med with a soft,

e, gold-leafed lobby of the Manhattan high-rise. Her face was a mask o

t. The heavy glass revolving doors sense

ss and stepped out onto th

fternoon exploded int

et security ropes. They looked like a pack of starving sharks smelling blood in the water. They shoved their massive lenses

a pair of oversized black sunglasses, and slid them onto her face, hiding her eyes completely

to grab the ch

ap red fabric stepped directly int

was entirely inappropriate for a Tuesday afternoon. She held a massive, obnoxious bo

the advance scout. He immediately pivoted, using his massive frame to form a human wall, successfully in

oked past Evelyn toward the glass doors of the building. She pitched her

ut, her voice drippin

She turned her head slight

into the pockets of his trousers. His bodyguard, Bodhi, walked a step behind

pivoted away from Evelyn, locking onto Kalen and the woman in red. It was the ultimate explosive s

l, who had to hold his position to protect Evelyn's flank, stepping direct

way, either. He just stood there. His eyes bypassed

urned her head back to Evelyn. A nasty, triu

ing sure her voice carried over the clicking camera

of paparazzi. The rapid-fire clicking of

creaked under her grip. Her knuckles turned white. A hot, violent spark of p

im to speak. She waited for him to te

in his pockets. His dark eyes watched Evelyn through

he gut. Kalen had orchestrated this. He had allowed t

e mistook the silence for weakness. She t

ing a fraction but still loud enough for the closest reporters to hea

ward to physically

a sharp, commanding gesture. Ishma

face. Her ice-blue eyes were exposed. They were completely devoid

d instinctively under the crushing weight of Evelyn

dy fully toward Skyler. She took one slow step forward. Her r

ng to step back, but she forced herself to stay planted

close Evelyn could smell the overwhelming, cheap syn

slowly up and down Skyler's red dress, looking at her as

r flush dark red with anger. She opened h

y leave Skyler's mouth, Ev

a blur. The air

of Skyler's heavily contoured face with t