ed straight toward them. She had cleaned the blood off her face and pinned the tear in her dress with a sterile safety p

guard asked, ste

is past is here," Kate

ouched his earpiece. A mome

Estelle, Lucas's fiancée, was holding court near the center, laughing at something a senator's

he crowd parted, not out of respect, but

r the silence. "If it isn't the bankrupt

. Kate didn't blink. She walked u

ugh for the inner circle to hear.

ch. Lucas smirked, expecti

asn't the original-she wasn't stupid-but a copy

rged Nate's signature. But you forgot that I kept the record

rted to the paper, then to the peop

Tuesday, isn't it? I wonder what they'd think about the Vice Pre

his fingers digging into her tendons

," Kate

and smelling of scotch against her ear. "I can bury you. And that litt

ty faded into a high-pitched ring. He t

s visceral, ancient. She wrenched

ac

nnecting with Lucas's ch

gasp sucked the air out of the room. A bright r

touch a hair on his head, and I won't just ruin your ca

e!" She tried to shove Kate, but Kate sidestepped. Estelle stumbled, cra

d toward the exit, her back straig

her, humiliation cracking his voice. "Yo

he cool air hit her, the adrenaline crashed. She leaned against the bric

come for her now with everything he had. The blackmail file

. An impenetrable,

the Emerson Tower pierced the clo

nd - Do Not Call. It was his old private number, one she suspected was long disconnected. But last night, in a moment of reckless curios

ing him was suicide. It was walking back into the lion's de

ressed