"Ma'am, you can't hand out cards like that in here!"Cade Merrick stood at the entrance of the gated community and stepped in front of a young woman trying to slip in behind another resident. His voice was flat, leaving no room for argument.A few residents slowed down to look. The moment they caught the words "cards like that," several of the men glanced at her tight dress and curvy figure and smirked.The woman spun around and glared at Cade, her voice sharp with indignation."What cards? Those are my company's business cards!""I'm just going home. Who do you think you are, some rent-a-cop stopping me?"She tried to push past him toward the community gate, and the motion set her chest bouncing, drawing every eye nearby. The other guards and a few bystanders stared, caught off guard.Cade let out a short, dry laugh. In his first few days on the job, he'd seen plenty of people talk their way inside with fake excuses. This routine wasn't going to work on him, not with an advantage non

Cade followed the line of her legs upward and froze. A woman hung in midair, working through an aerial yoga routine, and he recognized her at once: Lila Sinclair, the woman who had nearly been attacked that afternoon.Her yoga outfit clung to every curve, and her long hair had come loose in soft waves over her shoulders.Bit by bit, every inch of her came into view through the wall.At twenty-two and still a virgin, Cade felt heat rush through him.It got worse as she shifted from pose to pose, each one more distracting than the last, and his heart pounded harder.Then she dropped into a full split.Cade swallowed hard, his throat dry, and turned away with his eyes shut.But in that same instant his eyes snapped back open. Right before closing them, he had caught a glimpse of two dark shapes lurking in the courtyard outside her door.He looked again. Two men in black baseball jackets and military boots were crouched by her doorway, knives in hand, moving with practiced quiet.Text fli

"It was Julian who invited Ms. Sinclair here tonight."Julian Ashford wore a polite smile, but his eyes kept crawling over the pale skin Lila Sinclair left bare at her collar and shoulders. She felt the weight of that gaze settle on her like something physical, and she suppressed a shiver of discomfort, forcing a small nod in his direction."Thank you for the invitation, Julian.""No, thank you for coming." Julian extended his hand toward her, his smile widening. "Whitethorne Manor is brighter just for having you here."Lila reluctantly offered her hand. The moment their fingers touched, Julian closed his grip around hers and let his thumb drift slowly across the back of her hand. Dana Whitlock, catching the lingering touch, stepped in smoothly to break it up."Hello, Julian. I'm Lila's talent agent, Dana Whitlock."Only then did Julian let go, with visible reluctance, turning to exchange pleasantries with Dana while his eyes kept flicking back toward Lila. She used the distraction to

Ten times the price?Everyone in earshot did the math in an instant. A single piece of high-quality jadeite could run into the millions. Multiply that by ten and the number climbed toward eight figures. Even for the sharpest players in Rivermont's business world, that was not pocket change.Julian Ashford felt the fresh wave of stares like a physical weight. He looked at the mocking curve of Cade Merrick's mouth and felt blood rush to his head. Before he could stop himself, he wrenched the rough jade from Cade's grip."Ten times the price. Do you honestly think I can't afford it?" Julian lifted the stone higher."You're cutting this open today whether you like it or not. And did you really think every single stone in this hall turns up green inside? If this one comes up empty, you can crawl on your hands and knees and bark like a dog for everyone here. Don't forget that."Cade reached out and caught Lila Sinclair's wrist before she could lunge forward to snatch the stone back. His voi

Cade Merrick looked at the readouts hovering above the heads of the eight men blocking their path.[Name: Blackroot Syndicate Member][Threat level: 375][Intent: Armed assembly, attempting to seize the black-and-gold card from property owner Lila Sinclair.]The Blackroot Syndicate. Cade had heard the name tossed around during his internship, always in a tone that carried weight. They were one of the four major syndicates running Rivermont, and compared to them, the thugs who'd hassled him that morning weren't even worth mentioning.Who was pulling the strings behind this attack, though, Cade still couldn't say for certain."What's going on?" Dana Whitlock climbed out of the car, striding toward Cade with irritation written across her face. The moment she spotted the eight hulking men standing in the road ahead, her voice cracked with alarm. "What... what is this?""Dana, what's happening out there?" Lila called from inside, reaching for the door handle."Lila, stay in the car. I've g