lia

om went de

utives leaned back so fast their chairs squeaked. On the screen, Bran

ally. "Mr. Ross, she's delusional! She doesn't know

the screen. He di

a second. His spine locked straight. His gray eyes widened, the pupils contracting i

felt, his polished shoes slowly crunching over the scattered glass. Eve

hispered. The words were

is face, ignoring the glass

ling with exhaustion and anger. "You sit high up on a pile of blood money

o an expression of she

knees left the floor. The air was crushed out of my lungs, and my hands involuntarily flew up to claw a

from mine. "Who told you? Singleton? Did that coward

ite rag and bleeding on

ed her bones eight y

y vision began

red into his furious, unfocu

s of the penth

ely by Karmen clutching her fur wrap. Brandt dropped to h

our hands with this filth! I swear on my family's name, I didn't teach her

nis's waist. "Dennis, give me the pliers! Mr. Ross, I will pull her

or, but he kept his palm pressed against the base of my throat, pinni

cket and handed them to Brandt like a dog offering a bone. Brandt

h. "I fed you for three years! I kept you clothed! And you try

eside him, her heel

rvous excitement. "She actually thinks she's special because o

pliers, pressing the metal ed

elia. Or I'll smash

ed at

burned girl in an alley and taken pity on her. I tolerated his demands, his lat

at him, I s

in a cage like a stray dog, waiting for the day h

napkin. He began wiping his fingers slowly, his expression entirel

n on her knees, Singleton," Jax said soft

years of pure charity! And she bites the hand th

arder against my teeth, tr

ntense pressure, but I k

nt collapsing in a shower of orange sparks. The

d into my collarbone, melting my skin. I used my blistered

ed at hi

wiping his hands with a linen napkin, coldly w

the hand h

I rasped, my voice barely a whisper

ed wiping