sharp gasp. Cold swe

and old wood filled the small cabin. Peggy pushe

eggy said, her vo

lt like lead as she stood up. Her eyes locked onto the smal

ng news w

looked perfectly groomed. He reached into his pocket, pulled out

Bowen Family Mourns Tragic Loss of Eldest Daughter Ha

tive father looked straight into the len

e," Walter said smoothly. "It is a

he nightstand slipped from Haylee's fing

the side of her foo

," Peggy urged,

ing and falling in shallow, rapid breaths. The last shred o

nd two sleepless nights crushed against her skull like a tightening v

nees in front of the toilet, her stomach heaving from exhaustion and the gut-wrenching weight of betra

er flat stomach. The thought that something deeper might be wrong cross

the steady, unspoken presence of someone who had seen broken women before and knew not to ask too many questions. Haylee spent hours staring at the gray Atla

sy, rolling nausea that had nothing to do with the rocking of

floor of Peggy's cramped cabin, a plastic pr

ght red

her eyes hollow. She reached up and touched the heavy si

nds that had pinned her down. She pressed the ring

to die here. She

ears

77 hit the tarmac at JFK Interna

d with sharp, precise eyeliner, were cold and clear.

reen flashed: Project Chimera

with practiced ease. Leo handed her a cup of warm water

ullied you, Mom?" Leo asked in flawless E

She reached out and s

e said softly, her voice laced with ste

l. The blast of air conditioning hit her skin.

essage from the executive secretary of the Aethelred Group CEO, Sam Rivers:

e: "Received." She locked the screen an

Leo stopped and pointed a

it, holding a bottle of cheap perfum

, her pulse steady. She looked at Cynthia t

. "That lady looks st

genuine, quiet

imowa suitcases toward the

w the black card in Haylee's hand. He immed

presso and expensive leather. Haylee guide

and turned toward t

shattered the quiet at

turned her head, looking thr

by three frantic assistants, was a woman in o

hia