Heiress in Disguise

ALEX’s POV

I was woken by a loud metallic slam, the kind that rattled through my bones. My head jerked up from my knee, stiff neck protesting, and I blinked blearily at the bars.

I guess I was too exhausted from the chase that I managed to sleep soundly even in a stupid position. But I pushed myself off the wall, stretched, and tried to clear my vision.

One of the cops stood by the opened cell door, clipboard in hand. “Carter!” he called out and my eyes wandered toward him. “Ivy Alexandria Carter.”

My stomach flipped at the sound of the name. That was my full name. Government-use-only name.

“You made bail.”

I blinked again, trying to shake off the sleep fog. “I—what? Bail? Me?”

The other detainees looked at me like I’d just won the lottery. And in a way, I guess I had. The only problem? I didn’t have a ticket. So, I don’t know how the hell that happened.

As I got to my feet, my brain spun in a dozen directions. Bail? Who the hell would pay for me? The people I knew barely scraped enough to put food on the table, let alone buy my dumb ass out of jail.

The cop didn’t care about my confusion though. He opened the cell, shoved me toward the exit, and the next thing I knew, I was out in the blinding, too-clean lobby.

That’s when I froze.

Waiting for me were three men in identical black suits, crisp white shirts, matching black ties, and sunglasses so shiny I could see my bedraggled reflection in them. They were all lined up like guards from a spy movie.

But it was the man standing in front of them that made my stomach sink further. He was older, maybe late fifties, with graying hair slicked back so neatly it didn’t dare move. His suit wasn’t just expensive, it screamed money. The kind of suit that could pay rent for half the year.

He looked me over, expression unreadable. Then he spoke.

“You’re Ivy Alexandria Carter?”

I turned my head slowly, eyes darting toward the cops behind me. For one wild second, I was sure they’d sold me off. Mafia, human trafficking, rich-guy cult, take your pick.

I swallowed. “Depends who’s asking.”

His lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “We need you to come with us.”

Every instinct in me screamed run. But I guess even the guards could read through my expression what I had been planning on doing.

Almost immediately, the men in suits closed in on me. One on each side, one at my back, like I was some VIP who’d accidentally wandered out of the limo and into the gutter. Except instead of escorting me politely, they practically frog-marched me toward a sleek black car waiting at the curb.

“Hey!” I twisted in their grip, stumbling as my sneakers dragged against the pavement. “This is kidnapping! Actual,