It was nearly midnight when Dr. Maya Khan walked toward her car in the staff lot of Sterling Medical. Her shift had been a nightmare of complications, but her mind was still replaying Kaius’s smile at dinner.
She fumbled for her keys, then froze.
Under the harsh yellow glow of a streetlamp, two men were arguing near a black SUV.
One was Dr. Julian Sterling. The other was Dominic Valerius.
Maya stepped into the shadow of a pillar, watching. They weren’t fighting like strangers. They were standing chest to chest, their body language identical–the same aggressive tilt of the head, the same sharp, chopping hand gestures.
“You’re reckless, Julian!” Dominic’s voice carried over the wind. “You’re going to blow the cover!”
“I don’t care about the plan anymore!” Julian shouted back, shoving Dominic. “She’s not a pawn!”
Dominic grabbed Julian by the collar, shaking him. It was violent, but intimate. It was the way brothers fought.
Maya’s breath hitched. She looked at Julian’s dark hair, his sharp jawline. She looked at Dominic’s identical features. The connection clicked into place like a key in a lock. Julian wasn’t just a surgeon with a bad attitude. He was a Valerius.
She backed away slowly, her heart hammering. He wasn’t just hiding a secret; he was hiding an entire war.