ken co
y patience! You're leavi
e tiny apartment like a knife, her w
ands together to keep them from shaki
The woman huffed and stomped a
and barely livable, but it was the cheapest place she co
he had been trying to sell online. With a deep breath, sh
ve got some beautif
ce sounded
was b
er pho
flashed: Un
twisted, but
y in two months,
ne wen
her throat. Her fingers
legal
orrowed from the wrong people. A
supposed to be. She had left home to prove she could su
elieved i
t
wasn't
Crying wouldn't fix anything. She needed a plan
ere a delicate gold necklace gleamed
valuable
but she knew wh
ce, threw on something
rs
the train, grippi
op wasn't much, but it wou
ng the first hint
e emptiness se
r
s lig
r as she whipped it aro
ad been slic
. A
losed up. No
the pavement. The icy London air cut thr
as o
barely made it inside befor
ashing down, and this time,
rything gon
all, crumpled envelop
embled as she
w po
nough fo
t out a d
just forget for
ust for
oat and stepped o
e
r throat did nothing to n
the counter, swirling th
the world spinning j
she fe
on
nting through th
on W
om, his sharp blue e
parted
hat face.
s it, he stood, drink in hand
clinking of glasses, the du
d smoothly, voice low a
at him, her head
mbled, letting o
g onto the stool next
owned another shot, slamm
ire he remembered had been differen
his C
His smirk faded
unevenly. The words spilled o
I... I have no money... and loan sharks..
from her lips, but it c
n sti
ome spoiled rich g
was
, Claire's head slumped
sed
, rubbing a ha
am I supposed
here wasn'
scooped her up, cradlin
's Pen
hed his apartment, Cl
side, carefully lowe
d
hi
ttered across hi
had thr
h
clothes were radioactive. He stared at her limp
voice soft, ba
ney from dange
breath
she mumbled, her voice brea
ce stretched
ld have fel
nt to gloat, to s
he felt was
ake gold chain, now slightl
someone imp
was s
he di
ply, dragging a han
he Claire he
er how much he wanted to wal
t