The Caged Canary's Spectacular Comeback

Barn

sed in a blur of neon lights smeare

against my thigh, a frantic

sn't

the i

e Turner were eve

e daughter of the man who had w

beside him

small house in Queens

face, and pulled me into a hug that sme

it," she whisper

said, repeating his words

is soul," she c

practically dragged

ldn't look like

Barnes wome

rived

was suffocating, thick w

e the moment I steppe

y k

s the girl Autry k

w the box had ju

I sa

tuxedo that fit him like a

was on

wearin

pink-my shade. It was

te caricature. Sh

ering something in his ear

e, but he didn't

locked eyes with

nd, his ma

t looked

flash of

e followed

miled

l of teeth, predat

hing else to Autry,

the con

e rise in

m and retched until

la without sa

ck to the estate to get the

noise befo

hin

ndi

ar

he house, my heart ham

zer in the middle

ed those roses

nly living memo

ting a manicured finger like an

ded. "I want a Zen garden. So

" I sc

gnoring the mud spl

his! My father

ed to me, l

. You're s

low this," I said,

redecorate," she said coolly.

aled the

zer blade

ebush out of the earth with

like bone

to my

ed out ont

e on the

e destroy

ked at

this?"

id, linking her arm through his.

oked at

what the

oked

for him

for him t

d to the workers, his v

alked bac

mfort over my f

t the last thread

r, my modeling

re drop

ervously. "The Villarreal family request

ok my

k my m

s taking

t night, needing to

e fou

ave been t

o me, her perfume clashing

athetic,"

ical pawn," I replied, t

. "I'm going to strip you of everything in thi

ked a

feel angr

ight, un

e it all, Ca

twenty o

a life that