Chapter 4

The cab rolled to a stop in front of massive, wrought-iron gothic gates.

Jessie paid the driver, stepped out into the crisp air, and stood before the imposing entrance. She pressed the intercom button and stated her name. With a heavy, grinding mechanical groan, the gates slowly parted.

She dragged her suitcase up the long driveway. The gravel crunched under her shoes. Thick, dark ivy crawled up the stone walls of the estate, giving the place an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.

Arthur Finch, the head butler, was already waiting at the top of the stone steps. His tuxedo was immaculate, his posture rigid, and his eyes held a deep, unreadable intelligence.

Arthur bowed slightly, a gesture that was polite but entirely devoid of warmth. "Welcome, future Mrs. Ramsey."

Jessie didn't flinch at the title. "Take me to Kenneth."

Arthur's eyebrows twitched, a micro-expression of surprise. He turned and led her through the dimly lit, opulent hallways of the manor, stopping at heavy oak double doors at the end of the ground floor.

Arthur pushed the doors open and stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter alone.

Jessie walked in. The air inside was thick, smelling strongly of medicinal alcohol and the faint, earthy scent of a lit cigar.

The room was dark. The only light came from the roaring fire in the massive stone fireplace, casting dancing shadows over the broad, muscular back of the man sitting in the wheelchair.

Kenneth Ramsey turned his wheelchair around. The firelight illuminated his sharp, ruthless jawline and eyes that burned with a violent, suppressed rage.

He looked her up and down, his gaze heavy and insulting. "The Aguilar family actually sent a country girl to die," his voice was a low, gravelly rasp.

Jessie didn't look away. Her heartbeat remained steady. She walked over to the leather sofa opposite him and sat down.

"I'm not here to play house," Jessie said directly. "I'm here to make a deal."

Kenneth raised a dark eyebrow. His long fingers began to rhythmically tap against the armrest of his wheelchair. Tap. Tap. Tap. "Go on."

"I need access to the Ramsey family's underground logistics network and private shipping routes across the country," Jessie demanded.

"And in exchange?"

"In exchange, I will not only keep you alive, but I will give you the means to stand on your own two feet again."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Kenneth's eyes darkened into black voids.

He lunged forward with terrifying upper-body speed. His large hand clamped around Jessie's throat, pinning her back against the leather sofa. His grip was like a steel vice.

"Do not," Kenneth whispered, his breath hot against her face, "ever joke about my legs."

Jessie didn't struggle. She didn't claw at his hand. She just stared back at him. Her eyes were dead, carrying the heavy, rotting weight of a woman who had crawled out of a literal hell.

Kenneth felt a strange jolt in his chest. Her gaze wasn't fearful; it was ancient. His fingers subconsciously loosened their lethal pressure.

Jessie calmly reached up and pushed his hand away from her neck. She adjusted her collar. "I have the means to do exactly what I said."

Kenneth leaned back into his wheelchair, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "What means could an abandoned daughter possibly have?"

Jessie reached into her pocket, pulled out a black, encrypted USB drive, and dropped it onto the low table between them.

"There is a list on that drive," Jessie said. "I need everything on it delivered to my estate in the Appalachian Mountains within three days."

Kenneth stared at the black plastic rectangle. He was intrigued by her absolute lack of fear. "And if I refuse?"

Jessie stood up. She looked down at him, her expression completely flat. "Then in two months, you will freeze to death in that chair."

She turned around and walked toward the heavy oak doors, her steps echoing on the hardwood floor.

Her hand closed around the brass doorknob.

"Deal," Kenneth's deep voice echoed through the dark room.

Jessie paused, but she didn't look back.