awling Whitaker estate in Long Island j

closet and shoved the brown paper bag of progester

on the door

led out. "Mr. Whitaker is waiti

ver her head, hoping the loose fabric wou

room. The mahogany table

ng into a rare steak. Blood pool

eared meat and garlic hit her nose,

nd chugged the ice water, forcin

room was the scrape of Bryant'

. She dug her fingernails int

just had a baby," she said, for

carefully. "What do y

nife stopp

plummeted. The air grew so t

is dark eyes locked onto her

r the crystal decanter and poured a gla

ting a long shadow over the tab

front of her. Red liquid sloshed over

t," he c

liquid. Her heart hammered agai

t to drink tonigh

nting both hands on the armrests of

lips were inches from her ear.

unning through its veins," he hissed.

stopped

cing into her like a scalpel, "I will strap you to a table

m Janelle's face. Her pup

f hope she had been cling

in annoyance, grabbed her jaw with one hand, and

," he

Janelle choked, forced to swallow

shoved his chest with both hands a

It hit the Persian rug with a dull thud,

fect, terrifying calm. He looked down at her

eel and walked out

ar of his car engine f

the wine-soaked rug. She curled into a tight

er face, soaking in

g a silent vow to the life inside her. H