In the mid-nineteen sixties, the gang structure of Philadelphia is similar to the feudal systems of old. Marissa Eden Wells, a young black catholic, is caught up in that structure. Her allegiance to the gang forges enemies, perpetuating a deep-rooted hatred, which culminates in her brutal rape; she’s left to die. But Marissa survives and responds in the same manner as the traditions of yesteryear; she gathers her forces and retaliates. Regrettably, during the skirmish a loved one is killed. Marissa’s attempt at personal vengeance goes awry. She leaves her enemy alive but wounded, setting into motion an unrelenting determination for revenge.
Marissa’s loss inspires her bid for atonement. Along the road to reformation, she is thrust into a newly integrated society. There she meets Tristan Dion Corbett, a young white southerner, and discovers true love is colorblind, once the ambiguities of racial profiling are overcome.
Years later, secure and happy in her new life, further contentment derails when her past intrudes on her present, insidiously turning into history repeating itself. An enemy from long ago has come for payback. Not content to destroy only Marissa, her nemesis goes after her family. Marissa realizes she has lost her edge, and to save her family, she must revert to her old ways. Setting herself up as bait, she draws the perpetrator away, knowing it will mean the forfeiture of her life.
After all, it’s now clear to her, revenge never ends until all the players are dead.
Christopher Corbett is a thirty-eight-year-old senior partner in his father's law firm. Christopher seldom practices law on an attorney-client basis. His interaction with the law comes as a cold-blooded methodical killer trained by, and working for the government. As a misanthropic, confirmed bachelor, his personal life is neat and orderly, until he encounters his sister-in-law's best friend and his precise ordered existence is rocked.
Abandoned as a child, Villia Candia Leon is thirty-six-years old. Cynical and pragmatic, she is unable or unwilling to love or be loved. When Christopher Corbett erupts into her life, the true meaning of never say never shatters her peace of mind, and decimates her status as a card-carrying member of cynicism.
Mentally kicking and screaming, unforeseen circumstances draw these two together in a relationship desperate for commitment that neither will concede. Neither believes they possess the ability to love; both believe the emotion doesn't exist. Yet despite their skepticism, they spend passionate days and nights together until Christopher returns to his assignment.
Separated, secrecy sows plausible seeds of doubt, pregnancy binds them together, but their stalwart cynicism has a firm hand in keeping them apart. Nevertheless, Vi becomes an unwitting pawn thrust into the midst of Christopher's undercover operation, which leads her to the discovery of her parents, and that knowledge puts her life in jeopardy.
Kristen Alexis Corbett’s family history is shrouded in mystery, long-term quests for revenge, attempted murder, murder, and the clandestine nature of her uncles’ occupation.
Twenty years earlier, someone from her mother’s dubious past came for revenge. Her family was stalked, terrorized, and her mother almost killed. The man responsible slain. The family believed the trauma of her mother’s past was a done deal. Everyone except her mother, who believes revenge never ends until all the players are dead.
Now, Kristen has met Jered Eric Reardon, a young man working undercover with her uncles. As soon as she makes the decision to move in with Jered, life-threatening occurrences begin to dog her life in the same manner as her mother before her.
Believing her past has come back to haunt her, Kristen’s mother calls in reinforcements. The family closes ranks. Everyone is under careful scrutiny, even family members.
Once Kristen and Jered settle in together, subtle challenges begin to intrude into their lives.
Kristen’s cousin Ricardo is antagonistic of Jered. Jered’s apparent jealousy ends in a physical altercation.
Jered’s mother has an intense dislike of Kristen, whom she has never met, and she tries to interfere in the relationship. Her interference bumps her to number one suspect in the attempts on Kristen’s life.
Jered confronts his mother and discovers that his family's past holds secrets that are pivotal to saving Kristen's life. And when those secrets are revealed, they connect the two families, which brings the trail of hatred and revenge full circle, leading back to Kristen’s mother.
