had va

re was no sign of her. No

th worry. She had tried every

e had seen Sabrina w

d she had. So she d

protests, making a beeline for the executive floor. With

e meeting with his legal tea

d, breathless. "Where's Sabr

inked. "E

ou said something awful to her,

ng," he said calmly, though a flicke

ne who can handle this kind of stress. If you know

, reading the genuin

e is," he said at last

rd. "If you hear anythin

she turne

at the card. Monica

Why was Sabrina clos

ed as a gnawing sense of

focus. Could

mind again and again-heard h

ruptly and gra

café near the building and deman

we can't release

your café's lea

. "Right this way

age show

n approached her. They talke

blood r

cense plate. Find out who that man is,

paced the office like a ca

this was just ba

do this

n, he knew t

ter, a lea

andoned. Outski

dn't

ve lik

*

e sam

she was on the v

her stomach that throbbed with pain. Sweat, cold and sticky, soake

and her head spun. But she couldn't afford to give up-not after clawing h

ma Conglomerate would have someo

foot caught, and bam-she went crashing to the hard concrete,

. Lying there sou

re

of brakes tore t

bri

es. A voice-low, p

o herself. "No... please.

hat scooped he

ro

a

dr

his heart racing at how cold and light sh

to the car and c

to her body, her

w him-really sa

d hard. Loud, ugly sob

ing if she didn't agree to work with the Pama Conglomerate and hand over Twi

erself to look calm and cocky. "Heh, I work with my brain, not my hands," she'd sneered. "Cut

he turned pa

n her. Just locked her in the warehouse, came by once - p

tears flooding her cheeks, his brain short-circuited. He reacted on instin

crying - lunged into his arms without warning, clinging tightly around his

't to push her off. In fact, he didn

er clinginess. And when he'd gone for tissues li

alize a crying person doesn't wa

hesitated a moment, then patted her

shove her away. But no - he

well. Classic cold-

heek against his ches

n under that shirt. She was dying to fin

you better not get snot

on't worry. My s

kle up. We're going to the hospital. After t

her seatbelt. "You

t you getting int

she asked quietly, "Did you really think

at her. "We

ed. "I just... wa

dn't

r was

again, voice soft, as i

you com

dn't

hought you stopped caring