Under Your Scars

Edwin O'Donnell is eighty-seven years old and knows his godson's moods like weather patterns.

Edwin O'Donnell is eighty-seven years old and knows his godson's moods like weather patterns. Tonight, Christian's bedroom door stands open—something that never happens—and on the burgundy comforter lies a single sheet of embossed parchment. Edwin reaches it as fast as his walker will carry him. The document is dated September 6, 2019, and begins with Christian declaring himself of unsound mind. It is his last will and testament. It is a goodbye. Edwin clutches his rosary and understands with the certainty of old bones that wherever his son has gone tonight, he is already too late.

A serial killer aborts his suicide to rescue a stranger

Elena works late at Reeves Enterprises in Meridian City, a crime-ridden island off the New Jersey coast. Walking home in the rain after her purse breaks and her phone dies, she's cornered in an alley by three men who begin to assault her. On a rooftop above, the city's infamous masked serial killer—the Silencer—sits with a loaded gun pressed to his own temple. Her scream stops his finger on the trigger. He drops into the alley, puts bullets through all three attackers, and watches from the shadows until she's safely inside her apartment building. The next morning, red duct tape seals three dead mouths on the news. A package appears at Elena's door: her wallet, phone, and taser, returned by the killer who chose her life over his own death.

Christian fires his best attorney and smashes his face into glass

Monday morning, Elena learns she's been fired by her abusive supervisor Neil for missing weekend calls—on a phone that broke in the alley. Humiliated, she gathers her things and collides with Christian Reeves, the company's billionaire CEO. He witnesses Neil's cruelty, marches all three into Neil's office, and demands her reinstatement at double pay. When Neil implies Elena earned the favor sexually, Christian slams his face into the glass desk and threatens career annihilation. Neil doubles down with another vulgar accusation, and Christian fires him on the spot, producing a golden pocket watch to count down his exit—one broken finger per minute delayed. Elena watches the most powerful man in the world dismantle her tormentor without once raising his voice above a purr.

Frank's punishment triggers five murders and a name written in blood Desperate for rent money, Elena takes a bartending job at the Hellfire Lounge, a nightclub owned by Frank Valenti, an aging crime boss tied to the city's drug and trafficking trade. The work turns nightmarish when Frank promotes her upstairs. She puts ice in his whiskey—a simple mistake—and his punishment is medieval. He throws the…