Rising From Ashes: The Betrayed Heiress

eeding abdomen and tied a harsh knot with his free hand. He slumped back against the base of the sofa,

of fear in her throat, raised her arm, and point

out.

ark eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "I'm staying here tonight," he stated.

ay off the floor and took a step forward. "If you don't w

t pulled at his fresh wound, making him suck in a sharp breat

the lobby. Or hiding in the blind spots of your hallway. You walk out

ogic screamed that he was right, but the thought of sleeping in t

ed his own and let his head fall back. "I'll be

ng his shirt and the heavy wooden door leading to the hallway. She let out a frustr

boards hard. She reached up to the top shelf of the closet and yanked down a he

blanket and pillow directly at the single armcha

chin tilted up in a desperate show of

aintest ghost of a smirk pulled at the corner of his pale lip

lly ran back into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. She grabbed the m

and dragged it across the floor. She wedged the top of the chair firmly und

d down the wooden door panel and sat on t

head slowly, ignoring the burning pain in his gut. He reached into the pocket of his dark t

His thumb moved quickly over the glass, dialing a completely untraceable number. When the line connected, he

sition in the blind spots outside the ho

ce of metal onto the coffee table. He reached out, grabbed the blanket that smelled faintl

tly in the duvet like a cocoon. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the dark ceiling. She strai

room was the man's heavy, labored breathing. Exha

ight, a violent crack of th

sudden noise made Dorene jolt upright in bed, her heart hammering agains

er of warm yellow light spilled under the gap of the bedr

ere in her penthouse, the resulting police investigation, the endless interrogations, and the ensuing media scandal would completely destroy her life. Driven entirely by a desperate need to assess the physical threa

slowness. She pulled the door open a tiny

ent. The blanket had slipped off his chest. His brows were pulled together i

ot evoke pity, but it did make her calculate her odds. He looked weak, barel

f his chest was still rising and falling, needing

growl in his sleep. It sounded exactly li

er sanity snapped back into place. What the hell w

hair back under the knob with far more force than before. She practically ran back to

ck sliding back into place. The tight knot between his brows sl

glass, trapping them both in th