he Brooklyn townhous

ated to the second-floor master bedroom hours ago, completely exhauste

room, moonlight slicing through the

corkboard in the corner, his mind still echoing wi

looked like the whole world ha

ancient floorboards beneath his heavy boots. A flash

ng storm dragged Augusti

r fifteen years, the memory of that summ

he skin from his back for defending his mother. He remembered being dumped in the mud of New Jersey lik

at bright ye

pressing a melted sea salt chocolate bar into his bleedi

, and corporate cruelty, she was the

er rattled the windowpanes, sn

dy breath, running a ha

pull the official marriage registry from City Hall to verify the marriage c

front door, and stepped out into the pouring

k, stepping into the pitch-black shadows of an

te phone from his jacket pocket and

nected on th

chief of staff answ

lethal authority that belonged s

tomorrow morning. I want every federal and state database locked down. Ensure my backdated militar

alls are already active. Even feder

oo

his pocket, and quickly made his way back up the

AS

ed scream ripped thro

haking the crystal chandel

s keys and sprinted up the wooden stair

d the door open. The wooden frame splin

vy duvet. Her knees were pulled tight against her chest, her fingers

fenses, merging the childhood trauma of her mother's suicide

es beside her on the floorboar

caught the back of his left hand, tearing through the

the dark, her eyes wide, glassy, and

he pain in his

ashing limbs. He wrapped his thick arms around her, pinning her arms s

hysically shutting out the booming roar of the thunder. He tucked her tremblin

deep, gravelly voice vibrating stead

me, Alayna. I am righ

over and over in a l

as stone. But the heat radiating from his chest and the heavy, iron-s

t, her fingers curling into the fabric of his damp t

against his skin. Cruz tightened his arms, his jaw

legs went completely numb, but he did not move a single muscle until h

arms and laid her in the center of the bed.

lamp outside illuminated the tear tracks on her pale cheeks. He

gainst the crown of her head-a kis

the side of the bed and sat on the bare floorboa

ng silent, unyielding guard until the