-ceiling windows, his reflection a dark ghost against the glass, and stared down at the busy morning traffic of

s brow furrowed deeply, a cold, precise thought crystallizing in his mind. The

s focus. Clifton shoved the burner phone into the inside p

r and pulled

coffee, a teasing grin already spreading across his boyish face. His

the wrecked bed-the tangled sheets, the deep impressions of two bodies, the single discarded earr

night in a hotel," Bedford joked, shoving a coffee cup into Clifton's chest

k coffee, letting it burn his tongue. "Give me the update on the hosp

ious, the playful friend replaced by the sharp-eyed surgeon.

re tracking was more elusive than anyone had anticipated. "They specifically target desperate college girls who need cash

concrete floors and a single bare bulb. No anesthesia. Nothing to numb the pain." He stopped pacing and looked at Clifton directly. "The girls usually hemorrhag

sloshing over his knuckles. He didn't flinch. His knuckles turned stark white against the brown paper. The image of

s exactly the kind of desperate, cornered girl they hunted. And she was goi

yes narrowing. "Did you find a lead?" he asked, noting the

ver years of delivering terminal diagnoses. To protect her privac

on walked over to the leather sofa and sat down heavily. He pulled out his

ton ordered, his tone absolute and aggressive, brooking no delay.

last night. Emilia's desperate pleas for medical money filled the screen-each word a nee

collar. He didn't want to get involved. He had a hospital to run. A reputation t

pale skin going gray, her stubborn eyes going blank-made his

he mirror. A man with ice in his veins stared back. He had to stop

the burner phone. His thumbs hit t

you do, I will hold you legally and financially r

he marble sink with a clatter, turned a

front of her drafting board. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, castin

made her jump, her heart slamming against her ribs with painful fo

saved number. The threat glared

o badly she nearly dropped

wasn't done. He was going to hunt her down and destroy her. A

o have mercy. But her fingers were completely stiff and useless. She couldn't form a s

tic girl with kind brown eyes and a perpetually worried expression. Paige stoppe

ige asked, alarm s

ook her head, not trusting her voice. But beneath her ribs, her heart beat like a trapped bird battering itself again