The Pawn Who Became The Queen

the polished floor. She wore a beige trench coat, nothing flashy, just clean lines and good fabric. Around her, families

ibility. Four years in Paris had thinned her blood. She pulled the coat tighter and let her eyes close for one

hone

inally pulled it from her pocket, the screen confirmed it: Annette

Don't keep him.

hen she slid the phone back into her pocket,

excess-Gucci suit in a shade of gold that hurt the eyes, blond hair combed back with enough product to refl

feeds her family's PR team insisted on monitoring. Red hair, legs for days, wearing a dress that left nothing to specula

fingers sank in. He squeezed. They both

hurry. She stopped three feet away, her sha

ed K

His eyes traveled from her shoes to her face, taking inventory. She saw the moment he filed her awa

e was tasting it and finding it bland.

pressed closer to Jered, her body a wall of heat and perfume between

She kept her gaze on Jer

Or do I handl

ding nearby-the bodyguard, she assumed. The man stepped forward, too

ing away from Keira, "we'll drop the fianc

never even looked at Keira again. She might have been a package he

The October wind cut through her coat. Alexus

ng this? Where'

ck at Keira, just for a moment, and his smile was

wasn't a negotiation. This wasn't even a transaction. It was a demon

he color of a warning sign. He opened the passenger door with a flourish, but not for her. Alex

exus's perfume-something heavy with vanilla and musk-and the ghost of spille

n't pull out immediately. He turned in his seat, his arm draped over

ing's getting press coverage. Full acce

ing his camera. The shutter clicked twice, three times. Alexus immediately leaned into Jer

nch from the lens, but she didn't perform for it either. She let

d. Its lens was fixed directly on her, a tiny red status light blinking in the gloom. It hadn't been angled that way when she walked through. Or maybe she hadn't noticed. It was watc

ed asked. No

ck into the seat. In front of her, Alexus's hand had found Jered's thigh. Their heads tilted together, mouths mee

nees. She found her noise-canceling headphones in the side pocket and put t

in New York. She began to type, her fingers moving across the keys

She caught the movement without looking up. His mou

eact. She di

at he needed. Two parallel lines, stretching toward a we

ide mirror when they changed lanes, no suspicious vehicles, but her phone's screen flickered

t, finding her phone, making sure it was charged. Making s

d out this American mess. Her fingers added a line here, adjusted an angle there. The work anchored her. The work was

er. For the seventeen perc

would build once