Alpha in Color

"Brenna, you're stepping in for Noreen to get engaged today. Get back here right now and stop embarrassing this family! If you don't—" The line went dead the second Brenna Fuller ended the call.

Brenna had been abducted and sold off at three years old. It took her more than twenty years to track down her biological parents, and she had only reunited with them a month ago. Now they were demanding she marry in place of their precious younger daughter, Noreen Walsh.

A sharp crack suddenly tore through the alley.

Brenna recognized the sound as gunfire instantly. Without wasting time, she scooped up her pharmacology textbooks and prepared to slip out of the alley.

Before she could take two steps, someone slammed into her.

The man wore a silver mask that covered most of his face, leaving only a clean, sharp jaw exposed. His tailored suit jacket was darkened with spreading blood, proof that he was badly hurt.

"Don't move..." Vincent Todd rasped, his voice low and edged with warning.

Assuming she was another assassin sent by his enemies, he raised his hand, intent to subdue her, but the moment he saw her face clearly, his hand stalled midair.

Their gazes locked. Amber eyes met his, bright and steady, and her lips stood out in vivid red against skin marked by heavy burn scars. Yet in his eyes, she didn't look damaged. She looked alive.

For more than ten years, his world had been nothing but black and white. Now, standing in front of her, he felt as if color had suddenly returned.

Footsteps pounded closer from the alley entrance.

"Move! He's wounded. He can't have gone far!" a man shouted.

Silence pressed in after that, broken only by tense breathing.

Brenna's gaze flicked toward the approaching figures. Each of them had a swallow tattoo inked on his neck. She knew exactly what that meant. Notorious assassins.

"I didn't see anything," she said calmly, ready to walk away and leave him to his fate.

Without giving her space to step away, Vincent closed the distance and pinned her between himself and the cold brick wall. "If you get me out of this, name your price," he said, his tone low but steady.

His gaze didn't leave her face. Everything around him still looked drained of color, yet when he focused on her, the world sharpened and brightened in a way he couldn't explain. Who exactly was she?

Outside the alley, the sound of boots striking pavement grew louder.

Brenna narrowed her eyes and let out a quiet breath. "Such a headache," she muttered.

Then, her hand shot up and caught his collar. She pressed her palm flat against his chest and shifted her tone in an instant. "Honey, don't you think this is a little too bold for a public place?" she said sweetly.

Strips of white gauze hung overhead, swaying slightly and casting a hazy veil over them. From a distance, they looked like a couple tangled up in an intimate moment.