ss the room like a blade. Jedidiah opened his eyes. He didn't grope for an ala

heavy weight pinne

nst his side, her face buried in the pillow

ntruder. The drugs. The franti

a faint, reddish bruise where his fingers had gripped her too tightly. A surge of sel

ibrated silently. The screen lit up wit

ment slow and controlled. It was a message from Quentin. Net

ern

orporate spy sent to seduce the cripple and steal

his study. He needed

overhead bar attached to the headboard and hauled his upper body up. His biceps bulged with the effort, veins

man st

hing under his pillow for the

ed, murmuring something unintellig

ious night were draped. He picked up his bespoke suit jacket-a dark navy piece-and returned to the bedside. Carefully, so as not

rubber tires making no sound on the plush carpet.

clicked shut, Evita'

e for ten minutes, regulating her breathi

Her head throbbed like it was being split open wit

asculine, sterile, expensive. She lo

She remembered the wheelch

iah S

ust the enemy-a man who could destroy h

shing cold water on her face. She looked in the mirror. Her mascara was s

ered, her voice ras

to lea

ng down every surface she might have touched.

of sandalwood and gun oil. She shoved her arms into the sleeves, buttoning it all the way up. It hung to her mid-thighs, covering her like a dress.

d the pock

ran for the door. She ch

ed for the fire exit at the end of the hall. She pushed th

et bump against her hip. She reached in. It wasn't a cufflink. It was a small, flat, metallic rectangle, cold to the touch. It

it back in.

tor in his study. The footage showed a figure

fficient. She c

ist onto the arm

bed was messy, the sheets tangled. H

he white sheet, was a sma

ng time. His jaw tighten

as a

een untouched. And he had taken her in the

the room, breathles

He didn't look away from the bloodstain. "Lock down the es

taxi. She looked at her reflection in the rearview m

aked. "You are o