tel lobby, her face set in

gh the soles of her shoes. A black, armored SUV i

e heavy rear door. Karmen slid into

, her voice deepene

nt the SUV pulled into traffic, Karmen hit the button on the armrest. Th

The arrogant posture drained from her bones,

ocating emblem of the role she was forced to play. She ripped the silk tie from her neck. Her fingers fumbled with the top three buttons of her dress s

dragged out a sleek, titanium briefcase. It

tric scanner. A green light flashed. Th

eup kit, rows of high-polymer s

a thick cotton pad. She turned her face toward the t

gainst the jagged edge of the s

arp, stinging sensation that made her eyes water. She gr

her sensitive flesh. She ripped it

ce of silicone into a biohazard

glue from her face. When she finally looked back

rp cheekbones, and eyes that held too much exhaustion for

was shattered by a hars

It was coming from the inne

outdated, bulky flip phone. It had no GPS,

wed with a heavily encrypted text messag

cal keypad, punching in the 16-digit d

t dissolved int

Guards at his door. He is in immediate danger. Stanislaw is moving the final

t the bottom of the sc

her retinas. Her brother was trapped in a Swiss fa

2..

ssage deleted itself, leaving th

ent hatred for her father washed over her, making her hands shake. Stanislaw was goi

o be tired. She didn't

ain and pulled out a brand-

ing relief against the burning throb, prepping the damaged tissue for the next round of torture. She unscrewed a tube of medical adhesive. The smell of harsh chem

gainst her skin. She grabbed a sponge and rapidly blended

king off her own breath. She reached up, grabbed her long, ash-blonde hair, and

against her throat, adju

eck." The raspy baritone bo

ver's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. He saw not

he ultra-luxury apartment building tha

forward, pulling

ands into her pockets, slouching her shoulders into the lazy, e

oorman's chest-a careless, arrogant gesture befitting the man she pretended to be. The doorman

he brass numbers tick upward. Behind those doors was h