cked shut, the sound sealing Vivia
d the cold, professional ar
sweater and leggings, the simple
Mason set up his laptop at the kitchen island
ith their presence, fin
peatedly. Dr. Coleman's name flashed on the screen aga
tion to the refrigerator, pulling out fr
h aroma of searing beef, began to chase away
tuary. This was a
, Sterling's voic
d not known where she landed, how she survived, or who had slept in he
would take. The Carlisle name could open courtrooms, buy experts, frighten witnesses
hile stealing another woman's marriage would n
on the table and
n, with a thoughtful precision that was so lik
rs. Dubois, and ask if the boys could spend the weeke
e living room floor, assembling a
e warmth of their small bodies pressed against
.
of the Four Seasons Hot
the wall, the porcelain fragments sca
makeup had smudged into ugly dark crescents beneath her eyes, an
dare that woman humiliate us like this, Sterling? I
she is? She hears your name and suddenly she plays hard to get. I know that trick. Pre
more than she intended. It was, afte
her face contorting in a mask of pa
ng out at the city lights, a glass of whiskey swirli
, and the day had been filled with
patted Kara's shoulder, a perfunctory gesture of comfort. His eyes,
ling said, his
s internal firewalls, sir. We have Dr. Vivian's h
arrowed. "What ki
listed has no record of her residency. Her credentials are impeccable, board certifications, published re
words hit Sterling l
out of his life. Four years ago, Viv
e surgeon had materialized out of
w tigh
It had to be
f her voice refused
second. Bare feet on marble. A raised c
Sterling's lips. A woman with som
," he said, putting a sardonic emphasis on the w
turned, and l
hooed the boys off to brush their teeth and tucked them into bed
self a much-needed glass of wine when she noticed the empty milk cart
our convenience store downstairs was stil
oat over her sweater, grabbed her
lway, a cold draft from the
the end of the corridor. The st
ed across the street, its engine idling,
unease ran do
g didn't know where she lived. He couldn't. She
ge Rovers pulled into the shadows across
his team emerged, moving with
ence store, Vivian picked up tw
ss door, and she shivered, an inexplicable s
wen and his men stepped o
e her apartment
ulling a compact hydrau
vice were placed around
ce impassive. His or
or. Eliminate
the other side of that door were an
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