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Prologue
Nina
One year.
That’s how long Eden has been gone.
Taken.
Stolen.
That’s how long I’ve been living my life, blissfully ignorant while I was enjoying my new life with my new love, she was going through hell.
One year.
That’s how long Matteo has had her.
Matteo used to be caring. A man that I even loved, although never as much as Arlo.
But Arlo and I leaving changed him. Hardened him again. And now who knows what he is capable of.
One year.
That’s how long Eden has been with Matteo.
Was she beaten?
Tortured?
Raped?
Or did she soften Matteo’s heart, the way Arlo softened his with me?
One year is a long time. I’m a horrible friend for not realizing she was hurting. She needed me, and I wasn’t there. I’ll never forgive myself if Matteo hurt Eden.
Eden’s strong. She’ll survive another few hours until Arlo and I get to Italy to rescue her. Arlo didn’t want me to go. He wanted to go alone. But there was no way I won’t be there for my friend, now that I know she needs me.
Eden’s strong, but I know how being stolen affects people. Makes you addicted. To getting better. To proving you haven’t changed. To life.
But sometimes, you get addicted to the darkness and let it consume you. With no hope to escape.
1
Eden
One Year Earlier
My life is perfect.
I have the perfect body, which I work hard to keep in shape every day.
I have the perfect condo with an oceanfront view in Los Angeles, California.
I date the perfect guys. They are all impeccable gentlemen, taking me on fancy dates and treating me like a queen in the bedroom.
And most importantly, I have the perfect job.
"Will the defendant rise for sentencing?” the judge asks, staring at the accused and his lawyers.
I look over at Ivan, the suspect and soon to be prisoner, with a smirk on my face. I toss my hair back and hold my head high as the monster stands before the court for judgment. He's a terrifying man. The kind of man who can just glance at you and strike fear into the deepest confines of your soul. His entire body exudes evil and dark. Even the suit his lawyers bought for him doesn't hide his cruelty.
They could have put him in a bunny costume, and it wouldn’t have hidden the monster inside him. The dark suit he’s wearing reflects the darkness of his soul. His hair is shaved short, revealing the tattoos inked into his scalp. The long jacket sleeves can’t contain the tattoos, nor the scars, that blanket his arms and hands. But it's not only his general appearance that makes him menacing. It’s the glare in his eyes, the arrogance in his strut, and the vulgar venom in his speech. Everything about him makes it clear he doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself. He’ll hurt anyone who dares to cross him.
Right now, he’s terrified. He no longer stands proud and strong, like no one can touch him. His body trembles a little as he stands and his bottom lip quivers. He tries to hold back the tears staining his bulging eyes. He knows he's lost. He knows he's going to prison for the rest of his life at the very least, or he's going to die on death row.
This is my favorite part. The part where the bad guys realize they're not untouchable. They are weak. And by locking them away, I’m saving countless other souls from these evil savages.
“Ivan Shaw, on the count of murder in the first degree, this court has found you guilty."
I cock my head to the side as I stare at Ivan. Gazing at him as the single tear rolls down his cheek. I watch as the handcuffs go around his wrists and he is lead out of the courtroom. Before he’s pulled out of the courtroom entirely, he turns his head and gives me one last dirty, sullen stare, his face shining re
d and jaw clenching. But it does nothing to intimidate me. In fact, it warms my insides to see him dragged away, never to see freedom again.
"You’re fucking amazing," Jules, my assistant, says next to me as she begins gathering up the files of papers we had laid out across the courtroom table.
I put a couple of the files into my briefcase and snap the leather case shut. "I'm not that incredible. My work is important, so I have to get it right. If not, a man like Ivan could go back out on the streets and kill dozens of other innocent people. I’m the last line of defense to ensure he doesn’t hurt another person."
Jules smiles and shrugs. "You're still freaking awesome. Ivan left no evidence. His men were utterly loyal to him. The fact that you got one of his men to flip and give you the gun used to commit the murder, with Ivan’s fingerprints all over it, is astonishing. No other lawyer would have gotten anyone loyal to him to say so much as a single syllable against him. Any other lawyer would have lost the case."
Exhaling, I turn and walk out of the courtroom with Jules on my heels. She's young and inexperienced, but she's well on her way to becoming my mini-me. I hope to train as many people as I can to do my job, so we can apprehend more evil creatures and protect this city.
"How do I look?" I ask before exiting the courtroom, preparing myself to face the reporters outside.
Jules scrutinizes me up and down, peering down my dark red skirt and jacket, up to my pin straight black hair, and across my face to examine my makeup. "You’re flawless and perfect as usual. Not a lipstick smudge or glisten of sweat visible.”
I nod. "Good."
Plastering a smug expression on my face, a warning to all other convicts out there that I'm coming for you and I'm going to win, I step out into the lobby of the courtroom. The flashes should blind me, but I'm used to it by now. Bristles from the microphone booms brush against my cheek. The attention should make me uneasy, but instead, I find it as easy as talking to a close friend.
"How were you able to lock away one of LA's worst criminals, abating the police and court system for decades?” one of the reporters asks.
I stare directly at the camera that is pointed at me. "I surround myself with the best team, and I have dedicated my life to making our world a little safer. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the bad guy goes to jail every single time. Ivan Shaw was a villain. It may take some time, but in the end, good always conquers evil."
“This case seemed impossible. How were you able to convince the key witness, in this case, to cooperate with you?"
I turn my head towards the next camera. "Because impossible doesn't exist. Not really. Every one of these people are human. They all have wants and desires of their own. No one wants to go to prison for the rest of their lives. No one wants to be responsible for the criminal going free. So it's a matter of having a heart-to-heart conversation with someone, human to human. After that, the witness was more than willing to talk.”
I glance around all the reporters. "I'll take one more question."
"What's next? You prosecute more cases than anyone in the state. Are you going to take a much-needed vacation?"
I laugh. "I'll take a vacation when all the bad guys are locked up, and there are none left to terrorize this city.“
I start walking again, and the reporters reluctantly part for me, still firing off questions despite me saying I was only taking one more question. I walk fast in my stiletto heels, keeping ahead of the reporters and Jules who are trailing behind me.
I don't like admitting it, but I like the attention winning a case brings. I like the afterglow and the feeling that I did something helpful for the world. I feel like a rock star, and hopeful that maybe, this was the time I locked away the last criminal. Tomorrow I’ll wake up and sleep in, instead of getting a call about yet another murder that happened while I slept. This will be the time I never get that call. All of the horrible people will have somehow been eradicated from the world, or at least my small part of it.
