spital corridor. She held the iPad tightly against he

ut of the back of his hand. A steady stream of dark red blood oo

pressure. She forced her feet to stop moving. She stood frozen near the d

a harsh, mocking scoff. He grabbed a tissu

and cruel. He pointed a long finger toward the window. Outside, the New York

unch," Carli

h-end restaurants. One was near Central Park. One was in So

I want them here in exac

. In this storm, the Manhattan traffic would be completely gridlocked. It

ther-" Chloe

and do not bother coming back to Beaumont Group,"

w ached from the pressure. She swallowe

Vanderbilt

d ran out of

It soaked through her cheap gray suit in seconds. She waved frantic

station. Her low heels slappe

the luxurious restaurant, dripping water onto their pristine marble floors.

to flooding. Chloe stood in the pouring rain and waved a hundred-doll

ng from the cold. She leaped over a massive puddle, but her foot landed

he gritted her teeth, ripped the broken shoe off, and toss

n. A piece of broken glass sliced into the sole of her foot. A sharp, stinging pain sh

rueling hours to co

ad been dragged through a river. Her hair was plastered to her

ed onto her bleeding foot for a fraction of a second. A strange, tig

Carlisle said coldly. "You

o the rolling overbed table. She unzipped the insulated bags and began pulli

tainer. It was a delicate French ste

own sauce was a thick layer of

y guarded personal quirk. It was a heavily protected secret, known only to his most trusted inner cir

stion and the freezing cold. Her survival in

, she skimmed the surface of the stew. She scooped every single speck of green cilantro out of

late, the air in the hospital room vanished. A

iked through her chest. Internal alarms blared violently in her mind. Damn it, what did I just do? Six years of hyper-vigilance, six ye

e leaned forward. His dark eyes were fixed on t

ce. The look in his eyes was terrifying. It was a chaotic

voice dropping to a dangerous, vibratin

She opened her mouth, but her tongue f

mered, her voice cracking.

he bed. He took a slow,

spoken of publicly. A habit my own chefs are sworn to sec