Jack Hardy lounged in a street corner cafe with his thumb swiping lazily across his phone.He stopped at a global news headline. "The Jaguar Cartel Wiped Out Overnight. No Survivors."In a fortified compound deep in South America, every man in the world's deadliest cartel had been found dead. Nine hundred and six of them.The article called it the most baffling massacre in modern criminal history, one that could only have been carried out by a platoon-sized military force.An empire had fallen, and nobody had claimed it. Analysts pointed instead to the underworld's mysterious god of war, the Dark Prince.Two men at the next table had the same headline open between them."They say the Dark Prince doesn't exist. Tell that to the cartels and terrorist groups he has wiped out in the last five years."Jack frowned. He locked the screen and set it face down on the table.He had walked away from the underworld a month ago, right after he killed every man in the Jaguar Cartel for ambushing his

Five minutes later, Jack was seated beside Juliet in a Bentley Continental, with two black SUVs from her security team leading the way.Jack didn't find the car anything special. He owned a dozen newer models himself. His attention was entirely on the woman next to him.Up close, Juliet Forbes was even more breathtaking than she had been in the cafe.He noted the perfect curve of her cheekbones, the full swell of her lips, and the elegant way she wore an expensive dress. Her long dark hair fell slightly forward, framing her face like a halo.Jack wondered whether God had sent this angel to tempt him. How lucky am I that this goddess is about to become my wife!Juliet caught him staring, and her hazel-green eyes narrowed."Stop looking at me with your perverted gaze," she said sharply. "Or I'll have the driver pull over and poke your eyes out."Jack's lips curved into an annoying grin, and he did not look away."I'm just admiring the view. If I'm going to be your husband, I might as wel

Juliet rushed to Jack, checking him for bullet wounds, and found none.Despite the adrenaline of the fight, there wasn't even a bead of sweat on his forehead. Only his fingers and knuckles were covered in dirt and soot.Before Juliet could ask him why he risked so much for a stranger, her phone vibrated in her coat pocket.She answered with shaking fingers and forced her voice to stay level."Grandpa…"The old man's voice crackled on the other end."Juliet, the news is already buzzing about shots fired near the route you usually take. Are you okay?""I am safe, Grandpa. Sorry for being careless. I'll be back soon."Her phone went again in her hand. This time it was her assistant at Angel Skincare, high-pitched and panicked."Ma'am, you need to get here right now. Maybelin is in the lobby with a dozen lawyers, and she's demanding to see the CEO. She's screaming before the reporters and customers that she'll bury our company."Juliet had chased Maybelin for four months. Gift baskets, pri

Juliet's Bentley slipped through the massive gates of the Forbes estate and halted beside a beautiful fountain.She glanced sideways at Jack, expecting him to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of her home.Jack stepped out beside her, scanning the mansion like he was observing the weather.Inside his head, he almost chuckled.Nice barn.He owned over a hundred high-value properties, one of which was a castle in the Scottish Highlands ten times larger than the Forbes estate.Juliet halted at the foot of the steps and turned around."You saved my company, my reputation, and my life on the same day. But you haven't asked me for anything in return."Jack put his hands in his pockets. "All I wanted was a wife. That seemed like a good day's work as a husband."Juliet paused for a breath. The impossible things he did count as a regular day's work for him?She looked away at the fountain. Her jaw tightened, thinking about her never-ending struggles as the CEO of Angel Skincare and the Forbes h

Jack owned a vintage black Triumph motorcycle. He rode it for twenty minutes until he spotted a small, old-fashioned joint that kept late hours.He walked in and found an elderly woman serving homemade food.The afternoon at the Forbes mansion had left a sour taste in his mouth. He needed something real.After a heavy meal, Jack pulled out a thick roll of cash from his pocket and gave the elderly woman two five-hundred-dollar bills. Her eyes widened at the currency."Son, that's too much. Your bill is barely thirty bucks.""Keep it. I was missing my mother's cooking."The old woman looked at the two bills and then at him. "God bless you, son."Jack put his helmet on and took off.His bike roared again as he cruised towards the edge of town, his eyes scanning for a cheap motel. He spotted one with a blinking vacancy sign."The ice machine's broken," the clerk said, sliding a key across the desk without looking up. "Checkout will be at eleven."Jack headed down the dimly lit walkway. He