lise
aircase felt like a jagged piece of
e straight. I refused to let my heels scuff the polished stone. Sweat trickled down
was waiting in the cav
, dabbing at nonexistent tears with a lace handkerchief, while Sean lounged against the grand piano, nursing a glass of scotch with a triumphan
king his wrist toward a high-backed velv
of agony shot through my right flank, stealing the air from my throat. I pressed my lips toge
s familiar posture of the benevolent pa
s discipline. You represent the Roman family name in that den of criminals. Show respect. Do not antagonize Wat
urled in disgust. "You'll be living among savages. Don't let
the sharp edge of the fractured fifth rib shifting against my intercostal muscle with every pulse of my heart. I was calculating the r
chime of Gregory's iPhon
nagers not to call-" He glanced at the screen, and the color instantly drained from h
ing by an entire octave. "We are ready. My
he cadence was unmistakable: heavy, deliberate, and freezing cold. It wasn
es... yes, of course, there was a minor adjustment in the paperwork. Annel
with the brutal effi
his grip. His eyes, usually calculating and cold, dar
arrogance evaporating like mist on hot asphalt. "No,
r was dead silent. Even Sean stopped swirling his
straightening up. "
Arms." He slowly turned his head toward me, the veins on his neck bulging against his starched collar. "Watki
he clubhouse with so much as a single broken bone, the Iron Wraiths will not negoti
slipped fro
ile, splashing amber liquor across the floor. Briell
paralyzed horror, I
the chair, and forced myself to sit fully upright. I brushed the dark hai
istical problem. Because twenty minutes ago, your darling s
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