The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Flynn took a deep breath. Sure enough, the agony coursing through him was beginning to subside.

He sat up straight, his gaze steady on Vivienne. “You came all this way to see me. What else do you want to know?”

Vivienne tossed her lollipop into the trash can without a second thought. “I’m more interested in what you have to say.”

“I have nothing to say to you.” Flynn leaned against the headboard, his eyes closing, signaling he was done talking.

Vivienne, unfazed, shifted to a more comfortable position. “Is the infamous F-Poison your mentor? Is he dead?”

A flicker passed through Flynn’s eyes, but he remained silent.

“You’re not still waiting for F-Poison to come to rescue you, are you? That’s naive, Uncle Flynn!”

Standing up, Vivienne seemed ready to leave.

That got a reaction. Flynn called out to her, “You’re here to get the scoop on your mom’s abduction, right? Sasha’s.”

Vivienne froze, a piercing look shooting from her eyes like daggers sinking deep into Flynn’s skin.

Suddenly, Flynn felt as if flames were raging inside him, threatening to consume him entirely.

“Vivienne, I’m the only one in this world who knows what happened to your mom after she was taken. If you want the truth, you must cure me of this poison!”

Vivienne’s gaze softened, and Flynn felt immediate relief.

Struggling to his feet, Flynn approached the balcony. “Bring someone from the Perez family to see me.”

Vivienne’s frown deepened, but she left without a word.

Flynn chuckled, his eyes glinting with meaning. “There are things in this world that defy description. Only the ordinary can be understood.”

Vivienne gave Flynn a long, hard look before walking out of the stifling cell and exhaling heavily outside.

Maddox opened the car door for her. “How did it go?” He asked.

Vivienne shook her head. “He didn’t spill anything.”

the steering

go home, Uncle Maddox. I’ve had

claimed he knew all about her

F-Poison really trust

Vivienne, what else did he say?” Maddox asked as

from

expression darkened. “He’s seen Dad and Yuri. What the fuck does he want next—to see Natalia and

up. “Uncle, why don’t you think he wants to see you

Rivenwood?” Maddox scoffed. “Maybe he wants both

are things in this world that defy description. Only the ordinary can be understood,” Vivienne mused. “What did

knows? The ramblings of a madman, yet strangely

choosing to

dropped her off at

sank into the bathtub,

the Perez family, but who was he

family in her mind. Then

Willa.

would want

towel to dry her hair, and then reached for her phone to call

the search for

a bead on him,” Draven complained. “Our guys are getting

Draven felt this

him in less than 10 feet, and after so many days, they could not obtain the tiniest information about

expected. She was well aware that someone like Vesper would not be easy to track. “Stop chasing shadows then. What about the other one I

other end, and then Draven said, “Vivienne,

Vivienne asked, curiosity

rarely described

across some clues about her, but they vanish every time I get close. At first, I thought it was the Perez family

up, swiftly dressing amid the steam, and opened the bathroom door. “Who’s helping

with concern. “There’s a mysterious force backing Willa, a force we can’t quite grasp. I’m

failed to deliver on not just one but two assignments, Draven found it hard to face

Society had never encountered a task it could not tackle. Yet now, they had hit two dead ends in

him. After all, the two people she had tasked the Nine Mystics Society to investigate were unlike any they had encountered before. Running into dead ends was to

also understood that the success of this mission was not solely dependent on her or Draven’s capabilities but rather on how much the person they were investigating was willing to let