re soaked, and her face was smeared with dirt. She look

tion and pure jealousy

as shrill and desperate. "She's cursed! She'll drag your whole fancy family s

eached the door of t

ly turne

ace stood a mother whose child had just been threaten

ayleigh. Her high heels sank into the mud with every step, but

forward, raising a hand. "M

the man off. He watched his w

ed right in fro

r mouth to speak again, Genev

ac

ow snapped Kayleigh's head to the side. She spun in a half-circle and stumbled, bar

d, touching he

e. She backhanded Kaylei

p split open, and a drop o

, tangled hair. She yanked her head back, for

is my daughter. She is the heir to an empire you cannot even comprehend. If you

mpletely gone, replaced by raw, tremblin

disgust. She wiped her hands on her expensive sla

eam and lunged forward, picking up a heavy rock from

his sidearm. A sharp, supp

e collapsed into the mud, clutching her r

stol. He had shot her perfectly in the knee

from the nearby trees. It shattered the last ounce of resi

ef ordered into his radio. "Tie the men

ch and the other men toward the heavy

, the one she had used to slap Kayleigh. He lift

ight sensation in her chest. It wasn't pain. It was th

t alone. Now, she saw what absolute,

he walked through the mud and slip

's hand tightly, holding on as if she was

Clare's eyes. "Did the loud noise sc

pression was completely calm

r up into his arms again. H

Silas said ove

rmored SUV, the guards began pouring gasoline