I knew the second I saw him, my life would change forever. When my brother offers me as payment to Nico Fury, the king of the Vipers, how can I refuse? Tattooed, built, and tall, he was the only man I saw when I walked into the room. It was like he occupied all the available space, sitting on his throne of blood, sweat, and lies. Nerves assailed me, but I owed my brother too much to let anything happen to him.

I retired from the Army Special Forces, purchased a bucolic little Upstate farm, and intended to spend my winter years restoring the ancient house, away from people. It wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be, but it was too late to change course now. When I got a call from an old colleague, everything changed. A favor was owed. A wounded agent needed a place to lie low and hide out from the criminal organization that was hard on their heels.

I’m in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. I never meant for it to happen, but my ex is dead—and I’m the one who pulled the trigger. Whether he deserved it or not, whether anyone will even miss that jerk, it doesn’t matter. Joey is dead, and I have to figure out what to do before I get caught with a corpse on my hand.

They warned me that the very sight of me would incite a side of Maverick I would want to flee in fear of. But I had no place else to go. My only option was to brave his wrath to survive. His darkness reaches into me, pulling at something raw, something I don’t understand. With every word he slays me, his every touch burns along my skin. He breaks down my walls, igniting my fiery temper all the while laying bare desires I was never meant to feel, much less act on. Beneath the fire and fury, I glimpse the cracks in his armor and the man he’s desperately trying to hide.

Konstantin wasn’t the type to be ignored. He commanded his criminal empire with an iron fist but he had secrets of his own. But I was Tatiana Nikolaev. I’d never bend to a man’s will or be used as a pawn. Not again. The moment I tempted the fates and played with fire, life spiraled out of control. My only way of survival was to trust again. But could I?