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.

found on your ship,” she stated, her legs shifting position as she lounged back on the sofa, lazily

ship, my daughter and I were there, too. I would never risk our lives by planting a bomb. This has

Vivienne murmured

to rise, “Could

she looked at him. “You

ties with the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic tech, I

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

a signal beeped

The shipment had arrived.

message. He wanted to check it but could not do so in front of Vivienne,

yawned, her eyes closing. “Let me

that, she

to move. He knew Vivienne was

and his pale excuses

grew increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate

the shipment had

Why bother messaging him?

the cabin and were now at the

docks, sealing off all incoming

Keco,” Thomas reported, handing over a bag of what

the black market, identical to flour and

furrowed.

Leopold before revealing an

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

profit enough to

had anticipated a significant haul but had

than Keco, we’ve found nothing

research base, following leads to the

chance to breach the base, so Leopold and Thomas had

on Patrick’s movements from the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential key to unraveling the web of intrigue

and instead of securing the experimental substance, they had stumbled upon a whopping three tons of

was neck-deep in drug

the experimental substance was a dead end by now. Three tons of Keco was no small find, and

gear and coordinate with the DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this under wraps; we