MARK

The elevator doors slid shut, taking Aria away, and the silence rushed back into the penthouse.

I stood there for a moment, listening to the hum of the city outside the glass. Then, I let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-shudder.

I walked back to the coffee table and picked up the tablet. The screen was still glowing, beautiful and bright in the dim room.

TRANSFER COMPLETE: $25,000,000.00

I traced the numbers with my thumb. Twenty-five million. It was real and sitting pretty in the holding account, safe, clean, and ready to be moved.

"God," I whispered, the word vibrating in my chest. "I love it when a...