Eliana's pulse thundered in her ears, a frantic rhythm that made it hard to breathe. There he was—Jason Asher—standing in Rafael Vexley's lavish study like he belonged there, though his once-effortless smile now twitched under the weight of her shock.
How?
How could he be here, in this house?
Her chest tightened, heat pooling beneath her skin, and her thoughts locked onto the only possible betrayal—Sarai. That snake of a best friend—no, former best friend—who could turn lies into silk and make poison sound like poetry. Of course Sarai would feed Jason her location, dressing the truth in just enough deception to make it sting.
Her good hand curled into a fist at her side, the other still trapped in the sling. Even without speaking, she knew Rafael was studying her; his grey eyes had that way of cutting through people until there was nowhere left to hide.
"Mr. Vexley," she said, keeping her voice steady, "can you give us a moment?" She didn't wait for his reply.
