yce smelled of expensive lea
ad. Beside her, Alistair had his face turned toward the window. He watched the
e car was thick e
eeded to break the ice. She n
n, right?" Eleanor asked. Her voice
ort, breathy scoff. H
e a Montgomery far better th
through her. Eleanor'
r adoptive father, Arthur Blackwood, tearing the family apart. She remembered being pushed to th
ng the way, the duty had turned into a desperate, b
g ringtone shatte
phone. The one he kept i
screen. There was no caller ID. Just a b
cline it. But something made him stop. He s
e answer
could hear the faint, crack
voice. It was weak, tremb
stai
entire body
lders snapped straight. His jaw locked. The color van
ckles turned stark white. The veins on the
deli
is throat. It sounded lik
heart stop
del
that haunted the halls of their marriage. His first love. T
was sitting inches away from him. H
ice cracking with a frantic, desperate ene
nd came through the
nged forward, slamming his hand against the gl
r roared. "Victor, stop
lt. Victor slammed on the brakes, bringing the massive vehicl
up around
turned to
of the cold indifference he usually showed her. Inste
ered. His voice w
ocess the words. "What? Alistair, we a
id ge
oss her body, his arm brushing roughly against
rural highway blasted int
d so hard she couldn't pull in oxygen. Th
the gravel. She stepped out into the dirt, the thin
n't check if she was safe. He pulle
through the partition. "St. Catalina Hos
orward, raising her h
The tires spun, spitting gravel a
n on the side o
e horizon. Through the tinted rear window, she saw the silhouette of her hus
dried the moisture in her eyes
del
ent moon light
h. It was colder than the air conditioning in the bedroom.
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