, the silence that followed thick with the sound of her own ragged breathing. Using a collapsible gurney she kept
illa was dominated by a fully equipped ho
e leaving no room for argument. "Get washed up f
paused at the bottom of the sta
s face, so serious and so young, was a mirror of her own resolve. "I'm going to do eve
n of the house, and herd
arsh light exposed the full extent of the man's injuries. She took a deep, steadying breath, the fa
it. The fabric, soaked in blood and rainwater, peeled away to reveal a torso that was a roadmap of viol
aculously missing any major organs. The real danger was blood loss. She inserted an IV line into his a
s brushed against something else-a raised, puckered scar. She
. The distinct, crescent shape of the teeth, the
terrifyingl
rugged drink. The weight of a man's body on hers. Fear, panic, and a desperate, primal act of
anicked beat. It couldn't be. The location, the shape... it was identical
, her mind screaming the word
ned the wounds, and began to suture the torn flesh. Her stitches were small, neat, and pr
st of it was don
came away, his features were revealed. A strong, aristocratic brow. A straight, noble nose. A firm, scu
breathtakin
ecognition. It was specific. It was the exact shape of his eyebrows, the sa
her
ren were sleeping. She pictured Mason's face, his serious expression, his determ
same high cheekbones.
y into her mind, a thought so terrifying
n from that night was a hired
d into his skin and carved into h
life she had painstakingly built for herself and her children over the
g, not a haunting resemblance. She
ction vial. With an expert touch, she found the vein in his uninjured arm and drew a sample of his b
t to a trusted private lab
the slow, steady rise and fall of the stranger's chest. Who was he? The monster fr
ss doze in the chair. She opened her eyes to see Mason, Miles, and Lily
," Lily whispered, h
ce bright with an excitement that twist
ds the man on the table, and quietly took a picture. Chloe kne
feet and opened the door.
ed from Mason's face to the face of the man on the table, the resem
the truth. No ma
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