or. The descent felt endless. When the doors finally slid open t

groups, whispering and glancing at their phones. Adaline ignored them. She kept

cold wind bit into her tear-stained cheeks, stinging her s

r hand, hailing a yellow cab. A man in a business sui

her expression so dark and unyielding that

the cab. "Downtown. The Neon A

. The city lights blurred into streaks of yellow and red. Sh

s, her chronically ill younger brother, sat in the transaction queue, waiting to drain the accoun

daline paid the fare with trembling fing

lined alley to the staff door. Even out here, the heavy bass of the c

cker. She stripped off her ruined corporate blazer, shoving it into the back of the m

shuddering breath, physically compartmentalizing her grief. She shoved t

k hallway and took her place beh

shaking, wiping down the counter. The intense physical labor numbed

his way through the crowd. He looked s

need you to run this bottle of scotch to B

tle and two glasses. She stepped out from behind the bar and wove her way t

was slouched over the curved leather sofa. His breathing was heav

ray down on the glass table

me water, sir?"

was buried in his hands, his fin

ws. She smelled strongly of cheap perfume. She leaned over the

's get you out of he

, uncoordinated. "Get lost," he muttered. His voice

Dilated pupils, excessive sweating, loss

man. She squared her shoulders. "I need to see y

reath. She glanced around, realizing a bouncer was looking in thei

rned back

ind his generic, wire-rimmed glasses. Sweat dripped down hi

eak, Kory lunged forwar

iated through her uniform sleeve. Adaline gasp

s strangely arrogant, demanding, despite his com

r wrist away. "Let go of

humb brushed heavily against her pulse p

chaotic mix of profound despair and reckless rebellion washed over her broken hear

r completely tonight. She wa

ory in the eyes.

stand, pushing off the leather

vy frame against her shoulder. The w

room and signaled for them to cover her station. Sh

ng," she o

se to the wall to avoid the main crowd. Kory's hot breath fann

of the hall. The alarm had been deactivated by the staff

tepping out into the freezing, dark alley behind the bar. Kory