I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep before I heard the door creak open, followed by a soft whisper of fabric.
My eyes snapped open just as Jacqueline stepped into the moonlight and slipped into the chair next to my bed. She watched me with a cold expression, her lips forming a tight line. I took in her flawless complexion and long, wavy blonde hair and pulled the scratchy hospital blanket up to my chin.
She might have been a decade older than me, but she hid it well, and knowing what she was capable of, I was half a second away from screaming for a nurse.
“Where’s Jonathan?” I croaked.
She leaned closer, smiling faintly. “Funny, I was about to askyouthat.”
My brow furrowed in confusion.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes narrowed on me, studying my face as if she were trying to claw out all my secrets. “What are you doing here?”
“Lying to me can be very dangerous,” she whispered.
I was in too much pain to listen to her nonsense babbling.
“Where is Jonathan?” I repeated.
Her smile widened.
“Forget Jonathan,” she murmured, then leaned over me, close enough to let me see the crazed glint in her eyes. “If not for yourself, do it for Kristoff and his family. You don’t want anything to happen to them, do you?”
My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I was sure she could hear it. “Are you threatening my family?”
“It’s a warning.” Her voice was eerily calm. “Forget him and we won’t have a problem.”
“You’re crazy if you think I’ll be like Jonathan and let you get away with everything.” The words scattered the moment they met the air and her eyes glinted murderously. I wasn’t exactly in a position todefend myself, and if I screamed, would help get here fast enough to stop this psychotic bitch?
“Oh, honey, you haven’t seen my crazy yet, but if you don’t stop looking for Jonathan and coming after me, you’ll get a front seat to it. And trust me… I have connections that can end you, your cousin, and his entire fucking clan.”
The terrifying threat swallowed me whole and rendered me silent.
It must have been the reaction she wanted.
She flashed a smile, then rose from the chair with deliberate calm.
She paused at the threshold and smoothed the front of her coat, poised as ever as she added over her shoulder, “Don’t be one of those brave fools, Sophie. It’s never worth it.”
My mouth opened but no sound came out, or maybe the pulse roaring in my ears simply drowned it out.
Her gaze hardened.
“Or the next accident befalling your family will be on your hands,” she continued softly.
Then she slipped out, leaving the silent room vibrating with terror.
Chapter 1
Kian
Four Months Later
Washington, DC
Considering my roots, I’d never been built for snow. I detested it, in fact, but my military training had taught me to endure anything.
Still, even I couldn’t ignore the way the white powder softened the hard edges of DC and this part of Georgetown, framing the city like a postcard this frigid cold February.
