ya

of antiseptic and the rhyth

. beep.

s al

I wished

ay

my head

xt to the bed. She looked as though s

in a tight, bloodless line. She wa

roat felt like it had b

trembled with suppressed rage. "The

e sterile whit

words scraping against my

stood up

caged tiger, her heels clickin

d. "I will burn his empire t

" I

s stronger

o

down,

surprised by the

quoted her own lesson back t

in in my abdomen flared sha

"Revenge is messy. I want just

" she

said. "And I have the

r's eyes

never let

't have a

ee days in

didn'

on

er sent

e li

al fl

the trash withou

day, I check

d Liam'

eting," I sa

neutral law

in twenty

tired. D

o

own oppo

o reach fo

as if his touch

ced contrition. "I am so sorry. The gala... it wa

atly. "And you left me ble

linc

nant, Maya.

egnant to

went de

ce draine

he whi

ng," I said. "Your h

hair, looking as if he'd

didn't

never looked

nvelope across th

e papers

wn at the di

grief replaced instan

fix this. I'll send Ava

no 'we',

owled. "You are a Ric

ed into

d out a

ed the

to ap

le

ribes to the p

m f

wip

ey laundering th

ped a

versation with Marc. *She

oked up

uine fear in

id you g

I. And to the Rossi family. They won't like knowing

nched

ds were

bbed t

h such force the tip t

e," he spat. "You'll ha

my dignit

, the do

n an ill-fitting

s la

irked at me, "that Mr. Ricci's child-the *living* one

inal slap

ssed, but he didn't

too

lt l

me in four years

id to Liam. "Keep the

him dead

ing my n

of the conf

as waiting

hugg

done,"

the bright, blinding sunli

cket where I kep

just the

gned the

oing to burn

phone and di

line connected. "I have someth

was b

e was about to