he had kicked off her heels by the door and was curled on her worn-out sofa, a mug of tea gr

r. She glanced at the screen

ver her. Helen only called

el

as high-pitched with panic. "It's W

own heartbreak instantly fo

rful. Very powerful. The school is talking about expulsion! They said Wya

aid, her mind already racing. "I'

Can we af

care of everything," Chloe prom

. Her personal life was a dumpster fire, but her

ntacts, her finger stopping

knew. They'd met through a mutual acquaintance years

ed the ca

wall of noise-men laughing, the clinking of

was surprised. "It's la

p. My brother, Wyatt, w

s ear, a look of professional concentration on his face. He gestured to the

noticing his shoulders were unusually tense as he stud

Dino Gilbert whispered loudly to Caleb Stone, the fourth man at the

the phone call. "Okay, a scho

said, her voice tight w

been reaching for a stac

e suddenly sharp. "What d

king with the man dir

n Ste

red his cards to the table, his gaze meeting H

ay?" Chloe's anxious voi

ry said, his voice strained. He h

e table evaporated. The air gre

hey knew Julian had a son, a rebel

"Your son's name is Leo?" he asked, the qu

ed back in his leather chair,

nfirmed, his

dache coming on. "Well, this is a problem. The client

re and gone in an instant. A ghost of a smile, cold and sharp, touched the

tightening in her stomach. Harry's abrupt hang-up was unnerving. Leo S

Sterling family was the same man she had b

as broken by Dino, who leaned for

, his tone light and teasing. "And what's w

arks just above Julian's collar, marks tha

He swatted Dino's hand away

of character that it si

s neck. The late-night call from a distraught Chloe Hayes. A wild, impossib

, the moment of levity shattered. He a

is voice leaving no room for argument. "Tell your client

k of his chair and strode out of the room, leaving three