Page 1 of Beloved Sacrifice

Chapter One

“You want her alive?”

The Grand Master and her counselors were silent.

Tasha Corzo-Polin tipped her head to the side. “Are you afraid to order an assassination?”

The blunt, harsh word hung in the air and again, no one replied.

Tasha waited, sipping tea from a china cup. They’d commandeered tables in the small restaurant in the Boston Public Library. The restaurant—which served high tea—was closed, as was the library. Juliette wouldn’t have dared have this conversation outside of their headquarters otherwise.

Tasha had been the previous Grand Master’s “fixer” for years, until her marriage. To a casual observer, Tasha looked like a pretty blonde woman who had a sweetly rounded belly—Tasha’s pregnancy was the reason they were in the restaurant. She’d demanded tea and a comfortable chair. Though they could have had those downstairs, Juliette hadn’t wanted to make Tasha walk too far.

“I can use a euphemism if you want,” Tasha continued. “Do you want me to ‘take care of her’?”

“No,” Juliette Adams, Grand Master of the Trinity Masters, said. “I am not afraid to issue the order. I don’t want her killed.” She stared at Tasha with a calm but weary assurance. “We need her alive.”

“Alive is harder.”

“I understand that, but in this particular case, we need to speak to her. We can’t do that if she’s dead,” Juliette started.

“Are you sure that’s the real reason?” Tasha’s hand dropped to rest on the small bump under her shirt.

“It is,” Juliette stressed. No one was willing to push the baby issue. Or even mention it. Even five months pregnant, Tasha was deadly. Possibly she was deadlier than before.

“Tasha,” Juliette insisted.

Tasha raised her brows. “You really want her rescued?”

Devon Asher, counselor and husband to the Grand Master, nodded. “She was kidnapped.”

“Rose Hancock is a victim,” Juliette said firmly. Guilt and sadness pinched the corners of her eyes.

Franco, Juliette’s other husband, reached out to take her hand. Juliette firmly but gently pulled it away.

“Rose also tried to kill my brother and his trinity,” said the third counselor.

Juliette’s hissed out a breath. “Would you prefer I have her killed, Sebastian?”

“She’s not a victim, Jules,” he retorted, his eyes hard.

“Yes, she is.”

“She was, but she had plenty of opportunities to tell you or Devon what was going on. She chose not to. Instead, she decided to come after my family. With a gun.” Sebastian folded his arms, obviously unhappy with her decision. “I think we should let Tasha do her job.”

Devon cleared his throat, angry about the tenor of this discussion. He crossed his arms, his frown speaking volumes.

The Trinity Masters was America’s oldest and most powerful secret society. Created by the founding fathers as a way to keep the fledgling nation strong, the Trinity Masters had incredible power and influence. Being invited to join meant access to that power and influence, but there was a cost—all members agreed to an arranged ménage marriage. The society was founded on the belief that the trinity marriages were stronger than a traditional marriage would be.

Juliette, a direct descendant of John Adams, was the daughter and sister, respectively, of the last two Grand Masters. She’d been pledged to a trinity when she was born. Like a princess—the kind who was married off for political gain, not the kind with singing pet sidekicks—she’d been promised to a trinity with Devon Asher, of the New York Ashers, and Rose Hancock.

Her first act as Grand Master had been to dissolve her trinity. In the end, she’d still married Devon.

And Rose Hancock, who’d been pledged to Devon and Juliette for most of their lives, had turned out to be a traitor. A plant, meant to marry Juliette in order to get close to the Grand Master.

Franco stared at Sebastian. “Watch yourself.” Franco’s accent was a bit thicker than normal.

“Is that a threat?” Sebastian’s eyes were cold. “The purists, Rose, nearly killed my brother, and you expect me to feel sorry for her?”

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