heavy, drug-la

man holding her. She met a pair of striking, icy blue eyes.

th her cheek. Her trembling fingers instinctively reached u

oarse, broken rasp. "Call 911. Ambulance.

He noted the torn silk dress knotted at her shoulder, the dark, angry bruises forming on

apped. Her grip on his lapel failed. Her hand dropped limply to her side, and sh

. With smooth, effortless strength, he lifted her

doors down th

He froze mid-step. His eyes widened as he stared at his A-list client holdin

, gesturing silently toward the ajar door of Room

ly walked past Kian and pushed the

d-stained crystal ashtray. And he saw Lars

door with his sleeve, pulling it firmly shut. He aggressiv

olor draining from his face. "T

, cutting through the tension. "Clean the room. Move him ou

lling his encrypted phone from his pocke

ed Sera down the opposite end of the hallway, h

swiped his solid black keycard over th

rowded public lobby entirely. It dropped straig

ver saw him approaching and instantly threw

he plush leather backseat, making sure her h

a's unconscious body reacted to the trauma and the chil

oulders and draped it carefully over her trembling form, tucki

ed the sleev

fingers were curled into tight, precise fists. Her thumbs were locked

" Kian instructed the driver, pulling his gaze aw

ed to life and sped

observed the precise, tactical bruising forming across her knuckles. It wasn't the random bruising

ened into a sharp,

ed into the secure, gated loading

ith a gurney the moment the doors opened. Sera was transferred

llway of the clinic. He faced Dr. Evans, a man ac

ment enacted immediately," Kian demanded, his t

"She's been dosed with a heavy sedative. Rohypnol, most likely. She nee

out. It was a text from Marcus: Donovan transpor

Cancel my script reading f

. The cool IV fluids slowly began to dilute the poison in her blood. He

ur pa

ead, she stared up at a sterile, bright white ceiling. The ambient smell of Lar