“The maid? You think we should trust her?”

“My father trusted her to clean his home, which meant he was paying her more than a maid’s salary to keep her mouth shut.” Lucas and Z didn’t look convinced, and frankly, I wasn’t either. My father’s death had proven that he wasn’t very adept at trusting the right people. “We use her if we’re in over our heads. Not before.”

Collectively, they nodded. Caring for a baby while I tortured Mian for information and paid Theo back for his death by breaking his precious daughter wasn’t ideal, but my choices were as limited as Mian’s days.

I checked my watched and realized only twenty minutes had passed since we took Mian’s son. If she were smart, she would be on her way by now. There was only one thing left to do.

I snatched up my phone and placed a call to a man who would ensure Mian would obey and come quietly. She lived in one of the most dangerous areas in Chicago, and it just so happened that I had the district’s commander in my pocket as well as the city’s Chief of Police. I should have had eyes on her a long time ago.

But you wouldn’t have just stopped there…

The sour voice of the police commander’s voice chased away destructive thoughts. “Mr. Knight, to what do I owe—”

“Cut the bullshit. Who do you have on rotation tonight?” He immediately ticked off a list of names. Most of district seven was in my pocket, but there were a few straight shooters. When he coughed and mentioned one overzealous cop who thought himself a detective and had been a thorn in my side for years, I cut him off. “Give Office Garrett the rest of the night off.”

“Is there any reason why you’re making such an impossible request? He’ll ask questions.”

“Do you think I give a fuck? Garrett is your problem. Handle him, or I’ll handle you both.” I gave him a detailed description of her even though I haven’t seen her in three years. I’d rehearsed every line and plane of her body over the years when my infatuation wouldn’t allow me to forget she ever existed. I could have found her but forcing myself not to was tantamount to sanity. “If she comes, show her the door. Got it?”

“May I ask why she would come here?”

“I don’t pay you to question me. I pay you to do what the fuck I say.” I hung up and rubbed my temples. A strong drink might have done a better job alleviating the headache, but if I overindulged, I wouldn’t have been on guard for when she arrived.

“Thomas is beginning to ask too many questions,” Z remarked. “Are you sure we’re paying him enough?”

“We’re paying him all he’s going to get. Any more and he’ll be more beneficial to me dead.” The ice around my heart made me sit back with my eyes closed.

When had I become this ruthless?

“She’s left the city.”

My eyes cracked open to see Lucas’s phone lit in his hand and Z’s steady gaze watching me. “Are you ready for this?”

Since I first laid eyes on her.

When the men arrived with the kid, Lucas and Z disappeared to handle it. I could hear his cries no matter how much distance I put between us. I wondered if he cried for her or if he could sense the danger he was in.

I found myself standing in the doorway of the prison I’d made just for her. To the naked eye, it was a normal guest room, but to Mian, it would be so much more. The large bed rested against the far wall where two tall windows flanked the bed. The sills were wide enough to properly seat two people. The bed’s honeycomb headboard was adorned with black leather cuffs that stood out against the gold finish. They were attached to the head and footboard, and I knew Mian would question their presence when she saw them.

Had they been used on someone?

Would I use them on her?

I knew the way Mian’s mind worked better than she did.

Since she wouldn’t be a guest in the traditional sense, the bed was left bare. My mother preferred zoned temperature control since she chilled easier than Dadand me. The temperature in her prison had been lowered to sixty degrees.

I smiled and pictured her face the moment she realized there was no surviving this. Everything she’d encountered during her time here was designed to overwhelm her. Comfort was the last thing she’d be afforded. This wasn’t the worst I could do to her. How far I went would depend on her.

My father’s lessons didn’t include how to toss a ball or catch fish.

His lessons taught me how to be cruel without lifting a finger.

This was one of many reasons I was grateful for his lessons. Putting my finger on any part of Mian’s body would land us both in fucked up territory. That’s where Lucas and Z unknowingly came in. I’d lied to them earlier. If I ever found myself unable to resist her, I planned to unleash them on her. They’d willingly perform when I couldn’t, and I would no longer want her after they had her.