VEGA:The moment I read Sonnet's file, I was intrigued. Sonnet Ellison had survived foster care; built a quiet, comfortable life from nothing; and learned early that she couldn't depend on people. She had her own home, degrees, career, and one best friend she loved like family. Her life wasn't flashy or exciting, but she had built it herself. Then one late night changed everything for her. Sonnet witnessed powerful crime boss Roman Granger murder his own son.

Roman came to me because I was one-third of the Street Kings, and handling problems quietly was what I did. He told me Sonnet had witnessed his son's murder and that he needed to know exactly what she saw. He made it sound like he wanted answers so he could find whoever killed his son and handle it. I took the assignment believing I was helping a father avenge his son's death. I had no idea Roman was the man who killed him.

By the time I realized Sonnet wasn't simply a witness Roman wanted questioned, I was already in too deep. Roman didn't need information. He needed the only person who could expose him. And I wasn't going to give her to him. Sonnet was supposed to be business. Instead, I found myself falling for her. The problem was that Sonnet had every reason not to trust me. I was the man who'd kidnapped her.

But as Roman closed in and the situation became more deadly, Sonnet and I had no choice but to depend on each other. She started seeing me as more than the man who had forced his way into her life, and I started realizing she had gotten further under my skin than any woman ever had.