of the penthouse, her heart
nd stared at her reflection. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror. O
und of disgus
ot. She stood under the spray, scrubbing at her skin until it was raw, try
couldn't wash
re practical terror took hold.
ncy. D
wrapping a towel around herself. She sat on the e
t women's hea
t sounded less like a hospital and more like a spa. Elysian Well
ernoon, her finger hovering over the confirmatio
he silky rug feeling like sandpaper under her bare feet. She took the escort's number from the nightstand where
bear the silence anymo
er voice cracking
s wrong? You
Chloe whispered, the words tastin
Carina's voice shar
aiting. A private car service, not Alistair's. S
voice thick with unshed tears.
versized sunglasses and a silk scarf wrapped high aro
. "I'll call you back when I'm in the waiting room," she promised, h
d tones and minimalist decor. A polite receptionist guide
lasses, staring at the pale, haunted face reflected in
g room that looked more like a hotel lounge. As so
ng. The bar, the whiskey, the st
sped on the other end of t
o?" Chloe's
thing. Everything. Second, and this is the most important thing, Alistair can never, ever find out. Do you hear me?
ispered, a fresh w
ntered, her smile gentle. It
t detached from her own body, like a specimen un
wait. She picked up her phone to text Carina, to tell her h
As she turned a corner, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure disappearing into another room.
there a second longer. She walked back to the
id open with
in a sharp, tailored suit,
ht, her mind already on the escape. She
the man en
oice calm and professional. "Wa
ry muscle in her
n't a doctor. It w
Alistair's chief o
before she could even turn around,
ors sl
Sinclair was
silver, bypassed Leo completely. It landed dir
old and sharp as a
Chloe's veins
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