Chapter 1: The Price of a Soul

The silk of the dress felt like sandpaper against Brittany’s skin. It was too thin, too red, and far too expensive for a girl who had spent the last four years counting pennies to buy milk in bulk."Chin up, 402," a man hissed from the shadows of the wings. "The bidders like it when you look like you have a little fight left in you. Makes the breaking part more fun for them."Brittany didn't look at him. She couldn't. If she caught her reflection in the gilded mirrors of the backstage hallway, she’d see the ghost of the girl she used to be. The girl who had dreams. The girl who hadn't been sold like a piece of livestock by her own blood."My father…" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Is he safe?"The man laughed, a dry, wheezing sound. "Hughes is fine. He’s already at the bar, probably betting the first installment of your sale price on a horse race. Move."He shoved her. Brittany stumbled out onto the stage, the sudden glare of the spotlights blinding her. The room was a sea of bla

Chapter 2: Cage

The iron gates of the Vane penthouse swung open; The SUV growled up the winding driveway, the headlights cutting through the mist."Out," Houston commanded the second the car hissed to a halt.Brittany’s legs were shaking so violently she nearly tripped on the hem of that cursed red silk. She looked up at the gothic monolith of stone and glass. It was beautiful, cold, and utterly terrifying."Houston, please," she whispered, grabbing his sleeve as he started toward the massive oak doors. "My medicine. I left it on the kitchen counter. If I don't get it tonight—""You’ll what? Die?" Houston spun around, his eyes flashing with a dark, twisted amusement. He stepped into her space, his height casting her in total shadow. "Good. It would save me the trouble of watching you rot. But unfortunately for you, my doctors will be here in the morning to ensure you stay alive long enough to pay off every cent of that five million.""It’s not for me! It’s—" She bit her lip until she tasted copper.

Chapter 3: The Lie in the Blood

Houston’s fingers crushed the drawing. His knuckles were white, his eyes two burning coals fixed on Brittany’s face."I’ll ask you one more time," he rasped, the paper crinkling under his grip. "Whose children are these?""They’re Talia’s!" Brittany shouted, the lie flying out of her mouth before she could think. "She’s my neighbor. She... she has triplets. I help her watch them. They must have slipped that into my pocket when I was leaving for the auction."Houston stepped closer, his shadow swallowing her. "Triplets? That’s a very specific coincidence, Brittany. Dark eyes. Defiant smirks. "The world is full of dark-eyed kids, Houston! Not everything is about you!"He stared at her for a long, agonizing minute. Then, he turned and barked at the door. "Bring the woman in. Now."Talia Rossi marched in, looking like a whirlwind in a thrift-store leather jacket. She looked at the gold-leafed ceiling, then at Houston, then at Brittany."Is this the guy?" Talia asked, pointing a thumb

Chapter 4: Ghost in the DNA

"Give me the phone, Craig," Brittany whispered, her voice trembling with a lethal edge. "You don't want to do this.""Oh, I think I do." Craig stepped off the balcony railing, tossing the vibrating phone from hand to hand. The name NOAH flashed rhythmically, a digital heartbeat. "Is this why you ran five years ago? To go play house with some guy while my cousin was burning down the world to find you?""It’s not what you think.""It looks like a five-million-dollar secret to me," Craig sneered, leaning in. "Think of the leverage. Houston would lose his mind. Or maybe... maybe I keep this to myself, and you make it worth my while?""Let her go, Craig."The voice was like a guillotine. Houston stood in the doorway, a thick manila envelope in his hand. His presence turned the room’s oxygen into lead.Craig didn't flinch. He tossed the phone onto the bed. "Just checking on the merchandise, coz. Your 'fiancée' has a very persistent caller. A little kid named Noah."Houston’s gaze shifte

The Truth

CHAPTER FIVE:The powder room was filled with the smell of lilies but it was mixed with something else. Fear. The door was. I was trapped. Houstons eyes were fixed on me burning with an intensity that made my skin crawl. The air was thick and heavy making it hard to breathe."Is it true?" I asked again my voice above a whisper. My hands were. I felt like I was going to collapse. "Did you ruin my father to buy me?"Houston didn't answer away. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again the cold mask was back in place."No " he said, his voice. Cutting. "I didn't set him up.""Then who did?" I asked, my voice rising. "Xander said you signed the check. He said you were at the casino the night my dad lost everything."Houston took a step closer to me his eyes glinting in the light. He backed me against the sink his hands on either side of me but not touching me. I felt trapped like I was caught in a cage."Xander lies " Houston said, his voice low and even. "He tells lies t

His Children, His War

CHAPTER SIX:The ballroom froze, like time had stopped."Mommy!" Noah shouted again his voice bouncing off the gold walls.Every camera phone. Every whisper turned into a roar.Houston didn't blink didn't breathe. His eyes moved from me to the ring, on my hand to the three children staring at him with his dark eyes and his same stubborn chin.Leo stepped forward holding up the crayon drawing. "We drew this for you " he said, his voice brave. "Talia said you were missing Mommy."Mia hid behind Talias legs. Her eyes never left Houston. Big, dark unafraid.Houstons jaw moved a muscle jumped. For five years he was ice. Now the ice was cracking fast."Whose children are these?" he asked, his voice low and deadly. A demand, not a question.Talia stepped in front of the kids her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you talk to them like that " she snapped. "They're scared enough already.""Get out of my way " Houston said, his voice cold and menacing. He took one step forward. The room moved bac