The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The buzz of the bustling barbecue joint filled the air as Vivienne savored the morsels Percival fed her. A thought struck her, and she looked up with curiosity. “Any word on Huxley yet?”

Over the sizzling grill, Percival flipped a juicy burger and shook his head. “That guy’s slippery. If he’s involved, his crew won’t let him get caught that easily.”

Vivienne nodded in agreement. “Ever since Samantha vanished, GTO’s been eerily quiet.”

As Percival handed her a slice of steak, he raised an eyebrow, “You don’t think GTO’s behind this?”

She shook her head, lacking evidence but trusting her instincts. “If GTO had their hands on that kind of tech, they’d have flaunted it ages ago. No way they’d wait this long and then put Huxley on the job.”

“Mr. Wolf, I’ll have some of that,” she said casually, pointing at a plate of ribs.

Vivienne continued, “If I’m right, this has got to do with that woman in red. That potion—if you can even call it that—seems more like a refined kind of hex. It’s designed to mess with your head; the actual effects, we’ll have to wait for Brody’s lab report.”

Percival’s surprise was evident. “Mom’s in a coma; how could this drug work on someone who’s asleep? Unless… it can force them awake?”

Since marrying Vivienne, Percival had naturally started calling Karen ‘Mom’, despite her not having woken up yet. It was a term of endearment he was getting used to.

Vivienne laughed lightly, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “The human brain is the world’s most complex mystery. Modern medicine can manipulate certain emotions, but it can’t control the body. Reviving someone from a coma is next to impossible.”

If such a drug existed, vegetative states wouldn’t be such a dilemma in medical science.

“Anyway, with the target on Mom’s back, the hospital’s no longer safe. Are you full?”

Percival took her word as gospel, quickly standing up with her even before she could answer. At that moment, his phone rang.

Aaron?

have my number?” He

note of Aaron’s number to protect

the bill with Percival’s card. She saw the furrow in

familiar name, she let out a puzzled “Aaron?”

Your cousin’s caught up in something nasty. Check the trending

place, drawing screams and gasps from onlookers as sparks flew

as the car doors swung open, two figures dashed out and went into the barbecue joint like a gust of wind, leaving the bystanders

“What just flew by?”

cool,

online, and Ms. Brooks has been taken home by her agent. But the internet is dragging her through the mud, and they can’t

Aaron spoke rapidly, and Vivienne’s

trembled at the sudden shift in the

“Vivienne! Percival!”

burst open, and two agitated figures, Griffin and Leopold,

swollen eyes as if she had been crying, a stark contrast to her usually

hand, “Vivienne,

“Aaron, hold on.”

the attention. Leopold caught the signal and was the first to act, pulling Griffin aside. “This isn’t the place for

Vivienne’s shoulder. “I’ve got a

passenger seat, eyeing the rear-view mirror. Griffin was a pitiful sight, clinging to

silently critiquing his ability to comfort his girlfriend, thinking, “Come

Percival had never seen