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The beam of the heavy-duty headlamp cut through the blinding blizzard, illuminating the crimson streaks of blood frozen against the white snow. / Chapter 16 / 32

Chapter 16 - The Silence of the CellDeep inside the maximum-security wing of a federal women's prison in New York, Gretchen Vance paced frantically inside her isolation cell. Her fingernails were bitten down to the quick, and dark circles stained her eyes.

She had tried everything. She had offered the FBI every piece of dirt she had on Brandon, hoping for a reduced sentence. But two days ago, her primary handler had abruptly stopped visiting.

The heavy steel door clanked open. A prison guard walked in, holding a plain brown envelope.

"Visitor for you, Vance," the guard muttered, tossing the envelope onto her narrow cot before slamming the door shut.

Gretchen trembling, picked it up and ripped it open. Inside was a single flash drive and a handwritten note: Keep your mouth shut about Glacier National Park, or the next package won't be a flash drive.

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The glass double doors of the Crown Harbor Hotel opened into the biting December air of Manhattan, but the winter chill was nothing compared to the ice freezing over my veins.

The glass double doors of the Crown Harbor Hotel opened into the biting...

The scent of the Columbus bakery pastries—butter, flaky crust, and sweet raspberry—now made my stomach turn. Julian sat at the mahogany dining table, casually biting into a croissant while tapping away on his tablet.

The scent of the Columbus bakery pastries—butter, flaky crust, and sweet...

The wind off the Atlantic whipped salt spray across the deck of the dolphin-watching boat, but the air between Emily, Caleb, and Rachel felt frozen in time.

The wind off the Atlantic whipped salt spray across the deck of the dolp...

She plugged the drive into her contraband prison tablet. A video file began playing instantly. It showed her elderly mother sitting peacefully in her suburban home—while a masked figure stood just outside the window, watching her through the glass.

Gretchen let out a blood-curdling shriek, pressing her back against the cold concrete wall as she realized the net hadn't just closed around Brandon; it had closed around everyone she ever loved.

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Chapter 17 - The Eradication of Prescott IndustriesThree months later, the final blow was struck.
Chapter 18 - A Visitor in the DarkThe heavy security doors of the federal penitentiary in Florence hissed open, admitting a single visitor into the high-security consultation booth.
Chapter 19 - The New Queen of the MountainA year after the nightmare on the ice, Glacier National Park was draped in a fresh blanket of pristine white snow.
Chapter 20 - Shadows on the HorizonInside the warm, fire-lit lobby of the resort, guests laughed and clinked champagne glasses, completely unaware of the dark history hidden beneath the snowy landscape.
Chapter 21 - The Unending StormThe wind howled outside the grand windows of the alpine resort, hurling sheets of snow against the reinforced glass.
Chapter 22 - The Decrypted ThreatThe glowing screen of Victoria’s encrypted laptop cast a sharp blue light across the dark penthouse suite. Outside, the Montana blizzard battered the glass, but inside, the air was entirely frozen by tension.

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