Chapter 3

The night air was cold as I left the auction house, defeated.

Before I reached the street, a black SUV screeched to a halt beside me.

Doors flew open.

Two large men in dark suits grabbed me.

Private security, Thorne Industries badges.

I tried to fight, my old Ranger instincts kicking in, but my body was weaker now, my heart already protesting.

A fist slammed into my gut, another to my jaw.

Pain exploded in my head.

They dragged me into the SUV.

"Mrs. Thorne' s orders," one of them grunted. "She says you' re unstable. Need to cool off."

Unstable.

The word echoed Cassie' s earlier dismissal.

They drove for what felt like hours, finally stopping at a construction site.

An unfinished skyscraper, a concrete skeleton reaching into the dark sky.

They hauled me out, into a service elevator, up, up, until the wind howled around us.

The rooftop.

Bare concrete, rebar sticking out like broken bones.

The city lights spread out far below, a distant, indifferent galaxy.

They tied my hands behind my back, then looped a rope around my chest, securing it to a steel girder near the edge.

"Enjoy the view," one of them sneered, then they were gone.

Alone.

The wind cut through my thin suit jacket, chilling me to the bone.

Rain began to fall, cold and sharp.

My chest tightened, the familiar ache starting, the one that warned of my heart giving out.

Hours passed. Or maybe days.

Time blurred.

Then, footsteps.

Marcus Vance.

He walked to the edge, looked down, then turned to me, a satisfied smile on his face.

He held a thermos, steam rising from it.

"Cold, Ethan?" he asked, his voice smooth, conversational.

He took a sip. "Shame. I brought coffee."

He walked closer, crouching down so we were eye level.

"You know, your mother was a real nuisance. Stuck her nose where it didn't belong."

My blood ran colder than the wind.

"She just wouldn't stop digging," Marcus continued, his eyes glinting. "So persistent. Like you, in a way. But persistence has its price."

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"She screamed, you know. When I took her eyes. And her tongue... well, let' s just say she won' t be talking to anyone anymore."

A wave of nausea and blinding rage washed over me.

I lunged, but the ropes held me fast.

He laughed. "Still got some fight in you, Ranger? Impressive. But pointless."

He stood up, dusted off his expensive coat.

"Cassie sends her regards. She thinks you need some time to reflect. She' s quite convinced you' re having a breakdown."

He paused, looking at my chest where my heart was now pounding erratically, painfully.

"Careful with that ticker of yours, Ethan. Wouldn't want you to overexert yourself."

He turned and walked away, leaving me to the wind, the rain, and the agonizing truth of his confession.

The pain in my chest was a vise, crushing me.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.

My last thought was of my mother, her smile, her courage.

Then, nothing.