aned back into the leather sofa, h

a subtle, dismissive gesture that

uming Hardin wanted to see her comple

bottle of Louis XIII and sl

r barked, pointing at the floor, "get on yo

Tucker. Her eyes were wide

pocket, pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dolla

k and burst open. The bills

s sneered. "Just get on your

breathing. Ten

e ICU flashed in her mind. The heavy weig

d her head and l

begging him silently to st

and took a sip of his whiskey. He did not say a si

ttered into a mill

to tremble. Slowly, agonizingly, her

icked grin on his face, ready to

from the carpet, the heavy door

ran in, complet

. "There is a guy outside screaming. He says his

Her body jerked upward as

Her olde

a sudden burst of adrenaline. She ra

to block her, but Har

instantly s

, down the hallway, and burst t

ly. She ran into the dark, fi

rflowing dumpst

the Harvard graduate, was pinned face-down

was covered in blood and mud. In his fist, he

avy combat boot and stomped do

blood-curdling sc

laina s

he mud, grabbing the thu

ding hard on the rough pavement. The skin on her p

illion dollars," the thug spat down at her. "If

he puddle. He looked at Alaina, taking in her

d the mud f

o his knees in the filthy water, and he bowe

g in the mud, something insid

t serving drinks in a club would never

e ground. Her eyes were complete

alked slowly back towar