e dark penthouse windows. She decided it was far too risky to go back up fo

rd to take the long, disconnected ride back to her rundown apartment in Q

planned to use her desk phone at the office to call her prov

walk, a sleek, black corporate SUV pulled up aggre

at in the back seat. He looked impeccably groomed in

a sharp, authoritative tone that

refused, turning her body to keep walking

held up her cell phone. The screen was cracked from where he

ontacts, her banking apps. She reluctantly opened the hea

partition. He ordered the driver to lock the doors and drive. The SUV p

her. She stated frantically that she had a crucial 10 AM

ard her. He began interrogating her, his voice a low whip, dem

. She stated she just went to pick up so

mb tapped out her grandmother's birthday-the exact same six-digit passcode she had used for the past ten years. The device unlocked instantly, a

some petty eavesdropper, but his lip curled in absolute disgust. "I see Ethan Foster is practically begging for your attention, making sure you got home safe,

sed her of sleeping her way through the Harris

her voice raising. She told him he had absolutely no right to jud

ictable rage at the mention of Poppy in that c

a deserted stretch of highway upstate, far beyond the city

o slam on the brakes. The heavy SUV swerved and pulled

ripped with absolute venom. He

highway. She realized with rising panic that he w

bbed her upper arm. He shoved her door open and

r knee on the sharp gravel. She turned bac

ne out the window. It landed

ay without a single backward glance, leaving he

ctional. She saw the time was 9:45 AM. She stood up and tri

l. She finally got one weak bar. She call

oice echoed through the cracked phone speaker. He officially pulled her fro

der. She clutched her broken phone to her chest,