from the Hayes estate. The heavy silence in

seat. The silver lighter in his gloved hand

blood smeared across her bare feet. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into a hidden compartment in the a

the Hamptons?" Julian asked. His voice was a

. She refused to look at him. "If you already kn

the car seemed to

ed around her jaw, the grip bruising and absolute. He

. His breath ghosted over her cheek. "I want you to understand that in

Her stomach churned, but she forced herself not to look away. She bit her lower lip, tastin

nt. A cold sneer touched his lips. He relea

n on the armrest.

hing jaw. Manhattan? Why were

busy streets of the Upper East Side. It pulled i

window and her breath

e. This was the ultra-exclusive VIP pavilion, a facil

irst. Arthur opened Chloe's doo

an through a set of sliding glass doors into a lobby that looked more like a five-s

d a black keycard, and the elevator shot up to the

ors sl

e coats. Chloe recognized two of them immediately from medical jo

n stepped out. "Mr. Montgomery," the chief of surge

five-minute consultation with just one of these men, and

ured down the hall. "

e corridor and stopped in fr

single-way observation window. H

to a state-of-the-art, German-engineered life support system. A private nurse was adjusting the

e Julian, her eyes wide

the pockets of his tailored trousers. He looked

r form gives him power," Julian said, his voice flat a

Julian had used his immense wealth and power to forcibly extract her mother from the previ

ng onto hers. "From this second forward, he

The crushing weight of Victor's threat evaporated, ins

is cruel, scarred monster spend mil

personal space. He leaned down, hi

payment for your absolut

ace. She was no longer a hostage of the Hayes family. Sh