Fifteen minutes after the phone call, Dr. Thorne rushed through the heavy mahogany doors of the Dragon Emperor Villa. He was out of breath, silver hair a mess, gripping his metal medical case.
He didn't bother knocking. Luke was already waiting in the marble hallway.
Luke handed him the heavy titanium lockbox.
Thorne took it with shaking hands. He popped the latches. Inside rested the hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng. A thick, knotted crimson root, glowing faintly under the lights.
"I'll prepare the extract immediately," Thorne whispered.
They walked into the living room. Zoe was fast asleep on the plush velvet sofa. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The heavy white cast rested on her stomach. She already looked better than she had in the slums, but Thorne knew the truth. Her
