Jack returned and slid into the driver seat. Juliet started on him before the Bentley had cleared the ramp."Did you come back humiliated by Selena? What made you imagine a celebrity idol would listen to you? I told you it was impossible."Jack pulled out into traffic, saying nothing, watching the mirror more than the road."You probably made a fool of yourself trying to talk to her, didn't you? I can already picture the look on her face when you tried to convince her."He adjusted the rearview mirror slightly and caught Juliet's reflection, her arms crossed, her lips pressed into a tight line, her eyes fixed on him."Say something," she urged him. "You have been quiet for six minutes."Jack kept his eyes on the road, reached over the seat back without looking, and dropped the contract folder beside her."Selena will be the brand ambassador for your company. It's signed and sealed. Now what do you have to say?"Juliet stared at the folder, holding still, like it might disappear if she

"Jack, thank God you're here."Selena was across the office before the glass door had finished swinging."Ralph received a screenshot of the pictures from a blackmailer. They're demanding ten million dollars to delete them. Otherwise, they'll release the files in public!"The office belonged to Ralph Decker, Selena's Hollywood agent, whose agency managed some of the biggest names in modelling and music. He had been the first to reach her after her big break and the first to get a signature out of her.There were eleven framed magazine covers on the wall behind his desk. Eleven women this man represented, all of them top-notch idols and singers.Ralph sat behind the desk, a heavyset middle-aged man in an expensive suit, with a receding hairline. His eyes were too shifty, maybe because of the mess he was in.Jack's gaze moved from Selena to Ralph and back again. "How serious are the photos?"Selena's cheeks flushed with shame. She hugged herself tighter."They are topless pictures from a

Selena looked at Jack, her eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. She knew he was strong and could fight the guards if it came to that, but there was no need to push Ralph any further.The agent had connections that could ruin her life with a single phone call. She stepped closer to Jack and spoke in a trembling voice."You should apologize. The claims you're making are ridiculous. Ralph has been with me a year and would never do something like this. Please, just say you are sorry so we can end this nightmare."Jack stood perfectly still. His expression remained calm, almost bored."I am confident of my claims. In fact, I can prove that he is the blackmailer right now."Ralph burst into loud, mocking laughter. He leaned back against his desk with arms crossed, trying to look in control."Go on and prove it then. And if you can't, my guards will beat you up anyway. Selena, tell this fool to stop wasting our time before I lose my patience. You'll end up with a ruined career and a crippled

Selena looked like she would faint any second. Her face had gone deathly pale, and her body swayed as if the ground beneath her had turned to liquid.She stared at the bodies on the floor, then at Ralph's finger hovering over the red button on the desk.Two impossibly awful choices. She could submit to what Ralph wanted and abandon her dignity, her career, and every moral boundary she had. Or she could watch her entire life become a public disaster if those photos and information went live.Selena's hands trembled at her sides, her nails digging into her palms until they left red crescents.She turned to Jack, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what to do."Jack's face was unreadable. Ralph's finger twitched closer to the button, his smile widening.Jack finally spoke, his voice quiet and certain. "I told you not to worry. Why are you doubting me now?"Selena stared at him for a long moment. He hadn't moved. He hadn't changed. He was the same as he had been at the motel, a

"You're giving me to him?"Juliet was on her feet and out of the armchair the next instant, and the three of them stepped back to let her stand."Johnny Bowman is a monster. He's killed innocents without a second thought. People who crossed him, or just got in the way accidentally, disappeared.""And have you forgotten about his harem? Girls and women abducted from all over the world and held against their will."She turned on Richard. "You're my father. How could you even imagine giving me up so easily?"Richard took his hand off the back of the armchair. He looked at the carpet and let his wife take over."Stories about him were probably exaggerated," Lydia said. "You should understand that power like Johnny's comes with a price. He's offered you wealth, status and safety.""My dear, it's better for you to surrender your body than for the Forbes family to die. Give him a few years and he'll get tired of you like he gets tired of everything. You'll still be young and wealthy when he d