ut not from intimida

" he said. "So I thought I

nie, who seemed to sense the shift in mood

rsistent,"

gh," he rep

s thoughtful,

me. But not becau

u to," he said, and

ent, then looked down at Brownie,

w chapter, buddy," she sai

ng was set-not by accident, not in pas

ple. Tw

convenient, unfamiliar-just enou

re. Not

..cur

Adrian Rykell Blackwood,

.

el heavier. Rykell Hall, with its towering gates and cold elegance, stood like a castl

el. She wore a long, camel-colored coat belted at the waist, a soft knit scarf wrapped once around h

ce with the calm of someone who ha

drian sto

ded neatly in one hand. His shirt was crisp white, his tie steel gray, and his presence somehow l

the foyer, a space t

irst to speak. "

ina said, unwrapping her scar

noti

sn't heavy, but it was focused-like he wasn't just

e space. "This place

er's. He liked legac

running a finger along

ed nervously or apologized

almost-a flicker of am

tertain muc

why

with ease, but it l

r to follow him down a hallway that seemed to stretch fo

political figures. Economic leaders. I need someone who can

highly re

"You looked me in

raised

appen to me," h

leasing men with money," s

. Neither challenging, neither retreat

oked away, alm

o a vast sunroom that overlooked the city's snowy skyline. "B

she asked, slipping off her coat and ha

the usual arrogance men in his position carried. She was

y I keep replaying that conve

rowing slightly. "You don't str

. "Which is why it

between them, not

sed, half-curious. "You're a

ed-not fully, not freely-but something about

n," he

yes. "Alright

st echo of warmth beh

t wasn't signed in ink, but in

d plan t

watch h

steel, detail and dominance, some

lo

t

hing like