attress, staring at the GPS co
h the gap in the heavy curtains, casting
rt and her birth certifi
ket of her trench coat. The sharp zip of the poc
doorknob with a
t on the carpet. She held her breath, keeping her back pressed aga
the servants' iro
eak under her weight. A cold sweat broke out achen and pushed open
mud and squeezed through the old dog
skin, but the moment she stood up on the public sidewalk, the cr
ered yellow taxi, her lungs felt like they were bleeding. The driver gave her dirty, wet clothes a suspicious glare. Hazel shoved a crumpled fifty-dollar bill through the partition, and he hit the gas without a word. Traffic was a nightmare, eating away at the precious minutes, each red light feeling like a physical bl
to the grand,
hing. Hazel stood alone by a marble pillar, her wet ski
sharply against
overcoat that draped perfectly over a broad, imposing frame. His leather sho
ed two f
l," h
ng baritone that made Hazel
his face. He had sharp, ruthless jawlines and eyes as cold as t
account?" she deman
He pulled a sleek phone from his poc
played their brief,
one. His shirt cuffs were immaculate, faste
ing?" she asked, suspicio
k. "Entry level. My family is threatening to cut me off if
devoid of emotion, that i
lie, a loud shout echoed from
t wing!" a gru
men in dark suits with earpieces we
ized her
muscle beneath his sleeve surprised her, but
uments onto the count
now," Hazel told the clerk, h
wly, eyeing the frantic, muddy woma
questions," the clerk drawled, crossing h
rely blank. The blood
clerk's eyebrows pulled together in deep suspic
warm hand wrapped a
de. The scent of cedarwood and crisp wi
he ice in his eyes melted into
k, his voice dropping into a soft, intimate register. "She spilled
waist. The physical contact sent a jolt
expression soft
onto the paper. The loud clack echanded over, Brennan drop
d. His eyes return
stared at the thin piece of paper in her hands. It felt abs
s coat pocket and pulle
a pen. "Separate assets. No i
clinical, and exactly what she wanted. She signed h
A flicker of something resembling surprise crossed his
s approached f
ders between Hazel and the open lobby. His large over
e fabric of his coat. Over his shoulder, she saw the Cook
shaky breath, her knee
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