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The digital deadbolt beeped, a sharp electronic chord slicing through the frozen silence of the kitchen at 6:15 AM. / Chapter 18 / 19

Chapter 18

Before Fiona could open her mouth to scream or beg again, the office doors clicked open. Two towering security guards in crisp black suits stepped in, flanked by Darcy, who crossed her arms and looked down at Fiona with a look of supreme, icy amusement.

“Time’s up, Fiona,” Darcy said crisply, nodding to the guards.

As the guards gently but firmly lifted Fiona by her arms and guided her toward the elevators, she thrashed weakly, weeping hysterically into the empty air, her voice fading down the long hallway until the heavy mahogany doors clicked shut once more.

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky.

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

Darcy walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, watching the tiny figure of Fiona get escorted out onto the bustling Chicago street below like a speck of garbage swept into the wind.

“Well,” Darcy sighed, adjusting her blazer with a satisfied smirk. “That’s the last time that parasite will ever darken your doorstep.”

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