ENTLE
awns of the Bentley estate shrinking in the rearview mirror. T
he governor's chief of staff had given him the
s kids, playing hide-and-seek among the vines of his family's winery. But that was
ng a path, and drove directly into the secure undergrou
and professional, was waiting for us. Dami
spectful nod. "The governor is wa
r's office was vast and imposing, with a floor-to-ceilin
t stood at the window. He turned, and a warm, familiar s
more polished than the boy I remembered,
, leaving what I thought was just th
his childhood nickname. T
eard from Aunt Augusta what happened. I'm sorry you had to
es. You saved my life," I said
utes, catching up on th
father and my ex-fiancé's family... they're trying to take everythin
s expression hardened, his e
Merritts' less-than-legal business activities for a wh
x compliance," they would place a temporary freeze on any transfer of ownership for
ee's schemes, Brett's violent assault. He listened in
t in the corner of th
been there the whole time, as still and sile
fectly cut black suit. This was not the body of a politician or a bureaucrat.
g eyes I had ever seen. Deep, cold, and possessing an unnerving intelligence. They seemed to see right th
n't have that look of command. He was a p
gh my chest, and I faltered,
ction and followed my ga
ead in response, but h
ks, as if every one of my desperate,
was he in the govern
idn't offer an introduction. "Don't worry, Eva," he said, drawing m
said us
cluded the silent, dang
/1/128287/coverbig.jpg?v=b2077cf0c6fac302e1d6dcdf410d954f&imageMogr2/format/webp)