Meet Scarlett Striker, a bold and quirky journalist for the Seattle Times. She's fun, confident, sassy, and just the right amount of weird. Scarlett is determined to rise to the top, no matter what it takes.
When her boss offers a golden opportunity...
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After work, I head to the warehouse where James has been training me. Week three. Christmas is just two weeks away, and the thought of it makes me sigh. Time is slipping through my fingers, and I can feel it. When I step into the warehouse, the air feels different—more tense. There he is, standing tall in black dress pants and a matching button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing... tattoos. I didn't know he had tattoos, but it makes sense. Of course, he has tattoos.
He looks devastatingly sexy, of course. Even worse, he's in the middle of talking to Ron and a few terrifying-looking men, all armed. His face is serious, void of emotion, like the dangerous man I know he is. And yet, my mind keeps drifting to that kiss. No matter how much I deny it, no matter how I tell myself he's wrong for me, there's an undeniable pull between us. My heart skips every time he looks at me, and my body betrays me at the thought of his touch.
The men guarding the entrance glance at me as I make my way toward James—or Dimitri—whatever his name is. My steps falter when I see her. Natalia, standing way too close to him, her perfectly poised figure glowing in the dim warehouse light. Why the fuck is she here?
"He was there, but he got away," James says, his gaze flicking toward Natalia with irritation before returning to his men.
The room goes silent when James turns toward me, his blue eyes locking onto mine. Natalia is dressed like she just stepped off a runway, while I'm standing here in my workout clothes. I feel severely underdressed, but I refuse to let that show.
"What the fuck is she doing here?" Natalia snarls, venom dripping from her voice.
James doesn't even look at her. "What she does here is none of your concern, Natalia."
But I can feel the weight of everyone's eyes on me, sizing me up like I'm some kind of threat—or worse, a liability.
Natalia lets out a bitter laugh. "You can't possibly trust her," she says, incredulous. "She doesn't belong in this world... she's not one of us."
Her words ignite something hot in my chest. So this is what's been happening behind the scenes? Have James and Natalia been working together this whole time? My blood boils.
