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| Description | Chapter 1 |
Chicago’s hottest legal star is the lawyer of choice for wealthy offenders, but Mina’s courtroom victories increasingly conflict with her sense of right and wrong. When she
can’t ease her guilt with her self-punishing extreme sport, she seeks to relieve it in other
ways. Billionaire Jonathon Thomas Heun is happy to oblige as they take their
relationship to the next level with Mina surrendering control and embracing her dark,
dangerous desires.
As their lives intertwine in and out of the bedroom, past deeds haunt them both,
catapulting them into the perilous territory of the Russian mob, money laundering, and
blackmail. When Mina’s life is threatened, Jonathan’s secrets shake Mina’s trust in him,
putting their relationship on uneasy ground.
Even if her enigmatic lover proves his loyalty and saves her, can Mina forgive him and
accept his growing affection?
The Contract: Prologue and Chapter 1
Prologue
One year ago
From heights of sixty to eighty feet, it takes up to three and a half seconds to hit the water. In that brief moment of time, a thousand thoughts, images, or feelings rush through my mind. Sometimes during the fall, I’d worry I’d forgotten how. The air would rush past my body, but I’d keep my eye on the landing—growing closer each fraction of a second—as I’d tuck and somersault or straighten into an arrow. With three seconds to freefall, you enter at such a force that if any part of your body is out of line, it will break. But I’d trained for this. My body knew exactly what to do. When I hit the water, profound silence—as near to death as I could imagine—allowed me to forget what I’d done.
I had a suitcase packed and ready under the defense table in the courtroom. The prosecutor Aaron Stroheim and I gave our closing speeches, and the jurors filed out to deliberate. They didn’t take long to come up with a verdict, my case was solid. My client was acquitted.
As soon as the foreperson read the verdict, I lowered my head and began to gather my things. I wanted to get as far away from Cook County Courthouse as I could. I alone knew Martin Liebert was guilty of raping his young associate.
“Thank you, Miss Green.” Martin’s congratulatory tone sickened me. He opened his arms.
I avoided his embrace, nodded, and politely congratulated him. Then I turned my back on the courtroom and dove through the crowded hallway. Reporters shoved microphones into my space as I dodged one question after another. The security guards cleared the way for me. Four officers escorted me through the crowd of journalists and female protesters throwing hateful words like stones. I felt shamed like Cersei Lannister in later episodes of Game of Thrones.
I ducked into the nearest cab. “O’Hare, please. Delta departures.” A week of vacation was exactly what I needed to put my head back on straight.