The massive kitchenisland in the penthouse was made of cold, imported Italian marble. Anissa stood in front of it, staring down at the plate of traditional Englishbreakfast the staff had pr epared.
The eggs had congealed. The bacon was stiff. The food was completely, reversibly coll
Her chest felt incredibly tight, as if a heavy iron band was wrapped around her ribs, restricting her lungs. Her mind played the morning's events ona brutal, endless loop. She saw the absolute panicin Harding's eyes. She heard the cold, robotic sound of his voice announcing his sudden es cape to London. She felt the phantom chill of the freezing showerhead taken justto wash away the feeling of her skinagainst his | have an emergency board meeting in London.
The excuse tasted like ash in her mouth. He had looked at her as if she were a disease.
Anissa sucked in a sharp breath. Her fingemails dug so hard into her palms that the skinbroke
She reached out and grabbedthe edge of the expensive porcelain plate. She didn't hesitate. She walked over to the stainless steel sink tumed on the garbage disposal, and scraped the entire meal down the drain.
The machine roared to life, a violent, grindingnoise that chewed through the cold food.
As she listened to the mechanical destruction, the heavy, suffocating lump in her throat dissolved. The pathetic, hollow ache of rejection was instantly r eplaced by a surge of absolute, freezing clarity.
She was Anissa Snow. She had crawled back from the dead. She absolutely refused to spend another second of her second life crying ‘over a man who treated her like a mistake. She had actual lives to save. Anissatumed on her heel and marched into the master closet
She stripped off the silver silk slip dress—the same dress that had caused the humiliating disaster in the master bedroom—and threw it violently into the laundry hamper. She didn't want to look at Ít.
00% 1057 wl
ng 1) #2 +120 Points at most She pulled on a pair of dark, heavy cargo pants and a tight biack tank top. She shrugged into a fitted black feather motorcycle jacket, the stiff material acting ike physical armor. She laced up a pair of heavy combat boots and pulled her long, dark hair into a severe, tight highponytail.
She grabbed a black baseball cap, pulling the brim down low over her eyes
Avoidingthe private garage where Harding's dedicated driver was waiting, Anissaslippedout of the penthousethroughthe discreet service elevator An hour later, a faded yellow cab dropped her off on the edge of a decaying industrial street in Brooklyn.
A fine, freezing mist was falling from the gray sky. Anissa popped the collar of her leather jacket. She didn't look around. She walked with purpose down a narrow, trash-littered alleyway, her boots splashing throughoily puddles.
At the dead end of the alley stood an abandoned meatpacking plant. Heavy, rusted chains hungover the main loading doors.
Anissawalked straight to a corroded electrical box mounted on the brick wall. She flipped the metal cover open Inside was a pristing glowing digital keypad. Her fingers flew across the keys, punchingin a complex ‘sixteen-digit alphanumeric code.
A de ep, heavy hydraulic hiss echoed from the brick wall. A section of the rusted iron door slid inward, revealing a narrow, pitcrblack gap. Anissaslippedinside
She walked down a ste ep, narrow concrete staircase. With every st ep, the heavy, pulsating bass of electronic music grew louder, vibrating through the soles of her boots. The air grew thick with the smell of expensive Cubancigars and spilled bourbon
This was The Crypt. It was the most exclusive black-market intelligence hubin New York run entirely by ex-intelligence operatives,
Anissa pushed through the soundproof curtain at the bottom of the stairs, She ignored the crowded dance floor and the dangerous ooking men eyeingher from the VIP booths, She walked straight to the darkest comer of the main bar,
The bartender, a massive man with a necktattoo, didn't ask for herorder. He took one look at her face, reached under the mahogany counter, and. pressed a hiddenred button
The towering liquor shelf behind the bar split down the middle, sliding 270% 1050 N„I
< Ch epter51 Ÿ& +120 Points at most 'opento reveal a soundproof dimly lít VIP room.
Anissa walked in. The heavy shelves closed behind her, cutting off the musicinstently.
Sitting on a black leather sofa in the center of the room was Caleb Wright A jagged scar ran throughhis left eyebrow.
The moment he saw her, Caleb shot to his feet. He bowed his head respectfully. "Boss."
Anissa didnt waste a singlebreath on pleasantries. She reached into the. inner pocket of her leather jacket, pulled out a silver, temperature- controlled metal cylinder, and tossed it onto the glass coffee table
It landed with a heavy clink
“That's the custom-synthesized biologic’ Anissa said, her voice completely flat. ‘It's an experimental Swiss treatment. It's enough to ‘suppressyoursister's rare autoimmune flare-ups for the next sixmonths." Caleb stared at the metal tube. His chest he heave. The hardened ex- mercenarys eyes instantly filled with a desperate, raw gratitude. The edges of his eyes tumed red. He dropped to one knee right there on the. Persian rug.
“Thank you," Caleb choked out
Anissa held up a gloved hand, stopping him “It's a transaction, Caleb. Now it's time for you to honoryour end."
She walked over to the electronic whiteboard on the wall. She un capped a marker and wrote a single name in bold, jagged letters: Blaze Jankowski
Caleb stood up, wipinghis jaw. He frowned at the board. "The mechanic? The lunatic who got permanently banned by all four major racing teams for illegal modifications?"
“Yes; Anissa said, her eyes lacking onto his. “I need him | need himto pack his best diagnostic equipmentand get to the Thunder Speedway in upstate New York Immediately *
She pulled back the sleeve of her jacket, checkingher heavy steel watch. Her stomach gave a violent, sickeninglurch.
“Forrest's qualifying race starts in exactly three hours Anissa said, her voice droppingto a deadly whisper He wasn't a Roy by blood. He was an orphan who had grown up in the estate's shadow. Morgan was the only friend iho had ever showin her kindness a confidant inthe darkness. But 8.6% 1050 N1
gà viên $% +120 Points at most Forrest... Forrest was the only oneinthat cold, sprawling estate who had. ever taken a punchfor her, He wasn't a friend; he was her shield. In her heart, he was the only family she had ever truly known “Someone is goingto try to kill him on that track today."
Caleb's posture instantly shifted from grateful brotherto lethal operative. He pulled a heavily encrypted satellite phone from his belt and started dialing. "ll have himlocated and secured inten minutes.”
Anissa tumed to look at the red digital clock glowing on the wall. The numbersticked down mercilessly.
A flash of her past life burned behind her eyes-the horrific image of Forrest's red race car exploding into a massive fireball against the ‘concrete wall
She ground her teeth together, her jaw aching She had lost everythingin her past life. Today, death was goingto have to get out of her way. 100.0% 1059 N81
< Marrying My Exs Power Bilonare Un. #3 +120 Points at most