ke

indows with a cruel brilliance. I woke up on the sofa i

before came rushing back. The funeral for Avery's

had messed up. I shouldn't have brought Claire here, but she had been

nto the hallway. The ap

" I cal

ans

door. I knocked. "Aves? Are

le

he handle

p this. Ope

th

ent to the master bedroom, grabbed the emergency

urned it. The lock clicke

om was

ine, the sheets pulled tight, the pillows fl

door was

ery

phone and dial

you have dialed is disconnec

phone. Disconn

ately di

assistant answered. "Track her ph

What's

ne. Just

r. "Her favorite places. Central Park. The Met. The library. And get the NYPD commissioner on the phone." As the car tore through the morning traffic of Manhattan, I was al

buzzed. I

d up from your building at 5:00 AM. Drop off was

d about in the league's locker rooms and elite circles

ress," I said, m

gripped the leather seat, my knuckles white, as we sped toward the Holl

eptionist. "Avery Mont

here!" a security guar

ng!" I shoved my Black Card and my franchise

oking calm but stern. "Mr. Kni

I demanded, my

out thirty minutes ago,

her maiden name stung. "What

privacy laws," the nurse said. "But she l

e a thick ma

adly I almost dropped it. I ripped th

hings f

e papers. Signed.

er read Termination of Pregnancy

y blurred image, the kind produced by older machines, just clear enoug

was torn

ees buckled, and I collapsed into on

n-viable... termination complete. The paperwork was terrifyingly thorough, imp

at the to

I whispered. The s

th Claire's endless drama, with the team's charity gala... I hadn't

no

note attached to the fi

bsent. Now

nched the wall next to me. The plaster cracked under my fist. Pain shot up my arm,

st run into the lobby, panting. "Shut dow

was t

e country. They found a trail that led to JFK, to a ticket bought with cash

the trail

cretly started building in the penthouse's east

ees. I clutched the torn sonogram photo to my chest

t, my arrogance, my blindnes

the empty room. "If it takes a l