f the emergency room burned th

w was stiff and smelled like bleach. Her t

ed her e

all, dressed in a dark suit that looked entirely out of plac

man from

ands against the mattress and scrambled b

Gianna asked. H

s studied her face with an inten

to the cubicle, ho

dose of a date-rape drug in your system. We flus

ave any lasting ef

His voice was smooth, but it carr

s lucky she did not ingest mor

The silence in th

a clear plastic bag containing

got looked down through the plas

na R

plastic right above her name.

head slightl

e so low Gianna almost did not hear it. "Everything. Focus on

and stepped out

d. He picked up a plastic cup of water fr

is. A jolt of electricity shot up her arm. She pulled her han

lley at the right time," Algot said. It

ries of the car ride crashed into her brain.

k and covered her cheeks. She looked d

mumbled. "For gett

d. The question was flat, but

cup tightly. The plastic

ianna said carefully. "My age

knuckles turned white. He knew she w

" Gianna asked, trying to shi

usiness,"

h, and the cold authority in his posture. He did not

ocket. He pulled it out and wal

trained

records show she is Desi Conrad's eldest daughter. There are rumors floati

ooked back over his shoulder at G

etly. "I want the full picture

the phone back into his pock

of the Vaughn family?

er heart skipped a beat. Wh

er face to r

anna lied smoothly. "They h

iny pulse beating rapidly at the

Algot sai

aid, pushing the blankets off

ive you,"

is man who made her feel entirely too exposed. But her

no

seat, staring out the window. Every time the streetlights illumina

urb outside her rundo

ped out. The cold air felt good

your name,"

ment, his eyes dark and unreadable. Then he pressed a but

leaving Gianna standing alone on the si