THE RICH ALPHA

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Maggie blinked. Her instincts told her to struggle in his grasp, but her efforts were weak. "Let me go!" she insisted.

He shook his head. "Never, but tell me what you saw. What made you scream?"

Maggie shuddered and turned her face away from him. "You. You were covered in blood. There was-" a sob escaped her lips, "-there was blood everywhere, and you were smiling." She whipped her head to him and tears slid down her cheeks. "You just stood there and smiled!"

He gave her a solid shake. "It was a dream! Only a dream!"

She shook her head and squirmed in his hold. "It wasn't a dream, it was the truth! You kill people without caring about it! You killed those men, and you probably killed Blake, and no my father's

going to go to jail for that!"

Adrian frowned. "What about your father?"

She paused her struggles and glared at him. "My father had a heart attack because the police came and accused him of Blake's disappearance! It's all your fault my father's in the hospital!"

His shoulders fell and he pursed his lips. "I see."

Adrian opened his hands. Maggie scooted back into her own seat and looked to the window. Her eyes widened as she watched the world pass by through the tinted windows. She patted her pocket and felt the hard impression of the key against her hip.

Maggie looked to Adrian. "How are we moving?"

His usual sly smile slipped onto his lips. "Albert always carries a spare key in case the need should arise."

She glared at him. "You tricked me into this car, didn't you? It was all for my tears, wasn't it?"

He shrugged. "I admit I needed your tears, but I would never pass up a chance for your company."

She spun around and grabbed the handle. A few pulls told her it was locked. She frantically pressed the unlock button, but there was no familiar click. Maggie glanced over her shoulder to Adrian. "Let me out!"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, at least not yet. You see-" he leaned forward and picked the mirror from off the floor where he dropped it. The remaining bits of broken glass were blackened. "-I have a vested interest in this mirror being repaired. I was told the tears of an innocent maiden-your tears-could repair it. It appears I was misinformed, and I don't like that."

"Then find someone else and leave me out of it!" she snapped.

Adrian pursed his lips as he studied the broken mirror. "I wish it was that simple, but I'm afraid you're in the thick of it now. We must go see the good doctor and find out why he lied to me, and what exactly happened to you."

The color drained from Maggie's face. "What do you mean?"

He held up the mirror so the empty face stared at her. "As you know, this mirror is no ordinary trinket. The light that struck you came from the last bits of its magic that remained. We must find out what side-effects you may experience and how to return the powers to the mirror."