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Prologue

Terrell Blackas picked up by a limousine and driver when he walked out of prison a se two luxuries he’d once taken for granted Not just the luxury of freedoain enjoy the best that his money could buy

His millions had availed him little while in prisonother than to have five years—for bribing three prison guards—tacked onto his two concurrent fifteen-to-life sentences for attehteous prosecutor had called it when Terrell had gone to trial all those years ago, what the po sentence Attempted murder Terrell had called it attempted justice Justice that had not been meted out to the man who’d murdered Terrell’s only child, or to the wootten the man off

Justice had been deferred for years while Terrell had rotted in prisonbut now that he was finally free on parole, justice would most assuredly be carried out Sabrina Weston had been struck by divine retribution—dying on a hospital operating table seventeen o—but Derek Summers would not escape that easily Terrell would see to it Summers would suffer the torments of the damned, just as Terrell himself had suffered for nearly twenty years

“‘Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,’” Terrell whispered to himself God had been remiss where Summers was concerned—so Terrell would be the hand of God

“What did you say, Mr Blackwood?” the li for Minnetonka, Minnesota, where Terrell’s ancestral -awaited return

“Nothing,” he replied, settling back against the co in the feel and s at all” But he s s smile that boded ill for Derek Suhters

Chapter 1

She was the most exotically beautiful wo a lot, since he worked in the movie industry, where beautiful women were a dime a dozen Not to mention he’d starred for ten years opposite the inconing queen long before she beca of Zakhar Even Sabrina’s all-Ah he’d loved Bree more for the beauty of her soul than for her looks

But it wasn’t just this woently curving figure in a red dress designed to tease and tantalize that had caught his attention It hat she wasn’t doing Unlike every other wo to catch his eye

He knew she’d seen him when he walked into the exclusive jazz club near Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, a club that was a favorite with British and American expats as well as Chinese jazz aficionados And he’d known by the slight widening of her eyes she recognized him as internationally famous movie star Dirk DeWinter, just as everyone else in the club had But after that first moment she’d kept her attention riveted on the older e And Dirk had been intrigued

The strong tug of sexual attraction was there, and that surprised him For the first tih to want to do so about it But he wasn’t a wolf—never had been The object of his interest ith another man, and that made her off-limits

But looking never hurt anyone Neither did a question He took a long s of his Tsingtao beer—he always drank local breherever he went—and turned to the bartender who’d been hovering nearby ever since he’d realized who

“Do you knoho she is? The woman in the red dress” He didn’t have to be more specific Even in a sea of red dresses, hers would stand out for its see modesty that only hinted at as beneath

The Chinese bartender put down the glass he was polishing needlessly and said, “The class act at the table front and center? That’s Mei-li I don’t know her last name She couy, a Brit He drinks single ht up She drinks club soda with a twist of lime”

Dirk liked that she wasn’t a drinker He wasn’t much of one himself and didn’t really care to be around those ere He could only see the back of the silver-hairedhe was too old for her Dirk didn’t voice that thought, however He wasn’t naive She wouldn’t be the first beautiful young woht didn’t sit ith hinored hinition