Chapter 3

The security team lead finished his report.

"Good." I scrolled through the dozen-plus high-definition feeds on my tablet and nodded. There was not a single blind spot.

"The stage is set, Bree. Don't disappoint me this time," I thought to myself.

At 10:00 pm, Eric came home from the office. He'd just graduated college this year and was using family seed money to launch a tech startup with real potential. He was sharp, driven, and had his whole future ahead of him.

In my last life, that face, combined with being the sole male heir to the Whitmore name, made him the perfect target in Bree's eyes.

"Hey, Harold said you moved that Bree girl into the house?"

Eric loosened his tie as he walked into my study, frowning. It wasn't about the money. He just wasn't thrilled about having a stranger under the same roof.

"Close the door. Lock it."

I sat behind my desk, expression dead serious. The look on my face startled him enough that he did as he was told without a word. Then, he sat down across from me.

"What's going on?"

I opened my laptop and pulled up a screenshot of a ransomware email. In reality, I'd sent it to myself from a burner account. I pushed the screen toward him.

"I got word that we're competing for a major contract, and the other side may be digging up dirt on our family."

I didn't blink. "Nobody really knows where Bree came from, and she shows up right now, sobbing and begging to move in. I think someone planted her here as a mole, or she's running some kind of setup."

Eric's eyes went wide. "Damn! Corporate espionage is that dirty now? And you still let her move in?"

"Better to keep her where I can see her than let her work in the dark."

I tapped the desk. "Eric, starting today, this house is on high alert. I'm giving you a full lockdown protocol when it comes to Bree. Follow it to the letter, or I'll freeze your startup funding."

The word "funding" made him sit up straight. "Got it. Just tell me what to do."

I handed him a printed sheet of paper with four rules on it, all non-negotiable.

The first rule was that he was never to be alone in the same room as Bree under any circumstances. If he ran into her in the living room, he was to put at least 15 feet between them and make sure a third party was present, either Harold or me.

The second was that his bedroom and study doors stayed locked at all times, coming and going.

The third was that he wasn't to touch any water, food, or fruit Bree handed him, or even drink from a glass she'd touched.

The fourth was that if she tried to get his number or reach out on social media, he was to screenshot every message and forward it to me. He wasn't to reply unless it was absolutely necessary.

Eric read through the list, caught somewhere between wanting to laugh and not quite daring to. "Isn't this a little extreme? This reads like a bioweapon containment protocol."

"A bioweapon can kill you. She can destroy everything you are." I held his gaze.

"If she turns out to be harmless, great. But if she tries anything, one moment of weakness from you could bring this entire family down. If you respect me at all, you'll burn every word of this into your brain."

The look in my eyes wiped the smile off his face. He nodded, serious now.

"I hear you. I'll walk the other way if I even see her coming."

As it turned out, my precautions weren't just warranted. They were necessary.

Three days after Bree moved in, she made her first move.

It was past midnight. I was still up in my study, watching the first-floor feeds on my tablet. Eric had just gotten home from a business dinner and was pouring himself a glass of water in the kitchen.

The guest room door cracked open.