The question hung in the air between them, and Clara's mind went blank—no excuse, no lie, no breath to answer it.

Clara swallowed hard, her throat painfully dry. She pressed her spine against the cracked plaster of her apartment wall, her heart hammering frantically agai

The lock on the heavy mahogany door engaged with a thick, metallic *thunk* that sounded exactly like a judge’s gavel.

Clara stood in the center of the massive, opulent room, her arms wrapped tightly around her own torso, shivering despite the ambient warmth of the su

The heavy oak doors of the luxury suite flew open with a violent crash, slamming so hard against the wall that the plaster cracked.

Silas Thorne stood in the threshold, his chest heaving, his dark eyes wide and frantic as he scanned the dimly lit room. The stor