–Deanne–
My little sightseeing trip with the kidnappers? A thrill ride in designer heels. They were good—razor-sharp, the kind of predators who could make you disappear without leaving even the warmth of your shadow behind. They didn't kill me because they thought I was a pawn they could trade for whatever Livana had.
But Livana? She's the kind of woman who could sell ice to the Arctic and make you feel it was your idea. Her lies glide like silk, catching no snags, leaving no wrinkles. Even I don't know if she told the truth about destroying that device. My instincts say no. Livana never burns her last bridge—she builds secret ones behind the curtain. Her contingencies run from A to Z… then she starts numbering them in Roman numerals.
I watched her and her husband slip into their bedroom, their retreat as seamless as a stage curtain falling at the end of an act. The mess from earlier? Vanished. Livana's people erase chaos faster than a match dying in the wind.
