The heavy mahogany doors of the Valerius estate’s grand study loomed before Clara like the gates of a fortress. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she had survived the terrifying ordeal in the underground parking garage. The phantom sensation of the zip-ties still haunted her wrists, and the chilling revelation of Ares’s true, lethal nature still echoed in her mind.
Yet, when the summons from Grandfather Arthur Valerius arrived this morning, declining was not an option.
Clara took a deep breath, smoothed the front of her tailored skirt, and knocked twice.
"Enter," a gravelly voice commanded from within.
Clara pushed the doors open. The study was a cavernous room, lined wall-to-wall with first-edition books and smelling richly of aged scotch and cigar smoke. Behind a massive
