The heavy mahogany doors of the penthouse suite slammed shut, followed instantly by the sharp, electronic chirp of the biometric deadbolt sliding into place.

Clara stumbled backward, catching herself on the edge of a velvet chaise lounge. She stared at the locked doors, her chest heaving.

"You'r

The hissing of the static was the loudest sound Clara Vance had ever heard.

It filled the luxurious, sprawling emptiness of the penthouse, a relentless wave of white noise that clawed at her newly awakened eardrums. She stared at the laptop screen, the glowing red words *Connection Lost* burning i

Julian Vance’s hand slashed through the air.

The slap echoed sharply across the penthouse bedroom, a vicious crack of flesh on flesh. The force of the blow threw Clara off balance, sending her crashing onto the edge of the mattress. Her cheek burned with a fierce, stinging heat, and the metallic t