, her body ached, and a feverish heat radiated from her skin. The combination of the previous n

wallow two Tylenol with a glass of cold water,

anic mode. They're trying to spin a story about a "gas leak" and y

back a single

om shrieked through the apartment. It wasn't the polite buzz of the doorman; it was the harsh, insistent ala

t pounding with a sick sense of dread.

. Dark circles ringed his eyes, which were bloodshot and wild. He was holdin

an said a car matching yours came in last night. If you don't open thi

ting the scene, threatening her in her own home. The an

the wall to spare her throbbing calf, and pulled

is face, quickly replaced by a carefully constructed mask of anguish

her injured leg made her stumble, her body rec

id, her voice a l

irritation beneath. "Stella, listen to me," he said, thrusting the roses at her.

"Instinct? You looked right at me, Pre

hysterical," he snapped, his voice turning sharp. "And you're fine, aren't you?

ual dismissal of her terror, of his b

entryway. Without thinking, she grabbed it and hurled it at his feet. The

e marble floor wit

raw throat. She was shaking, a volatile mixture of

ton's face transformed. The last shred of feigned c

wded her, using his size to intimidate her. "You have no idea what you're messing with. The Walton-Lane merger is in its f

breath. She felt a wave of nausea, but she refused to lo

said, her voice trembling but resolute, "than spend on

, and he hated it. "You stupid bitch," he snarled

dodge. All she could do was flinch, bracing for

ing left behind-triggered a fina

h a crack that echoed through the hallway. The impact vibrated through her

ack, his hand rising to his reddening face, his ey

fever burning through her. "Not because you left me in the fire. Bec

vering from his shock, and lunged forw

the hallway. A sound of bo

eyes fl

ins standing out in sharp relief-was clamped arou

ast the cuff of a simple black

li

ng the chaos at the security desk. In his other hand, he loosely held the

one. His eyes were not just cold; they were dead.

xed on the hand he held. With a small, almost cas

hroat. His wrist bent at an unnatural angle. The roses

shove, sending him stumblin

la, shielding her completely with his body. He stood

vibration that silenced the room. "And I especially don't li

whisper, yet carried more menace

d, each word a drop of poison