I tell myself I’ve done nothing wrong. That I don’t deserve to be in a place like this. I whisper to myself in the middle of the torturous nights that I can make things right if I just get the chance. But the truth always catches up to me. The luxury I enjoyed my entire life was bought with other people’s suffering, and this is simply my penance—my reckoning.

I don’t want what I once had—the high-profile, admired life I had before—but I need to make things right. Perhaps redemption doesn’t exist for me, but I don’t care. I still want to get away from here. I want to set things right, or as right as they ever can be, by escaping from this prison whether I deserve it or not and getting justice for the victims of my old life.



When the world decided I was expendable, I learned how to live without anyone’s loyalty. Left behind by everyone in my life, even my superiors in the Marines, I adapted to rely only on myself. I learned discipline and betrayal in equal measure. I’ve used the few moves at my disposal, gotten everything I needed in life, and am now managing my own operation as a hidden hand of the government. I eat, breathe, and sleep medicine, and I get to do it and study the effects day in and day out. I should be perfectly grateful for this life.

And I was. Until she came along with sorrowful eyes and blood on her hands. I kept to myself, did everything right, and still became intrigued by an inmate. I tell myself that she is just another subject—another body in a cell, a simple puzzle to solve. I just need to hold this beautiful young woman at arm’s length, treat her like any other science project, and make sure she doesn’t get under my skin.



Please Note - this is a DARK romance and may not be right for all readers. Please review the content warning in the author's note before reading!