Chapter 1

The moment I opened my eyes, I thought about killing Alexander.

Not myself this time—him. That psycho who kept me locked up for ten years, who tortured me until I begged to die. This time around, I wasn't going to let him win.

I stared at myself in the mirror. Twenty-two years old again—smooth skin, no scars, none of the lines that pain had carved into my face.

All those memories came rushing back: the freezing basement, the chains, Alexander's crazy eyes watching me break...

"Not this time," I whispered to my reflection.

I knew exactly what I had to do. Jack Morgan—the only man who'd ever come close to killing Alexander in my past life. He'd failed, but he was the only person who ever made that monster scared.

This time, I was going to find him first.

South Seattle always smelled like car exhaust and industrial waste. The deeper you went, the grittier it got. I followed my memories straight to that beat-up auto shop.

I could hear machinery and metal clanging from half a block away. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the rusty door.

Inside was chaos—car parts everywhere, the air thick with motor oil. A few guys were working, none of them paying attention to me.

Then I saw him.

Jack was bent over a busted Ford, just his broad back and the side of his face visible. Even from across the room, something about him felt dangerous—like he was always ready for a fight.

I knew from the news in my past life that this "mechanic" would eventually have the whole underground world afraid of him.

This is it. This has to work.

Jack must have sensed me watching because he looked up from the engine and turned toward me. I almost forgot how to breathe.

Those eyes... dark and sharp, like he could see right through you. I'd only seen him on TV before. Up close, he was intimidating as hell.

"You lost?" His voice was rough, clearly suspicious.

I tried to look calm even though my heart was about to explode. "I'm looking for you. Jack Morgan."

He put down his wrench and grabbed a dirty rag, wiping his hands slowly while staring at me the whole time. It felt like being watched by a wolf.

"You know me?" He laughed, but it wasn't friendly. "Sweetheart, this isn't exactly your kind of neighborhood."

Now or never. I took a deep breath and said the words that would either save my life or make me look completely insane:

"Marry me. I'll pay you three thousand a month."

Everything went quiet.

The machines were still running, but it felt like the whole world had stopped. Jack dropped the rag and stared at me like I'd just spoken alien.

"What did you just say?"

"Marry me." I tried to keep my voice steady even though my legs were shaking. "Three thousand a month, cash."

Jack stared at me for what felt like forever. Then he started laughing—really laughing, the kind that echoed off the walls and sounded a little crazy.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. "Did you escape from somewhere?"

My face was burning, but I didn't back down. "I'm serious. We can get the license today."

The laughing stopped.

Jack looked me up and down like he was trying to figure out if I was real. It reminded me of how Alexander used to look at me, and I couldn't help shivering.

"What's the catch?" His voice got dangerous as he stepped closer. "You after my money? My pretty face? Or maybe you heard something about what I'm like in bed?"

He said that last part right in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. My whole body tensed up.

"You're... you're good-looking?" I stammered.

That caught him off guard. Jack stepped back and started laughing again.

"Good-looking? That's it?" He seemed to be thinking something over. "Sweetheart, do you have any clue who I am?"

Of course I knew. In my past life, you were the guy who gave Alexander nightmares. The most dangerous man in this city. My only shot at survival.

But all I said was: "I know you're Jack Morgan and you work on cars."

"That's all?" He looked almost disappointed. "You want to marry a complete stranger?"

"I just..." I bit my lip. "I have a good feeling about you."

Jack gave me that intense stare again, like he was trying to read my mind. Finally, he grinned—and it was the kind of smile that should come with a warning label.

"Alright," he said. "Hell, why not? Free wife, three grand a month. I've made worse deals."

I couldn't believe it. "You're saying yes?"

"Why the hell not?" Jack shrugged. "Pretty girl, easy money. Sounds good to me."

He grabbed his jacket. "Let's go before city hall closes. We'll do this today, so you can't chicken out."

Just like that? It was that easy?

I followed him out to his beat-up pickup truck, my head spinning. Part of me couldn't believe I'd actually done it—tied myself to the one man who might be able to protect me from Alexander. The other part wondered if I'd just made a huge mistake.

In the truck, I snuck glances at Jack while he drove. He had strong hands, sharp cheekbones, and yeah... he really was good-looking.

But what worried me was that look he'd given me earlier. That wasn't how a regular mechanic looked at people. That was the alertness of someone who'd seen too much, done too much.

City hall was almost empty, and getting married turned out to be surprisingly simple. When the clerk handed us our marriage certificate, my hands were shaking.

"Congratulations," she said with a smile.

Outside, the sun was setting and the streetlights were starting to flicker on. I stared at the marriage certificate, still warm from the printer, feeling like this couldn't be real.

"Well," Jack said, lighting a cigarette. "Guess we're married now."

I nodded, looking down at the paper in my hands. This thin piece of paper was supposed to be my shield against everything Alexander had done to me before.

Jack blew out smoke, his face hard to read in the fading light. I had no idea what he was thinking, but for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt something like hope.

Could this actually work? Could a marriage certificate really protect me from the monster who'd destroyed my last life? The memories were still there—the pain, the fear, Alexander's voice echoing in my head.

But sitting next to Jack, I felt something I'd never felt before.

This is my second chance. Jack might be dangerous, but at least he's not Alexander. Maybe this time, I can actually be safe. Maybe this time, I can fight back.