Novels by Addiction

Jasper sat in the study when the Brennan patriarch entered. The man moved with the kind of certainty Jasper had only seen in people who carried power like a weapon. No hesitation. No preamble. The moment he spoke, the decision was already set.“You’ll be introduced,” the patriarch said, voice even, deliberate. “To the inner circle of elite families. Not publicly. Not through media. Within a closed gathering of those who matter.”Jasper leaned back in his chair, studying him. “And the purpose?”“Recognition,” the patriarch replied. “Power respects legitimacy. Legitimacy must be witnessed. You cannot remain a rumor, a shadow behind walls. If you are to inherit influence, to survive in this environment, you must stand before the wolves.”Jasper said nothing. He had anticipated this. He had imagined every scenario the last few days. But imagining did not prepare him for the reality.“And my sister?” he asked.“Secured elsewhere,” the patriarch said. “Her presence is unnecessary. You need

Jasper sat in the study when the Brennan patriarch entered. The man moved with the kind of certainty Jasper had only seen in people who carried power like a weapon. No hesitation. No preamble. The moment he spoke, the decision was already set.“You’ll be introduced,” the patriarch said, voice even, deliberate. “To the inner circle of elite families. Not publicly. Not through media. Within a closed gathering of those who matter.”Jasper leaned back in his chair, studying him. “And the purpose?”“Recognition,” the patriarch replied. “Power respects legitimacy. Legitimacy must be witnessed. You cannot remain a rumor, a shadow behind walls. If you are to inherit influence, to survive in this environment, you must stand before the wolves.”Jasper said nothing. He had anticipated this. He had imagined every scenario the last few days. But imagining did not prepare him for the reality.“And my sister?” he asked.“Secured elsewhere,” the patriarch said. “Her presence is unnecessary. You need

Jasper sat in the study when the Brennan patriarch entered. The man moved with the kind of certainty Jasper had only seen in people who carried power like a weapon. No hesitation. No preamble. The moment he spoke, the decision was already set.“You’ll be introduced,” the patriarch said, voice even, deliberate. “To the inner circle of elite families. Not publicly. Not through media. Within a closed gathering of those who matter.”Jasper leaned back in his chair, studying him. “And the purpose?”“Recognition,” the patriarch replied. “Power respects legitimacy. Legitimacy must be witnessed. You cannot remain a rumor, a shadow behind walls. If you are to inherit influence, to survive in this environment, you must stand before the wolves.”Jasper said nothing. He had anticipated this. He had imagined every scenario the last few days. But imagining did not prepare him for the reality.“And my sister?” he asked.“Secured elsewhere,” the patriarch said. “Her presence is unnecessary. You need

Adrian Snow did not react when the message first arrived.He read it once.Then again.The confirmation came through a secure channel he trusted more than most of his associates. No speculation. No rumor. Direct verification.Jasper Reed had aligned with the Brennan family.Not rumored.Not negotiating.Aligned.Snow leaned back in his chair, fingers resting lightly against the armrest. The office around him remained quiet. Floor-to-ceiling glass overlooked the city, but he wasn’t looking at it.He had expected Jasper to survive prison.He had expected retaliation.He had not expected this.The android facility incident had been costly. Publicly contained, politically managed. It had taken resources, yes—but it had been predictable chaos. Violence was simple. It followed patterns.This was different.“Confirmed?” Snow asked.The man standing across from his desk nodded once. “Three independent confirmations. DNA recognition. Internal Brennan acknowledgment. Security integration alread

The chamber was smaller than the others.No windows. No excess furniture. Just a long table and five seats already occupied when Jasper walked in.The door closed behind him without sound.No one asked him to sit.He took the chair opposite them anyway.A single folder rested at the center of the table. Thick. Sealed. Old paper beneath newer documentation.The man at the head of the table folded his hands. “We prefer evidence over persuasion.”Jasper didn’t respond.The woman to his right slid the folder toward him. “Everything you need is inside.”He opened it.The first document was a birth record.Not his.His mother’s.Name. Date. Place of birth. The Brennan crest stamped faintly in the corner.He turned the page.Hospital admission records. Transfer notices. Redacted segments where names once existed. Classified seals dated over two decades ago.He read every line without pause.No expression changed.Another page.Security relocation orders.Witness protection coding.Internal d

Jasper moved the moment the transport team started loading Zoey into the armored vehicle.No warning.No sound.One second the men were focused on restraints and timing, calling out checks and positions, and the next one of them went down without understanding what hit him. Jasper came from behind, driving the man forward into the side of the vehicle hard enough to knock the air out of him. The impact was controlled. No unnecessary force. Just enough.The weapon never left the man’s grip because Jasper took his arm with it, twisting until the joint gave. The man sagged, unconscious before he hit the ground.Another guard turned.Too late.Jasper stepped inside his reach before the man could raise his weapon. One strike to the chest. Another to the side of the neck. The guard folded and dropped. His radio slipped from his vest and skidded across the concrete, crackling once before going silent.Someone shouted.A warning. A name. Jasper didn’t care which.That was the last organized th