Trial by Fire

The rain came down hard on the windshield of the black town car as it drove through the dark slippery streets of downtown Avalon. In the backseat Naomi watched the blurred neon signs and headlights through the streaked glass, lost in thought. She was thinking back to the meeting just an hour ago in her office at the Pinetech Industries headquarters.

Two young men had come to make her an offer, cousins of the current heir to the Sterling empire named Tristan. Their names were Brady and Blaine. Ambitious. Ruthless. They sat down in the leather chairs across from Naomi's desk and looked her straight in the eyes when they spoke.

"One hundred million dollars offshore to block Tristan's latest power play," Brady had said. "Untraceable. Enough to set you and your family up in luxury for life."

Naomi considered the offer. A bold maneuver. Sloppy execution but the initiative showed promise. Family in-fighting of this magnitude spelled instability in the Sterling ranks. And that could disrupt