g present. The white room, Lila's mocking laughter, Slade's impotent rage. And in the corner,

ody drenched in a cold sweat, her

living area, her hand trembling as she poured a

om the suite next door. A sound that vibrated th

gned for discretion and silence. To hear anything,

the heavy oak door of her suite and pressed her eye to the

allway. The door to the suite next to her

practiced, carrying a large, rolled-up Persian rug between

gged. A dark, crimson liquid, thick and viscous, seeped through the thick

oo

, stifling a scream, a choked gasp of h

He pulled one off with his teeth, a casual, almost elegant gesture, and used a silk pocket square to meticulously wipe

each word a hammer blow to Seraphina's terrified mind. "Clean this up. I don't want the

lating, utterly ruthless killer. And she was in the

r mind screaming at her to hide, to disappear,

en Thorne stopped. He slowly, deliberately, turned his head. His gaze moved past his men, past the blo

oking rig

constriction in her throat. He

mouth lift. A slow, chilling smile that promised deat

ng the door with a soft thud. She slid down the polished wood, her legs

ien's men turned, alerted

ing acknowledgment. Then, he turned away, his voice smooth and dismissive, ut

r and sharper than any fear she had ev

nd he had just see