utes. She forced her brain to lock the f

f up. She smoothed the wrinkles out of

e blood to rise to the surface. The sharp, stinging pain was a necessary shock to her system. It forced her brain to snap out of the paralyzing terror Kipp

bit her lower lip hard until she tasted copper. She forc

he second floor. She stopped in fron

Gary Monroe s

y morning sun cut through the trees outs

facing the window. A thick, grey

oor open. He t

ed look in his eyes vanished. A b

opped to her knees beside the wheelchair.

his hand was covered in dark purple bruises fro

ht," Gary said. His voice was weak and

do's name. She quickly buried her face deeper i

d and kept the fak

office. Honestly, I just felt incredibly homesick. I wanted to sleep in my own bed and wake up in the house where I actually feel li

lying. He was a diplomat; he read people for a living. But he saw how de

look of guilt settled

Gary said. "It forces you to sw

ised hand. Tears burne

ercely. "You are the only family I

to his wheelchair. He picked up a thick

name," Gary said. "If the day comes when you cannot tolerate the Caldwells an

ed her chest. Her father was dying, and he was

her throat. She took the

the whole Monroe empire

rned into a wet, rattling

glass of warm water from the

water. Her mind flashed to what Alfred sa

burn Washington D. C. to the ground befor

ing a tray of medical equipment. It w

e blanket tightly around

out of the room. The fake smile

phone from her pocket. She opened a financial app and

She needed to steal the formula for the drug, or she

sunroom. She headed straight for the pri