He's her enemy. Her obsession. And the only man who has the power to destroy her.
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My name is Frank Monroe, and I am the most dangerous woman in Chicago. Not because I kill, but because I make it legal. I'm the lawyer the Irish mob calls when...
"Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell."
- Walter Scott
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I took my time with the last sip of cognac, savoring the warmth spreading through my chest before I set the glass on the dresser.
A soft knock sounded and Madison's voice came through the door. "Tori, can I come in?"
"Always." I forced my voice lighter than I felt.
She stepped inside and the usual spark in her expression had been replaced by something serious.
My baby sister had been my responsibility from the moment she was born, and I had done everything in my power to keep her away from the darker corners of our world. To everyone else, she and my mother were my greatest vulnerabilities, and I refused to let anyone exploit that.
"Can't sleep?" I brushed a strand of hair from her face. The worry in her eyes told me she was carrying more than she wanted to say.
"I know why you're sending us away," she said.
Of course she did. This wasn't the first time I'd arranged for them to leave until things calmed down, but the stakes were higher now. Conor and Ronan needed me more than ever, and while I had no plans to step back, the danger was growing harder to ignore. The thought of anything happening to Madison or my mother kept me up at night.
"I know there's a lot going on," I told her, pulling her close, "but keeping you and Mom safe is all that matters to me. Until this blows over, I need you both far from here."
Her eyes glistened as she pulled back to look at me. "What about you? I'm scared, Tori. You have me really scared."
I held her tighter, feeling the weight of her fear and the way she clung to me. Her tears soaked into my shirt and the guilt sat heavy in my chest. Madison wasn't built for the violence and bloodshed of my world. She was the heart of our family, and it tore at me to see that heart breaking.
"I'll be fine," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You don't have to worry about me."
But I knew she would. She always had. She understood more than I wanted her to, even without being directly involved.
I guided her toward the door and squeezed her hand. "Early flight. Try to get some rest."
She nodded, her smile faint and not quite reaching her eyes. "Goodnight, Tori. Please stay safe."
"Always." I watched her disappear down the hall before I closed the door.
From the nightstand, I retrieved my Glock 17s. They were not the flashiest or most powerful weapons, but they were reliable and efficient, which was all I needed.
Goat's call could not come fast enough.
My thoughts kept circling back to Matias Delgado's small, sick boy, thrown somewhere in that filthy warehouse. Even in our world, there were lines that were not crossed, and women and children were at the top of that list. Sergei Ivanov had no such code, and the fact that the Council had forced us to work with him was an insult I had every intention of ending.
