een, just a string of coordinates and a sing

ythm against his ribs. The air was thick with the smell of wet earth and curing concrete. M

ep gouges in the mud and a discarded, sp

unnatural angle. Liam rushed forward, a strangled cry catching in his throat. He dropped t

sed mess. But as Liam' s eyes adjusted to the dim ligh

father. This was

and demanding in the

d of any warmth, any concern. It was the clipp

m stammered, his mind reeling. "There wa

be ridiculous, Liam. Do you have any idea what kind of scandal that would

at he was hearing. "He's

ice. "Just get him out of there. I' ve sent a couple of

the site. Two burly men got out, carrying a makeshift stretcher. They handled Emily' s

e echoed in his head, a cold, sharp thing. "I

rdhouse, a gift Liam knew his own father had just received from an old friend-and tossed it into the back of the van. As they lifted the s

. After all, it was her father who was suffering, not his. The th

as waiting with Mark, her childhood friend and smirking business rival.

ven look at hi

," Liam said,

urning her attention t

Don't stand there grieving, Liam. You should be thanking Mark. He

victim here was Emily' s father, attacked and left for dead, and

Liam asked, h

... the whole situation is unsettling. Seeing your father in that state... it' s going to be hard to focus on o

This is exactly what I was talking about. He sees my success and he tries to exploit it, just like

nly stare. "The birdhouse was a gift from a friend. Your father is lying

you keep this up, I'll make sure they dispose of the body somewhere no one w

adwinner while her father criticized his every move, of swallowing his pride as she belitt

shrugging his shoulders.

onable one. He pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket and offered it to Liam.

g face. He took the cigar, held it for a momen

aid, his voice a dead calm. "I

mer mid-level manager who felt entitled to a life of luxury he couldn't afford, had always looked down on Liam, the "mere" architect. It didn't matter that Liam' s steady

tack of cash, tossing it onto the counter. "Here.

pittance.

ad burned away, leaving behind a numb certainty. She would never see him, his father, or

her gaze. "I w

She stared at him, her mouth slightly agape, as

did yo

repeated, not ra

alked out of the room, leaving her standing there, st