Prologue
Alex Drake stood before a full-length mirror, eyeing every detail of his new three-piece suit. Normally, his custom tailoring would be done in the comfort of his penthouse home. Today, Alex and his best friend were meeting with his tailor in his office—a grand executive suite at the top of his skyscraper in the midst of Manhattan.
The look was flawless. A tad more formal than he preferred, but with a reluctant nod, he approved. This wasn’t just a suit. Frowning, Alex lifted the lapels of his suit jacket to inspect the vest.
Though comfortable, the weight was much heavier than any normal vest. It’s battle armor.
When Paco stepped beside him, Alex admired his friend, who was wearing a new suit of his own. “Looks good.”
“Good?” Paco huffed. “No, not good. Good is professional and worldly. Boring as shit. We’re totally rocking it like James fucking Bond. You killed it again, Josh.”
Satisfied, the tailor happily took the compliment and gave them a smile before departing.
Alex’s throat tightened by a heavy knot of nerves. He nodded again, sighing to himself.
“A three-piece suit is perfect.” Paco caught his gaze in the mirror, his tone confident and reassuring. “Don’t worry. Good things come in threes. The number is mystical, magical, hence the rule of threes. It amplifies the intensity of everything. Luck. Power. The Jonas Brothers.”
“I’ll settle for luck.”
Paco lifted a brow. “I’ll settle for the Jonas Brothers.”
A soft ping sounded from Alex’s phone, but he ignored it.
“Not getting that?” Paco asked, a curious smile on his face, but Alex’s only answer was a shake of his head. “It could be important.”
“It can wait.”
Paco didn’t ask more, and Alex sure as hell wasn’t getting into it. Obviously, Paco recognized the assigned ring tone. Jordan Stone.
Talk about a mystical enigma. With legs up to her eyeballs and a penchant for sin and seduction, Jordan Stone was in a class all her own. Alex never knew where he stood with her. Or with Madison.
Coming on strong with Alex was one thing. But when it came to his fiancée, nothing was off limits for Jordan, and she made no pretense about it. She liked Madison and would take any and every chance to cop a feel or steal a kiss. But why?
And why the three of them to begin with? The three Jordan Stones.
A decade ago, his Jordan Stone, aka Jordan, lured him with her wicked ways. And her tongue. Resisting her would have been pointless, but giving in was his undoing.
At the same time, Madison’s brother, Jack, was meeting with a much older and supremely powerful man—Jordan Stone, or simply Stone. The mastermind recruited the sharp West Point grad with a patriotic song and dance, seducing the all-American guy to do more for his country than his country could do for him.
It cost Jack his life. And left everyone who cared for him devastated in the aftermath.
And then there was the third Jordan Stone—Paco’s recruiter, and perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. Where that man with no alias was concerned, Paco left no stone unturned. Literally.
On paper, the operative didn’t exist. All Paco ever learned about him was that the man died on a mission years ago. Unsettled, Paco continued investigating.
It was one of many things Alex and Paco had in common. If there was an unsolved puzzle, leave it to them to obsess over it.
“Hey. Where’d you go?”
Seeing the worry in his best friend’s eyes, Alex forced a smile. “Nothing. Just thinking about threes.”
Nodding, Paco gave him a bigger smile. “I know what you mean. Siri,” he boomed.
“Siri here.”
“Play Sucker.” Singing along, Paco hip-bumped his boss before busting out all his club moves.
Embarrassed, Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. Sternly, he said, “Paco?”
“What?” Paco gave him an innocent look. “You’ve got to get out of your own head for a hot second. Nothing does that like letting loose with Kevin, Joe, and Nick.”
Shaking his head with an inescapable laugh, Alex avoided the next butt bump by checking his watch. “Oh, look at the time. Airport in two hours.”
The reminder was hardly necessary.
Paco killed the music, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. “When the real party starts!”
One
Madison glared at the sexy stud of a man standing before her. With his arms crossed, he blocked the steps to his transatlantic jet with his solid build.
“No girls allowed.” Alex Drake was standing his ground, scoffing at the conventions of political correctness despite his high-profile position. His defiant eyes let her know he meant business. And his telltale smirk showed just how much he loved it.
Hands on her hips, she pushed back. “Is that so?”
An immediate divide was occurring right there on the tarmac of Teterboro Airport. The blurred lines of beauty versus billionaire became irrefutably clear. Men versus women.
Standing on one side was Alex Drake, founder of Drake Global Industries, or DGI. But he stood alone as the other men chuckled, abandoning him as they boarded the jet.
His best friend and cutthroat rival, Mark Donovan of Excelsior/Centurion, was the first to ditch his bestie. And then there was Davis “Richard” Black, CEO of Black Technologies. He threw an apologetic glance at his new fiancée, Jaclyn, who stood in solidarity with Madison.
Alex stepped closer.
Confused, amused, and throwing him the prettiest pouts in all the state, the women stood aligned. Jess Bishop, the sassy, no-holds-barred wife of Mark, might have married the man, but never took his name. She locked arms with Madison as she'd done dozens of times.
Apparently comfortable in the immediate girl power they shared, Jaclyn Long, COO of billion-dollar conglomerate Long Multinational, took Madison’s other arm. Though she and Madison had only just met, their obvious alliance was unflinching.
Take that, Alex Drake.
Rounding out the bonds of sisterhood was Paco Robles. A politically astute man who could easily dissuade a take-no-prisoners battle of the sexes, he held his ground with the women. His stance clearly screamed, “I’m not Switzerland.”
“That’s so.” Alex checked his watch. “And it’s time to say good-bye.” Possessively, he swept Madison from the arms of her comrades and kissed her until her body practically melted into his.
“Wait.” Alarmed, she lowered her voice. “You’re seriously ditching us?”
“Yes. The boys are heading to Singapore without you.” Postponing an explanation, he kissed her again.
“What?” Her brows knitted in disbelief. “I can handle the risks, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know what to expect, and I’m ready for it.”
“Are you?” he asked. In an instant, worry crossed his face.
The question had been asked and answered dozens of times. But as much as nobody wanted Madison that close to certain danger, there was no way they were going to Singapore without her.
“Yes,” she said firmly, reassuring Alex as best she could. Impatient, she asked, “And why did we all pack if you were ditching us?”
Paco stepped closer. “Because I wanted to surprise you, and this was the perfect cover. Ladies, our jet is right over there.”