They call him Romeo—though no one would mistake him for a romantic.

Troy "Romeo" Rosa is a ghost, a mercenary who takes orders without question from his tutu-wearing, razor-sharp boss. His latest mission should be simple. Instead, it drags him into a world of corruption so deep it threatens to tear Checkmate apart from the inside.

His target? A mafia princess. Heiress to an empire built on the suffering of the vulnerable.

After a violent attack on her home, her father demands outside protection for his most valuable asset—his daughter. They think they're getting a soldier. What they're really getting is a man with his own agenda: dismantle the empire and end the horrors it fuels.

The orders are clear.

If she resists: seduce her.

If she uncovers the truth: silence her. Permanently.

But as lines blur and secrets unravel, Troy is forced to make an impossible choice. Because the one woman he was sent to use... may be the only one who can break him.