The party had been going on for hours. Laughter and clinking glasses filled the sprawling ballroom, the scent of expensive wine, cigars, and overindulgence hanging heavy in the air.

Amira had stepped away from Montez the very second she got the chance and now she stood near one of the grand windows, a tall glass of wine in hand, swirling it lazily as if it were her only company for the evening.

She had been observing, silently cataloguing every smile, ...