touch the ice that had formed around her heart. Chloe was driving, ranting furious
ring with a jarring, insistent shrill. The screen lit up with a
g to answer the call. "Dr.
ret and a clear sense of urgency. "There's been a... directive from hospital administration. Your broth
entire Hayes family to the ground. Donavan's thr
mean?" she asked
VIP cardiac ICU. Immediately. They're saying
dition was a death sentence. "Chloe, turn arou
breath, spun the wheel, and the Camry shot forwa
ital's private pavilion, Amber was out of the car before it had fully stopped. She sprinted th
the seventh floor two at a time. She burst into the VIP
lugging the non-essential monitoring equipment from the wall. A
reath, his chest heaving with weak, ragged cou
ear. She launched herself into the room, shoving one of the orderlies
ed bill. "Mick Kowalski, hospital collections," he said with a smug, predatory grin. "The Carlisle Group pu
air: he could end up in a hallwa
is eyes. Desperation clawed at her throat. She fumbled for he
mber she had sworn she would neve
nity, before his assistant's cold, imperso
oice cracking. "I need to spe
s tone utterly dismissive. "Mr. Carlisle is with M
ne wen
ir washed over her. She was
alski grunted, waving
for an escape, for any option
trench coat. Her fingers closed around a sm
uddering breath
diamond, cut in an antique style, surrounded by a spray of smaller white diamonds. It wa
he hospital room, it blazed with an inn
eyes widened, hi
old and hard as the diamond itself. She looked directly at the collections agent, her gaz
xamined the brooch with a jeweler's loupe, his eye
The blessed, rhythmic beep of the heart monitor filled the
scrawl. She watched them place her mother's brooch into a sec
hand in hers. The fight was over, for now. The tears she had held back
"I'm so sorry, Clarke. I promise you. I will get
d out of the room, her back straight, her face a mask of grim
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