up the back of her throat. Her stomach violently cramp

the envelope. She pulled it tight against her chest, her arms

with pure annoyance. "Julian. Call the priv

pocket. The rapid, synthetic beeps of

opped her chin, letting her hair fall forward to hide her eyes. She forced h

ed, her voice shaking perfectly

waved his hand dismis

llway. She forced her legs to move steadily, su

She slammed the heavy oak door shut and twisted the

eraphina," Alistair's voice b

orange Hermès Kelly bag from the top shelf and dumped its contents o

awer. She shoved her passport, three stacks of emergen

er feet. She pulled on a pair of thick black leggi

"Miss Fletcher," Julian called out. "

hest, bolted toward the en-suite bathroom, and locked that door too. She yanked open the utility access panel hidden behind the mirrors-a route she had memorized

r slipped. Her entire body weight dropped. A scream caught in her throat. She clamped her hands tighter around the vertical rails. The fri

into the bathroom. He saw the open access panel. His pupils dilated in fury. He pulled a radio from his poc

the 69th-floor HVAC level and kicked open the access door. Before she could sprint toward the service elevator,

her bones. The guard yanked her off the ladder a