Lukas Novak, a celebrated architect, is haunted by more than blueprints-he's tormented by PTSD after surviving multiple assassination attempts by Beatrice Hirsch, a sociopathic NYC crime boss and obsessive art collector. Her fixation? A rare painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau, Girls with a Red Ball, and the man who dared to stand in her way. Once denied the painting by Novak, Hirsch's obsession twists into vengeance. She vows to unleash her criminal network to steal the masterpiece and exact a slow, brutal death on the man she blames for her loss. Now a star witness in a federal case linking Hirsch to the grisly murder of two of Novak's closest friends, he finds himself the target of a relentless hunt. Though shielded by the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and NYPD, Novak remains a marked man. But the most powerful protection may come from those who love him: Stevie Ling, a brilliant Vietnamese architect, and his psychologist, Mia Martin, who risk their lives to keep him alive. A dangerous combination of loyalty, love and sacrifice forms beneath the looming shadow of Hirch's madness. In a deadly cat-and-mouse game where obsession is the greatest weapon of all, Novak must confront not only a ruthless enemy but also the ghosts of his own trauma and the love that might save him.