The first sound was metal striking concrete.

The cold wind off the harbor bit through my coat as I stepped out of the taxi near the abandoned shipping container yard at the South End docks. It was 11:45 PM. The rain had slowed to a miserable, freezing mist, turning the concrete into a mirror reflecting the distant city lights.

My heart was hammering so loudly I was convinced the silent ships in the harbor could hear it. I was terrified, but I couldn't run. The caller had threatened my mother. After everything we had fought through to get her stable, I would gladly walk into hell to keep her safe.

I walked past the rusted cranes and towering stacks of steel containers, my boots crunching on gravel.

"You actually came," a voice called out from the darkness.

I spun around. Emerging from the shadow of a large shipping container was a man wearing a heavy leather jacket. His face was partially obscured by a cap, but when he stepped under a flickering streetlamp, my breath caught.

It was Walter Mercer. But he didn't look like the arrogant, wealthy landlord who had crushed my mother's oxygen machine. He looked frantic, his eyes wild and bloodshot, a dark bruise swelling on his cheek.

"Walter," I said, taking a defensive step back. "You called me? Why are you doing this?"

"Because your little billionaire boyfriend ruined me!" Walter shrieked, his voice cracked with mania. "Within forty-eight hours of buying the Ashford, O'Connor's lawyers froze all my assets. The city inspectors shut down five of my other properties. The bank called in my loans. I'm bankrupt, Maya! I have warrants out for my arrest! I have nothing left!"

"You brought this on yourself," I said, my anger suddenly eclipsing my fear. "You illegally evicted us, you destroyed medical equipment, and you preyed on vulnerable people for years. You deserve everything that’s happening to you."

"Shut up!" Walter roared, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, silver revolver. He pointed it directly at my chest, his hand shaking violently. "You think you're safe because Liam O'Connor wrapped his handkerchief around your hand? You're nothing but a pawn to him! He’s using you to get to the Sterling family, and you don't even know it!"

"The Sterling family?" I repeated, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The O'Connor family and the Sterling family have been at war for decades," Walter explained, laughing hysterically. "Liam’s father was killed by a Sterling hitman twenty-five years ago. Your mother didn't just save Liam; she hid him from the people who wanted to finish the job. If the Sterlings find out Clara Lin is still alive—and that you are her daughter—they will wipe you both off the map just to hurt Liam. And I'm going to make sure they find out. Unless you get Liam to release my assets."

"He won't do that," a deep, calm voice echoed from the shadows behind Walter.

Walter spun around in a panic.

Liam O'Connor stepped out of the darkness. He wasn't wearing his expensive wool coat; he was in a simple black sweater and dark jeans, holding a heavy, silenced pistol in his hand. His expression was completely blank, his eyes like twin pieces of ice. Behind him, four of his security guards materialized from the shadows, their weapons drawn and aimed at Walter.

"Mr. O'Connor," Walter gasped, his voice cracking as he backed toward the edge of the pier. "Don't... don't come any closer! I'll shoot her! I swear to God, I'll pull the trigger!"

"You can try," Liam said, his voice flat, devoid of any fear or hesitation. "But before your finger can even twitch, my men will put five bullets through your chest. And I will personally throw what’s left of you into the harbor. Put the gun down, Walter."

"You... you ruined me..." Walter sobbed, his hand shaking so hard the gun wobbled.

"You ruined yourself when you touched Maya’s family," Liam said, taking a slow, measured step forward. "I told you. Life doesn't have a face. Men do. And today, I am your life's end."

With a sudden, swift movement, one of Liam’s guards fired a non-lethal taser. The prongs struck Walter's shoulder, and he let out a choked scream, his muscles seizing up as the gun flew from his hand and clattered onto the concrete. The guards immediately swarmed him, pinning him to the ground and clicking heavy plastic zip-ties around his wrists.

Liam didn't even look at the groveling landlord. He pocketed his weapon and walked straight to me, his hands reaching out to grab my shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his eyes scanning my face with intense, protective concern. "Did he touch you?"

"I... I'm fine," I stammered, my body shaking violently from the adrenaline. "How did you know I was here?"

"I have a tracker on your phone, Maya," Liam said softly, his thumbs gently rubbing my collarbones through my coat. "And my guards have been watching you since you left the hospital. I am sorry I let him get this close to you."

I looked up at him, my mind spinning with Walter's words. "Is it true, Liam? Is my mother in danger because of your family's war with the Sterlings?"