was a brutal,
e heavy blackout curtains, stab
screamed in protest. Every muscle felt bruised, stretched, and s
r vision swam for a second b
er cheap apartment. It was a hand-painte
r heart gave a violent, p
eight train. The tequila. The dark room. The
dly turned her h
, the white sheet pooled around his waist. His broad, muscu
ratch
r mouth to muffle her gasp
tioning a rumor about The Elysium hotel. The underground
ish room. She looked at the ma
rain with horrifying clarity. She
looded her veins. She ha
et. She lifted it, trying to slide off the mattress without mak
do you think
ind her. It was deep, raspy,
bed. She whipped around, yanking the sheet
away to reveal his heavily muscled chest. His dark eyes were r
for the blackmail demand. He was waiting for her to name her pr
her alive, but she refused to cower. She
voice trembling despite her effort to sound firm. "But
d at her, the gears in his head fr
g his piercing gaze. "How m
lute. It was so quiet Ava could hea
r. He genuinely thoug
dropping an octave, vibrating
ng the metallic tang of blood. She reached over the edge of the bed,
he screen an
, her voice rising in panic. "I can just Ve
t screen of her phone. The V
it him. She thoug
illions of dollars before breakfast, was bein
rom his throat. The sound made t
't care that he was naked. He stepped off the bed
step toward her
ocating. She scrambled backward on the mattress, her heart hammering
as tr
her hips, caging her in. He leaned down, his face inches fr
his voice dripping with lethal ice, "that you
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