A debt. A lie. A love that could destroy them both. Kristen Thomas knows survival. After clawing her way out of a marriage that nearly broke her, she's building a new life for her daughter. Saving a stranger's life at a gala wasn't part of the plan. Finding out that stranger is the mother of Chicago's most ruthless crime boss? Even less so. Nico Sartori has spent his entire life building walls no one can breach. Love is a liability he can't afford. But when the woman who saved his mother needs protection from a threat that could end her life, keeping his distance becomes impossible. She's sleeping down the hall. Looking at him like he's more than the monster everyone says he is. Making him want things he swore he'd never have. The rules were simple: Keep her safe. Don't fall. Some rules are made to be broken. Some debts can never be repaid. Tropes Bodyguard/Protector Forced Proximity Grumpy-Sunshine Not Good Enough Billionaire Wrong Side of the Tracks Damaged Heroine Antihero Lone Wolf Tamed Single Mother HEA