Chapter 2
440words
Whispers circulated that the First Dragon of City A was about to be dethroned.
I'd lost my right-hand man, our product, and most of my crew in one night.
While I was patching up what remained of my operation, the streets buzzed with news that Alex had become Miranda's latest boy toy—her 33rd "fiancé."
Plenty of vultures had been circling for years, waiting for me to stumble. Now they were diving in for the kill.
"Well, well. The mighty Lily Johnson can't even keep her man on a leash."
They sneered about how I'd waited ten years for Alex, never getting so much as a promise, only for him to become someone else's lapdog overnight.
My phone buzzed with a video that made my stomach turn.
"God, Alex is amazing in bed. Makes you see stars."
"Have you ever experienced it yourself?"
My fist clenched so tight my knuckles turned white as the video began to play.
In the footage, Alex was rutting like an animal, his fingers digging into Miranda's hips as he drove into her.
"Tell me, baby," Miranda moaned. "How do I compare to the ice queen?"
"There's no comparison," Alex growled. "You're ten times the woman she is."
"She's frigid as ice."
Miranda's laugh cut through me like a knife.
"Poor Lily. No wonder she couldn't satisfy you."
I slammed my phone down, but the images were already burned into my brain.
For ten years, Alex and I had kept things professional, restrained.
The closest we'd ever come to intimacy was when he had a fever and I'd pressed my lips to his forehead.
The streets whispered about the crime queen with a heart of gold, wrapped around her man's finger.
I'd ignored the whispers. All I wanted was for Alex to be happy, to one day look at me the way I looked at him.
Ten years I waited, only to watch him fall into another woman's bed without a second thought.
He had promised—sworn on his life—that he would marry me.
Before I could stanch one wound, a dozen more opened.
Every safe house and drop point we had was compromised. A month's worth of deals went up in smoke.
Worse, my lieutenants—men who'd been with me for years—started jumping ship.
"Sorry, boss," they'd say, not meeting my eyes. "A man's gotta eat."
The only one who stayed loyal lost his hand covering my escape during a botched exchange.
"Lily."
"Miranda sent me with an offer. Submit to her, and you'll be her second. She'll call off the dogs."
