The bulletproof Maybach glided silently down the dark, winding roads of the Hamptons.
Alaina sat in the back seat, her body rigid. The leather interior smelled of expensive polish and ozone. She clutched the black titanium card in her lap. Her palms were sweating so much the metal felt slippery.
Silas sat in the front passenger seat, staring straight ahead. He hadn't spoken a single word since she got in the car.
The Maybach turned past a set of massive, wrought-iron gates. Armed guards in tactical gear stood in the shadows, their assault rifles held at the ready.
The estate was a sprawling fortress of concrete, steel, and black glass. It looked less like a home and more like a high-tech military bunker.
The car stopped. Silas opened her door. "Follow me."
Alaina stepped out into the freezing wind. She followed Silas through a cavernous foyer. There was no art on the walls. No warmth. Just cold, gray stone and harsh angles.
Silas led her up a floating glass staircase to the second floor. He stopped in front of a set of heavy, double steel doors. He knocked once.
A low, mechanical buzz sounded, and the doors unlatched.
"Go in," Silas instructed. He didn't follow her.
Alaina pushed the heavy door open. The study was massive, but all the lights were off. The only illumination came from a bank of glowing blue computer monitors covering the far wall.
She stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing her in.
Her eyes adjusted to the gloom. In the center of the room, behind a massive slab of black marble that served as a desk, sat a man.
He was in a wheelchair.
It wasn't a hospital chair. It was a sleek, terrifying piece of machinery, all matte black metal and glowing blue hydraulics.
The man's upper body was hidden in the shadows, but Alaina could see the broad, powerful line of his shoulders beneath a dark dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing forearms corded with thick muscle.
But it was his face that made Alaina's blood run cold.
The lower half of his face was completely covered by a black, carbon-fiber tactical mask. The rumors were true. The attack that had crippled him had destroyed his face.
The silence in the room was heavy, pressing down on Alaina's chest until she felt like she was suffocating.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The man's long, pale fingers began to drum against the marble desk. The rhythmic sound echoed in the dark room like a countdown to an execution.
Alaina swallowed hard. Her throat was bone dry.
"I... I was told you wanted to know the contraindications," Alaina stammered. Her voice sounded pathetically small in the massive room.
The man didn't speak. He just stared at her. The weight of his gaze felt physical, like a hand wrapping around her throat.
Alaina forced herself to look at the desk, unable to meet the dark void of his eyes. "The neurotoxin inhibitor becomes highly unstable if exposed to temperatures above eighty degrees Celsius. The molecular binding agents will degrade, turning the cure into a lethal paralytic."
Kyle sat in the chair, his jaw clenched tight beneath the mask.
He watched her tremble. He saw the way her fingers dug into the fabric of her wet jeans. He wanted to stand up. He wanted to cross the room, rip the mask off, and pull her into his arms.
But he couldn't. Not yet. She needed to fear Mr. Durham so she would run to Kyle Wood.
Kyle raised his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Alaina snapped her mouth shut instantly. She took an involuntary step backward, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Kyle picked up a digital stylus. He wrote on the glowing tablet embedded in his desk. He turned the screen toward her.
The bright white letters read: Are you afraid of me?
Alaina stared at the screen. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck.
"No," she lied, shaking her head quickly. "I... I respect the power of the biological compounds. That's all."
Kyle's eyes narrowed. He typed again.
The remaining ninety million will be paid in installments. Only after my scientists verify your data. Until then, you are on call. When I summon you, you come. Understood?
It was a leash. A golden, suffocating leash.
Alaina felt a flush of humiliation burn her cheeks, but she thought of her mother lying in the hospital bed. She nodded slowly. "Understood."
Kyle waved his hand dismissively toward the door.
Alaina didn't hesitate. She turned and practically ran out of the study, the heavy steel doors slamming shut behind her.
The moment she was gone, Kyle reached up and unclasped the tactical mask. He tossed it onto the marble desk. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the faint scent of lavender she had left behind.
He stood up.
His legs were perfectly fine. Powerful, steady, and lethal.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and watched Alaina sprint toward the waiting Maybach.
Silas entered the room, holding a tablet. "Sir. Warren Vance just pulled strings at the hospital. They are physically removing Eleanor Wells from the VIP ward as we speak."
Kyle's eyes went dead. The temperature in the room plummeted.
"Get the helicopter ready," Kyle said softly. "I need to change my clothes."
Down in the Maybach, Alaina turned her phone on. It instantly exploded with thirty missed calls from the public hospital.
