th rows of bespoke suits and designer dresses he had clearly bought for her. She ignored the silks and c

uises on her skin, a stark contrast to the cold calculation in her eyes. A flicker of a memory-of his touch, both fierce and

frighten her; it was a puzzle to be solved. She left her ph

inside. A test, perhaps. A way to give her the illusion of freedom. She pulled

elevator. Just as the doors began to slide open, a man in a tailored black suit

He gave a slight bow of his head. "Mr. Decker instructed

seen his picture in a file once. So, the cage was

usion. "Oh, I was just going to grab

procured a selection of the world's finest coffee be

nted nod, turned, and walked back into the penthouse, closing the door behind her with a sof

intment vanished, replaced by a steely focus. This called for a different skill set. The sk

tories. However, a guest bedroom on the far side of the penthouse had a window overlooking an architectural le

tantly expensive bedding. She pulled out three sets of heavy, vel

es of Alpine butterfly knots and double figure-eights-secure, non-slip knots taught to her in another life, in a place far from New York p

a blast of cold, damp air. Without a moment of hesitati

facade. She was a shadow against the glass and steel, a ghost escaping a gilded cage. Any

king quickly, she untied the knots, bundling the velvet st

ing the penthouse security entirely. She took the service stairs down several flights before

ng streets of Manhattan, melting into the m