BROKEN IN HIS SHADOWS

an's

dossier on my desk. Alicia Carter was scrawled across the front, the name of the lady that had haunted me since the night she nearly collided with

d left me guarded, a king cloaked in mystery

Morales, my private investigator, leaned against the desk, his sharp features unreadable. Bot

er, until he died of cancer three years ago, when she was twenty-one. She's drowning in debt-$2,500 in back rent, plus medical bills from his treatment. Her lan

os of her rundown apartment, vibrant paintings stacked against cracked walls, a blurry shot of her storming out of the bar, her dark curls wild, her

asked, my voice low, a

ss. Puts on a brave face, but she's at her limit, eviction

but not weak. Doesn't know the

was a queen in waiting, unaware of her power. My empire demanded a wife to claim the throne, Nonno's

ers, but for the spark she'd ignited

, calculated. "Make her see there

an eyebrow. "

ied, my green eyes narrowing. "But

approval. "I'll dig deeper, see if Lan

to her photo. Alicia Carter, you've caught a

------------------------

ia's

and flickering bulb, was a prison I could no longer afford. Langley's voice slithered in my mind, his latest visit an hour ago: "You

I was alone, my paintings, vibrant swirls of color that held my soul gathering dust, my dreams crushed under $2,500 in rent and medi

prickling with the apartment's damp chill. Tears welled, spilling

. I needed to escape, Langley, the debts, the weight of a li

r was cool, the city's lights distant, mocking my despair. My sneakers crunched on the pat

ia. Just nerves. But footsteps echoed behind me, steady, deliberate.

, facing the driver from last night, the one who'd nearly hit me with his

ded, yanking against him

s voice flat. "My bo

er masking fear. "I don't know y

ne chilling. "Come with me the easy way, o

t? The near-accident flashed back, had it been no accident at all? F

oice wavered, terror creeping in. This was

is voice a low warn

one. "Fine," I said, my voice

a black car parked nearby, its tint

------------------------

drove. My heart pounded, each mile pulling me deeper into the unknown. Who was his boss? Wh

tter my life or save it, and I had no idea which. As the car sped through Orland

t I was walking into a world far darker a