Contracted Hearts

ot was de

back seat. Shards of safety glass rained down on her head. Before she could sc

ing her completely as the SUV peeled out of

a deep, vibrating vo

icked. It was utterly calm, speak

n ordered into the comms. "I

uffled pop of suppressed gunfire outside, followed by the sickening crunch of met

eight lifte

was gasping for air, her scrubs soaked in rain and the Ju

devas

ine, charcoal-grey suit that probably cost more than her annual salary. He was completely

ike cedar an

lena demanded, her voice

said, his tone utterly devoid of w

he wasn't staying in a moving car with a man who ordered execut

that," Marcus

ing over. She raised her hand, aiming a sharp, calculated strike at the vulnerable nerve cluste

ht her wris

ng her hand down into the leather seat. A spark of unwanted, electric heat shot

a second before meeting her gaze again. "But pointless. I'm not the enemy,

f me," sh

under the seat and pulled out a thick, black

," he co

down at the folder, then back at

er blood ran cold. The file contained surveillance photos of the

Witness 2: Deceased.

ottom of the page: **THE LAST

department on his payroll and a network that spans three co

She flipped to the next page, e

stared at a l

Marriage

*Elena Marie Vasquez.* Next to it was

. *Her* signature. She traced the forged loop of the

she whispered, h

passport at every border, airport, and train station on the eastern seaboard. You are a dead woma

omach, burning away the fear. "You're insane. I am

our ago, the government has officially washed their hands of you. They ga

s chest and flopped onto the floorboard.

ed down, picked up the folder, and placed it back on

urself,"

to the dim emergency lights as they drove through a tunnel. Heavy, concret

an undergro

d stepped out into the cavernous, high-tech garage.

his voice echoing off the concrete walls. "There's a p

, his grey eyes

d see how long you survive on the

or, leaving her a

*