CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE – SURRENDER OR DIE

Her voice trailed off as a fleeting shadow of unease flickered across Julian's features, there and gone again like a wraith passing through a slat of moonlight. Before she could inquire about its origins, however, the piercing trill of her phone shattered the moment with its insistent clamor. Giving Julian's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Charlotte extricated herself from his embrace and crossed to where she'd left the device on the nightstand. Her brow furrowed as an unfamiliar number blinked up at her from the display's harsh electronic glare. "Hello?" she answered, unconsciously pitching her voice low so as not to disturb the fragile tranquility of the bedroom. "Good evening, Mrs. Preston." The curt, vaguely accented voice on the other end lanced through Charlotte's consciousness like a dagger of ice, raising a thousand instinctive alarms along the nape of her neck. Slowly, she turned to find Julian regarding her with a look of naked trepidation already kindling in his eyes. "W