The freezing air struck her face, numbing half of her cheek instantly.
"Clara-!"
Avery's scream echoed down the long corridor. She lunged forward instinctively, but a sudden pain flared across her shoulder.
Dominic locked her flat against his chest, rendering her struggles completely useless.
His left arm functioned like an iron band, constricting her chest until respiration became difficult. Avery forced her chin upward with immense effort, her visual field blurring beneath the continuous flashes of the crimson backup lights. Her ears were filled with the heavy, jagged rhythm of his breathing, brushing hot against the side of her neck.
"Release me!"
Dominic offered zero retreat, instead dragging her frame half a step backward away from the center of the room.
"She is dead," his bar
