Falling Into the Forbidden

y, the weight of Elijah's words pressing down on her shoulders with every floor. She'd agreed to take the case-more out of instinct than logic. But th

face, but it did little to cool the heat in her chest. Her phone buzzed again. The sa

again. The anonymous warning sent a chill down her spine.

ford to dwell on it. Not with everything else she had to figure out. But she couldn't stop

y in front of her, but her mind refused to settle on it. Instead, her thoughts circled back to the warning text. Was it just a threat? A

ijah. She could no longer afford to procrastinate, no matter how unsettled

seemed a little more forced, her eyes flicking nervously toward the elevators as Madd

before. This time, though, Maddie didn't feel the initial spark of intrigue that had drawn her in before.

ng darker in his eyes today. She hadn't noticed it yesterday, but now it

rt was racing. "But before we go any further, I need you to a

to the chair across from his desk. "I've been straightforward with you, M

e promises. You asked me to trust you, but trust isn't something I gi

lain myself, Maddie. But I will tell you this: The situation you're walking into isn't something you can undo. There are forces at play that g

carefully chosen, but they didn't match the tension in his vo

n him. "You mentioned Victoria before. Who is she

walked over to the window, staring out at the city below. "Victoria isn't jus

n the back of her neck

er stomach tighten. "Some things are better left alone, Maddie. Some people are dangero

ch to the gut. She had come here for answe

Her voice was firm, the edge of frustration creeping in. "

is lips pressed into a thin line. "You don't understand what you're asking. There are people who wil

o me if I get involved? You say you're offering me a cha

oing to walk away. But then he spoke, his voice low, almost too quiet to

ne again. "Trust no one, not even him." The words burned into her mind, each o

ed her thoughts. She jumped, startle

to talk to you. Something's wrong. I've been looking into

raced. "What

ere's a connection between Elijah King and Victoria that's not what he's telling you. I found an old file-o

. "What are you talking

Maddie. Really bad. And if you're going to stay involved, you nee

icture she wasn't ready to see. The name "Victoria" appeared repeatedly, but not in the way Maddie