l on the floor, humming a tuneless melody

tlight casting long shadows across the room. She looked down

sleeping grip. She pulled the heavy velvet blanket up to

es ached. She carefully picked her way across t

t into the thick, silent carpe

light spilling from beneath a h

hick, suffocating cloud of Cu

ut the massive floor-to-ceiling window at the

leep," she said, her voice cutting through the quiet room

eon lights from the city painted ha

d the expensive cigar into it. The movement wa

sh manila folder from his drawer. His dark

k, pulled out a heavy silver pen, and h

rate, and approached the steel wall safe hidden behind a painting. He punched in the code, placed the paper

med, her voice tearing at her throat. She lunged forward, grabbing the col

aise a hand to strike or pin her; he didn't need to. His sheer presence was a suffocating weight. He looked down at her, his dark eyes de

up. "That document will not see the light of day until Amira is fully recovered. You th

ing threat that echoed off the mahogany walls. "As long as Amira is s

r, more calculating, slid into his eyes. He rele

Kevin only responded to you today. He refused food, water, everything-un

t heaving. "What ar

ry evening. You'll sit with him, talk to him, make sure he eats and drinks-until Amira's surger

nanny for your surrogate son?" she spat.

me reason I can't fucking understand, he trusts you. So you'll use that trust to keep him alive. If you refuse,

something uglier-using a child as leverage, twisting her own unwilling connecti

he whispered. "You

. Two hours a day is nothing compared to the rest of your life. Or walk away now, and I'll mak

lly, trying to wrench herself free from his iron grip. The sheer, overwhelming difference

let him see the angry, physiological t

ng fingers wrapping around her jaw,

. She sank her teeth deeply into the thick muscle of

in. He yanked his hand back, releasing her ja

ds. She scrambled away from the desk, her chest

hours. But the moment Amira is discharged, you sign. No more tricks,

he bleeding tooth marks on his hand. His e

tically ran out of the study, her slippers