The Girl fr

lood, and B

ing room, his usually pristine dress shirt streaked with Reeves' blood-dark crimson blooms spreading across Egyptian cotton. Every few steps, he rak

lutched to her chest like a shield. The recording played on loop from he

Claire situatio

safe. His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed his thumb to the scanner-the first crack in his armor

tumbler at his head with all her strength. It shattered against the sa

cts: a Glock 19 and a single hospital brac

she lifted it, the words

laire Wh

03/1

ate: 11/

distress, mul

her lungs in a

locker room while the night shift changed-itched against her skin as she frantically scrolled through Claire's medical rec

22 weeks g

Decreased fetal moveme

abruption secondary

fied male with a silver pinky ring." Security foota

iled. She clicked to t

fant was transferred to the NICU. The mother w

ell across

g for s

est tattooed on his neck-blocked the exit. In his meaty hand: a gr

g warned you

d the letter opener in her pocke

g a gold-capped tooth. Th

the overhead lights fl

ella's wrists burned from the zip ties, but she kept he

ty chief tossed a burner phone onto the rickety ta

p with an incomin

hing filled the line-then a woman

took my

acked through

just as the cabin do

ghts stepped through the threshold. Isabella squinted against

urity chief growled, drawing

o a severe bun, her leather jacket gleaming with raindrops. In her hand: a

arrying a hint of Alaska's wilderness

her blood run cold. The same strong jawline, the same penetrating eyes s

lexander's sister-the one he claimed had

p. "The grave is quite comfort

gun wavered. "Ms. St

rders, hasn't he, Marcus?" Evelyn cut in. "Just

she strained forward. "Claire's alive?" Th

for you if we don't move. Alexander's men are twenty minutes out." Her e

ening in the small cabin, his body crumpling with mechanical pr

urmured, lowering her weapo

nting knife, questions tumbled from Isabella's lips. "

oice softening for the first tim

them as they headed deeper into the Alaskan wilderness. Rain hammered agai

" Evelyn explained over the roar of the rotors. "Paranoia runs in the

aire entering Sterling International's satellite office in Anchorage, timestamped emails between Alexander and his

sabella asked. "A Sterling heir-i

secrets." She tapped a photo of an elderly man Isabella recognized as Edward Sterling-Alexander's father

n sideways by a violent gust. Warning

pilot shouted, pointing

with a text. Alexander's

ow the breadcrumbs. Not al

d play, showing security footage of Alexander arguing violently with

abella said, showing Evelyn t

g both sides," Evelyn

ow, Isabella spotted a second aircraft gaining on them, its s

private security," Evel

ng below the treeline. The pursuing helicopter m

he pilot called out, his

treetops, the forest floor rushing up to m

rkened. "The only place

ng. A lone figure stood on the porch, illuminated by the helicopt

la

abella realized wi

's phone lit up with another message. Not from Alexander t

survive tonight, find him. Sterli

the truth is never what it seems." She pressed something cold and metallic into Isabella's palm-a USB drive. "This contains every

eld, Isabella could see Claire clearly now, her face gaunt but alive-her e

in the cabin's shadows: a man hol

for the door. "Cl

ve slamming their helicopter onto its side. Isabella's head cracked against the wi

erling stepping from the wreckage, his silver pinky ring catching the fire

her, blood bubbling from her lips. "He's