Chapter 1 - The Fever
My hand moved toward the weapon beneath my pillow before I looked down and froze.
It was Emma.
She was curled into a tight ball on the far edge of my mattress.
Her small frame was shivering violently beneath her thin cleaning uniform.
I slowly withdrew my hand from the cold steel of my gun.
No one had dared to enter my bedroom without permission in two years.
To see this exhausted maid casually passed out in my bed was completely surreal.
I grabbed the heavy wooden headboard and pulled my upper body forward.
When I reached out to touch her shoulder, her skin was radiating unnatural heat.
She was burning up with a severe, dangerous fever.
I grabbed the thick down comforter and pulled it over her trembling shoulders.
As I moved her coat, a cheap prepaid cell phone slipped from her pocket and landed on the sheets.
The screen lit up with a bright notification for a new text message.
I leaned closer and read the words glowing in the dark room.
May you like
The message said, "Did you leave the east wing door unlocked for us?"
The sender's name was listed as Marcus, the exact rival mob boss who had ordered the sniper strike on me two years ago.
