Silent sins

In the halls of Oakland High, two people are defined by what others choose to see. To her, he is the untouchable "problem student" that lives next door. To him, she is just a quiet, above-average senior-a face in the crowd who will never cause trouble. But they are both masters of deception.

Nilah Sitri is a ghost by choice. Shrouded by the silence of her high school life is a secret that keeps her and her little brother alive. By day, she is invisible. By night, she is a Dancer-an untamed force of movement in the clubs-and the most feared underground fighter in California, the brutal contender for the title of number one.

Her worlds must remain separate. At all costs.

Rowan Verena is a sovereign in the shadows. To his peers, he is the school's resident problem, an enigma with dangerous connections. To the few who truly know him, he is the newly ascended leader of the Verena Mafia, a dynasty ruling the South and now aggressively expanding into California. Haunted by his father's murder and burdened by the weight of a generation-old empire, he's a king without a throne, stabilizing an unstable territory while finishing his senior year.

He takes what he wants. And he wants to know her.