Apex Bloom

Pain exploded through my hand, but I refused to let go.

I twisted violently, jerking my fingers away just as his sole cracked against the stone, pulling my body fully onto the narrow ledge. I lay there, gasping, tasting copper in my mouth.

Above me, Brent laughed.

Love is beautiful, yet not always sweet, I thought. I had played the good wife, and Lyle had left me with nothing. I had wallowed. I had broken.

But as I looked at the blood soaking through the sleeve of my suit, the shattered illusions dissolved. I wasn't a victim. I was the woman who survived the fall.

I stood up.

Instead of panicking, I forced my heart rate down. I swallowed the fear and replaced it with pure, cold – blooded spite.

"Is that all you've got, you pathetic tosser?" I croaked, wiping the blood from my face.

I didn't go back to the path. I looked at the sheer face to my right. It was suicide for an amateur. But I was doing me to the fullest.

I climbed. My fingers bled as I jammed them into cracks. My muscles screamed, but I didn't stop. I pulled myself onto the final plateau just as Brent lunged for the beacon.

I launched myself forward and hit him like a freight train.

We tumbled into the red dirt. Brent scrambled on top of me, his hands locking around my throat.

"You bitch!" he spat, squeezing my windpipe.

I smiled. Even as the air thinned, I didn't panic. I reached up and grabbed his wristband. With a sharp, violent twist, I snapped the dial, short – circuiting his haptic sensors.

A massive surge of biometric feedback hit Brent instantly. His eyes rolled back as the device forced his nervous system to feel the amplified stress of everyone on the mountain. He slumped over, twitching.

I shoved his heavy, useless body off me. I crawled the last few feet and pressed my bloody palm to the beacon glass.

"SOVEREIGNTY CLAIMED: LOLITA," an automated voice boomed across the island.

That evening, the power dynamic was dead and buried. I sat in the massive, silk – draped bed of the master suite. The air conditioning was freezing against my bruised skin.

Brent stood in the corner, looking utterly broken. I had relegated him to Scavenger status, and right now, his only purpose was to serve me.

"Make me an Electric Sunset," I commanded, my voice echoing in the quiet room. "And do it exactly as I say."

Brent practically scrambled to the marble bar cart.

"Pack a tall glass with as much ice as you can find," I instructed, watching his hands shake. "Now, pour in your vodka, white Bacardi, and silver tequila. Twenty – five millilitres of each. Don't spill a single drop."

He swallowed hard, pouring the clear spirits over the ice.

"Pour in twenty – five millilitres of Strawberry Bols," I continued, my tone dripping with cold authority. "Fill the glass most of the way with orange juice and give it a good stir."

The ice clinked loudly in the silent room.

"Slowly pour fifteen millilitres of cherry brandy over the top so it floats," I ordered. "And finish with a splash of that apple, strawberry, and raspberry drink."

Brent walked over, his head bowed, and handed me the drink. The deep red and orange layers looked like the sky above the mountain had just hours ago. I took a sip. It was perfect.

"Get out," I whispered. Brent fled the room without a word.

A moment later, the heavy door clicked open again.

Franco stepped inside. He locked the door behind him. The click of the deadbolt sounded like a gunshot.

He walked slowly towards the bed, his eyes locked onto mine. He looked at the bruises blooming on my collarbone, the split in my lip, and the absolute, unapologetic power radiating from the way I sat on his silk sheets.

"You broke the haptic sensors," Franco said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, predatory rasp. "That's a three – million – pound piece of equipment."

"Charge it to Lyle's frozen accounts," I said smoothly, setting my glass on the nightstand.

Franco stopped right at the edge of the mattress. The professional distance was entirely gone. The air between us was suffocating, thick with a dark, violent lust. He reached out, his calloused thumb tracing the line of my jaw, stopping just at the corner of my mouth.

"You won the Ridge," Franco murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips. "But keeping the crown is a different game entirely."

I didn't pull away. I leaned into his hand, my eyes burning into his. I reached up and gripped the lapel of his jacket, pulling him down until our faces were inches apart.

"I'm just getting started, Franco," I whispered, feeling his breath hitch against my skin. "I told you last night. I don't just want the money."

His eyes went entirely black. "What do you want, Lolita?"

"I want you," I breathed, my grip tightening on his jacket. "And I am going to tear this island apart until you're on your knees."