se from the entry table-the one she had dropped the night bef

r. Her hand gripped the cold

tur

ee

ready to sprint to the stairwell. She wouldn't take the el

rning, M

idded t

ssed in black suits that strained against their biceps. The

car through his eyebrow, stepped forward. He

am," he said. His voice was flat. "He asked us

llway stretched out behind

to inject authority into her voice. "

he man said. He crossed his

ell door. It was ten feet

the path to the stairs. He didn't s

as five foot six. They were giants.

mmed the door shut. She leaned her forehead against th

ours, feeling like a trapped an

d saw something wedged between the

The screen lit up

her birthda

heir anniversa

She typed in 0614. June 14th. The day Hazel wa

lo

ave of nausea. He used the date of her

trembled. She didn't want to loo

ed for Haz

. Of course it was. Ha

d been posted

pped th

line taped to the back of the wrist. The other was large, masculine, gripping the smaller hand

for Darius for his thirtieth birthday. She had e

the photo was written in

all. My hero. Blessed Su

f it were contaminated. She ran to the

hand. While Jada was locke

e the floor-to-ceiling windo

nt door

he corner of the living room, the light

sted. His tie was gone, his colla

ugh. "I want the liability waivers bulletproof. If anything goes w

ld her

t. "Pay the hospital board whatever they want t

ed, lis

l comply. She has no choi

ink of the crystal decanter against

t grows back. She's being dramatic. She

deeper than the knife she had he

up. "Is tha

amber liquid onto his hand. He spu

e said, composing

ering through the window. "A regener

"I saw the post," Jada said, her voice dead. "She enj

k, Jada. She's scared. Social media is her way

. She walked past him toward t

mean?" Darius

walked into the guest