Page 12 of Undertow

Cybil Hartford, a.k.a. “Mama H”

Adrian Hartford. Oldest son.

Lincoln Hartford. Middle son.

Theodore Hartford, a.k.a. “Theo.” Youngest son.

Tyler Bennett. Cousin.

Jade Bennett. Cousin.

My gaze locks on the last full-sized branch of the family tree, the one I’ve been avoiding.

Julia Hartford. Daughter.

Deep blue eyes stare back at me from my laptop screen as I chew my toast at the desk in my room. She’s not smiling in this photo. In fact, she looks pensive and introspective, like someone caught her in a candid moment, lost in her head. By the perfect placement of everything else, however, this is clearly a staged social media image. Why choosepensivefor your public persona?

I add that question to my notes on Julia Hartford.

The few bites of breakfast I’ve managed to get down rot in my stomach as I study the other information about the woman I’m supposed to seduce. All under the guise of gaining an in with The Hartford Family.

“Julia is smart and driven, the only one to leave Undertow and experience the rest of the world. She’s being groomed to take over for Mama H one day. By all accounts, she’ll be attracted to deep and complex over fun and charming. No playing around with this one, got it?”

I could laugh at McArthur’s warning last night in the briefing. He doesn’t know his “brilliant” plan is for me to be myself for once. None of them know who I really am. It’s why I’m still alive.

A knock interrupts my studying, and I snap the laptop closed. After shoving the folder beneath it, I approach the door with caution, swallowing a curse when I peek through the door viewer.

Scarlett McArthur. What could she possibly want? Athanksfor thinking I’d be the perfect bait for Julia Hartford?

Forcing a smile, I pull open the door.

“Morning, Ms. McArthur,” I say evenly.

“Ms. McArthur? Really, Shaw?” Her flirty tone is undermined by the direct challenge in her gaze.

I don’t react, refusing to engage.

She rolls her eyes and pushes past me into the room. I’ve never felt as sick before a job as I do now, and this visit certainly won’t help. While she inspects my room, I glance into the hallway for signs of her father, or that guy, Patrick.

“They’re all out golfing,” she says, waving off my concern. I don’t like that she read me so easily. I need to lock this shit down if I have any chance of surviving this assignment.

“Nice day for it,” I say. My tone is bored, without even a hint of the anxiety simmering in my stomach.

Her attention settles back on me as I sit on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been looking for you since the meeting last night, but they said you’ve been holed up in your room.”

“Lots to review and not much time.”

Just an hourglass of lies. A piece of sand that ties you to another crime.

Which crime? I don’t even know yet.

She nods and lowers herself beside me. I force myself to remain still. “I just wanted to say, not everything my father said is true. I mean, it is, but it’s not. Shaw, I…”

She stops, and I clench my jaw.

“I didn’t know what they were planning, I swear. They asked me what I thought about you, that’s it. I thought they were going to promote you or something. I didn’t know it was for this.”

Her hazel eyes plead with me in the ensuing silence, but I don’t know why. She didn’t betray me. We don’t have a relationship to betray. She did her job, played her role. Just like we all do.