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Chapter 1

Aidon

My crew of nearly fifty is dead silent as Poppy’s body is brought in Bran, Hunt, Kailler, and Pole,on and place it—and him—on my desk Jason Chu, my predecessor, ordered the massive oak and steel contraption for , he said that I was a cri some Wall Street investment firm Chu didn’t mean for me to use the desk as a death pyre We lost plenty of n, and Chu paid his respects to all of them, but not one dead body passed into his office

Maybe I would have done the same as Chu if he hadn’t been killed in this very room on the one-year anniversary of his retireet it None of us clocked to his si resentment until it was too late He’d knifed Chu in the back and then slit his own throat We left Access on the floor but lifted Chu onto the desk to try to revive hiht intolast word; his last breath had been the one he gasped before falling to the ground

Access’s blood ruined the ten thousand dollar hand-loorain of the oak surface I couldn’t bring et rid of the desk, and every day I sat at it, I was reminded of my duty to Chu It took me a year to track down all of Access’s associates, family, friends I killed and destroyed all of theht here to be honored and remembered When I sit at this desk, I know it is because of those who have given their life for our family, and I do not rest for a moment

Poppy wasn’t the first body that’s been stretched out here, and it won’t be the last either, but it’s been a while, at least five years, since a casualty of war has been laid here

EachWhen the office is eive the order with an upward jerk of my chin Parks exits immediately, and thirty seconds later, Karin Vieth walks in Her looks are consistent with her Gerht brown eyes She has known associates in Baden-Württe who are active in the international aroods, mostly jewelry and tech She has a small but active crew made up of mostly women She’d be someone I could admire if she hadn’t killed Poppy, but noill have to destroy her, her associates, and every person she loves That’s how I keep my people safe

I stand behind my desk, behind the still body of Poppy, and wait for Karin to speak She’ll begin with a bargain, a deal, as if people can be replaced by stacks of money

Karin clears her throat and folds her hands in front of her waist to disguise the slight tre to exhibit “What do you want?”

“Poppy to be alive”

She snorts “Then he shouldn’t have been in my territory”

“Are you killing people that wander into your territory? I had not heard that those were the rules of engagenal for Notch to send out an alert “All trespassers shall be shot on sight,” I instruct

My right-hand woman pulls out her phone