ankle across the threshold of th

nd old cooking oil. It was a violent contr

pulled a small plastic first-aid kit from th

the iodine-soaked cotton swab into the raw, bleedin

ble. The screen lit up with

exhaustion washed over her. Her fing

ldn't stop. She finally slid h

speaker before Karen could even say hello. "I need you to wire fi

I don't have it. Israel kic

of trash! You couldn't even keep a billionaire

. The toxic blood of her f

e aborted you

twisting in Karen's gut. She gripped

ng debts anymore," Karen sai

tened. "I'll tell them what an ungra

roken laugh. "Go ahead

ent into her contacts and

Karen curled into a tight ball on the sofa

exhaustion hit her immune system like a freight train. Her

antic pounding on the

heavily against the peeling wallpaper and dragged h

nor Fletche

nor took one look at Karen's

ulled a bottle of Tylenol and a thermos of hot soup fr

. She just held Karen's hand

ipped her leather briefcase. She pulle

id, her voice shaking with excitement. "He fought off the

e stage name she had legally and permanently adopted years ago, a desperate attempt to comp

ued, "but it's an Oscar-bait role, K

gers trembled as they brus

d onto the title page. She pulled the script