Arthur Salinas's drunken scheming still clawed at his skull. By the time he reac
nst the lock plate. Th
around her small silk wristlet-the delicate champagne-colored pouch that held her phone, he
irt half-untucked. The mask of cold indifference he had worn at the al
er hand tightening around the
His large fingers clamped around her delicate bones like a steel
voice steady, refusing to l
r toward the door. Her heels skidded uselessly against the thick carpet. "Where ar
When the doors slid open, he shoved her inside. She stumbled against the
d herself upright. She opened her mout
d gasps. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. His dark eyes we
mething sharper. The man before her
her voice low and carefu
spended second, his burning eye
rom of chaotic lust and primal rage. Arthur's greedy voice had triggered a catastrophic cascade in his PTSD-riddled brain-the phantom smell of gasoline, his mother's
yes, replaced by something wounded and feral
pen onto the dar
iling windows overlooking a glittering, indifferent Manhattan.
nightstand. She scrambled backward, her spine colliding with the tufted leather
eet control had been stripped away, leaving only a raw, bleeding wound in the shape of a
Claire said, her voice trembl
respond, a loud rin
wristlet on the nightstand. The screen glowed
. The greedy voice from the balcony flooded
nto the hardwood floor. He brought the heel of his shoe down with
u?" Claire screamed. "
He sneered, a grotesque mask of the cold, controlled man from the wedding.
cold. "What are y
heavy, muscular frame. The heat rolling off him was suffocating. She could smell ciga
ting beneath him, her nails raking acros
hand and slammed them down above her head. A thin, red welt circ
his mouth
h clashed against hers. She tasted copper as her bottom lip split
t in a nightmare she couldn't reach. She went still, her eyes squeez
the penthou
leared, leaving behind a pounding headache. He lay still, his mind
Soft, ragged bre
is head on
e white sheet like a shield. He could see the violent tremor running through her body
foreign. He had lost control. He had become the ver
n. His gaze drifted to the shattered remains of Claire'
erial number etched into the inner casi
to the Pierce Group's elite cybersecurity division. Within five minutes
ead texts from Arthur Salinas, timestamp
the pla
as to be
mission. The trust
. Don't sc
en or Rosa p
of guilt that had stirred in his chest didn't just vanish-i
to bleed his family's legacy dry. And schemes like that were
cted glow of the city lights, Houston's expression was a mask of
/1/116739/coverbig.jpg?v=957c2ea013471a5faedf5ce72e3bb07a&imageMogr2/format/webp)