Chapter 4 - Blood on the CarpetThe air in the suite turned glacial.
Elena coughed, spitting a streak of blood onto the plush white rug as Kendrick’s boot applied relentless pressure to her chest. Her eyes were wide with terror, yet a twisted, defiant smirk played on her lips.
"You... you can't keep her, Kendrick," Elena choked out, gasping for air. "Barrett... Barrett knows who she really is. You think you brought home a nobody? Look closer, Ashford. Look at those eyes!"
Willa felt the blood drain entirely from her face. Her knees buckled slightly, forcing her to grab the back of the velvet sofa for support.
Kendrick didn't look at Elena. His dark, impenetrable eyes remained locked entirely on Willa.
"Who is she, Elena?" Kendrick asked softly, his voice a lethal purr. "Tell me something I don't already know."
Elena let out a raspy, manic laugh. "She's not Willa Hayes! Check her left shoulder—there’s a burn scar in the shape of a cloverleaf. She’s Katherine Sterling! The daughter of the accountant who stole three hundred million dollars from the syndicate before your syndicate burned his house to ash!"
The name hung in the air like a live grenade.
Sterling.
Six years ago, the name was synonymous with betrayal and execution. The Sterling family had been wiped out in a single night of fire and gunfire, ordered by the inner council of the East Coast Syndicate—an order that Kendrick Ashford himself had signed.
Willa squeezed her eyes shut. The past she had buried, burned, and bled to escape had just been dragged out into the glaring light.
There was no running now. No more lies.
Slowly, Willa opened her eyes. She stood up straight, letting go of the sofa, her chin lifting with a quiet, unbroken defiance that mirrored the very man standing across the room from her.
Kendrick looked down at Elena. Without a word of warning, he raised his pistol and brought the heavy butt of the gun down hard against the side of Elena’s head.
The assassin went limp instantly, collapsing onto the carpet in a silent heap.
Kendrick didn't blink. He holstered his weapon, adjusted his cuffs, and slowly turned around to face Willa.
He walked toward her, step by measured step, until he was standing close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his broad frame.
"Katherine Sterling," Kendrick murmured, testing the name on his tongue as if it were an old, vintage wine he hadn't tasted in years. "The ghost of a dead accountant. Everyone on the council swore your father burned to death in that townhouse fire."
"They missed one," Willa said, her voice steady, though every muscle in her body was coiled for a strike. "And for six years, I stayed out of your way. I didn't want your money, I didn't want revenge, I just wanted to live. But your men brought me up here. Your dog chose me."
"My dog," Kendrick repeated, a strange, dark intensity flashing in his amber-flecked eyes, "doesn't make mistakes. And neither does my daughter."
Before Willa could reply, little Penny stirred on the sofa, rubbing her eyes with her small fists. The little girl sat up, looked past her father, and walked straight over to Willa, wrapping her arms tightly around Willa's waist.
Kendrick looked down at his daughter, then back up at Willa. A muscle ticked along his jawline.
"Barrett thinks he can use you to undermine me," Kendrick said, his voice dropping into a commanding authority. "He thinks bringing a Sterling into my penthouse is the ultimate insult to my leadership."
"Then kill me," Willa said flatly. "End it right here, like you did my family. Get it over with."
Kendrick reached out, his warm fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from Willa’s forehead. His touch was surprisingly tender, contrasting sharply with the cold steel in his eyes.
"Kill you?" Kendrick whispered, leaning in close to her ear. "Not a chance, Katherine. Barrett wants a war? I'll give him one. But you're not going to be my victim anymore."
May you like
He stepped back and looked toward the open doorway where two heavily armed syndicate guards stood at attention, pale and sweating from the chaos inside.
"Clean this trash out of my room," Kendrick ordered, gesturing to Elena’s unconscious body. "And send a message to Barrett. Tell him his little assassin failed. And tell him that tomorrow morning... I'm coming for dinner."
