Ayleen pushed open the heavy iron doors of the Doyle estate. She walked out like a corpse whose soul had been ripped away.
She stepped onto the Manhattan pavement just as the sky ripped open. Freezing rain battered her pale face. She didn't have an umbrella. She didn't care. Muddy water soaked the hem of her skirt as she dragged her feet forward.
A black, armored SUV tore around the street corner. Its massive tires hit a deep puddle, sending a violent wave of dirty water straight at Ayleen.
She tried to jump back, but her wet shoes slipped on the asphalt. She crashed hard onto the rough street. The skin on her palms tore open, bleeding into the rain.
The SUV's brakes shrieked. The tires skidded on the wet road, stopping mere inches from Ayleen's legs.
The driver, Arthur, threw his door open. He popped a black umbrella and rushed over to her.
Ayleen gritted her teeth and tried to stand. Pain shot up her right leg. Her ankle was swollen to the size of a baseball. She collapsed back into the freezing puddle.
Arthur hesitated. He walked to the rear window of the SUV and tapped respectfully on the tinted glass.
The window glided down an inch.
Cassius Doyle leaned his head against the leather headrest. His eyes were closed. His fingers rubbed his temples violently, trying to fight off a blinding migraine.
He didn't even open his eyes. "Put her in the car. Take her to a hospital. Don't leave a mess," he ordered, his voice laced with pure irritation.
Arthur nodded. He walked back, hauled Ayleen's shivering body up, and shoved her into the back seat.
The heavy door slammed shut. The cabin fell dead silent.
Ayleen pressed herself into the furthest corner of the leather seat. She kept her head down. The car was pitch black inside, illuminated only by the brief flashes of streetlights. All she could see were the razor-sharp creases of the man's suit pants next to her.
The AC blasted cold air. Ayleen's wet clothes clung to her skin. A violent shiver racked her body, and she let out a sharp, ragged gasp.
The sound echoed in the quiet car. Cassius's jaw ticked. He hated noise. He opened his mouth to tell her to shut up.
But then, the AC vents circulated the air.
A faint, delicate scent of roses mixed with rain drifted directly into Cassius's nose.
His entire body went rigid.
It was the scent. The exact same scent that had put him to sleep in the club.
His eyes snapped open. He whipped his head toward the corner, his gaze trying to pierce through the darkness.
Ayleen flinched at his sudden, aggressive movement. She shrank back, her wet hair falling forward to cover her face.
Cassius narrowed his eyes, trying to see her features. Just then, a massive bolt of lightning flashed outside. The blinding white light hit Cassius's eyes, causing a temporary blind spot.
When his vision cleared, Ayleen had buried her face deep into her arms. All he saw was her thin, trembling back.
The rage in Cassius's chest vanished. The scent wrapped around his brain, instantly killing his headache.
He didn't ask questions. He picked up a dry towel from the center console and held it out to her.
Ayleen saw the towel. She hesitated, then reached out.
Her freezing fingertips brushed against his knuckles.
An electric shock ripped through both of them. Cassius yanked his hand back as if he had been burned. His chest tightened.
"Thank you," Ayleen whispered.
Because of the fever and the crying, her voice was a harsh, broken rasp. It sounded absolutely nothing like the soft whimpers from that night.
Cassius heard the ugly voice. His brows furrowed deeply in the darkness. The scent was absolutely perfect, but the voice was entirely wrong. He didn't press her further, but a sharp seed of doubt had been planted firmly in his mind. He silently decided he would have Adrian run a full background check on this woman.
He leaned back, closed his eyes, and simply breathed in the scent.
The SUV pulled up to a subway station. Arthur opened the door. Ayleen clutched the towel and scrambled out of the car, limping heavily on her bad foot.
She stood under the station awning, her heart hammering against her ribs. The man in that car had terrified her.
Inside the SUV, Cassius watched her disappear. The scent in the cabin faded quickly. The sharp pain in his temples immediately flared up again.
He ripped his tie loose. "Drive to the office," he snapped at Arthur. A sudden, intense wave of disgust for Haleigh Delaney washed over him.
