or chimed

s too short for a business environment, the jacket cut to emphasize everything that money could

er seat. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, you'll need an appointmen

e." She pushed past the desk toward the frosted glass doors that required badge access. Whe

. "I-I don't have authorizatio

d the screen. "I'll just call his private line and tell him his little guard do

ugh the closing doors before Chloe could protest further. Her heels-Louboutin, red sole flashing-

sk. Her pen froze above the

, a physical blow that traveled down to her stomach and lodged there. Her fingers tightened o

esigned to carry. "Look what the cat dragged in.

the angle calculated to emphasize the height difference,

arious poses of professional busyness, all ears tuned to this frequency. "The little orphan parasite, working for the big boys. Did you steal someone's re

found the straight line that had carried h

a," she said. "I'm going t

ing. Wanted the satisfaction of watching Claire Page crum

k to me. You don't look at me." Her hand came up, open-palmed, the

through the offic

r shoulders, a whip-crack of pain that made her ears ring. Her cheek burned. He

imply stood there, head turned, staring at the wi

spered. Audrey, from acc

orth Mosley's off

temperature dropped. Conversations died mid-sentence. Ashton turned toward him, her expression shi

darling, I

across her cheek, the thin line of blood at the corner of her mouth. Something happened to his expression. Th

ce was quiet. It carried better tha

ce stairwell. They moved with the coordinated

s face, on the mark that was darkening from red to purple. "Blacklist. Stark Holdings, Stark Indus

oice broke. "You can't-

g on the polished floor, her Chanel jacket twisting. She looked ridi

swor

doors closed

. "The Morgan deal. Stark was providing the logistics infr

hat's-y

wrapped around the bone, gentle now, terrifying in their gentl

is office. The entire