Chapter 6

The heavy door slammed against the wall.

Jett Holder and Susan Mckee rushed into the powder room.

Susan saw Kassandra lying on the floor with blood on her mouth. She let out a shrieking wail.

Jett's eyes darted from Kassandra's bruised face straight to Calista. Calista was still standing by the sink, her hands raised in a defensive posture.

A terrifying, violent rage erupted in Jett's eyes. The air in the room turned to ice.

Susan dropped to her knees. She pulled Kassandra into her arms. "Who did this to you? Who hit you?" Susan cried.

Kassandra buried her face in her mother's chest. Her body shook violently. She raised a trembling finger and pointed right at Calista.

"She tried to kill me," Kassandra sobbed.

"No!" Calista yelled, shaking her head frantically. "She hit herself! She's crazy!"

Jett closed the distance between them in two massive strides.

He grabbed Calista's wrist. His large fingers clamped down on her delicate bones with crushing, merciless force.

Calista let out a sharp cry of pain. She felt like her wrist was going to snap in half.

"You are a sick, venomous bitch," Jett snarled, his face inches from hers.

Tears of pure physical pain spilled over Calista's eyelashes. She stared up at him, refusing to look away. "I didn't touch her. I swear to god, I didn't touch her."

Jett violently shoved her arm away. He looked at her hands like they were covered in filth.

He turned his back on her. He bent down and scooped Kassandra up into his arms. His movements were incredibly gentle.

He looked back over his shoulder. His eyes were dead.

"I will deal with you when we get home," Jett promised.

He carried Kassandra out the door. Susan shot Calista a look of pure hatred, hissed the word "Viper," and ran after them.

Calista slumped against the marble counter. The world spun around her.

She forced her shaking legs to move. She pushed through the brass doors and stumbled out into the hallway.

The corridor was empty, save for one person.

Bo Mckee was charging down the hall. He looked like a raging bull. He had just gotten the call from Susan.

He saw Calista. He didn't slow down.

Bo lunged forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, slamming her back against the wall.

"If you ruined her face and ruined this merger, I will skin you alive!" Bo roared, spit flying from his mouth.

With a brutal shove, he sent her stumbling backward. Calista lost her balance. Her back slammed into the marble wall.

The back of her skull cracked against the sharp edge of a decorative stone molding.

A sickening crunch echoed in the hall.

Calista's vision went completely black. Her knees buckled. She slid down the wall and collapsed onto the carpet.

Warm, thick blood immediately rushed down her neck, soaking into the green silk of her dress.

Bo looked down at the blood. He didn't care. He raised his heavy leather shoe, aiming a kick right at her ribs.

The door to the VIP suite at the end of the hall swung open.

A tall man in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit stepped out.

He saw the raised foot. He moved with lethal speed.

The man grabbed Bo's ankle mid-air. With a sharp, calculated twist, he threw the heavy man off balance. Bo crashed hard onto the floor.

Finn Sandoval, one of the top surgeons in New York, stood over Bo. His eyes were sharp and dangerous.

"Stay away from her," Finn ordered.

Finn dropped to his knees next to Calista. He pressed two fingers to her neck, checked her pupils, and saw the blood pooling on the carpet.

Without a word, Finn slid his arms under her body, lifted her unconscious form against his chest, and sprinted toward the elevators.