unnels. She stared at her reflection in the dirty window. Her hair was hacked into uneven

nie over her head to hide her hair. She pushed

looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. They shran

he center of her chair. All her pens, notebook

a single piece of paper on top of her box. He to

for her severance pay. Her rent was due in th

off the Becker empire and cost him his biggest client

bed June by the bicep, shoved the box into her chest, and

ipped down the Manhattan street. She felt the cr

hone and dialed the numbers of three other

vily. "Listen, kid. The word is out from Becker Industries. No one in the city w

ack to Brooklyn. She just wanted to crawl in

uilding. Her battered suitcase sat on the s

teps. She pointed a fat finger at June and started screaming. She

egging the woman to let her in. She reminded

cket. She ripped it into tiny pieces an

would call the cops for trespassing. She turned around an

New York winter began to fall. The temperature

tiff and bright red from the cold. She pulled out her phon

Jessica Cole answered. The sound of crash

er that Gage had blacklisted her. She had

called June an idiot for provo

a small town in upstate New York and hide for a few years. She dema

ow she could be so heartless. She reminded her

id she would wire five hundred d

e on the line. The last ember of

r arm back and hurled her phone directly at the brick wall of the apartm

se. She turned her back on her build

hes. People rushed past her on the sidewal

zing fingers into her coat pockets. She pulled out three qu

s grew dark and empty. June dragged her suitcase b

rough the heavy snow, her h