The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Patrick’s limbs were beyond his control, his body betraying him as he followed Vivienne’s retreating steps.

Behind him, Gillian’s heart-wrenching cries for her father echoed through the air, but he was powerless to respond.

Patrick finally felt the command of his body returned when they reached a secluded cabin on the ship.

But now, with both Percival and Anna guarding the door, escape was an impossibility.

“Kneel,” Vivienne commanded, her voice serene as she sat on the seat representing authority.

Patrick fell to his knees with a thud, not out of compulsion but from the sheer force of Vivienne’s presence.

His legs tingled with numbness, sharp pains shooting through his knees as if a thousand needles were pricking them.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow, trickling down his temples and disappearing onto his shoulders.

Vivienne sat with her legs crossed, her slender neck held high with disdain, a hint of scorn in her gaze.

As Patrick knelt, Vivienne wondered what her mother had seen in him. How could such a spineless man be entrusted with the critical technology of bionics?

She regarded him with contempt and curiosity, slowly pulling the small “Morning Glory” from her pocket and tossing it at Patrick.

Instinctively, he caught it, his forehead bulging with veins, paralyzed with fear.

When he saw what it was, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.

He had thought she had thrown a knife at him!

“Madam, what is this?” he stammered.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, her voice calm. “A miniature bomb.”

Shocked to his core, Patrick scrambled behind the couch for cover.

He thought it was a knife, but it was even worse – a bomb! Vivienne was more reckless than his boss.

Who in their right mind tosses a bomb around like a toy?

Observing Patrick’s reaction, Vivienne could almost be certain of his innocence regarding the bomb incident that evening.

ship,” she stated, her legs shifting position as she lounged back

the ship, my daughter and I were there, too. I

murmured

to rise, “Could this be connected to the Boyd

gaze sharpened as she looked at him. “You

no, I just find it odd. After the engagement party fiasco, I cut all ties with the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic

to apologize, claiming their matriarch was indisposed and that he would represent her. I agreed, and during preparations yesterday, my men told me the Boyd family’s head wanted to drop off a floral arrangement. I did not question it, but it’s suspicious now that I think about it. I had

signal beeped in her earpiece—it was from

The shipment had arrived.

message. He wanted to check it but could

yawned, her eyes

she went

not to move. He knew Vivienne was not dozing off but

the bomb had touched a nerve, and his pale excuses

increasingly anxious as his phone continued

had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

had left their post outside the cabin and were now at

sealing off

Thomas reported, handing over a bag of what seemed to

drug on the black market, identical to flour and often sold alongside

brow furrowed. “How

with Leopold before revealing an astonishing

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

could profit enough to buy a

but had not imagined it

Keco, we’ve

come to Sea City to uncover GTO’s virus research base, following leads to the Ashford

to breach the base, so Leopold and Thomas had

ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential key to unraveling the web of

the experimental substance, they had stumbled upon a whopping three

in drug

by now. Three tons of Keco was no small find, and

up the gear and coordinate with the DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this under wraps; we don’t