The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

On the other side of town.

Leopold, with Adam in tow, strolled through the labyrinthine streets of Rivenwood's largest urban village.

Twisting alleys had Leopold nursing a headache. Without his trusty GPS, he half-expected Adam to lead him into an unfamiliar alleyway for a swift, unseen dispatch.

"When are we getting there?" Thomas surveyed the surrounding high-rises, nearly indistinguishable from one another.

Above, a tangle of clotheslines and electric wires-a fire trap if there ever was one.

And to think, someone working for the Abernathy family lived in such a place? Quite the understatement.

Adam led the way, occasionally glancing back to ensure Leopold and Thomas's group kept pace. "Just up ahead. This place, it's a maze. Looks like there are many ways through, but most are dead ends. Without a local guide, it's easy to get lost."

Leopold noted, "I heard you guys have dorms. Why does Keith choose to live here?"

A hint of frustration crossed Adam's face. "Who knows what goes through his mind? An orphan, yet he insists on living amidst this chaos. I've offered him a dorm room multiple times, but he always refuses, claiming he needs his freedom."

"Talking about the intern salary not even hitting eight grand, in a place as pricey as Rivenwood, even these rundown flats cost a couple grand a month. Half his salary gone just on rent, not to mention commuting and living expenses. Barely saves anything by month's end."

Adam had more to say about Keith. "And that kid keeps dreaming about getting married. With his spending habits, which girl would even consider?"

Leopold and Thomas listened in silence.

Glancing back at their team, Leopold had his suspicions. Claiming to dislike restrictions was probably just an excuse for avoiding too close a contact with Abernathy family members in the dorms. Their conversation meandered, extracting even Keith's police academy entry date.

As they neared the end of their chat, they finally arrived at the base of Keith's building.

Rivenwood, well past midnight.

few scattered lights were on; the rest of the building was shrouded in darkness,

led them into the building, which had only recently been fitted with

fit; had they not left two men at the

floor, they faced a metal door covered in flyers, looking as if no one had lived there

Leopold and Thomas's watchful eyes, raised his hand to knock but was stopped by Leopold. "Let's

forward. "I owe you one, huh?

complaint was lighthearted,

The door creaked open.

shine. Just stay behind me; wouldn't want

Zzzap...

the sound of an electric

tensed, instinctively readying for a fight, then heard

to Adam. "Why didn't you just turn on the lights

Silence fell.

For a moment, Leopold

shifted blame to Thomas's hasty actions. "I

retorted, "Does it

can there be no one... Keith must

took in the room. No sign of Keith or any

inwardly cursed. Where the hell had Keith

everything was in plain view. Thomas clapped a rigid Leopold

protested. "Isn't this

an