Chapter 1 - THE MAN WHO NEVER LET GO
The words followed Diane all the way through the hotel doors.
A mob boss.
She had heard stories about Ravi Greedy, of course. Everyone in the city had. His name appeared in business columns beside luxury developments and charitable foundations, but it also surfaced in whispers about missing men, closed warehouses, and people who suddenly decided to leave town.
Diane had never believed she would meet him. She certainly had never imagined kissing him.
The security guards guided her through a private corridor. Her wrist still tingled where Ravi had caught it. She kept looking back, hoping someone would tell her there had been a mistake.
“Please,” she said. “I need to call my sister. She's ten. She's home alone.”
One guard glanced at her. “You'll get a phone when Mr. Greedy says so.”
“She isn't alone all night. My neighbor checks on her, but I promised I'd be home.”
“Then you should have thought about that before kissing the boss.”
Diane's stomach tightened. “I didn't know who he was.”
The guard gave a humorless laugh. “That's what everyone says after they make a mistake.”
They brought her into a small private lounge. There were no windows, only a leather sofa, a table, and a camera in one corner. Diane sat on the edge of the sofa, clutching her hands together.
She had lost the money. She had lost her job. And now she might have lost the one thing she could not afford to lose: her freedom.
A door opened.
Ravi entered without his jacket. His black tie hung loose around his collar. He looked even more intimidating away from the ballroom, where the chandeliers and music had softened the edges of his presence.
The guards straightened.
“Leave us.”
“Sir—”
“Now.”
The door closed.
Ravi remained standing. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Diane swallowed. “A woman named Catherine offered me ten thousand dollars to kiss you. She gave me five thousand first. I didn't know who you were. I knew it was wrong, but I needed the money.”
“You thought five thousand dollars bought the right to put your hands on a stranger?”
“No.” Her cheeks burned. “I thought I could do something stupid once and then walk away. I was wrong.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why did you need it?”
“My rent is three months late. My little sister needs dental treatment. Our parents died two years ago, and I'm the only person she has.”
Ravi watched her without expression.
“People invent stories when they're frightened.”
“Then check mine.”
He tilted his head slightly. “You're asking me to investigate you?”
“I'm asking you not to decide I'm lying because you don't like what I did.”
For a moment, the room was silent.
Ravi moved to the table and pressed a button on the intercom.
“Bring Catherine Voss in.”
Diane's heart dropped. “Please don't hurt her.”
He looked at her. “You're worried about the woman who paid you to humiliate me?”
“She did something cruel. That doesn't mean she should be hurt.”
A strange expression crossed his face, there and gone.
“You have an unusual understanding of consequences, Diane Harper.”
“I have a sister waiting for me.”
The door opened again. A guard entered.
“Sir, Miss Voss has left the ballroom. Her car is still outside.”
“Bring her here.”
The guard disappeared.
Ravi took a seat opposite Diane.
“Do you know why she chose you?”
“No.”
“Did she say anything about me?”
“She said you were a bored rich man. That you'd be angry for a minute, maybe laugh, and then forget me.”
Ravi gave a short, cold smile. “She knows me better than that.”
Diane lowered her eyes. “I'm sorry.”
“I heard you the first time.”
“Then what happens now?”
“That depends on what else you're not telling me.”
“Nothing.”
He studied her for several seconds. Then his phone vibrated. He read the message and his expression changed.
“What is it?” Diane asked before she could stop herself.
“Nothing that concerns you.”
He stood and walked toward the door.
“Wait. Can I have my phone? I need to call Sadi.”
He stopped. “Sadi?”
“My sister.”
Ravi looked at the guard outside. “Get her phone. And find out whether the girl is safe.”
Diane rose. “You can't send people to my apartment.”
“I can send someone to make sure a ten-year-old isn't alone while her guardian is being held in a hotel.”
“She'll be frightened.”
“Then call her.”
The guard returned with Diane's phone. The screen showed eleven missed calls from the neighbor who usually watched Sadi.
Diane's hands shook as she dialed.
A small voice answered almost immediately. “Diane?”
“I'm here, sweetheart.”
“Where are you? Mrs. Alvarez said you weren't home.”
“I had a problem at work. I'm safe. Are you okay?”
“I'm okay. I made a sandwich.”
Diane closed her eyes. “Good girl. Stay with Mrs. Alvarez until I get there. Don't open the door for anyone else.”
“Are you coming soon?”
“Yes. I promise.”
When she ended the call, Ravi was watching her.
“Your sister is safe,” he said.
Diane nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don't thank me yet.”
He opened the door.
“Take her to the car. No one touches her. She's coming with me.”
Diane stepped back. “Where?”
“To find out why Catherine Voss thought she could use you as a weapon.”
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And for the first time that night, Diane understood that the kiss had not ended when she pulled away.
It had only started something neither of them could control.
