Chapter 1

The air in the lavish barn was thick with the smell of money, manure, and cheap perfume.

I stood on the VIP balcony, looking down at the crowd of Texas oilmen and ranchers.

They were vultures in expensive boots. Three years in the Australian Outback had taught me how to spot predators. These men were soft, but their appetites were the same.

This unsanctioned livestock auction and "charity" gala was my first acquisition as the newly designated heir to the Cullen empire.

My uncle, the current head of the family, had confirmed it just before his "hunting accident."

The accident had cut off our communication, forcing me to return to the States sooner than planned.

I had intended to surprise my mother, Maria, and my younger sister, Molly.

I hadn't seen them in three years.

Three years of learning the ruthless side of our business-land acquisition, resource management, and "problem-solving."

I was no longer the girl who left.

Down in the crowd, I saw them.

My mother, looking tired and worn, her dress nice but clearly second-hand.

My sister was nowhere to be seen.

I signaled to my right-hand man, Rufus, who stood like a statue behind me.

He was the Cullen Cartel' s most feared enforcer, and my shadow.

"Find out why they're here," I said, my voice low. "And where Molly is."

He just nodded and disappeared.

The auctioneer, a man with a slick smile and a louder suit, stepped onto the stage. "And now, for our final, very special lot of the evening!"

The stage lights dimmed, and a single spotlight hit the center platform. It began to rotate.

My blood went cold.

On the platform was my sister, Molly.

She was drugged, her eyes glassy and unfocused.

They had dressed her in a demeaning, sparkling showgirl outfit that was torn at the shoulder.

In the VIP section across from me, I saw the rest of them. Matthew Scott, Molly' s ex-fiancé, was laughing. Next to him, his new girlfriend, Wendy Fuller, clung to his arm.

Her mother, Debra, our former housekeeper, stood beside them, a smug look on her face.

My own father was there, standing with them, avoiding my mother' s gaze.

My mother, Maria, stood below them, looking desperate, her hands clenched into fists.

Matthew leaned over the railing, his voice dripping with contempt. "Look at her, Maria! This is what happens when you fire people for no reason."

He gestured to Debra and Wendy. "You thought you were so high and mighty, firing them for 'theft'. Well, who's the one with nothing now?"

He laughed, a cruel, ugly sound that echoed in the suddenly quiet barn.

"We're going to sell her off," Matthew announced to the crowd. "In three parts. To teach you all a lesson about messing with the Scott family."

The crowd murmured, a mix of shock and greedy excitement.

"First," Matthew yelled, "we'll auction off a private weekend with sweet Molly! Let's start the bidding!"

The ranchers and oilmen, who just moments before were bidding on prize-winning cattle, now started shouting numbers for my sister. Their leering eyes were all fixed on the stage, on Molly.

My mother was shaking, helpless.

Matthew wasn't finished. He pointed a finger at her. "Your ranch is gone, Maria. Foreclosed. Your ex-husband here," he gestured to my father, "has disowned Molly. You have nothing. You're a cleaner now, aren't you? How does it feel?"

As the bidding for the "private weekend" climbed higher and higher, my mother looked completely broken. I felt a cold, precise rage build inside me. I looked at Rufus, who had reappeared at my side.

"Don't move," I ordered. "Let me see how far they'll go."

I needed to see it all. I needed to understand the full scope of their audacity before I brought their world crashing down.