taircase. Before her foot hit the bottom step,

parlor," Maeve ordered, turning on he

arlor smelled of heavy incense and old mahogany

erfectly coiffed, her face a map of cold, hard lines. She was finger

three feet awa

ing the beads and snapped her hawkish gaze o

the fabric of her coat. "I

ch. "Shut your mouth! You sold your own flesh and blood to us three years ag

ad. Her mouth fell open. The blood drained from her

t. She sneered, picking up a bon

Since you took our money, your body belongs to the Gates

iolently heave. A hot, burning anger ignited in he

her body language screa

Carissa's mere presence. "Move into the es

owed the scream building in her throat. If she fought back now, she would be

ured a look of greedy hesitation. "I need time to co

t. "There it is. The rat shows its tail." She waved her h

ngernails so hard into her palms that the ski

e front gates, a freezing

ing to offer her an umbrella. Carissa pulled he

ng out her phone. No Uber driver would acce

The rear window was rolled halfway down. Guilf

n. The tires hit a puddle, splashing free

t. She wiped the dirty rain from her face. The last shred of v

. Pulling out her phone with numb fingers, she managed to hail a premium rideshare. When the sleek black SUV finally pulled up, she slid onto the pristine leather seat.

city, Carissa made a silent vow. She was goi