igh-stress grind of the execut

brownstone apartment, kicking off the stif

off the stifling synthetic wig, and let her long, l

e wiped away the greasy yellow paste, the fa

nd health. The tiny, elegant mole beneath her right eye reappeared,

oom door

ocktail dress, a pair of glittering diamond hoops dangli

" Alanis smirked. "Thank God you washed t

holding a half-finished plastic

g over the keyboard. "Mommy, the Vanguard Club has four separate b

ers and staff. Invited guests enter through a precleared list, and I checked that list twice. Justice Enterprise d

like him consider charity galas a wa

olid. Brendon had made his contempt for social obligations perfectly clear within hours of her arrival at Jus

, or aboard some private jet crossing th

appear in public as herself. Besides, Alanis was right-she couldn't live like a rat forever. She needed legitim

nd pulled out a bias-cut sli

long, pale line of her leg with every step. She wore no heavy jewelry, only a pair of pearl studs, and d

ropped them off outside The Vanguard

clubs in North America. Beyond the wrought-iron gates, classical jazz drifted t

nvitation, and they walk

d young financiers stared openly at the woman in sapphire silk, captivated by

istant smiles to those who greeted Alanis,

oking the ballroom, the atmosphere in th

an twenty minutes earlier, Bennet Whitfield had brought him through

irling three fingers of Macallan whiskey in a crystal gla

said, shaking his head. "Half the heiresses in Manhattan bought tables t

essed in a custom charcoal tuxedo. An unl

of cold indifference. "I have

his scotch. "Still looking for th

of predatory violence passing through them

ballroom was beginning to ma

freshen up," Dulce murmured, excusing hers

g down a quiet, dimly lit corridor that

eather sofa, excused himself from Bennet, and pushed through the private staircase

d faintly, casting long shadows acro

the corner

her shoe caught against the ed

pped out fro

lance vanished, and her body fel

s shot out from the sh

er waist, while a broad chest as unyielding as granite broke