federal organized crime task force and the IRS will receive every money-laundering ledger the Anderson family has kept for the past few years. And the Eastern European Consortium has always wanted access to the West Coast shipping lanes, hasn't it?"

Simon thought that if he locked away those documents and kept me caged under the guise of protecting me, he had nothing to worry about.

Dream on.

Just taking the money back would be letting him off way too easy.

Simon, you're right.

Your world is full of vicious killers.

But you forgot one thing.

I've never been a canary you could keep in a cage, helpless without you.

Everything you owe me, I'll make you pay back in full.