ASHES OF HER MERCY
I simply reached into my coat, pulled out the leather ledger, and dropped it onto the glass coffee table between us with a deafening, heavy crack.
The smile died on her face. Every drop of color drained from her skin, leaving her looking more like a ghost than Seraphina ever had.
"You should have burnt the paper trail, Chloe," I said softly, stepping forward into the light.
Before she could speak, before the lie could even form on her lips, the high-definition television mounted on the main wall suddenly flickered to life on its own, cutting through the suffocating tension in the room.
The breaking news banner flashed across the screen in bold, crimson letters: