Chapter 1 - The Midnight Call
I stared at the black card resting on my cheap apartment counter.
It had been three hours since my shift ended.
My hands were still shaking so badly I could barely hold my coffee mug.
Fourteen months ago, my world had ended in a sterile hospital room.
Now, three tiny voices were echoing in my mind, calling me by a name I thought I would never hear.
Mom.
The silver phone number on the card seemed to glow in the dim light of my kitchen.
Roman Voss was a man who owned half the city and terrified the other half.
I knew the rumors about him.
People who crossed him disappeared, and his businesses were fronts for a much darker empire.
But all I could think about were those three babies.
The first boy with his hazel eyes.
The second boy with his quiet, intense stare.
The little girl who bounced so desperately toward me.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang, shattering the silence.
It was an unknown number.
I picked it up with a trembling hand and pressed it to my ear.
"Come downstairs," a deep, rough voice said.
It was Roman.
"I didn't call you," I whispered, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"I know," he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"My driver is waiting for you outside."
"Why should I go anywhere with you?" I demanded, trying to find my courage.
"Because my children haven't stopped crying since we left the restaurant," Roman said, his voice cracking slightly.
"And they are holding onto the stuffed bear you touched."
I didn't need to hear anything else.
I grabbed my coat and ran down the stairs.
A sleek black SUV was idling by the curb.
May you like
Donovan, the scarred man from the restaurant, opened the back door for me.
I climbed in, stepping into a world that would change my life forever.
