From Ashes, A New Empire

The cool, conditioned air of the St. Regis suite was the first thing I noticed when I gasped awake, my head throbbing from that familiar chemical fog – the drug my brother, Mark, used to set me up with Chloe, the woman I once foolishly loved.

Then, the memories slammed into me like a physical blow: the terrifying fire, Lily' s desperate screams, the sickening smell of gasoline, and the crushing heat – this wasn't a nightmare, it was real, a past I had just escaped, and across the king-sized bed sat Chloe, my murderer, my executioner.