The slap came fast and hard. Diane's bony palm cracked across Sophia's already bruised cheek, and Sophia's head rocked sideways. She raised a hand to her face, and her eyes went wide."Then go and beg that husband of yours," Diane hissed. Spit gathered at the corner of her mouth. "Get on your knees and beg Ethan Cole. He has billions now. Crawl to his door and lick his shoes if you must. You owe your mother a decent meal after everything I have done for you. You ungrateful little rat, you have never given me anything but trouble."For a long moment Sophia did not move. Her cheek burned, and a ringing silence filled her ears. All the nights she had spent running between hospitals and hotels and boardrooms, all the years of bowing her head and swallowing every insult, rolled over her like a tide. Something that had been bending for thirty years finally stopped bending.A half empty plastic bottle of water sat by Diane's feet, left behind by some passing stranger. Sophia reached down, pi

"You are a Morgan, and you know his habits, his weaknesses, and his secrets. That is worth more than any amount of money." Tamara smiled thinly. "There is only one condition. You must pass a test. It is a brutal one. Not everyone can do it."Sophia stood very still. She thought of the sour smell of the diaper on her face, and the thug's greedy eyes, and the doors slamming one after another down the street. She thought of the photograph of a young man in uniform standing beside an emperor, and of her own hand slapping that man's face in a crowded hall. A cold, ugly heat rose through her chest and burned away the last of her doubts."I will do it," Sophia said. Her voice was hard and flat. "Whatever the test is. I want revenge.""Good girl." Tamara's eyes glittered. She turned and pointed one long finger at the frozen figure against the wall. "Then here is your test. Strangle your mother. With your bare hands. Until she stops breathing."The words fell into the dark alley like stones in

Nathan lowered his hands and looked up at the old man. The grumbling faded from his face. A new thought crept in behind his tired eyes, slow and serious, and his shoulders straightened."You are right," Nathan said quietly. He stood, brushed the sawdust from his shirt, and gripped the edge of the desk. "We cannot do this alone, Joe. We do not have enough men or machines. Call the other furniture shops in the district, the ones we can trust. The ones who treated us fairly when nobody else would. Send them extra work, and pay them well.""And the quality?" Old Joe asked. His brow furrowed. "If they cut corners, the medicine will spoil. Mr. Cole said the boxes must be perfect.""Then they will not cut corners." Nathan's voice hardened. "Every box gets inspected before it leaves. If a single one is bad, I will take it out of my own pocket. Ethan trusted me with this. I will not let him down."He glanced toward the factory floor, where a dozen tired workers were beginning to arrive in thei

The round guard let out a snort of laughter. He leaned down, rested his thick forearms on the window frame, and looked past Ethan at the two women inside. A slow, oily grin crept across his face."Any price," the round guard repeated. He turned his head to the tall one and shook it with theatrical pity. "You hear that? Any price. Look at this clown in his rented Bentley. Coming out here in the middle of the night to throw money around in front of two pretty ladies." He leaned closer to the window and winked at Victoria. "Do not be fooled, sweetheart. A man like this is all show. He is a peacock with an empty wallet. You should be riding with someone who can afford his own gas."Victoria's cheeks flushed with anger. Mrs. Hayes began to rise from her seat, but Ethan lifted one finger, and she sat back down."I am only asking to speak with him," Ethan said. His voice stayed even and mild. "If he refuses, I will go.""Oh, you will go," the round guard sneered. He straightened up and rappe

Howard did not rise. He studied Ethan from beneath his heavy brows, and a thin, cold smile spread across his lips."The Green Phoenix Vine," Howard said slowly. "A rare plant. A precious plant. And you want it very badly, do you not?" He leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach. "I am sorry to disappoint you, young man. It is gone. My granddaughter ate it a long time ago. It did her a great deal of good. I would offer you a cutting, but there is nothing left to cut."Victoria's hands tightened. Ethan's expression did not change, but his eyes narrowed by a hair."I see," Ethan answered. He studied the man for a moment, taking in the yellow tint of his skin, the thick gray tinge beneath his nails, and the faint rattle that came with each slow breath. "Mr. Hale, I will say something that may sound presumptuous. You are not a well man. Your liver has been failing for years, and your lungs are not far behind. I can treat it. I will do it tonight, at no charge. Consider it a courte