the gap in the curtains, hitt

chair. He pushed the cashier

f cheap instant coffee. She froze, her knuck

d. His voice was firm, lea

dark liquid sloshed over the rims. "

the table. "An old friend from Silicon Valley runs a venture capital firm. He agreed

sing mix of intense relief and sharp embarrassment. S

, she realized it wasn't rejection. It

lid the check back into her po

agged breath. He felt like

g with the motion of the cars. She pulled out her phone to c

reen l

d. Several people tu

le balance

ry. There was a pending deposit of $

frantically typed the name into a search en

pened her texts a

send m

the Knight Group tower, Josiah sat at the head of a ma

ed. He looked

hold expenses. From my ne

n her cheek. Five hundred dollars was nothing in New York

ocery store. She went straight to the meat count

iah wasn't there. A sticky note on the

e rich smell of burning fat and rosemary filling the cramped

od by the floor-to-ceili

entures shell is active. We can funnel millions i

'Small Business Innovation Grant' through the shell company. Make sure she's selected

oss. If she digs into the grant's o

with a fierce protectiveness. "Just make sure she

locked the door to th

instantly. He walked into t

The candlelight flickered across

te," Flora said, poi

ap steak knife and cut into the meat.

t tasted better than any meal

na he had built was melting, piece by piece, burnin

clenching, I am going to drop the