or a fraction of a second on Nathan. The coldness in hi

as it had happe

sent assistant-and turned, disappearing into the private room. It wa

s, her back damp with cold sweat. She turned

r with concern. "Are you

nly, she decided to end this charade in the mos

st clinical. "Before we waste any more of your tim

gaze witho

ree years. I have a record for second-degree assault. I am blacklisted in Holl

ne, watching his face, waiting for t

s fingers tightened around hi

yra's lips. There it is. She p

said finally, his voice still gentle. The words

her body te

spitalized for severe depression a few years ago. I know what i

cted wall of indifferenc

o," he continued, not pushing for details. "I always fe

e years a stranger had offere

chair. The tight knot in her sh

ture, old films, the specific quality of California light. Nathan was knowledg

him into this date, that he was pe

f mutual understanding, and the awkwardness evaporated. They

et as a business partner droned on. His focus was entirely on the ma

r, the man is Nathan Foster. Professor of architecture

e. Well-regarded? He watched Nathan laugh at something Kyra said, and his jaw

than insisted on

yra felt it again-that unnerving sensation of being

y gesture that felt foreign and startling. The car smelled clean, like paper and ink,

Bentley Mulsanne slid silently from the shadows

us watched the taillig

xpression in the rearview mirror

He pulled out his ph

."The chip embedded in the plain gold band she still wore had been his last u

ar in front of them, following its path across t

en, hard, as if he could crush the