LOGINReynolds is smart; that’s the whole problem. He’s built his accusation on a lattice of “concern” and “unexplained deviations,” every line engineered to sound plausible while remaining deniable. No hard evidence, but just enough smoke for the board to believe there’s a fire. I grab a legal pad and s
He shrugs. “Consider it a professional courtesy. The real show will start in the morning. I thought you’d appreciate a head start.” He picks up my pen, twirls it between his fingers, leaves a shallow groove in the finish. “You’ve always been… unpredictable, Mara. But this?” He gestures to the letter
The city is a carcass picked clean by neon, the buildings outside my window hunched together in the rain like scavengers at a feast. Inside, the office is hermetically sealed, cut off from anything that bleeds or breathes. The only movement is the slow convulsion of my espresso machine’s dying last,
I nod, letting the tension crackle. “But you’re better at it.” He drops his gaze, only for a second. “Maybe. But not with you.” The moment holds, the air so dense it could shatter under its own weight. I let the wolf take the front seat, let her see if the evidence holds. She paces, circles, runs
Let them come for me, I think. Let them try. I let the clock tick down until the building is utterly dead, until the only proof of life is the pool of light at my desk and the relentless, arrhythmic snarl of rain against the windows. I think Lucas has left for good this time, that I can finally re
“You sabotage any of it?” I ask. My voice is two degrees colder than before. He nods. “When I could. I intercepted three wire transfers, rerouted them to an empty account and then reported it as a bank error. It cost them a month’s momentum.” He pushes another page forward—a receipt, a falsified no
I stiffen, a snarl forming at the back of my throat, before I manage to smooth it into something more civil, more human. This is not what I expected, not what I am prepared for. I should have known. I should have known he'd come. "Mara," his voice drawls, easy and confident, but I hear the challeng
The lock clicks behind me as I slip into the office. I am the wolf, even in tailored business attire. Even with it all wrapped up so tight. The edge of my existence cuts deep. The aftertaste of the night clings to my senses, a raw, metallic tang that I cannot swallow away. My steps falter, then re
There is a freedom in it, a temptation that digs claws deep into my resolve and leaves it ragged and bleeding. I have spent a lifetime restraining the urge, tightening the leash until it bites into my own flesh. But the promise of release is a seductive whisper, its breath warm against my neck, its
The crosswalk sign flashes red as I approach, an unwavering command to stop, to wait, to hold. I heed it, just this once. There is no harm in pausing when I know what lies ahead. The penthouse is a world apart from the one I now move through, but I carry pieces of it with me, fragments of luxury an







