Darkness didn't fade; it shattered.
The sweet, chemical sting of the gas still clung to the back of Vivian’s throat, making her chest heave as consciousness rushed back in a violent, disorienting wave. Her eyelids felt heavy, coated in lead, but the primal instinct for survival forced them open.
The first thing she realized was the cold. The heavy, damp chill of a subterranean environment bit through her cashmere sweater. The second thing she realized was the restriction. Her hands were pulled behind her back, her wrists bound tightly to the cold iron bars of a heavy structural chair.
She wasn't in Dominic’s armored SUV anymore. The luxury prison had been replaced by a raw, brutal one.
Vivian blinked against the harsh glare of a single fluorescent bulb swaying gently overhead. The dim,
