Chapter 3

To compensate Chloe for losing Pier 42, Asher threw millions into buying her a fleet of luxury yachts.

But I knew a few toys couldn't replace a smuggling corridor.

Chloe wouldn't let it go.

Sure enough.

Tonight was the black-tie gala celebrating the launch of Asher's new maritime alliance. Drained from early morning sickness, I made a brief appearance and slipped toward the side exit.

Just as I stepped into the shadows of the colonnade, Chloe cut me off, flanked by two armed heavies.

"Jill, why are your men blocking the Belmont ships from entering the harbor?"

I stopped, eyeing her coldly:

"It's my pier. I decide who docks."

"Instead of wasting your breath cornering me, Miss Belmont, maybe you should figure out what to do with those two cargo vessels floating aimlessly in international waters."

I leaned in, dropping my voice to a dangerous whisper:

"I heard the NYPD Major Case Squad and federal agents are tearing apart the manifests on those ships. Tell me, what kind of 'cargo' is so filthy that it brought the entire Department of Justice down on your heads?"

The color drained from Chloe’s face in an instant.

Like a cat whose tail was stepped on, her voice turned shrill:

"You leaked the coordinates!"

"How much do you know?! I'm warning you, back off! You think you're still the untouchable queen of this city? Asher loves me now! He won't lift a finger to save you. Stop dreaming!"

I shook my head, amused. Asher was right about one thing—she really was an idiot.

If I had relied solely on Asher’s protection to survive, I would have died in a ditch in Vegas years ago.

"Miss Belmont, you’re the one dreaming."

"Your family has left a trail of blood. If I hand my files to federal prosecutors right now, not even God himself could save the Belmonts. Let alone Asher."

Chloe exchanged a panicked glance with her guard.

She hadn't expected me to dig so deep into their operations.

The bodyguard’s expression darkened, his hand immediately reaching under his tailored jacket for his holster.

I was faster.

In a fraction of a second, the zipper of my clutch flew open, revealing a modified compact pistol.

BANG! BANG!

The first round drilled cleanly into the guard's right shoulder. He shrieked, his gun clattering to the floor as blood soaked through his suit.

The second round tore through the cylinder of the other guard’s revolver.

The weapon exploded in his grip, shards of metal shredding his flesh. He collapsed, howling, completely neutralized.

The acrid stench of cordite filled the corridor.

I raised the barrel, aiming it dead between the eyes of a trembling, pale-faced Chloe.

Honestly? In that single split second...

I really wanted to pull the trigger.

"JILL! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

A thunderous roar shattered the air.

Asher sprinted over and, without a shred of hesitation, threw his entire body in front of my gun, shielding Chloe completely.

Such a familiar stance.

Except ten years ago, in a rain-slicked alley, the person he had shielded with his life was me.

Everything had rotted away.

Asher’s security team flooded the corridor, surrounding me in seconds.

My hand didn't shake. But my throat burned with acid.

"Asher, look at the two men bleeding on the floor. They drew on me first."

"You swore once that if anyone touched a single hair on my head, you’d slaughter their entire bloodline."

"Does that promise... mean nothing now?"

Asher didn't turn around.

He kept Chloe tucked tight against his chest, murmuring a quick reassurance before glaring back at me with pure disgust:

"Jill, can you stop clinging to the past?!"

"People change."

"Just like you promised we’d have no secrets. So why the hell are you investigating Chloe behind my back?!"

Right on cue, Chloe let out a fragile, muffled sob against his lapel:

"Asher, please, you have to believe me!"

"The Belmonts run legitimate businesses! It’s all my fault my dad’s ships couldn't dock—I just wanted to beg Jill to reconsider."

"Out of nowhere, she pulled a gun on me..."

Chloe looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gripped his shirt:

"My guards were only trying to protect me! They drew to keep her back, and she butchered them!"

"Asher, please don't let her kill me!"

Asher remained silent.

He stepped back, keeping Chloe safely shielded behind his frame.

A hollow chuckle escaped my lips. I felt completely, bone-deep exhausted.

With a flick of my wrist, I spun the grip around and offered the gun to Asher.

"Her or me."

"Choose."