Chapter 1 - The Stranger at the Gate
Prescott escorted the frail woman into my private office.
She wore a faded coat that was entirely too thin for the harsh Chicago wind.
Her hands were shaking violently as she stood before my massive mahogany desk.
I did not offer her a seat.
I simply stared at her, waiting for an explanation that would justify keeping her alive.
My armed guards stood perfectly still in the corners of the room.
"You told my man that you did not come here for a job," I stated coldly.
The woman raised her chin, meeting my gaze without a single trace of fear.
"My name is Clara," she whispered.
She pulled a crumpled medical file from her deep coat pocket and tossed it onto my desk.
"I came here because I am the only person in the world who can save Jonah and Blythe."
My heart stopped completely in my chest.
I snatched the folder and tore it open.
Inside were pristine laboratory results from a highly classified genetic testing facility.
The documents confirmed that Clara was a perfect, one hundred percent bone marrow match for my twins.
"How did you get their genetic profiles?" I demanded, standing up slowly.
Clara took a deep breath and looked me dead in the eye.
"I did not have to steal their profiles, Lawson."
She unbuttoned the top of her coat, revealing a silver pendant resting against her collarbone.
May you like
It was the exact same custom necklace I had buried with my wife two years ago.
"Genevieve was my identical twin sister, and she hid me from you for a very specific reason," Clara said.
