Chapter 4

I studied my reflection in the cafe's bathroom mirror, carefully applying concealer to the fading bruises around my wrists. The swelling in my lips had subsided, but the memory of that burning hot sauce still haunted me. I'd chosen this small Tribeca cafe carefully—far from Alexander's usual haunts, with a back entrance and enough ambient noise to mask conversation.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I checked my watch. Three minutes until my scheduled meeting with Marcus Chen. Three minutes until I committed an act of betrayal that Alexander would consider unforgivable.

If he discovered what I was doing,…