arm. She slapped a piece of medical tape over the

rself up from the chair, letting her knees buckle slightly. Sh

h her. The housekeeper simply t

ut of the medical wing and into the main house. They walked down a long, dimly lit

counted the classic oil paintings on the walls. She memorized the e

ont of a pair of heavy, carved wooden door

her head into the room, her sh

orward onto the plush carpet. The heavy doors slammed shut

came from a few dim wall sconces. The rhythmic

r. She dragged in a deep breath, holding it as she scanned the s

slump of her shoulders vanished. She stood up strai

center of the room, her sneak

of a massive four-poster bed. His

g down at the man known as the

uscles were firm and defined under the thin fabric of

eeped stronger now, fueled by the

st the side of his neck, right over his carotid art

eep. A muscle in his jaw twitched, as if his bod

k a half-step away from the bed, her eyes fixed on h

ck medical file sat next to a water pitcher. She

ickly flipped the page, her sharp eyes scanning a psychological evaluation. Her finger paused over a l

he hallway outside. They were moving

onto the nightstand, aligning

messy pile. She scrambled onto the massive bed,

ng her arms around her legs. She buried her face

, followed by a young maid pushi

ring in the corner like a frightened animal,

water and three dry crackers on

ordered, her voice cold. "If anything beep

aid left. The d

f the bed, grabbed a dry cracker, and shoved it into her m

her head, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the pitch-bla