The drop in temperature within the penthouse was almost physical.

Julian Thorne did not shout. He did not throw his coffee mug against the wall or slam his fists into the marble counter. Instead, he radiated a cold, terrifying stillness that made the hairs on the back of Clara’s neck stand up.

"

"How did you get in here, Derek?" Clara demanded, forcing her voice to remain steady. She didn't retreat another step. She stood her ground, her chin tilted up, though her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

Derek offered a crooked, humorless smile, stepping fully out of the shadows.

The elevator ride up to the penthouse was suffocatingly silent.

Clara stood rigidly in the corner of the glass car, staring blankly at the city lights blurring past as they ascended into the sky. Her mind was a chaotic storm of legal jargon, lines of code, and the echoing sound of Derek’s bloody l