Chapter 1

The city lights of New York spread out below my penthouse like a carpet of shattered diamonds. The soft notes of a cello filled the vast, quiet space. I was enjoying a private performance from a musician I' d hired for the evening. Ryan. He was handsome, talented, and knew his place.

My quiet life. I had built it carefully after the chaos. After I put my brother on the throne.

The private elevator chimed, and the doors slid open. My half-brother, Caleb Jones, the new Don of the city, strode in. He wasn't supposed to be here.

"Gabby," he said, his voice a little too loud, a little too eager.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, burying his face in my hair. He was a grown man, but he acted like a lost child.

"I missed you."

I stayed perfectly still, feeling the tension in his grip. It wasn' t brotherly affection, it was ownership.

"I was busy, Caleb."

He ignored my cold tone. "There's a party tonight. A welcome-home for Ethan Scott. You have to come."

It wasn' t an invitation, it was a command disguised as a plea. Ethan. The name was a ghost from a life I had tried to bury.

Caleb' s eyes flickered to the musician. A dark look, possessive and ugly, crossed his face for a second before he masked it with a smile.

"I'll have a car sent for you at ten," he said, kissing my cheek. "Don't be late."

He clung to me for a moment longer, then left as abruptly as he had arrived. The elevator doors closed, leaving a suffocating silence behind.

My assistant, Maria, appeared at my side a few moments later, her face pale.

"Ms. Fuller," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Mr. Jones's men... they took the musician with them when they left."

I didn' t need to ask what that meant. I knew. Caleb' s jealousy was a sickness, and it was getting worse.

I sighed, looking out at the city that was supposed to be my prize.

"Clear his things out, Maria. And cancel the check."

It was a small, bloody price to pay to keep the king on his throne. A king I had created.