attered yellow taxi on t

unclasped the Patek Philippe watch from her left wrist-a gift from her late mother, th

" Emaline said, her voice

he heavy gold timepiece. He sl

hone from her wet pocket. She dialed Clayton's private

d again.

n-dollar Upper East Side penthouse, keeping his precious

rled into a cold,

retly coded an encrypted backdoor into the smart-home infrastructure for all their luxury real

e bypassed the advanced firewall through her hidden pr

enthouse. With a second tap, she locked out the emergency b

d it into her purse, leaning he

Crista was curled up on the plush velvet sofa, crying so

elier above them went pitch black.

ng shriek, burying her

he darkness, his arms wrappi

is completely out. The backup generators aren't kic

s were aggressively mounting the curb. Dozens of paparazzi were swarming the lob

his neck strained against his colla

uded estate in the Hamptons. Emaline had bought this property y

an umbrella. She gasped when she saw Emaline li

! Oh my god, l

teeth, waving off the woman's hands. "Just bring a m

irst-floor bedroom. The heat wa

Her hands shook as she rolled up

oaked fabric had caused the silicone liner to slip entirely. The har

roke with a wet hiss. She pulled the heavy mecha

and covered in deep, angry blisters.

the edge of the tub and turned on the warm water. She grabbed a w

e bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from screaming, the metallic taste of blood f

medical kit Brenda had left. She didn't reach for painkiller

the asylum to survive the phantom pain

eedles into the nerve clusters above her knee. Her breathing s

he front of the house. The heavy oa

's furious roar shook t

hick gauze. She grabbed her prosthetic, shoved her limb back into the socket, and lo

m, her gait perfectly smooth, betr

e bar cart, poured two fingers of amber

coat was wet. His chest was heaving. He looked lik

eyes burning with ra

d a pleasant trail down her throat. She looked at him ove

appetizer, Clayto