Chapter 5

The sky above the Long Island Sound erupted in red and gold.

It was the Don's Fourth of July Gala, and the lawn was a sea of power-packed with politicians, judges, and capos. Champagne flowed in rivers.

Brendan stood behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist less like an embrace and more like a steel band. He pulled me close as a massive firework detonated above us.

The pyrotechnics twisted into shape, spelling out "B & E" in shimmering, sulfurous letters against the velvet night.

The crowd cheered. Cameras flashed.

"Look at that," Brendan whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "Written in the stars, El."

It felt like a collar tightening around my throat. He was branding the sky with our union while his mistress carried his child across town.

Then I saw her.

Kiya.

She wasn't supposed to be here. This was the inner circle. This was the sanctuary. But there she was, standing near the buffet, wearing a dress that was too tight, too loud, and dangerously inappropriate.

She was cradling her belly and staring right at me. Her eyes were full of venom and triumph.

I felt Brendan stiffen behind me. He had seen her too.

"Excuse me," he muttered, his grip on my waist vanishing. "I need to handle a security issue."

I gave him a five-second lead, and then I followed.

He dragged her toward the boat house, away from the guests. I slipped into the ink-black shadows of the trellis, moving silently in my heels.

"Are you insane?" Brendan hissed. "Get out of here."

"You promised," Kiya's voice was shrill, bordering on hysteria. "You said you'd leave her after the baby comes. You said she's just a shell."

"I said keep your mouth shut and stay in the apartment!"

"Why are you protecting her?" Kiya screamed. "She can't give you anything! She's barren! You told me yourself, her insides are all scar tissue. She's dead wood, Brendan!"

The air left my lungs as if I'd been struck.

He had told her.

He had taken the most painful, traumatic secret of my life-the medical reality of the accident he caused-and he had given it to this woman as a weapon to use against me.

"She is the Queen!" Brendan snapped. "You show respect!"

"She's a placeholder!" Kiya yelled back. "I'm carrying your son!"

Brendan went silent. The fight went out of him. He looked at her stomach, and I saw a look on his face I had never seen directed at me. Hope.

"Go home, Kiya," he said, his voice softer now. "I'll come by later. We'll talk."

He didn't deny it. He didn't defend me. He just managed the asset.

I backed away.

I walked back to the party, my movements mechanical. I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and downed it in one swallow.

I looked up at the sky. The "B & E" was fading into smoke, leaving nothing but ash.

It was over. The betrayal was absolute. He hadn't just cheated on my body; he had sold out my dignity.

I reached into my clutch, my fingers brushing the cold plastic of the burner phone. I typed two words to Evans.

I'm ready.

I walked to the edge of the terrace and dropped the phone into a trash can.

I turned back to the party. Brendan was walking toward me, adjusting his cuffs, a fake smile plastered on his face.

I smiled back. It was the brightest, sharpest smile I had ever worn.

"Happy Fourth of July, darling," I said.

He kissed me. "You look happy."

"I am," I lied. "I finally know exactly where I stand."

Tomorrow was his birthday.

Tomorrow, the Queen would die, and the King would be left ruling over a graveyard.