The midday sun streamed through the windows of The Green Mill, a cozy diner just a few blocks from Chicago General, its checkered floor and vinyl booths buzzing with the lunchtime crowd. Sayrn Sauns sat across from Mia Torres, her fellow ER nurse and closest friend, picking at a turkey club sandwich. At twenty-eight, with her RN degree earned earlier this year, Sayrn was used to the relentless pace of the ER—suturing wounds, stabilizing patients, keeping chaos at bay. But today, her mind was on Daniel Isiah, the mafia boss whose world of shadows and power had become entwined with hers. After a week of living in his penthouse, stitching up his men, and exploring the Velvet Contract’s boundaries—culminating in their steamy night of ropes and trust—she’d faced a new proposition: Daniel wanted
