choked Ava, bu

ss pre

de, "You deserve it, Ava,

face a mask of pain before the dar

sunl

m,

her eyes f

angled around her legs. Her SoHo

nightstand. A reminder

da

kidnapping. T

her spine, cold despite the s

arp and brutal,

a throwaway comment from Jackson about their shared

o quick to believe,

. The des

Chloe allowed,

life, she' d

still echoed,

hings would

make them

he was alive, but the script for her deat

d the time

ome for her

e pier, just before she smashed the pho

o savor her triump

r phone, her hand

call Ethan. N

er brother. Fiercely protective, C

r and new resolve. She forced herself to move, to

ffee she cou

, Ethan's kind cousin, the one who'd tri

today. Something' s off. Pier 76

happened, but hopefully enough t

she

before noon. "Ms. Mill

deli

go

a said, her voice

iving room, her bag on the sofa,

men, rough, imposin

ler?" on

es

coming w

didn' t fight, not yet. Tha

d van. The drive to the Hudson R

rial pier. The smel

han was not here, not yet. In the first life, he hadn't shown u

er voice dripping with false sym

shoved A

continued, circling her. "But don'

the goons. "Give her th

ust Ava' s p

ing tears, pleas. Exp

e surprisingly ste

ing unreadable in her eyes. "Ethan? To beg him to save

one co

r voice clear, carrying

yes widene

76?" Ava continued, injecting a tremor she didn't ent

all their family's potential development sites. He'

ng?" Chloe hissed

a' s hand and slammed it onto

een sha

oe spat, her face contorted with rag

the goons. "Ge