Prologue
Nissa
Ten Years Ago…
I thrashed as I grabbed for my sister. "Lenora. Lenora, I don't want to go."
Even though she was stronger than me, my sister’s hands were too slick to hold on to.
Miss Theresa and Miss Mary tried to pull us apart, but Miss Mary earned an elbow in the gut for her efforts. Miss Theresa kept trying, but I was wiggly and small. I didn't want to go with the man, but Miss Theresa said there was paperwork that proved he was my father.
I didn't know what it meant. All I knew was that they expected me to leave Lenora behind. My sister.
The only person on earth I had left. I wasn't going to do it.
Miss Theresa had always been nice. She would sneak me extra cookies for dessert sometimes. But she was not as nice to Lenora. She always said Lenora was difficult, and I was the easy one. I hated being called the easy one.
I didn't care what they said, I was not leaving her. Not today. Not ever.
My head thrashed against Miss Theresa's hold, and my braids flew around my face. "Let me go. I want my sister."
Miss Theresa crooned in my ear. "Hush now, Nissa. Mr. Montgomery is waiting."
"He has to take us both. We're sisters. He can't split us up. You said we wouldn't be split up."
Finally, Miss Theresa realized that trying to pull me back and wrapping her arms around me was just a recipe for disaster. So she secured my arms against my side, and knelt in front of me, blocking out Lenora, who was pounding her back with her fists. But then Miss Mary had Lenora again, and this time, she had her in a bear hug so my sister couldn't break free. "Listen to me, Nissa. I'm so sorry. He said that he'll arrange for you to still see Lenora, okay? But he's got the blood and paternity tests. There's nothing I can do."
I shook my head. "I will run away. Every single day, I will run away."
A deep voice rang from the hallway. "Well, you can try. But you're my daughter, Nissa. I'll find you and bring you back home because I want to keep you safe. I didn't know about you before, but now that I do, I can't leave you here."
A chill ran up my spine, and I glowered at him, sending him a mutinous look. In Miss Mary's arms, Lenora howled and screeched, bucked and fought. And instead of lunging at Miss Theresa, she lunged at the man, kicking and wailing. He held her off easily and then knelt, keeping a firm hold on her. "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't split you up, but she's my daughter. I need her with me."
I was still glowering at him. "You let my sister go. I hate you."
His expression was soft when he looked at me with icy blue eyes. There was no warmth in them. But his voice was low, and at least it was kind. "I'm sorry this hurts you. I'm sorry your mother didn't explain. And I'm sorry I have to split you up. But get your things, Nissa. You're coming home with me."
When he released Lenora, I could see the defeat in the slump of her shoulders, and my suddenly larger-than-life sister broke. "Lenora, no. Don't cry, Lenora."
She lifted her gaze to me, her eyes filled with tears. "You have to go with him, Nissa."
I shook my head. "I’ll run away every single day."
And then my sister crawled over to me. Miss Theresa moved aside, giving her room to talk to me. Lenora sniffled, her hands still slick with sweat, tears tracking down her brown face over her cheeks. "I love you. Don't run away, okay? He said that he will let us see each other. He's your dad."
"No, our dad died with mum."
She squared her shoulders. "You heard him. My dad isn't your dad. You have to go."
I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you."
"You have to. I love you. I'll see you soon, okay?"
Julian Montgomery took my hand firmly and tugged me behind him. And all I could do was turn back and watch my sister, her image getting smaller and smaller until the door was finally closed.
1
Westin
Present Day…
"I need you to go undercover."
That was the last thing I expected my Ops Commander, Gabe Webb to say when he summoned me into his office. I was a junior agent. Still too green for a solo undercover mission. "Something tells me there's a reason I'm here all by my lonesome."
He nodded. "We have intel that number one on our most-wanted list, Antonio Igno, is having a meeting with someone you know."
Before he said the words, I could feel it in my bones. I knew who it was.
The man who had stripped me of everything. My life, my inheritance, my name… my love.
I started shaking my head before he could even finish. "No, I'm not doing it. I'm not going back there. You and I had a deal. You said I never had to go back."
"I know. And if it wasn't Igno, I wouldn't ask you to. But rumor is they had a meeting at the Winston Gala the other night. Our sources tell us that Montgomery took something from Igno. A ledger and the cipher that goes with it."
I blinked rapidly. "Wait, Igno's ledger? That thing is legendary. Supposedly, there's a physical copy and a digital copy. That digital copy is all over the dark web with hackers trying to access it. No one knows where the cipher is. No one’s ever seen it. That ledger is more secure than the NSA."
Not that the NSA was that secure because I had hacked it once. Only for a few seconds, and I had to get out before they caught me. But I had done it.
"That's the one. He has a physical version of it and a cipher that only comes out for his meetings. The cipher, it seems, has gone missing. We think Julian Montgomery stole it from him."
I shook my head again. "There's no way. Montgomery is greedy and ambitious, but he's not a fool. He knows Igno would kill him."
"In which case, we're down one cockroach. But the point is, we want the cipher, and we think you can get it."