th rows of bespoke suits and designer dresses he had clearly bought for her. She ignored the silks and c
uises on her skin, a stark contrast to the cold calculation in her eyes. A flicker of a memory-of his touch, both fierce and
frighten her; it was a puzzle to be solved. She left her ph
inside. A test, perhaps. A way to give her the illusion of freedom. She pulled
elevator. Just as the doors began to slide open, a man in a tailored black suit
He gave a slight bow of his head. "Mr. Decker instructed
seen his picture in a file once. So, the cage was
usion. "Oh, I was just going to grab
procured a selection of the world's finest coffee be
nted nod, turned, and walked back into the penthouse, closing the door behind her with a sof
intment vanished, replaced by a steely focus. This called for a different skill set. The sk
tories. However, a guest bedroom on the far side of the penthouse had a window overlooking an architectural le
tantly expensive bedding. She pulled out three sets of heavy, vel
es of Alpine butterfly knots and double figure-eights-secure, non-slip knots taught to her in another life, in a place far from New York p
a blast of cold, damp air. Without a moment of hesitati
facade. She was a shadow against the glass and steel, a ghost escaping a gilded cage. Any
king quickly, she untied the knots, bundling the velvet st
ing the penthouse security entirely. She took the service stairs down several flights before
ng streets of Manhattan, melting into the m
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